Chapter 72 "Since you already know..."
“Now that you know I am Prince Cheng, you should have guessed some other things as well. The Qin family is my maternal uncle’s family, and the current Master Qin is my maternal uncle.” Qin Ji spoke calmly about his other identity, Prince Cheng’s background.
It was now completely dark. The two of them were sitting together on the roof of the villa, wrapped up in thick cloaks. Xiao Yan rested her chin on her hand and looked down at the myriad lights of Jiangzuo City.
This unusual location for the conversation was at Qin Ji's insistence.
"If we were to sit facing each other formally, asking and answering questions, that would be called an interrogation, not a confession session," Qin Ji said at the time.
Xiao Yan Hui didn't bother arguing with his trivial affectation. In any case, she was completely covered up, even with the hood of her cloak over her head.
Even though Jiangzuo City wasn't quite freezing cold yet, having only recently entered winter, she wasn't going to join in the crazy stuff of people staring into the cold wind on winter nights. Let Qin Ji enjoy the atmosphere all by himself; he deserved to freeze to death.
Qin Ji, who had just started to look around and hadn't heard any noise beside her, turned to look and saw a furry little thing about an arm's length away. The head was completely hidden under the hood, and all that could be seen on her body was her fair chin and a little bit of red lips.
"..." Looking at the space between the two people that could still be squeezed in by two more, and her barrier-like cloak, Qin Ji sighed and continued.
“That aunt who lives in the backyard and never comes out... is my... mother of this body. She... has been mentally unstable for many years, mostly quiet and idiotic, occasionally she will have a lucid outburst, so she has never come out of that yard. She has been like this for many years. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have been able to bring her back when I was banished to Jiangzuo City.”
He sounded rather pitiful. Xiao Yan glanced at him sideways, hesitated for a moment, and then said bluntly, "You don't love her."
Qin Ji paused, her hand stroking the stone beast on the roof ridge. Her previously pitiful tone instantly turned calm: "You saw right through me. Indeed, I don't love her."
I had hoped to gain some sympathy from Yan Hui, but unfortunately...
"I have my own parents, and you understand how that feels, right?" Qin Ji smiled naturally when talking about his parents, his expression softening considerably. Clearly, he had a very good relationship with his modern parents.
Xiao Yan nodded. This feeling was probably something only the two of them could truly understand.
Of all the relatives in the Xiao family, she had the deepest bond with the First Madam. At this point, it could even be said that there was indeed a mother-daughter relationship between them. However, this was because the First Madam had always been very good to her and gave her maternal love. Xiao Yan Hui received this love first and then slowly began to regard the First Madam as her mother.
But for Master Xiao, this blood father was just a cheap dad in her heart, and it was enough for her to maintain a father-daughter relationship that met with social morality.
According to Qin Ji's description, his biological mother was not kind to him at all, and it's normal that she had no feelings for him.
Seeing the dark mass of a head move slightly, Qin Ji knew she was nodding, so she continued, "This woman is just the mother of this body to me. Our relationship is probably one of mutual loathing. This body looks quite like my biological father. My aunt was deeply in love with him, but she was betrayed, so love turned into hate. She gave her love to that man and her hate to me."
"It's all because of you that I've suffered so much... Without you, I wouldn't be looked down upon by others."
"It's all your fault! Why couldn't you keep him? Everyone else can gain status through their children, why are you so useless!"
"I love you, I love you... I hate you... I'll beat you to death..."
...Chaotic, frenzied, hysterical women and relentless beatings made up most of Qin Ji's childhood.
They probably had a wonderful time back then. The prince, who was traveling abroad and hiding his identity, and the innocent and naive rich girl, both felt that they had fallen in love. However, one of them returned to the capital with a clear conscience and married a noblewoman.
"Because she was my beloved, and the situation was not good at the time, I was concerned for her safety, so I did not bring her back and hid her away." This was the later woman's heartfelt confession, which made Qin Ji feel disgusted.
The other woman, while professing love, complained that the child in her womb had come at the wrong time, unable to stop her father from leaving, unable to bring her honor and favor in the palace, and even constantly causing trouble.
"I am indeed quite a troublemaker. When I first arrived, as a successor of socialism, I found myself in this palace, a veritable repository of feudal dregs. My temper was simply not going to be good..."
Back then, he was still a fool who believed in love and justice, holding the belief that he could fight against the entire corrupt world alone. Thinking of the past, Qin Ji suddenly smiled.
......
Upon hearing Qin Ji's words, Xiao Yan couldn't help but recall the plot of the novel she had read.
The original novel is a tragic love story between a domineering prince and the daughter of a disgraced official. The story begins with the sudden imprisonment of the female protagonist Su Jinyue's father. He commits suicide in prison less than three days after his imprisonment. The verdict against the Su family is also announced at an unusually fast speed: the male members are exiled and the female members are sent to the inner court as slaves.
Although Su Jinyue was only seven years old at the time, her beautiful appearance and unique temperament were already undeniable. Coupled with her status as the daughter of a disgraced official, she was inevitably bullied.
The first encounter between the male and female protagonists was when Su Jinyue was glanced at by the Second Prince Li Fang, who happened to be passing by.
As the most favored prince, with just one glance, he didn't even need to say a word; naturally, a trusted servant would send Su Jinyue into his palace. The male lead doesn't have much screen time in the early part of the story, but unfortunately, by this time he has completely forgotten the little palace maid he once glanced at.
The subsequent plot is basically the female protagonist's guide to palace survival and promotion. She moves forward with admiration and longing for the second prince as her savior.
The romance between the male and female leads begins after the female lead has grown into a beautiful young woman and has acquired sufficient experience and skills for surviving in the palace. After another chance encounter, the male lead notices her again and promotes her to become his personal maid.
Then came the story of the female protagonist going from a confidante to a beloved concubine. She thought they were companions and lovers, and that the other women were just playthings for the male protagonist to amuse himself. But one day, reality slapped her in the face, teaching her that everyone was just a way to amuse himself, and that none of them were any different.
After yet another power struggle within the household, the female protagonist is heartbroken and disillusioned with the relationship, ultimately finding an opportunity to escape. Then comes the realization that she was the most precious person only after losing her, and her escape prompts him to search the world for her...
The overall romance plot follows a fairly standard formula, but with the addition of the male lead's court intrigue and the female lead's domestic and palace power struggles, along with the author's decent writing skills, it's not a bad option for killing time.
As for Qin Ji, unlike his own words which are so understated and detached, the book portrays him as a major villain with a tragic childhood that perfectly matches his villainous character.
A prince brought back from outside the palace, a prince who had received no protection from his mother, was both an invasive species and a soft target to be bullied at will in the palace.
In addition, he possessed a rare naiveté and sense of justice, which were extremely uncommon in the palace, coupled with his stubborn temper, making him practically an anomaly in the palace. He was someone that all the dark creatures in the palace wanted to tear apart and trample on.
At that time, the female lead was already a senior palace maid by the side of the second prince. She had some influence in the mortal world. The female lead was kind-hearted, so she would speak up to help when she saw the main villain being bullied by the palace servants.
She was, in a way, the prince's childhood sweetheart.
"White Moonlight?" Xiao Yan Hui suddenly spoke up.
"What moonlight?" Qin Ji looked up at the sky. Tonight, a crescent moon hung in the sky, and the moonlight was hardly bright. He was clearly explaining how he had won over the palace servants and instigated the infighting among several concubines who had princes, pushing the emperor to send most of the princes to their fiefdoms. Why was Yan Hui suddenly talking about moonlight?
"You just said that you used a palace maid by the Second Prince's side to make him and the Third Prince become enemies. What is this palace maid's name?" Even though her mind was processing the plot, she still heard what Qin Ji said.
"I've forgotten your name, I only remember it's something like Yue. I'm telling you about my schemes in the palace, and all you're interested in is their love triangle?" Qin Ji felt a sense of frustration, like she was throwing a flirtatious glance at a blind man.
"What happened to that Moon Palace maid afterward?" Xiao Yan continued to press.
In the story, it's clear that Prince Ruhui treats that palace maid differently, and they later become quite entangled. When Su Jinyue fled, she was destitute and ended up in Jiangzuo City, where she was protected by Prince Cheng, and even lived in Prince Cheng's mansion for a long time.
How could Qin Ji not even remember her name?
"Dead." Qin Ji remembered this very clearly. It was because that person was dead that he had put him out of his mind. Otherwise, he would not have forgotten a useful pawn.
"Dead?"
"Yes, after being taken into the Second Prince's household, she couldn't escape those underhanded tactics and died."
So that's how it is. Hearing this, Xiao Yanhui understood. It must have been after Su Jinyue's escape that the Second Prince reported her death. After all, if the Second Prince knew that a concubine had run away, it would be a complete scandal. But the death of a concubine in the family could be kept quiet.
If Qin Ji hadn't paid special attention to Su Jinyue, he naturally wouldn't have been aware of the trickery involved.
However... this part doesn't match the novel.
Putting aside her doubts for the time being, Xiao Yan Hui glanced at Qin Ji, who was talking about his schemes in the palace back then, and even seemed a little excited as he spoke. She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you always try to act like a gentleman in front of me? Why are you so enthusiastic about talking about your dark methods now?"
"I said I would tell you everything, and I mean it," Qin Ji said firmly, his expression sincere.
What I was really thinking was, even if it means using underhanded methods, I'll make you experience the brilliance of my actions. Since my gentlemanly image has already been shattered, I'll just add another image of a wise strategist with high intelligence.
He could feign pitifulness in front of Yan Hui, but he couldn't actually make her feel like a pathetic little thing.
"Actually, some of the things I did when I first arrived weren't entirely without benefits. I still have some of my people in the palace. I'll write down a list for you later; you might find it useful after we enter the capital," Qin Ji said "casually."
“When did I say I was going to the capital? Even if you don’t agree to a divorce, no matter what, I am the wife of Qin Ji, the eldest son of the Qin family. Prince Cheng and I have nothing to do with each other.” Xiao Yan directly put Qin Ji in a difficult position.
"My life and fortune are all in your hands, and you're saying it has nothing to do with me?" Qin Ji was furious. He moved two spaces to the side, and this time their hands were touching with no gap between them.
"Don't talk nonsense. I have nothing to lose, how could I possibly hold your life or fortune?" Xiao Yan turned her head away. It's just a matter of being a rogue, as if anyone can't do that.
"Salt, wine, estates, trade routes—aren't all my most profitable businesses in your hands? Didn't you just meet my key subordinates today? And in the past, weren't I talking to you about them? If you still think that's not enough, then..." Qin Ji suddenly lifted Xiao Yan Hui's hood and whispered in her ear, "Then let's talk about my horse farms and my influence in Yunzhou, shall we?"
"You despicable person!" Xiao Yan suddenly covered her ears, which were itchy from the hot air.
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Author's note: Qin Ji: The more you know, the more complicated it becomes for you to distance yourself from the truth.
Yan Hui: That scheming bastard
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