Chapter 29: Suspicion of a Covered-Up Lie.
Xie Yunying asked in surprise, "System, what's going on? How come Xie Zhi is back now?"
It wasn't even late afternoon yet. Xie Zhi usually didn't leave the capital until late afternoon, and if he had a lot of business, it was quite common for him to come even later. He was the same, Xie Qingyu was the same, and Xie Lianquan was the same. These three, all of whom clearly had official positions and government duties, were all showing up at home at this time.
Is it a coincidence?
System: "I don't know, host..."
Xie Yunying said coldly, "Alright, shut up."
System: "......." *sigh*
Inside the study, Xie Qingyu spoke first: "Father, you rushed back to the manor. Should we have the servants prepare some tea to soothe your throat?"
Xie Zhi: "No need."
Xie Yunying then noticed Xie Zhi's expression. Xie Zhi, contrary to his usual self, had his brows furrowed, and the gentle and refined demeanor he displayed in front of Madam Wang and his children was completely gone.
Xie Zhi frowned: "I was too busy with official business the past few days and didn't have time to ask you. Why have you been missing for so long? The original plan wasn't like this. Do you know that your unauthorized actions have disrupted the entire plan?"
"Yu'er, shouldn't you give your father an explanation?"
Xie Yunying was shocked: "What... what does this mean... Could it be that Xie Qingyu's disappearance was a deliberate plan?!"
At the same time, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded from the system: [Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a hidden storyline: The Conspiracy of the Wang and Xie Clans.]
[The Conspiracy of the Wang and Xie Clans: In the summer of the sixteenth year of the Jiahe era, in order to overthrow their rival forces, the current heads of the Xie and Wang clans decided to conspire to create chaos at the Crown Prince's funeral ceremony, which was being handled by the faction of commoners. They would have Xie Qingyu, the eldest son of the Xie clan, and a group of aristocratic scions feign injuries during the chaos, using this as a pretext to impeach the current Grand Chancellor, Zuo Yingfeng.]
Xie Yunying: "......."
system:"........"
Xie Yunying asked tremblingly, "System, what is this? What were you doing just now??"
The system cautiously replied, "Host, I'm not entirely sure either. That was an automatically popped-up notification..."
Xie Yunying broke down: "How come you don't know anything?! You're an intern?! Is your Transmigration Book Bureau one of those unscrupulous companies that hires a lot of interns and only has a few full-time employees?! Do you believe I'll sue you for illegal business operations?!"
The system wiped away non-existent electronic cold sweat: "Host, don't get agitated! Although I haven't encountered a similar event before, I've analyzed it, and the pop-up notification indicates that there are some hidden plot lines in this world that can be triggered."
Xie Yunying stared at it with dead fish eyes: "What do you mean by a hidden plotline?"
System: "Perhaps the host has written a novel himself? When an author finishes a novel, in order to ensure the reading pace, he will try to make all the plots revolve around the protagonist and the main storyline, and will not write about every single event in detail. Readers rarely care about the life of an insignificant cannon fodder character in a book. But if such a novel were to become a real, functioning world, there would be many 'blanks'."
"The 'Transmigration Bureau' has been researching this for many years. The prevailing view is that when the content of a novel becomes a real world, the world will fill in the plot according to the logic of the original work. These plot additions are basically parts that were not explained in the original book or were only briefly mentioned. These plots will not affect the development of the original plot, but are only used to fill in the gaps in the world."
"Let me give you an example. For instance, your father, Xie Zhi, is actually a background character in the original work. Without this completion mechanism, the Xie Zhi you face will be like a pre-programmed robot, going to court at the same time every day, eating and sleeping, doing the same things and saying the same things every day, until he appears in other places and says other things when the plot requires him."
Xie Yunying imagined the scene: no matter what she said, Xie Zhi would only smile and repeat "Ying'er, go play" to her. She immediately felt goosebumps.
Xie Yunying: "...That's a bit too terrifying."
System: "Right?"
"The completion mechanism has always existed, but these kinds of events just happen and that's it; the system usually doesn't receive any notifications. Let me think, maybe the main system recently updated its plugins...?"
Outside the wardrobe, the Xie father and son stood facing each other, neither of them uttering a sound.
Xie Qingyu slowly turned around, the dust in the dim room reflecting in his dark eyes.
His tone was calm and gentle: "Father, won't you ask me what happened to me during the six months I was missing?"
Xie Zhi frowned, seemingly not understanding why he would ask such a foolish and weak question. Xie Qingyu, however, had no intention of listening to his answer and slowly recounted, "When the chaos first began, I followed my father's instructions and hid in the pre-arranged east side hall, waiting for the Wang family to come and find me. But I remember that as soon as I entered the hall, I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, my hands and feet were bound, and I was taken to Jinling City, far away from Yanjing."
Seeing Xie Zhi's astonished gaze, a dark line appeared in Xie Qingyu's eyes.
Xie Qingyu spoke gently and warmly, but her eyes were filled with sorrow and grief as she looked at Xie Zhi: "Father, do you know what humiliation and torment I suffered in Jinling?"
“I was locked in a narrow and filthy slave shed and sold as a slave of unknown origin. I slept on hay every day, next to a water trough. Every now and then someone would throw in some dry, hard bread or coarse cakes. I was treated like an animal. Whenever the slave owner was unhappy, he would beat and scold us. He often whipped me until I was covered in blood. The pain of my skin being torn open was excruciating. I couldn’t sleep all night long.”
“One day, I even heard him say that he planned to sell me to those brothels where people seek pleasure, ha…” Xie Qingyu’s eyes were broken, his voice trembling incessantly. He laughed as if mocking himself, “Father, do you know about these things?”
Xie Zhi's pupils constricted, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. A few scattered syllables escaped his throat, hoarse and trembling: "You... what you said, is it true?"
Xie Qingyu did not answer him, but slowly loosened her belt, took off her robe, and turned her back to Xie Zhi.
In the dim sunlight filtering through the window paper, one could clearly see the hideous, overlapping scars on his back and the bandages still bleeding from his shoulders, which looked almost glaringly ugly against his once flawless skin.
Xie Yunying, who was hiding in the closet in the shadows, saw this scene and her eyes widened.
Xie Yunying: "Damn it, the beauty has been killed in battle."
System: ".......?" What was its host muttering?
Xie Zhi remained motionless, his beard trembling in the wind escaping from his mouth. Xie Qingyu fastened his loosened robes again, his eyes, as he turned back, were devoid of life, utterly lifeless.
He said softly, "If I hadn't found an opportunity to escape from the slave shed, risking being beaten to death if caught, my father probably wouldn't be seeing me now."
“I should have died there. If I had been more resolute and less afraid of death, I should have bitten my tongue and committed suicide the moment I was humiliated.” Xie Qingyu smiled sadly. “Does Father also think it would have been better for me to die? Father must feel ashamed to have a son like me who disregards the family’s reputation and lives a life of shame.”
Outside, a fierce storm raged with thunder and lightning; inside, the cabinet trembled and remained as quiet as a chicken.
Xie Yunying said weakly, "I really can't understand the thinking of ancient people... If it were me, no family reputation would be more important than my life. Life is the most precious thing, and family reputation is nothing. When you die, you really lose everything. If it were me, I would live on shamelessly no matter what."
System: "Master, you said it yourself, they are people from ancient times."
Xie Zhi was horrified upon hearing this. He reached out and hugged his son tightly, exclaiming, "Yu'er! What nonsense are you talking about!"
"I didn't know you had suffered so much, I didn't know you had endured such humiliation. I shouldn't have blamed you. Please don't take what I said earlier to heart." A deep pain flashed across Xie Zhi's face. "I will never let a third person know about this. You don't need to worry. You will always be my proudest son!"
Xie Yunying was almost moved by the touching scene of father and son.
Until she saw that Xie Qingyu, whose face was originally full of sorrow, gradually lost the pain and despair on his face after Xie Zhi hugged him, like a floating paint.
Xie Yunying: "?"
Xie Yunying thought she was seeing things, so she rubbed her eyes and looked again. Xie Qingyu's hand was on her father's back: "I know that my best end is to die in the slave shed. If outsiders knew that I had been so humiliated and had not committed suicide, it would definitely damage the reputation of the Xie family."
"But I am too worried about my father and the safety of the Xie family. As a son, how can I let my father be deceived by villains?"
Xie Yunying was horrified: "System, System, look!"
System: "What's wrong with the host?"
Xie Yunying's voice trembled: "Xie Qingyu is acting strange... He was laughing the whole time."
The atmosphere in the room grew increasingly heavy. Upon hearing this, Xie Zhi stiffened slightly, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts: "Wait, Yu'er, you mean...?"
Xie Qingyu: "Father, don't you find it strange? It was clearly a conspiracy between the Xie and Wang clans, but among the Xie and Wang clan members sent out as bait, only I was knocked unconscious and kidnapped. The junction of the side hall was a secret part of this plan, and outsiders had no way of knowing about it. It was because of this trust that I entered the side hall alone without any precautions."
"If it was someone from the Han family who kidnapped me, it means the plan had already been leaked. But the chaos happened as expected, and the Left Grand Secretary and others were also punished with salary reductions and demotions."
Xie Qingyu lowered her eyes and said softly, "Father, no matter how you look at it, there can only be a traitor among the conspirators."
Xie Zhi suddenly pushed Xie Qingyu away. Xie Qingyu was not flustered. She staggered a few steps to steady herself, and her face returned to that sad and earnest expression.
Xie Zhi asked with surprise and doubt, "You mean, it was Wang who did it...? But why would they do such a thing?"
Xie Qingyu: "At first, I had the same confusion as my father. When I was unconscious on the slave train, I was briefly awake and happened to hear the Wang family talking to another group of people. Because it was too absurd, I couldn't believe it, and I quickly fainted due to the excruciating pain all over my body, so I always thought it was a dream. But since returning to the capital, this matter has repeatedly echoed in my mind, and I couldn't help but secretly arrange for a trusted confidant to investigate."
"This is what I have found out. Please take a look, Father."
Xie Yunying peeked at the two through the crack in the door with great difficulty. Xie Qingyu seemed to have taken out several letters and handed them to Xie Zhi, who read them one by one, his expression changing frequently.
Because the bookshelf was far from where the two were standing, Xie Yunying couldn't see the contents of the letter. She had been curled up for too long, and her legs had long since gone numb. Just as she was about to change to a more comfortable position, she saw Xie Zhi suddenly jump up and tear the letter in her hand to shreds.
Xie Yunying was startled: "What the hell is wrong with him? Is he having a seizure?!"
The system was confused: "......" What is Super Hero?
Even after witnessing Xie Zhi's sudden outburst of madness, Xie Qingyu showed no surprise whatsoever. He gazed at his father, whose figure swayed precariously, remaining unmoved: "Father, have you finished reading?"
Xie Zhi was still in shock: "Insane, absolutely insane...! The Wang family is actually planning a rebellion!?"
Xie Qingyu: "This is indeed the best time. The emperor is seriously ill, and the foundation of the country is empty. If I really die in the slave shed in Jinling, the Wang family will pin the blame on the poor families. Choosing to sell me into a lowly slave rather than kill me on the spot is a plan that only aristocratic families would have. The planners obviously know very well that aristocratic scions like me will definitely commit suicide to preserve the family's reputation after being humiliated, saving them the trouble of hiring someone to do it."
"In recent years, the Emperor has been protecting and supporting the poor, so he probably won't punish them severely. The Left Chancellor will also push out a few insignificant scapegoats. As a result, everyone will be almost unharmed, except for Father, who will lose his beloved son. Under such circumstances, Father will surely be filled with grief and indignation, and will vow to make the poor faction pay for their blood debt. The Wang family's ultimate goal is to use the Xie family to restrain the poor faction and divert attention."
Xie Zhi was clearly in a state of great shock and was still unable to recover.
Xie Qingyu stepped forward and took his father's arm, his voice low and pleasant: "Father, I have only investigated the tip of the iceberg of this matter, and the truth is still unknown. Although the Wang family is also my maternal grandfather, as the eldest son of the Xie family, I always put the interests of the Xie family first; as a loyal subject of the emperor, I cannot tolerate myself participating in treasonous acts."
"To outsiders, the Xie and Wang families have long been considered as one family, bound by generations of marriage. If the Wang family were to launch a rebellion, whether it succeeds or fails, it will certainly implicate us. I know you are a loyal subject and have never had any thoughts of rebellion, so even for the sake of the Xie family, I urge you, Father, to make plans as soon as possible."
Xie Yunying listened, stunned: "Although I don't quite understand the specifics of the plot, I feel like I've heard something incredible..."
Outside the bookshelf, the wind and rain had just stopped, and the conversation between the father and son seemed to be coming to an end.
Xie Qingyu swept up the shredded paper Xie Zhi had torn up and poured it into the stove. The flames instantly licked and rose upwards, turning the straw paper into ashes.
The father and son arrived at the door. Xie Zhi's expression remained grim and unpredictable, revealing little about how much he believed. He patted Xie Qingyu's shoulder: "Yu'er, you've had a hard time these past few days, your father..."
Inside the room, a clear, muffled thud suddenly came from the bookshelf in the southwest corner, as if something had hit the cabinet door.
Xie Zhi heard it too, but he didn't make it out. He frowned and looked into the room: "What was that sound just now?"
Xie Qingyu's smile faded.
He looked toward the bookcase that was making the strange noise.
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