The moment Xie Lingqin's hand touched the ancient tree, she was filled with a strange sensation.
Previously, touching this tree evoked a strange sense of heartache, sorrow, and violence. But now, the moment she touched it, a light, cool sensation seemed to spread from the depths of her heart to her limbs and bones.
It chilled her to the bone.
This feeling is wonderful and shocking, making you want to quickly remove your hand, yet also wanting to explore more.
This ancient tree must have some kind of connection with her.
After all, she had been touched by Zihe before, but she hadn't felt anything at all.
"Everyone says this tree is hundreds of years old, but in fact, it has lived for thousands of years. Dynasties have changed, and it has witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, the killings of one dynasty after another, and the destruction and relocation of houses."
As the sound arose, Xu Yiran walked slowly from under a row of lush trees on the other side.
Dressed in a white robe, he was elegant and refined.
A faint melancholy settled in her slender eyes, as if she were grieving for someone unknown.
"Oh, really? I've learned something."
Xie Lingqin withdrew her hand.
In just a moment, I felt my body become much lighter.
Feeling puzzled, Xie Lingqin showed no outward sign of it, smiling at Xu Yiran, "Then, I'll trouble Teacher Xu to take good care of my younger brother. Farewell."
"You're starting to avoid me. Is that a good sign?"
Xu Yiran was more direct.
Xie Lingqin was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "I was just afraid that the Crown Prince might misunderstand."
"You're so spineless."
Xu Yiran smiled and said, "If he really misunderstands so easily, why do you still like him?"
"This is about trust between two people."
“You seem very worried about Xie Danling. He is the Crown Prince. Surely he can protect him.”
Xie Lingqin smiled at Xu Yiran's change of topic, turned around and got into the carriage.
Xu Yiran watched the carriage drive away, lingered for a long time, before turning and heading into Huangshan Academy.
“Miss, I think that today’s events were unexpected, and General Xie wouldn’t find out so quickly that the young master is not his son. Aren’t you overthinking it?”
"Although General Xie did not know that Xie Dan was not his biological son, there was another person besides us who knew this."
Zihe was puzzled, then suddenly realized and whispered, "Miss means, the Emperor."
Xie Lingqin did not object.
“But no matter what, the young master is the emperor’s nephew. This matter concerns the royal family. If we speak out, we will only lose General Xie’s favor. The emperor wouldn’t be so foolish, would he?”
Zihe realized she had spoken out of turn; after all, it was the Emperor. However, Xie Lingqin looked at her without any change in expression and continued, "The Emperor won't say anything, but if something unexpected happens and the Emperor reacts too strongly, wouldn't General Xie find some clues and become suspicious?"
"misfortune?"
"Go in a moment and have someone spread the word that we accidentally triggered a hidden mechanism in General Xie's study, which angered him and made him want to kill us."
"Miss." Zihe was extremely surprised.
"Yes, I'm serious, and I must emphasize the fact that the mechanism was triggered and the secret door was opened."
Zihe was so quick-witted and understood immediately.
As soon as Xie Lingqin returned to the general's mansion after dark, the news had already spread outside.
Xie Lingqin was certainly not afraid that General Xie would suspect her, because who would reveal something that could lead to suspicion against them?
Therefore, General Xie would only assume that it was a servant in the General's Mansion who had let slip the news.
However, the law does not punish the masses, and he could not find out who it was. Moreover, most of the people present at the time were his own men.
Just as Xie Lingqin had predicted.
When the crescent moon hung in the sky that day, there was a commotion in General Xie's courtyard. It is said that someone quietly entered General Xie's study.
Zihe and Tinghai could only see each other from afar in the dark, for fear of being discovered.
However, judging from his figure, it is certain that he is the emperor.
Therefore, they were indeed very concerned about what was inside the secret passage, and rushed to check it out as soon as they heard the news.
Is this a guilty conscience, or is it that there is something she hasn't gotten her hands on that makes the Emperor and the Holy Maiden so interested in her mother and Yun Yishang's things? Before, in the palace, Consort Shu's bracelet almost made the Holy Maiden lose her composure.
Is this the whereabouts of those 50,000 soldiers, Your Majesty? I still desperately want to know.
Xie Lingqin gently rubbed her temples and walked to a corner of the room.
There, the box was placed there, and inside, it was said, were her mother's remains.
Where exactly are those 50,000 soldiers? She searched her memory, but Zongzheng Yun hadn't told her anything before he died, and she had no memory of the woman named Yunyishang.
Before she died, the old woman said that General Xie was not her father, and neither Yuwen Yao nor Prince Yong had ever said that she was Prince Yong's daughter.
It is quite obvious that her mother and Prince Yong were a couple. Back then, her mother was forced to marry General Xie out of necessity, and secretly had a child with Prince Yong, Xie Danling. Her mother was so loyal to Prince Yong that she would never be with another man...
"Mother, tell me, whose daughter am I really?"
Xie Lingqin murmured softly, feeling inexplicably melancholy, "That man in black robes told me to take your remains to the imperial mausoleum. I always felt that his intentions were not just to have me place your remains with Prince Yong's. There must be another purpose behind it."
The next moment, Xie Lingqin suddenly stood up and looked out the window.
"Miss, what's wrong?"
Seeing Xie Lingqin's gloomy appearance, Zihe and Tridacna asked her with concern.
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