Chang Le asked, "Ying Miao now?"
"He has been taken into custody pending trial."
...
In the simple room, Ying Miao sat on the bed against the wall.
She changed out of her favorite cheongsam, her snow-white hair cascading down her back. Her skin, still fair, had developed countless wrinkles in just a few days. Her once bright and beautiful eyes were now devoid of life, as if all her energy had been drained away, yet she still appeared calm.
Footsteps approached, the door was pushed open, and Ying Miao looked up in surprise, her eyes shining, and a kind smile unconsciously appeared on her face: "Xia Xia".
Ying Huaixia walked in with an indifferent expression, found a chair and sat down, her voice cold as she said, "Why did you write a confession behind my back?"
Ying Miao frowned and lowered her eyes: "I'm sorry, I know this is not the result you wanted, but I... I'm tired, I'm old, and it's time for me to say goodbye to this world."
Ying Huaixia remained unmoved: "Isn't it because of Qin Shaoji?"
Ying Miao's expression stiffened slightly.
"What do you mean by being tired or old? Didn't you plan this from the moment you drove Qin Shaoji to his death? You knew this wasn't what I wanted, yet you still did it. Madam, you've never truly understood my needs."
"Xia, it's not like that!" Ying Miao said, her hands supporting her knees, somewhat agitated. "I'm not doing this for my own selfish reasons, but for you, for the future of the entire Ying family."
With the fall of the Qin family, the ruling order of the Central Plains has been renewed. If the victors cling to power in the governing council, they will only suffer the same fate as the Qin family! The Ying family must feign weakness; they must hand over their weaknesses and leverage to them. Only by proactively showing weakness can the Ying family, and indeed, themselves, be preserved to the greatest extent possible!
Ying Huaixia's eyes turned icy: "Do you know that if you're gone, the Ying family is no different from being destroyed?"
"Without you, the Ying family's overall strength is not even as good as the Yue family or the Ming family in the Second District! What do you mean by 'for my sake'! You are clearly forcing me to be tied to the Ying family!"
"But have you forgotten, old man! I am no longer the genius your Ying family has been hoping for for generations. I am a complete and utter cripple!"
Ying Huaixia slammed her clenched fist on the sofa armrest with a thud: "I will never be able to cultivate and advance again in this lifetime! How do you expect me to protect the Ying family? And why do you expect me to protect the Ying family for the rest of my life? You know better than anyone why I became a cripple!"
Ying Miao's lips had lost all color, her eyes were filled with tears, but she pursed her lips and raised her face to maintain her composure.
Ying Huaixia got angry and coughed for a while.
Ying Miao's eyes were filled with heartache, but she simply closed them and tried to keep her tone calm: "Xiaxia, I know you hate me and resent me, but it's okay. This is what I deserve."
Ying Huaixia, along with Qin Xian, Gu Yujing, Hua Anning, and others, represents a turning point. Almost all of her contemporaries are among the most talented and capable descendants in their families for generations. Since awakening her special abilities at the age of three, Ying Huaixia has been rigorously trained as an heir.
Ying Miao was both his great-grandmother (Ying Huaixia's great-grandfather was an adopted son-in-law) and his most respected teacher.
Compared to Qin Xian, who wasn't very interested in family affairs, Ying Huai was born an all-around genius, skilled in both literature and martial arts, with exceptionally high cultivation talent, and was a natural-born family manager. He was the "other people's child" in the eyes of Qin Xian's parents.
For the first twenty-seven years of his life, Ying Huaixia enjoyed smooth sailing, rising all the way to the position of young master of the management association. What others found boring and tiring, Ying Huaixia cherished. And during those twenty-seven years, the people who accompanied him the most were either his parents or Ying Miao.
Therefore, when two years ago, when Ying Huaixia was twenty-seven years old, and the Dragon Emperor Fu Guang was imprisoned in the Ninth District, Ying Miao sent him there.
Proud as Ying Huaixia was, he never took the crooked path of "fusion" seriously. So, although he received the order to intercept, he told Ying Miao that he believed there was room for maneuver and wanted to take the opportunity to build a good relationship with Fu Guang. In addition, he also knew Fu Guang and had some affection for him.
Therefore, Ying Huaixia decided to go first, and then Ying Miao would send assassins to support him, thus doing a favor for the Dragon Emperor Fu Guang.
Ying Miao did not stop her, tacitly agreeing. Ying Huaixia went without any suspicion.
However, when he entered the dangerous no-man's-land without hesitation, entrusting his back to his family and relatives, a riotous wave of aliens swept in, and like the Dragon Emperor Fu Guang, he received no rescue.
That year, the title of the first young leader in the Middle Kingdom changed hands.
Ying Huaixia, who had reached the eighth level of cultivation at the age of twenty-seven, had almost completely lost her cultivation and had no possibility of further progress, thus becoming a cripple.
The once high-flying, successful, and privileged individual was dismantled by his own people, plummeting to his death.
When Ying Huaixia returned and saw Ying Miao's angry and disappointed eyes, he suddenly realized that what was important was not his grandson, but an excellent, obedient tool who lived wholeheartedly for the family.
Ying Miao certainly never imagined that he would end up like this, but she had never considered him a blood relative.
Her blood is cold; in her heart, there has always been only power and status.
Just like when they chose to abandon Qin Shaoji, who was struggling to break through to the ninth level, this time, in order to protect themselves, it was Ying Huaixia who was abandoned.
Looking at Ying Miao, who was full of apologies, Ying Huaixia felt nothing but hatred and couldn't muster any other emotions.
Seeing the hatred in his eyes, Ying Miao felt a pang of sorrow, but still offered her advice:
"Xiaxia, don't let the resentment in your heart bury your true thoughts. I know you. I know you are a smart, shrewd child who knows how to hide your sharpness. You have never given up your ambition, even when you fell to the bottom."
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