Chapter 906 My True Identity Revealed (Second Update)
Gu Changqing will not kill the young princess, because Lord Yanshan will not refuse.
Lord Yeonsan never wanted to send troops, but he couldn't get over the psychological hurdle. He used the little princess to coerce him, giving him a way to deceive himself and save face.
The palace coup launched by the Xuanyuan Army sixteen years ago has been staged again, but this time the Xuanyuan Army has won.
With the assistance of both the chief eunuch and the seal-bearer, the emperor, his face dark, drafted the imperial edict announcing his abdication and the investiture of the new emperor.
Thus, the first female emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was born, with the reign title of Yong'an.
The first thing Emperor Yong'an did after ascending the throne was to exonerate the Xuanyuan family, who had been framed for more than thirty crimes, and the evidence had already been gathered.
However, it is true that the Xuanyuan family rebelled back then. As a subject, this was absolutely wrong. But the will of the people is not always a product of reason. When Shangguan Yan announced the prophecy of the Imperial Preceptor Hall, as well as the secret collusion between the Jin and Liang states and the Emperor Emeritus's fear and persecution, the people cursed the Emperor Emeritus for discarding him after he had served his purpose. On one hand, he relied on the Xuanyuan family to fight internal and external wars to stabilize the country, while on the other hand, he colluded with the Jin and Liang states to persecute loyal officials.
Who could tolerate this?
In terms of the skill of tearing away the royal family's fig leaf, Shangguan Yan can be said to have perfectly inherited the Emperor Emeritus's talent, and even surpassed him.
There's nothing she wouldn't dare to reveal, only things others wouldn't dare to do.
This allowed everyone to truly witness the empress's methods and charisma.
The second thing she did after ascending the throne was to have the retired emperor issue an edict of self-reproach, detailing his mistakes and expressing deep remorse and reflection.
The retired emperor certainly refused to write it, but does it matter whether he was willing or not?
Shangguan Yan had a hundred ways to obtain this edict of self-reproach.
The third major thing she did was to execute the deposed crown prince on charges of harming the former crown princess and the eldest grandson of the emperor.
When the deposed crown prince was decreed, he shouted that the eldest grandson of the emperor was a fake and that everyone should not believe her. He said that she had confused the royal bloodline and that she was a sinner against the royal family!
It's a pity that his words will never reach the mansion.
Shangguan Yan restored Xuanyuan Li's status as Grand Marshal and posthumously conferred upon him the title of King of Zhen.
She originally intended to bestow the title of king upon Xuanyuan Qi as well, but Xuanyuan Qi refused.
"Two princes in one family, the emperor's favor is too great, which is detrimental to the crown princess's reputation."
"The Xuanyuan family conquered half of the Yan Kingdom. What's wrong with having two kings in one family? I even wanted to grant Zheng'er a marquisate!"
"Absolutely not." Xuan Yuanqi sternly refused.
"But……"
"Listen to your uncle!" Xuan Yuanqi said sternly.
Shangguan Yan said, feeling wronged, "Oh."
But Shangguan Yan still wanted to make it up to her second uncle and Zheng'er. They had worked in the shadows for many years and endured hardships that were unimaginable to ordinary people. Especially her uncle's years in Ghost Mountain, every time she thought of it, her heart would ache.
She bestowed upon Xuanyuan Qi the title of Marquis of Dingguo, and upon Xuanyuan Zheng the title of his heir.
Xuanyuan Qi succeeded Xuanyuan Li as Grand Marshal of the Army, while Xuanyuan Zheng became the new Grand General of the Xuanyuan family. At the same time, he was still the third Lord of Shadows.
The deceased Xuanyuan Sheng was also reinstated as Tiger General.
During the months that Duke Anguo stayed in Shengdu, he did not rest. He asked the Grand Preceptor to find an auspicious burial site and moved the remains of the Xuanyuan family's sons and daughters to the new burial ground.
He took Gu Jiao there, and Gu Jiao personally carved everyone's name on the stone tablet.
...
The moon is bright and the stars are few.
The quiet streets were deserted.
Two carriages drove into the deserted street. Gu Jiao rode Black Wind King, with Xuan Yuanqi and Liao Chen, who were also riding horses, riding on either side of her.
The group arrived at the dilapidated mansion.
Shangguan Yan and Duke Anguo alighted from the carriage one after the other.
Gu Jiao and her son Xuan Yuanqi also dismounted.
Gu Jiao came up behind Duke Anguo and pushed his wheelchair up.
Shangguan Yan said sternly, "Someone, tear off the seal on the door and cut the chain."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The imperial guards who accompanied the emperor stepped forward and removed the seals and chains as ordered.
The door, sealed for many years, was finally opened, and the resounding sound echoed in everyone's hearts. It was only a moment, but it felt like an eternity.
The mansion is still the same mansion, but everything has changed, and the people who used to live there are no longer there.
The overgrown weeds had been simply cleared away by Chen, but their decay and desolation were still hard to conceal.
Xuanyuan Qi walked heavily up the steps, gazing at the silent, dilapidated courtyard, his eyes suddenly reddening: "Big brother... I'm back..."
Liao Chen had already secretly visited the mansion, and had already grieved for what he could. However, now, returning with his father, he realized that his past sorrows were nothing at all.
At that moment, he truly felt the grief of losing his family and loved ones.
It was grief from the father.
Shangguan Yan's eyes glistened with tears. She sniffed and said to Gu Jiao and the Duke of Anguo, "Let's go in."
The servants laid wooden planks on the steps, and Gu Jiao pushed her wheelchair up them.
Black Wind King followed them in.
The last time it played in this yard, it was just a carefree little pony.
Now, it is old.
Shangguan Yan introduced to Gu Jiao: "This is the training ground. My two uncles used to spar here often, and my cousins would also practice martial arts here."
"That's my eldest uncle's yard over there, and to the east is my second uncle's yard."
"Behind that pavilion is the eldest cousin's courtyard, and to the north are the courtyards of the second, third, fourth, and fifth cousins in that order."
She explained it in great detail.
Gu Jiao listened very attentively.
She felt familiar with the mansion.
According to Duke Anguo, Jing Yinyin was often stolen by her maternal grandfather when she was a child. Xuanyuan Zi would often wake up to find her daughter missing, and then go back to her parents' home with a dark face to ask for her child back.
"Shall we go and take a look at Xiao Liu's courtyard?" Shangguan Yan asked.
"Okay." Gu Jiao nodded.
The group went to Xuanyuan Falcon's courtyard together.
Looking at the courtyard overgrown with weeds, Shangguan Yan smiled bitterly: "Xiao Liu always says he's the most useless, but little does he know that he's the only one who escaped the clutches of so many people. He left behind the last bloodline for his uncle. He did something remarkable."
"By the way, how did Xuanyuan Falcon escape back then?" Gu Jiao asked Chen. The two had not discussed Xuanyuan Falcon in detail.
Liao Chen said, "It was Han Ci. At that time, all the men of the Xuanyuan family went to war. Sixth Brother stayed in Shengdu because of his poor health. The Han family came to kill him. Han Ci pretended to kill him and sent him out of Shengdu without the Han family's knowledge."
Gu Jiao suddenly realized: "No wonder you let Han Ci off the hook."
Liao Chen said, "Xiao Liu owes him his life, and I will repay it for Xiao Liu. I don't want Xiao Liu to owe him anything."
"And then what happened?" Gu Jiao asked.
Liao Chen recalled the past with a touch of melancholy: "I once secretly returned to Yan Kingdom, firstly to inquire about my father's whereabouts, and secondly... also to visit the Xuanyuan family. I even went to the vanguard camp and saw the newborn little A Yue. However, no one noticed me at the time, except for Xiao Liu."
“I told Xiao Liu my identity and gave him a token from the Shadow Division. After escaping from the Han family, Xiao Liu used the token to contact Shadow Division experts near Shengdu, and they escorted him all the way to Zhao Kingdom.”
"He settled near my temple and, several years later, met a woman and married her. Unfortunately, he was too weak and burdened by the blood feud of the Xuanyuan family, so his health deteriorated rapidly. He passed away not long after Jingkong was born. Not long after that, I found Jingkong in swaddling clothes at the temple gate. I knew it was my sixth brother's child. I had a bad feeling and rushed to find my sixth sister-in-law, but she had already disappeared."
"I searched for a long time but couldn't find any trace of Sixth Sister. Later, I found Sixth Sister's shoes on the riverbank. I think... Sixth Sister must have drowned herself in the lake."
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.
I feel sorrow for Xuanyuan Falcon, and also for his wife.
And that poor child.
Xuanyuan Qi said, "I want to go to Zhao Kingdom to see Xiao Liu's child."
Gu Jiao looked at Chen and said, "When I guessed that Jingkong and you were both related to the Xuanyuan family, I once suspected that he was your son. Later, after repeatedly returning to the Imperial Preceptor Hall to look at the portrait of Xuanyuan Jun, I found that the two of them looked more alike."
Liao Chen scoffed, "Heh, I'm a monk."
How could it be possible to break the vow of celibacy?
Gu Jiao nodded and said, "Yes, a monk who has already broken the precepts against killing and drinking meat."
How far are we from "Lust, Caution"?
Liao Chen: "..."
Xuanyuan Qi looked at his son, who had undergone several months of training at the border and was now able to communicate well with others.
He said earnestly, "Zheng'er, you're not young anymore. Before, you carried the deep-seated hatred of the Xuanyuan family, your fate unknown, unable to settle down and start a family. Now that everything has settled, it's time for you to think about your life's important matters. Do you have a girl you like? If so, I'll go and propose marriage for you. I don't care about family background, as long as she comes from a respectable family, is pure-hearted, kind-hearted, and pretty."
Liao Chen rubbed his forehead.
How did this topic veer off-topic?
Aren't we talking about Xiao Liu and Jingkong?
Why are you suddenly pressuring me to get married?
Liao Chen sighed, “Father, I don’t have a sweetheart, and I don’t plan to get married. Jing Kong is enough for the Xuanyuan family. I’ll leave the inheritance to that boy. I just want to live a carefree life. Besides, I’m already so old. People my age already have children; if I marry someone who isn’t married, it’ll be like raising a daughter. You still have such high expectations.”
Xuanyuan Qi has been living in seclusion for too long and is unaware of the average level of men in Shengdu.
He thought about his son's situation carefully and felt that what his son said made some sense.
He gritted his teeth and drastically lowered his standards for a daughter-in-law: "Well... anyone will do!"
Liao Chen: "???"
I misjudged the situation and couldn't go back today, but I'm still happy that Chen is being pressured to get married.
(End of this chapter)
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