Qi Yue hadn't slept all night, and got up to wash and dress at the crack of dawn. She carefully tucked the note Xin Suiyun had left at the bottom of her vanity case, placing it together with the amulet. Morning light streamed through the window, illuminating her resolute face.
"Yun'er, prepare some light breakfast for me. I don't have much of an appetite," Qi Yue instructed the maid who entered the room, her voice calm yet carrying an undeniable determination.
After breakfast, Qi Yue went straight to her father's study. Qi Huaihe was working on official documents and was slightly surprised to see his daughter enter: "Yue'er, is there something you need so early?"
Qi Yue closed the door and asked directly, "Father, is there anything you're hiding from me about Xin Suiyun's background?"
Qi Huaihe paused, the ink spreading into a small smudge on the paper. He put down the pen, his expression complex: "Why did you suddenly ask that?"
“After the attack yesterday, I’ve thought a lot.” Qi Yue looked directly into her father’s eyes. “Xin Suiyun’s entanglement with the Northern Di seems to go beyond just his bloodline. His attitude towards me is also strange; he’s both indifferent and seems to be protecting me in secret. Could all of this be related to my background?”
Qi Huaihe's face paled slightly, and after a long silence, he said, "Yue'er, the less you know about some things, the better for you."
"But I'm already caught up in this, Father!" Qi Yue became unusually agitated. "Those people yesterday were after me. If I don't even know the truth, how can I protect myself, how can I avoid implicating my family?"
The father and daughter looked at each other for a moment, and Qi Huaihe finally sighed: "Fine, perhaps you really have the right to know."
He got up and locked the doors and windows. After confirming that no one was around, he said in a low voice, "That child, Suiyun, does have a special connection with you. His mother... is your mother's sister."
Qi Yue's eyes widened in shock: "What? Then he's mine..."
“Cousin,” Qi Huaihe replied, his expression somber, “but his background is more complicated than that. His father, your uncle, was Ashina Xiong, a general of the Northern Di. Your aunt went to war with the army and fell in love with Ashina Xiong, giving birth to Suiyun. But the marriage was opposed by both countries, your uncle died on the battlefield, and your aunt died of grief, leaving Suiyun an orphan.”
Qi Yue covered her mouth, incredulous: "Then why was he chosen by the Empress to be a secret guard?"
“This was arranged by your mother and the Empress,” Qi Huaihe explained. “Suiyun suffered discrimination in the Northern Di. After the Empress learned of his existence, she discussed with your mother and me and decided to bring him back to the Central Plains and give him a new identity.”
Countless fragments flashed through Qi Yue's mind—Xin Suiyun's cold gaze, his aloof attitude towards her, the words "Could it be that you are not a member of the Qi family?"... Everything had a new interpretation.
"So he knew about our relationship all along?" Qi Yue's voice trembled.
Qi Huaihe nodded: "When the Empress brought him back, she told him the truth about his background. But he chose to hide his identity and protect the Crown Prince as a secret guard, perhaps to repay the Empress's kindness."
Qi Yue slumped into a chair, her heart filled with mixed emotions. It turned out that the seemingly cold-blooded bodyguard was actually her blood relative. And for so many years, he had silently endured the pain of his past, never once considering revealing her identity.
"Then... about my background..." Qi Yue hesitated before asking the question that worried her the most.
Qi Huaihe walked up to her and lovingly stroked her head: "Yue'er, you will always be my and your mother's daughter, and that will never change."
The evasiveness in her words made Qi Yue's heart sink, but she didn't press further. Some truths, perhaps, she had to find for herself.
In the following days, Qi Yue stayed quietly in the mansion, outwardly returning to her usual calm, but secretly sorting through the known clues. She recalled the details of each encounter with Xin Suiyun, trying to uncover more of the truth.
On the evening of the third day, an uninvited guest suddenly arrived at the Qi residence—Xin Rui came to visit in a hurry.
"Yue'er, something has happened to Suiyun." He lowered his voice, his face grave. "He was ambushed while investigating the Northern Di spies and was seriously injured. He is currently in a safe house in the west of the city."
Qi Yue's heart sank: "How badly is he injured? Is his life in danger?"
“Miss Qin Sang is treating him, but the situation is not optimistic.” Xin Rui hesitated for a moment. “Before Sui Yun fell into a coma, he kept calling your name.”
Qi Yue said without hesitation, "Take me to see him."
Xin Rui hesitated: "My aunt and uncle won't agree; it's too dangerous."
"So I won't tell them." Qi Yue's eyes were firm. "Cousin, please help me this time."
Fifteen minutes later, Qi Yue, under the pretext of visiting her sick close friend, quietly left the mansion with Xin Rui's help. The carriage headed west of the city and eventually stopped in front of an inconspicuous courtyard.
Inside the courtyard, the female healer Qin Sang was changing Xin Suiyun's dressing. Upon seeing Qi Yue, she appeared slightly surprised, but quickly regained her composure: "Miss Qi, what brings you here?"
"How is he?" Qi Yue walked quickly to the bedside and felt a pang of pain in her heart when she saw Xin Suiyun's pale face and chest wrapped in bandages.
Qin Sang sighed softly, "The arrow wound was only inches away from my heart, and I've lost too much blood. If I can make it through tonight, there's hope."
Qi Yue sat down by the bed and gently took Xin Suiyun's cold hand. This was the first time she had observed him so closely—beneath his tightly closed eyes were long eyelashes, and his usually cold and hard features had softened considerably in his unconscious state, making him appear somewhat vulnerable.
"What can I do?" Qi Yue asked Qin Sang.
"Talk to him, maybe it will awaken his will to live." Qin Sang packed her medicine box. "I have to go brew the medicine. I'll trouble Miss Qi to look after him for a while."
After Qin Sang left, only Qi Yue and the unconscious Xin Suiyun remained in the room. The candlelight flickered, illuminating his bloodless face.
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