Chapter 65



Sheng Xiyan lowered her eyes slightly, her eyes as calm as the night sky. She said nonchalantly, "I just heard from my mother that the girl from the Jiang family died of a cold. Do you remember her name?"

Xigui didn't understand why she was suddenly interested in Miss Jiang's name, and replied, "I heard her name was Jiang Ya."

When the Jiang family came to give "gifts", Xigui had seen Jiang Ya from a distance once, but Jiang Ya kept her head down at that time, and she was so far away that she couldn't see what she looked like, she only knew that she was very thin. Now she died inexplicably, and they said she had caught a cold, but maybe she was abused to death by the Jiang family.

The little hand stiffened noticeably in Sheng Xiyan's palm.

She let out a light breath, asked no more questions, and walked towards Caicen Courtyard with Jiaoyang in her arms.

It doesn't matter whether Jiaoyang is Jiang Ya or He Ya. Since the day she was picked up, she has been Jiaoyang, a brilliant ray of sunshine, and has nothing to do with weeds.

If Jiaoyang doesn't want to say it, then he won't say it. It doesn't matter.

Household registration is a big deal for ordinary people. For a family like the Sheng family that has officials in the court, it is not difficult to get a new household registration in the current Dayong Dynasty by just saying hello. It just requires some money to arrange it. Sheng Xiyan can completely get a new household registration for Jiaoyang under the name of the Sheng family.

The cold wind of late autumn was blowing, and the sky was half light and half dark as dusk approached.

Sheng Xiyan held Jiaoyang's cold little hand and instructed Xigui, "Make her a hand warmer when we get back."

The yang deficiency is so severe that no matter how hard you try to cover yourself up, your body won't feel warm, especially your hands and feet, which are always cold.

"Sister." Jiuyang suddenly stopped, "I'm sorry..." his voice was hoarse and harsh.

Jiaoyang closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, mustered up all his courage, and finished his words in one breath: "The Jiang Ya of the Jiang family is me."

After saying it, Jiaoyang finally felt a little relieved.

Her sister is so good to her, she shouldn't hide the matter from her.

In fact, Jiaoyang had wanted to say it a long time ago, but she just couldn't say it. She didn't want others to know that she was Jiang Ya, the lowly weed that anyone could trample to death.

She wants to be the sun.

Jiaoyang wants to be a sister.

Jiuyang's eyes were wet, and he murmured, "I'm sorry..."

She lowered her head, not daring to look at Sheng Xiyan, for fear that Sheng Xiyan would be angry.

Jiaoyang still remembered that day, when the Jiang family returned from the Sheng Mansion, they scolded Sheng Xiyan harshly along the way. She felt that Sheng Xiyan would definitely not like the people of the Jiang family.

Is it possible that you also don’t like yourself?

There was an expression of unconcealable astonishment on Xigui's face, his mouth opened and closed, but he could not utter a word.

No way, no way! Didn’t they say Jiang Ya had died? The Jiang family just came to report the death today!

Miss Jiaoyang is the Jiang Ya from the Jiang family? !

So who was the one who died young? Xigui felt that his brain was not enough.

Jiaoyang waited anxiously, subconsciously holding Sheng Xiyan's hand tightly. She told herself: Even if her sister wanted to drive her away, she would be obedient.

Sheng Xiyan's tone was the same as usual: "Did you run away secretly?"

Jiaoyang nodded and whispered, "Someone went to the Jiang family that day. I don't know what they were talking about. They all went to the front, and I quietly climbed over the wall and ran away."

Jiuyang didn't know that it was Chu Yuanchen and Sheng Xiyan who went to Jiang's house that day.

She was locked in the woodshed at the time and could only faintly hear some noise coming from the front.

After arriving in the capital, they kept a closer eye on her, taking her with them wherever they went and never leaving their side. They usually locked her up in the woodshed.

Jiaoyang knew that no one in the capital would inform them, so she might have a chance to escape.

She secretly hid a spoon and dug on the wall behind the woodshed every night, covering it with firewood during the day. She was lucky and they never found her.

It took her several days to dig up a few bricks.

Then, she waited for that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She climbed out of the hole she had dug in the wall and climbed over the courtyard wall.

Jiaoyang's face turned slightly pale. She lowered her head and said slowly, "After I escaped, I had nowhere to go, so I wandered around the capital. When I was hungry, I stole some food and slept on the street corners at night."

The wind was very strong at night and she was so hungry and cold that she couldn't sleep. Even so, it was much better than staying at the Jiang family. At least no one would beat her.

She was so hungry that she went to the Liao family clinic and worked as a handyman for them for a day in exchange for some copper coins. However, they said she did not do her job well and wanted to cheat them, so she simply stole a ginseng and ran away.

"Then I jumped on my sister's carriage..."

A ray of sunshine appeared in her life which was full of darkness. She didn't want to fall into the quagmire again, so she desperately grabbed this light.

"Sister, I was wrong." Jiuyang said again.

Her sister was so nice to her, but she still lied to her. She must be a bad kid.

They all said she was a bad kid, had a bad temper, was ugly, and was stupid.

In this world, only her sister likes her...

She doesn't want her sister to dislike her!

Jiuyang's heart twitched and his eyes became even redder.

Sheng Xiyan looked at her with a smile, her eyes as gentle as water: "What's wrong with you?"

Jiaoyang said honestly: "I shouldn't have lied to my sister."

"No." Sheng Xiyan touched her head, "Do you remember what I taught you? People living in this world need to know right from wrong and good from bad. At that time, you didn't know me well enough, and you couldn't trust me. For you, whether to tell this matter or not was related to life or death, so of course you couldn't tell it."

Jiuyang was stunned, and his beautiful peach blossom eyes could not hide the surprise.

Sheng Xiyan half squatted down, looked into her eyes, and said seriously: "So, you did nothing wrong, you don't need to apologize."

Jiuyang pursed his lips, then suddenly choked and burst into tears, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably. He couldn't stop crying, and his face was covered with tears.

This was different from the pretentious tears she shed when they first met. She cried sincerely.

Sheng Xiyan handed her a handkerchief and said with a smile: "Look, everyone is looking at you. If you keep crying like this, they will think I am bullying you."

"…Sister will never bully me."

Jiuyang sobbed twice, wiped his face with a handkerchief, and then wiped his hands clean. Then he reached out and grabbed her sleeve, then smiled shyly, looking so obedient and gentle that made people's hearts melt.

Xigui also felt uncomfortable.

She was sold when she was little, but that was because the village had suffered a disaster and they could not survive, so her parents sold her to a human trafficker, thinking that at least she could have a bite to eat and not starve to death.

The Jiang family couldn't possibly be so poor, right? They would treat a little girl like this out of nowhere.

"Ms. Jiaoyang, the Jiang family is really a piece of shit!" Xigui said angrily.

Jiaoyang nodded vigorously in agreement. She liked it when someone scolded the Jiang family.

"The Jiang family is so bad!" Jiuyang complained to Sheng Xiyan, "I have to do all the work at home, and they beat and scold me, saying that I am a loser and no one wants me."

There were even worse things, and she didn't want to pollute her sister's ears.

"I escaped twice when I was in my hometown, but they caught me back each time." Jiaoyang sniffed aggrievedly and said, "They beat me and it hurt, so I didn't dare to escape..."

"I don't know why they beat me. I've been very good..."

"They always scold me, even though some of my aunts have daughters and they treat them very well, but they just don't like me."

Since she was a child, Jiaoyang could not understand why her whole family disliked her. When she was little, she would shed tears of grievance. Later, when she found that acting coquettishly and crying would not make her life easier, she never cried again.

From then on, tears became a kind of disguise; when they were being beaten, shedding a few tears would make them happy and the beating would be less severe.

Sheng Xiyan led her back and listened to her patiently without interrupting her.

Some things will only become a lifelong nightmare if kept in your heart. Only by speaking them out and venting them can you truly let them go.

Xigui felt uncomfortable and couldn't help asking, "Miss, what does it mean that the Jiang family told everyone that Miss Jiaoyang was dead?"

Sheng Xiyan seemed to be thinking about something.

The Jiang family reported the death and cancelled the household registration, which meant that there was no such person as Jiang Ya in this world anymore.

Why did the Jiang family do this? Because Jiaoyang ran away, so they just treated her as dead?

Jiuyang has only been gone for half a month. Shouldn't a normal family look for him carefully? Even if they can't find him, it's no big deal to just leave the household registration empty? Why bother?

Is this for some kind of funeral? Or...

Xigui said to himself, "They clearly knew that Miss Jiaoyang was not dead, so did they really hate her so much that they wanted to make her an illegal resident?"

Without a household registration, one is worse than a pauper in the Great Rong Dynasty, with nowhere to live. Even if one wants to be a laborer, if the employer is not good to him, his money will be deducted and he will be bullied at will.

"They must be hoping that Miss Jiaoyang will be pinned into the mud and trampled to death!"

hatred?

Sheng Xiyan's mind moved. Yes, the Jiang family simply cut off Jiuyang's life, and normal parents and family members would not do this?

Sheng Xiyan lowered her head to look at Jiuyang who was pulling her sleeve, and her gaze couldn't help but fall on her extremely beautiful peach blossom eyes.

Jiuyang once said that the Jiang family said her eyes were ugly.

Sheng Xiyan's heart was pounding faster and faster, and a thought surged into her mind uncontrollably.

After Princess Jingle died in the previous life, Jiang Ting brought Chu Yuanyi back to the clan and changed his surname to Jiang. After the emperor took back the fiefdom, he ordered Jiang Yuanyi to inherit all the property of the Zhenbei Palace, and changed his title to Duke Anle, a title that could be passed down from generation to generation. He also specially built a Duke's Mansion for him in the Jiang family's hometown.

Everyone praised the emperor for his generosity.

The father and son returned to their hometown, until they both died tragically at the hands of Ji Mingyang.

She didn't know what kind of person Ji Mingyang was before, but now at least she can see that Achen and the princess both trust Ji Mingyang very much. It would have been fine if Ji Mingyang had killed Jiang Ting to avenge the princess, but he also killed Chu Yuanyi, the only bloodline of the Zhenbei Palace.

Is it because Chu Yuanyi changed his surname and abandoned the Zhenbei Palace, or...

She couldn't control her trembling voice and asked, "Jiaoyang, how old are you?"

Jiuyang didn't understand why, so he said obediently, "Twelve years old."

Twelve years old...Chu Yuanyi and Sheng Yan are both twelve years old.

Sheng Xiyan: “…”

Her mind was in a mess. This was really too hard to believe, and yet it seemed that only this could explain the Jiang family's malicious actions.

Sheng Xiyan was a little absent-minded.

She clenched her hands into fists in her sleeves. Once this thought came to her mind, she could never get rid of it.

Sheng Xiyan looked at Jiaoyang seriously, examining her facial features carefully. To be honest, apart from her peach blossom eyes, she didn't look like the princess and Achen at all.

These things were just her own fantasies, there was no evidence at all. If she guessed wrong, telling the princess about them might cause her chest pain to recur.

But what if she guessed right?

She wanted to see Achen...

After returning to Caicen Courtyard, Sheng Xiyan let Jiuyang play by himself. Jiuyang liked to stick to her, but when Sheng Xiyan had serious things to do, she was always very well behaved, so she stayed in the main room and played with Xigui's flower rope.

Sheng Xiyan hurried to the small study, planning to write a note and have someone send it to the Zhenbei Palace to Chu Yuanchen.

Clear water slowly poured onto the inkstone. Sheng Xiyan took the ink stick and made circles on the inkstone. The faint scent of ink lingered in the air, gradually calming her heart.

Putting down the ink stick, she picked up a wolf hair brush dipped in ink, and wrote on a blank piece of paper without hesitation.

Her handwritten calligraphy was particularly beautiful, graceful and elegant, with a graceful demeanor. In a short while, she had finished writing the post.

She had just put down her pen and put the post aside to dry when a cup of hot tea was handed to her.

"Returning from the past..."

Sheng Xiyan was just about to ask Xigui to go to the Zhenbei Palace, but suddenly changed her mind and remembered that Xigui was still outside playing with Jiaoyang.

She subconsciously looked to her side, and what she saw was a pair of smiling peach blossom eyes, which seemed to contain bright stars.

Sheng Xiyan was stunned for a few moments, the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously, and her pupils suddenly brightened. She felt at ease, as if everything could be solved as long as he was there.

"Achen."

Sheng Xiyan called out with a smile, her voice soft and clear, with a kind of coquettishness that she herself was not even aware of.

There were clearly no sweet words, just these two simple words, but it was like a feather stroking Chu Yuanchen's heart, gently and softly, and he greedily wanted to feel more.

Sheng Xiyan put the teacup down and stood up. Her eyes were curved and she looked at him with joy: "Why are you here?"

"I came earlier." Chu Yuanchen said aggrievedly, "You didn't even see me." It was as if a tail was swinging listlessly.

He had arrived a long time ago, and was waiting for her in the small study room just like before. He did wait for her, but she was so absent-minded that she seemed not to notice him at all.

He sat by the window, watching her walk to the desk and start grinding ink to write a message.

He waited for a long time, but she didn't even look up at him, so he could only walk away by himself.

So she really didn't see him? Thinking of this, I felt really sad.

Alas, Chu Yuanchen sighed softly. His mother had said long ago that he could only use this face to coax his wife. Now, could it be that this face is no longer useful? This made him fall into deep thought.

Hmm. Sheng Xiyan felt a little guilty.

She really didn't see him! Chu Yuanchen was so big sitting here, but she completely ignored him. She had been very careful since she was reborn.

Is it because she is defenseless against him?

Sheng Xiyan's eyes wandered guiltily, and she could hardly look him in the face.

All her little thoughts fell into Chu Yuanchen's eyes. Chu Yuanchen was always pushing things further. He took another half step towards her, and his tone became more aggrieved: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, but you ignored me."

The two of them were very close, and the auras of this close proximity seemed to merge together. In her ears was Chu Yuanchen's tempting voice: "You promised to make red bean cake for me last time."

Did she agree? Sheng Xiyan didn't remember... The words came to her lips and turned into one word: "Okay!"

Chu Yuanchen's chest vibrated slightly and he let out an inaudible laugh, unable to conceal the joy in his heart.

This kind of joy is contagious, and Sheng Xiyan's mouth corners also curled up, and immediately became righteous: "I was just about to look for you!"

Yes. She was about to go look for him, so could he just let it go after sitting there for so long and being ignored?

Chu Yuanchen laughed even more happily.

This little girl, once she is a little right, becomes as proud as a cat.

Chu Yuanchen raised his hand and tucked the few strands of hair that were scattered on her cheeks behind her ears, and asked, "Are you looking for me?"

Sheng Xiyan nodded and said, "I picked up a little girl a few days ago. She is from the Jiang family..."

Chu Yuanchen's expression paused slightly.

He came here today for this matter.

Sheng Xiyan told all her guesses, hiding the things about the previous life, and told everything else without reservation. Finally, she said, "...I was very confused and didn't know who to tell, so I wanted to find you."

After Sheng Xiyan finished speaking, she looked at Chu Yuanchen cautiously. She thought he would find it difficult to accept it easily, but Chu Yuanchen remained calm and only asked, "Where is she? Can I see her?"

There was no trace of shock or suspicion on his face. This matter-of-fact attitude made Sheng Xiyan wonder if he already knew about this.

Chu Yuanchen's eyes showed her thoughts without a doubt. He nodded and said, "Ji Mingyang told me."

Ji Mingyang told him this after returning from Jiang's house that day.

He was shocked at first and then angry. He knew that Ji Mingyang was a man of discretion and that Ji Mingyang would tell him with at least 50% certainty.

"I don't know whether this is true or not, so I haven't told my mother yet."

"We have to find out first."

Chu Yuanyi grew up in Jingle's arms and they have a special bond.

If the guess is true, then it's fine. But if it's just a fantasy, why make her sad for nothing?

Jingle had chest pain, and she had an attack last time because of Chu Yuanyi's matter. If it happened again, it would be very dangerous. Chu Yuanchen planned to find out the cause first and then tell her.

Sheng Xiyan suddenly understood.

Ji Mingyang was indeed a sharp-minded man. He had become suspicious on that day. No wonder he looked at Jiaoyang with complicated eyes.

"I asked Ji Mingyang to go to Jiang Ting's hometown." Chu Yuanchen had done a lot in the past three days. "I also asked Nanny Lan about it. My mother had a premature birth, which was quite dangerous."

He needed to ask some questions about things that happened in the past, so he told Nanny Lan about his doubts.

When Jingle gave birth to Chu Yuanyi, Nanny Lan was by her side. In Nanny Lan's words, the birth was extremely difficult.

"I have lived in Northern Frontier for many years. One year, I was seriously injured and almost lost my life. Grandfather wanted to hide it from mother at that time. After all, the capital is too far away from Northern Frontier, and my mother was eight months pregnant. Even if she knew, it would be useless. But I don't know how, mother actually knew it. She has never been an impulsive person. But that time, she and Jiang Ting left Beijing directly and rushed to Northern Frontier. Perhaps they were afraid that they would be stopped by the emperor, so they left in a hurry and only brought a dozen guards, and Nanny Lan and Nanny Wu. Later, mother got pregnant on the way and gave birth prematurely."

Chu Yuanchen sighed and repeated Nanny Lan's words truthfully, "There were bandits on the road at the time, and it was particularly chaotic. Even with the palace guards by my mother's side, it was not safe enough. She had to go to a nearby temple and ask for shelter. My mother gave birth to Chu Yuanyi in the temple."

This happened twelve years ago. It's not easy for Nanny Lan to remember so much.

"Because there were bandits outside, many nearby residents hid in the temple. There was a lot of chaos coming and going, and there was really no way out. We couldn't find a doctor. Fortunately, there was a midwife who took refuge in the temple, so we asked her for help. After a lot of hard work, the child was born. The midwife said it was a boy with a red birthmark on the sole of his foot. My mother fainted before she even took a look at it."

"When the child was born, his breath was extremely weak and it seemed like he would die at any time. Jiang Ting heard that the abbot was good at medicine, so he took the child to ask the abbot for help. Nanny Lan was busy taking care of my mother at the time. Nanny Wu was my mother's wet nurse and knew how to take care of children better, so he asked Nanny Wu to go with him."

"My mother was in a coma for three days before she woke up. By then, the child was already beside her."

Chu Yuanchen paused, a hint of a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It's a boy, with a birthmark on the sole of his foot."

He told the whole story in detail, and then said, "I asked Ji Mingyang to go directly to the temple to investigate after he returns from Jiang Ting's hometown."

Chu Yuanchen's voice was a little hoarse.

In that chaotic time, looking back, if I really wanted to change the child, it could have been done.

But how could anyone have imagined it at that time?

Sheng Xiyan nodded secretly. Indeed, if there was a deliberate plot, it would be impossible to guard against it.

She hurriedly said, "I'll go call Jiuyang." As she spoke, she rang the bronze bell beside the desk. Soon, Xigui knocked on the door outside, opened it and walked in.

"Auntie..."

Xigui opened her mouth slightly and stared blankly at Chu Yuanchen in the small study. She was so shocked that she was stunned and couldn't utter another word for a long time.

She pinched her palms, and the pain told her that she was not mistaken.

After a brief moment of unconsciousness, she quickly closed the door of the study, fearing that she would be discovered by others. She thought to herself: Future Aunt is really unreliable, and she didn't even come through the main door! Oh, by the way, it was he who took the girl away in the middle of the night last time, and didn't come back all night!

Sheng Xiyan had asked her to come without intending to hide the fact that Chu Yuanchen was here, so she ordered, "Go and call Jiaoyang over."

Call him Jiuyang? Xigui was a little confused. She was used to listening to Sheng Xiyan, so she accepted the order and left in a hurry.

Soon he brought Jiaoyang over.

Jiaoyang was originally very happy, but when she saw a stranger in the study, her face suddenly became tense, and her eyes were full of vigilance and resistance.

She ran to Sheng Xiyan, grabbed her sleeve, and smiled sweetly at her: "Sister." When she looked at Chu Yuanchen again, her eyes narrowed suddenly, her eyes were heavy, and her face was expressionless.

She stared at Chu Yuanchen, who was also looking at her. He suddenly smiled and said happily, "Ji Mingyang is right. He is really a little wolf cub."


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