Chapter 32: Public Revelation of Lineage
“I have finished what you asked, but I don’t think it will benefit Young Lady in any way.”
In the Early Spring Courtyard, a man dressed in a green robe and wearing a half bronze mask also spoke in this manner.
This person was Ling Ye. Silencing those assassins to prevent them from committing suicide, writing those words on their bodies, and finally hanging them from the big trees in front of the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower ━ this was what Xiao Jinyu had asked him to do.
He could have refused, but for some unknown reason, he inexplicably agreed.
Perhaps it was because the expression and aura that the Young Lady inadvertently revealed gave him a familiar feeling of looking back on the past, or perhaps… just treat this as a way to make up for the guilt and regret in his heart!
“Oh? Why do you think so?” Xiao Jinyu asked.
Ling Ye glanced at Xiao Jinyu and replied, “With your current situation, you can’t fight against the power of Princess Chen. You can use the mouths of the common people to spread the news of the truth, but she can also use the mouths of others to turn the truth into rumors. What’s more likely… is that she will make your true identity public! By then, this farce will become uncontrollable…”
So you also know my true identity…
Xiao Jinyu laughed inwardly.
Fenghuang, however, became nervous, “Qing Gege, we can’t let those people wag their tongues and slander Qing Gege’s reputation!”
“No, Fenghuang, what I want is for her to make my identity public, for this farce to become uncontrollable. I no longer have the time to play the drama of a loving mother and filial son, harmonious grandparents and grandchildren in a big family. Why not tear off this mask early and let everyone reveal their true faces? What do you think?” She looked at Ling Ye and smiled, then added, “And I am betting on something…”
“Betting on what?”
“Betting on whether this Princess Yunyin will care about the Xiao family’s reputation… Betting on whether the head of the Xiao family really cares about this matter…”
As Xiao Jinyu spoke, Ling Ye seemed to understand something and cupped his hands in a bow, “So Young Lady already has a plan. It was I who spoke too much. Then I will take my leave!”
After Ling Ye finished speaking, he was about to leave, but he heard Xiao Jinyu call out, “Wait—”
He turned around and saw the Northern Barbarian boy beside Xiao Jinyu suddenly throw something over. With quick eyes and hands, he instantly caught it in his hand. Opening it to look, he saw it was a white jade bottle and asked, “What is this?”
“This is my reward for you, Sir. If I’m not mistaken, you have nearly thirty knife and sword wounds on your body. One of them injured your internal organs, and because it was not treated in time, you have been suffering from a chronic illness for five years. Now you have less than two years to live. This bottle of medicine was formulated when I first saw you. It can help you clear the stasis in your internal organs and prolong your life!”
After Xiao Jinyu finished speaking, Ling Ye’s eyes suddenly lit up, and his gaze shot straight at Xiao Jinyu from behind the bronze mask.
“How do you know?” he asked coldly.
Fenghuang seemed to sense the danger in this gaze and immediately stood in front of Xiao Jinyu.
A’xiu also became uneasily tense.
“Of course my Qing Gege knows. She is highly skilled in medicine. With just a glance, she knew from the first moment she saw you. What, my Qing Gege gives you medicine, and you still want to repay kindness with enmity, silencing her to eliminate the witness?”
Hearing Fenghuang say this, the murderous aura emanating from Ling Ye gradually subsided.
“So you are also a physician?” His voice revealed surprise and doubt. He said ashamedly, “Apologies, it was I who had petty thoughts.”
“We are both wanderers at the end of the world, why should we have known each other before? I always have a feeling of familiarity with you, Sir. Everyone has secrets they don’t want to reveal. Since you don’t want people to know, I, Xiao Jinyu, will certainly not let anyone else know except for those here.” Saying this, Xiao Jinyu looked at Fenghuang and A’xiu. After they nodded in agreement, she changed the subject, “However, if you want to completely cure the chronic illness left in your body, you can come to me anytime!”
After she finished speaking, she saw Ling Ye was completely stunned. To be precise, when Xiao Jinyu said, “I always have a feeling of familiarity with you, Sir,” Ling Ye’s eyes were already filled with shock and astonishment. After a long while, he seemed to come back to his senses and replied, “Thank you!” Then he cupped his hands and left!
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“Qing Gege, who is he? Why was he so guarded when you mentioned his injuries?” After Ling Ye had gone far away, Fenghuang couldn’t help but ask.
“To be able to withstand such injuries, this person is either a soldier who has been on the battlefield for a long time or an assassin accustomed to the dangers of swords and blades. However, his secrets are not for us to pry into, and they have nothing to do with us!”
As Xiao Jinyu spoke, she looked at Fenghuang and smiled.
Fenghuang couldn’t help but smile along and replied, “Yes, Qing Gege, then I won’t ask!”
“Let’s go! The people who are supposed to come should be here. Let’s go join in the fun…”
Xiao Jinyu suddenly changed the topic. A’xiu, who was following behind, hadn’t yet understood what was going on when she heard a commotion coming from outside the courtyard. After they had taken a few steps, they saw a group of people barge into the courtyard in a mighty procession.
It was actually a group of young ladies dressed in bright and beautiful clothes. It seemed that none of them had reached the age of fifteen, the age of adulthood for women. Each of them wore high-toothed wooden clogs, wide-sleeved gowns, and their heads were adorned with various exquisite hairpins and ornaments. Their foreheads were decorated with flower, looking like a painting of court ladies riding the wind.
However, no matter how beautiful the picture was, the atmosphere was dangerous. Even A’xiu could sense the malice of the newcomers.
Sure enough, the young lady at the front arrogantly sneered, “I heard you are that wild girl from who knows where, daring to claim on the street that you are a descendant of the Lanling Xiao Clan, a granddaughter of the Xiao family. If anyone who can recite the genealogy of the Lanling Xiao Clan is a descendant of the Xiao Clan, then wouldn’t anyone who can recite it be able to claim kinship? What do you think?”
“Exactly, how can a person of unknown origin dare to claim kinship with the Lanling Xiao Clan!” Another young lady echoed.
Fenghuang was already furious upon hearing this. She strode towards the group of young ladies, raised her hand, and split a nearby rock in half.
“What are you saying? Dare to say it again?”
The two young ladies at the front were so frightened that they quickly shrank back, glancing timidly at Fenghuang, then retreated with a mixture of envy and fear. At this moment, Xiao Jinyu also walked towards them and said, “You barged into my courtyard with such a grand procession just to lure me out, didn’t you?”
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She looked at the young girls who had surrounded the threshold of her courtyard, making it impassable. Judging from their clothes and attire, it was not difficult to guess that they were a group of young ladies from aristocratic families, along with some maidservants. She hadn’t expected that Princess Yunyin’s next move would actually be to borrow the hands of these ignorant and inexperienced youngsters!
“Alright, where do you want to lead me? Please lead the way. My humble courtyard can’t accommodate the nobility of you ladies from aristocratic families!”
“Qing Gege—”
Fenghuang was somewhat worried, but she heard Xiao Jinyu say, “It’s fine!”
The several noble young ladies didn’t expect Xiao Jinyu to be so calm and composed. Could it be that she could be lured onto the street so easily, and she would obediently fall for their trick?
It’s that easy?
The young girls couldn’t believe it, but they didn’t think too much about it. They just said “Let’s go, let’s go!” several times and walked towards the alley outside the courtyard.
About half an hour later, Xiao Jinyu, with Fenghuang and A’xiu, arrived in front of the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower on Jingyang Street. The group of noble young ladies who had led the way quickly hid among the crowd, watching the excitement from the sidelines.
Seeing those assassins who were t*ed up with their mouths gagged and their eyes wide open, hanging from several large trees, Xiao Jinyu couldn’t help but smile. The assassin by Xiao Xian’s side was indeed efficient.
Whatever she said, he did!
“Isn’t this the granddaughter who came back to the Xiao family to acknowledge her kinship a month ago? What was her name again, Xiao…”
“Xiao Jinyu!”
“Right, it’s Xiao Jinyu!”
“Young Lady, is what’s written on these assassins true? Did the mistress of the Xiao family really chase you for a month? So many assassins, it’s not easy for Young Lady to have survived until now!”
“Exactly, and to be able to hang these assassins like this is even more impressive!”
“Young Lady, you are truly amazing!”
There was a wave of sighs from the crowd, some expressing sympathy, but most were just watching the excitement.
“Amazing what? She clearly hired these people to stage this play. The Xiao family doesn’t recognize her as their granddaughter, so she uses this vicious method to slander the reputation of the Xiao family’s mistress!” A voice suddenly shouted from the crowd.
As soon as this was said, there were immediate voices in agreement.
“It’s a staged play! Really?”
Xiao Jinyu looked towards the source of the sound and saw that it was indeed the group of aristocratic young ladies who had led her here, mixed in the crowd, covering their mouths and laughing. There were also some middle-aged men and women dressed as servants shouting loudly, seemingly trying to make the commotion even b*gger and attract more people to watch.
At this time, Xiao Jinyu sneered and said loudly, “Whether it’s a staged play or not, wouldn’t everyone know if they pried open the mouths of these assassins and asked? However, to ensure everyone’s safety, it’s better to have the officials from the Ministry of Justice come and interrogate them.” Saying this, she looked around and added very seriously, “I have already reported it to the officials!”
As soon as the four words “I have already reported it to the officials” were uttered, the crowd fell silent. After a long while, a young girl’s voice suddenly came from above, “Then do you know why the head of the Xiao family, the mistress of the Xiao family, refuses to acknowledge her as their granddaughter?”
Everyone looked up and saw a window on the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower open, revealing a young girl’s face, who asked mockingly.
The young girl was none other than Xiao Ninth Miss!
Seeing Xiao Ninth Miss, the smile on Xiao Jinyu’s lips deepened, and her heart became even more calm.
This girl really couldn’t hold back her temper!
“Yes! Why don’t the head and mistress of the Xiao family recognize this granddaughter?” Someone in the crowd immediately asked curiously.
“I heard that although her mother was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Xiao family back then, she did something that brought shame to the Xiao family and was expelled!”
“Exactly, I also heard from the elders that her mother was dissolute and shameless. While treating Princess Yuhua, she actually hooked up with the late emperor’s male favorite, that… Han Zigao…”
“It was actually General of the Right Guard, Han Zigao? Didn’t he commit suicide in the Ministry of Justice not long ago because of the crime of treason?”
“I heard that the late emperor wanted to make Han Zigao his male empress. How could a male favorite have anything to do with the eldest legitimate daughter of the Xiao family? Is this really believable?” Some people agreed, while others raised doubts.
Mentioning Han Zigao, the crowd immediately buzzed. After all, this man, who had been the late emperor’s male favorite, had once been in the limelight in Jiankang City, his beauty widely known. Not only did women suffer from lovesickness for him, but even men couldn’t help but feel admiration and affection upon seeing his appearance.
Legend had it that when Han Zigao fled to Jiankang, it was during the time of Hou Jing’s rebellion against the Liang Dynasty. Rebel soldiers and bandits were robbing refugees, but after seeing his appearance, they not only didn’t have the heart to k*ll him, but also acted as his guards, escorting him home. It was at that time that he met the late Emperor Chen Qian. Chen Qian was moved by his beauty and took him by his side, not only teaching him to read and write, but also training him in archery, horsemanship, and other skills. They were inseparable on the battlefield, until the Chen Dynasty replaced the Liang Dynasty, and Chen Qian ascended the throne after Chen Baxian.
Han Zigao also rose rapidly, from a commoner of humble origins to the powerful and influential General of the Right Guard.
When the late emperor was alive, he doted on him to the extreme. Even the six palaces were empty, and he only favored Han Zigao. Now it was said that this late emperor’s male favorite actually had an affair with the eldest legitimate daughter of the Xiao family, how could people believe it?
“Why is it not believable? This wretched s*ave is the best proof. She is the b*stard child born from her mother and that barbarian Han!”
At this moment, Xiao Ninth Miss couldn’t help but run out of the Apricot Blossom and Misty Rain Tower, leading a group of servants and maids, pushing through the crowd, and walked up to Xiao Jinyu. With a smug and vicious expression, she said, “Your mother has already been expelled from the Xiao family and is no longer a member of the Xiao Clan. And your father is just a male favorite, and he was even sentenced to death by His Majesty in the Ministry of Justice for the crime of treason. How dare you claim to be a member of our Xiao Clan?”
