CH 98.1

Chapter 98.1 – You Have To Trust Me

“It’s Xie Yuan, isn’t it?” The Crown Prince’s question resounded.

The atmosphere in the palace suddenly seemed to tense up, and both Lu Qipei and Qi Yang froze when they heard those words. The two did not dare to say anything or look at each other. They both looked straight at the prince, the hands hidden in their sleeves clenching subconsciously.

The Crown Prince didn’t seem intent on waiting for them to answer, and he continued talking to himself. “Three years ago, during the war between Liang and Rong, although Liang had the upper hand, the battle also caused us considerable losses. And for Rong who lost, there’s even less need to say. At that time, I found it strange. It’s normal for the newly established Rong to want to point their spear and shield outside, but it was obviously not wise to put the whole country’s strength into it and put themselves in such a situation.”

“I don’t know what the Rong Emperor is like, but Xie Yuan’s name has spread throughout Liang these years. He managed to help the Rong Emperor unify the barbarians – obviously, he’s very talented, not someone who lacks wisdom. So how could the war reach such a level without the Rong Emperor and Xie Yuan restraining it? Was it just to avenge his son’s death? If Xie Yuan was so reckless and could not see the big picture, he couldn’t have built the Rong State and become its prime minister.”

“I’ve felt very strange since then, and I became very curious about Xie Yuan.” When the Crown Prince said this, he suddenly paused for a bit, then his gaze fell on Lu Qipei. “I have been investigating him for the past three years.”

Lu Qipei’s expression did not change. She only lowered her gaze slightly, and did not look at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince didn’t say anything when he saw this and continued, “I investigated for three years, but didn’t find anything. Only recently did I get a piece of news by chance, but it has not been confirmed yet.”

Lu Qipei could still remain calm up to this point, but Qi Yang couldn’t help but ask, “What news?”

The Crown Prince turned his eyes towards Qi Yang and his gaze softened a little. But it was only for a moment, then he turned his gaze to Lu Qipei again with a hint of sharpness, then slowly said, “Xie Yuan is the descendant of Xie Zhicheng, the King Cheng1 from back then.”

Whether it was King Cheng or Xie Zhicheng, neither was an unfamiliar name today. This was because those names were written in “The Chronicles of the Founding Emperor”. Just a few decades ago, this person was still competing with Liang’s Founding Emperor for the world!

It had been a hundred years since the former dynasty collapsed, but the Central plains did not immediately usher in a new regime. For decades, feudal lords fought against each other for territory. The barbarians went south several times, and were beaten back by the feudal lords.

This situation continued until 60 years ago, when heroes appeared in the north and south. It was the Founding Emperor in the north, and King Cheng Xie Zhicheng in the south.

The two had their means, and it only took them ten years to unify their respective areas. The two had discussed peace talks and establishing their own countries, but such a peace was short lived, or perhaps it was impossible to achieve in the first place.

Less than a year later, war began again. The Founding Emperor took the lead and sent an army south, ultimately spending five years defeating Xie Zhicheng, uniting the north and south. Xie Zhicheng died in the war, and all members of the Xie family were slaughtered. His name and his family became a record in the history books, and the Founding Emperor’s war accomplishment.

There were so many people with the surname Xie in the world. Even if Xie Yuan never hid his name, who would associate the current Rong Prime Minister Xie Yuan with the King Cheng from back then, Xie Zhicheng?

The atmosphere in the palace became even more tense, but the three people there had their own thoughts inside.

Lu Qipei finally raised her gaze. Her eyes were clear and bright, without a hint of panic. She calmly looked at the Crown Prince and answered his words with only three faint words. “Is that so?”

The Crown Prince’s sharp brows furrowed slightly. His gaze was deep, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Qi Yang couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous as she looked at the two people facing each other. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly realized that her mouth was dry, and it took her a while to find her voice and say, “Is that so? Then Xie Yuan and us do share a deep hatred.”

Considering his age, even if Xie Yuan was a survivor, he should have been in his infancy when the Xie family was slaughtered. Perhaps he was protected by a loyal person, so the blood of the Xie family was left behind.

For Xie Yuan, his hate towards Liang’s current royal family was not hatred from the death of his son, but the hatred from clan extermination. It was natural for him to plan to overthrow Liang, and plot against the Crown Prince and the other princes.

The Crown Prince thought similarly, and he did not forget how similar Xie Hongyi and Lu Qipei looked. Although what happened was a coincidence, Xie Hongyi’s antagonistic attitude back then was very obvious. How could the Crown Prince not be suspicious?

If, if Xie Yuan really had something to do with Lu Qipei…

The Crown Prince looked at Qi Yang again and noticed the deep unease hidden in her eyes. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of heartache – he knew how much Qi Yang liked Lu Qipei four years ago. Time had not diminished this love, and Qi Yang’s affection for Lu Qipei had become even more intense.

If Lu Qipei betrayed her, if there was a deep hatred between them… If Lu Qipei’s feelings were all just to make use of her, how could Qi Yang accept it?

As an elder brother, the Crown Prince felt sorry for Qi Yang for a moment. However, as the Crown Prince of Liang, he had to consider far more than these children’s love. He turned his gaze to Lu Qipei again and said, ‘Is that the only thing the Crown Prince wanted to tell me?”

Lu Qipei raised her lips and smiled slightly, looking just like the clear sky after the rain. “My surname is Lu, not Xie.”

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