Chapter 44: Details
"A tiny country, a clown..."
Qian Deng repeated his words thoughtfully. Despite the sidelong glances of the Kucha people, who were secretly furious, he smiled at Xue Xiyang and asked, "Why do you spit on your homeland like this? Aren't you a Kucha yourself?"
"This..." When these words came out, everyone couldn't believe it, and all eyes fell on Xue Xiyang.
But he exuded the elegant and refined temperament of the Tang Dynasty, and there was no sign that he looked like a Kucha person.
The Grand Commandant's doubtful gaze moved around him several times, then looked at Qian Deng: "County Lady, is this... certain?"
Although others didn't ask, they couldn't help but suspect, "Could it be that he made such an announcement on purpose to absolve the Tang Dynasty of responsibility?"
Xue Xiyang's expression changed drastically. He obviously had never thought that she already knew his background.
Even Cui Fufeng raised his eyebrows in surprise and asked, "But, County Lady, Xue Xiyang's file states that he is a descendant of the Xue family of Pei County. Therefore, he is from a prominent family."
"Yes, it was precisely because of his clear and unambiguous origins that we never suspected him before. But if you think about it more carefully, he could have been an imposter." Qian Deng recalled Xue Xiyang's life and said slowly, "As a child, Xue Xiyang was obsessed with music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, which led to his being denounced as absurd and reckless by his clan and ostracized. As a result, he left home as a teenager and wandered the northwest, never returning to his homeland. Ten years ago, he suddenly arrived in Chang'an. His knowledge of northwest music and dance allowed him to mingle among the palaces of princes and princesses, leading to his recommendation for officialdom. However, he had always been at odds with his clan members, his father was blind from diabetes, his stepmother had only recently married into the family and had rarely met him, and his younger siblings were still very young. So, even if someone from the Xue family came to Beijing, who could tell if this Xue Xiyang was the same boy who left home more than a decade ago?"
After all, his only proof was a pass that allowed him to go west more than ten years ago.
Although the document recorded the boy's appearance, the wind, sand and time had already eroded everything, changing his body shape, appearance and voice, and no one in the world could recognize him.
"Mr. Xue, you hid well in my backyard. Occasionally, you'd talk to me about the Northwest and play music from your homeland. I always thought it was simply because, as the Grand Master of Music, you were familiar with music from all over the world. It wasn't until that day, when I saw Queen Guishan's portrait in the shrine, that I realized you'd secretly drawn a portrait of me when I searched your quarters. It was, surprisingly, a portrait of my great-grandmother, Queen Guishan!"
Xue Xiyang looked at her, at the face he had sketched a thousand times in the quiet nights of the backyard. He stopped trying to defend himself and simply murmured, "It's simply because when I was traveling in the northwest before, during the New Year holidays, I was fortunate enough to enter the spirit hall to play music and entertain the spirits, and I saw the true face of Queen Guishan. So, when I imagined the county lady in Kucha attire, I subconsciously imitated your great-grandmother and painted a similar picture."
"Impossible." Qian Deng dismissed his feeble defense and turned to the Grand Commandant. "I heard him mention it the other day. It was a portrait painted by Queen Guishan's husband. Because of something that happened to the Sunali family, the Kucha royal family sealed it in a warehouse. Ordinary people will never see it."
"Yes. But welcoming Prince Changhua back to the country that day was a grand event for the Bai family. Queen Guishan's previous portrait happened to be damaged, so we specially requested this portrait, which she loved most during her lifetime, to be enshrined in the mausoleum." The Grand Commandant mentioned this, looking at Xue Xiyang with caution and suspicion. "Even though I hold the position of Grand Commandant and have assisted the king for many years, I am not a member of the royal family. This is the first time I have seen the queen's portrait in the mausoleum. May I ask who this person is that allowed him to see that portrait so early?"
Xue Xiyang remained silent, and Qian Deng answered for him, "The Grand Commandant can screen him. Judging from his age, he must have had close ties to the royal family in his youth, which is why he was able to see this painting. And since he was so determined to massacre the Kucha royal family, he must have a deep hatred. He has colluded with the rebels and the Western Fan army, and I think the hatred from the past is related to this."
When the three conditions were laid out, the Grand Commandant was immediately shocked and blurted out, "Could it be... the Sunali family that was exterminated for rebellion back then?"
The Sunali family, a prominent family in Kucha, was the wife of Queen Guishan. Originally one of Kucha's most prominent clans, they vacillated towards the Western Frontier after the An-Shi Rebellion, clashing violently with the current Kucha king. Ultimately, on the eve of their entire clan's rebellion and exodus, they were exterminated on the border.
"Mr. Xue—I'm still unsure of your identity, so I'll just call you that for now—I didn't understand why you, someone so unrelated to me, would seek to be the fiancé of a county lady like me, a woman so ominous that others shun. But now I understand. The faction within the Kucha army you're colluding with has sent me a letter, hoping to collaborate with you on a grand plan. For such an important plan, you'll definitely need an informant stationed by my side, constantly monitoring my movements, and you, naturally, are the best candidate."
At this point, Xue Xiyang smiled with relief and said, "When I accepted the Ministry of Rites' selection, I actually had a tragic and heroic sentiment of sacrificing my life for the country. After all, everyone said that you, the county lady, were disfigured and looked horrible..."
His gaze paused on the scar between her eyebrows, only to realize that she had long since stopped using rouge and powder to cover up her scars.
Today, because of the hardships she has experienced along the way, her eyes are fearless and she is able to face her past pain and misfortune with an open mind.
This horizontal brow peak is not her scar, but the path she has taken that she can be proud to show to others.
At this moment, he suddenly thought that although he had not achieved his goal, watching her grow from a weak girl to such a proud and determined woman might also be a kind of gain.
But he was full of confidence at the time, thinking that as long as he became her candidate, he would definitely be able to surpass everyone else. Who would have thought...
His gaze paused on Cui Fufeng, then turned to Li Yingshang. When their eyes met, he twitched his lips. Obviously, he had lived with a disguised identity for a long time and had already recognized the relationship between the King of Linhuai in front of him and the "Ling Tianshui" from the past.
But he said nothing in the end. After all, at this point, it was meaningless to say anything.
He heard Qiandeng's voice, so close yet so far away: "Mr. Xue, no matter what you've been through, I believe you cherish Kucha. In fact, I can truly sense your admiration for my ancestors. In the music you played for me when we first met, when you inspired me with your praise of my grandfather, when you led the crowd in song in the shrine... You clearly cherish Kucha, so why did you collude with the Western Fan and plunge Kucha into this predicament?"
"Because the hatred for my country and my family has burned in my heart for too long! I can't forget the death of my parents, the moment when all my relatives died in front of me, and the moment when my brother was shielding me from escape and I looked back to see him stabbed through the chest..."
Xue Xiyang, who has always been unrestrained and suave, and seems unable to change his charming and romantic nature even in the face of difficulties, revealed his deep-seated pain in front of others for the first time.
Like a flood bursting through a dam, once it's unstoppable, it can't be stopped. He raised a trembling hand and pointed fiercely at the Kucha palace before him: "County Princess, do you know why I admire and respect your grandfather so much? Because I... dream of being like him, fleeing my homeland with blood feuds, only to one day become a hero admired by the world, return home, and make all my enemies kneel before me! Unfortunately... unfortunately, I'm incompetent. Ultimately, I can only rely on the power of others to avenge my loved ones!"
During his escape, his father's uncle's former subordinates helped him eastward to Chang'an, giving him a travel permit. The document originally belonged to a young man named Xue Xiyang, about his own age. He didn't ask where it came from; it was common for a young man to disappear in the northwest desert. He was certain that he would never reappear.
He became Xue Xiyang, headed east to Chang'an, lived in seclusion in the city, and was confused and didn't know how to go on.
Until that day, by the Qujiang Lake, he saw the Changhua King and his family riding horses to enjoy the spring.
Like him, Prince Changhua suffered a great change and fled his homeland under the protection of his relatives. Many years later, he became a king admired by the whole world.
He remembered the day when King Changhua led his troops back to his homeland. Like all the people of Kucha, he, a young boy, stood at the crowded city gate, vying to see King Changhua's army with flags covering the sky and whips stopping the flow of rivers. Everyone's heart was filled with amazement at the legend.
The enemy who forced his mother to death and expelled him from his homeland, although now the King of Kucha, could only kneel before him and apologize for what he had done.
As a young boy, he did not understand why Prince Changhua returned to his homeland with such fanfare, but ultimately did not kill his enemies and avenge his mother.
The father, who was still alive at the time, smiled and said, "What do you know, little kid? This is true revenge."
Many years later, standing by the Qujiang Lake, he looked at the Changhua Wang family who were outing, and finally understood what his father meant.
He painted that scene, the happiest time in Qiandeng and his family's lives, and also found the path he wanted to take.
He used all the gold and silver he had to bribe people and send invitations to famous people everywhere, creating an image of himself as a child of a noble family. Kucha was originally a place where dance and music flourished. He studied carefully according to the various countries in the Western Regions that Xue Xiyang had visited, made friends with dignitaries, and was eventually recommended and became the Minister of Music.
He secretly contacted his father and uncle's old subordinates and looked for opportunities with them.
He naturally paid special attention to the Changhua Palace and the only orphan girl. When the rebels learned that the court was going to choose a husband for her, they saw this as a great opportunity to use the descendants of the Changhua King as puppets to overthrow Kucha and avenge their grievances.
As a result, he became a candidate for the marriage of Princess Lingling, with the goal of bringing her back to her homeland. To be on the safe side, they wrote a letter to Qiandeng's mother before choosing a husband, expressing the Kucha people's support for the descendants of King Changhua. They also wrote down the actual content of the discussion in a secret place, hoping that Princess Lingling would not be too foolish and would meet their requirements.
However, before Lady Qi died, the crucial letter was lost.
He could only find an opportunity to enter the backyard of the palace and deal calmly with the group of men, each with their own ulterior motives, hoping to find the lost letter and catch the person who might have discovered their secret.
However, in the end, the candidate husbands died one by one, and he was caught in the vortex several times, and finally became one of the few left.
It was not until Princess Gao's Mansion and the Prince's Mansion openly acted against the husband of Lingling County Master that he got a glimpse of the secret and guessed who had taken the letter.
He understood that he should not stay in Chang'an any longer, and his revenge plan should be put on the agenda as soon as possible. After all, he had no way to compete with the power from the royal family.
He returned to Kucha under the pretext of accompanying Qiandeng to escort the clothing and spirit tablets of his ancestors, and planned an action with the rebels. They decided to steal the three sacred artifacts that protect the country and kill the royal family of Kucha, so that the people would know that they were incompetent and had been abandoned by the heroic spirits of their ancestors.
"We didn't anticipate that many within the Kucha court would be wary of the County Lady. Because she was praying alone in the shrine that night, she was identified as the murderer. Later, because we used the same blue belt as you during the operation in the shrine, the County Lady was implicated and charged with murdering the Kucha royal family. We are sorry for this, and we apologize again."
Qian Deng frowned slightly and asked thoughtfully, "How could it be such a coincidence that they used the same mark?"
"Yes, it might be because the Jin family and we have a close relationship, and the belt is woven with gold and reflects light, making it very easy to identify in the dark, so we chose it at the same time as you did. But in fact, this belt was arranged before we stole the sacred artifact from the Ling Temple. I think it should have been decided on earlier than you did." Xue Xiyang always seemed frivolous and charming, but now he revealed his true feelings with great dignity. "County Princess, when I first came to you, I just wanted to take you back to Qiuci and support you to the throne. Even if you don't want to cooperate, we all admire your ancestors. How could we possibly frame you? In the final analysis, it's only because the people of Qiuci are wary and suspicious, and refuse to believe in the county princess's sincerity, which has led to the current result!"
Hearing this, the Grand Commandant was speechless, but General Yuchi said frankly, "I was indeed wrong in this matter. I have always been suspicious of the county lady. Later, I will definitely hold a banquet and apologize to the county lady in front of the entire city!"
"No need. General Yuchi was also thinking about the country. Under the circumstances at that time, there was nothing wrong with him." Qian Deng had no choice but to thank him politely to save their face.
Now that the truth has been revealed, the case has finally come to an end. General Yuchi and the Grand Commandant personally escorted Xue Xiyang to the royal court to interrogate him about the specific actions of the rebels and the Western Fan Army that he had colluded with.
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