Chapter 336: Showdown

What Bao Yue said did not exceed the information Wang Yang had already gathered, but it was the most complete and logical explanation he had ever heard. Many scholar-officials only had a half-baked understanding of this; he had not expected Xiao Bao Yue to have such a clear grasp of the issue. If she had explained it earlier, he wouldn't have had to rack his brains and try to fish for information!

However, even if she had told him earlier, he probably wouldn't have dared to believe it; he would still have needed to verify it through other channels before he could rest easy.

Wang Yang's mind stirred. He looked at Xiao Bao Yue with a fawning expression, but just as he was about to speak, Bao Yue interrupted him:

"Don't you go getting any ideas about me; I don't have that kind of ability. Before the household registration audit, there were ways to manage it. Back then, county registers weren't cross-checked; they were reported directly to the provincial department, which didn't keep records, and after verification, they were sent back to the county. The Ministry of Personnel only compiled a register every three years, and they weren't strict either. So, as long as it was arranged properly, stealing household registrations or altering dates wasn't too difficult. Even the official ranks and titles of fathers and grandfathers could be changed with money."

"It's different now. From the county to the province and then to the Ministry of Personnel, there is verification at every level, and the registers are cross-checked; no negligence is tolerated. You still have a suspended registration, and it involves the commandery office, so things are even harder to handle. You can change one place, but not the others. Furthermore, scholar-official registers are different from commoner households; the slightest change implicates the clan lineage. Ordinary officials wouldn't dare touch them, let alone the scholar-official register of the Langya Wang clan. As long as it's not in the Langya Wang clan's genealogy, it's useless no matter how perfect you make the register. And the Wang clan's genealogy—even the Son of Heaven has no right to interfere. So, even before the registration audit, very few people dared to fake the registration of a first-class high-ranking family; they all looked for bottom-tier households to enter the ranks. You certainly have guts..."

Bao Yue looked at Wang Yang, a smile playing on her lips.

Wang Yang said gloomily:

"Can you give me some constructive advice..."

"Constructive advice?"

"I mean, a viable strategy."

"You want to hear a viable strategy?"

Wang Yang was delighted:

"Of course! I beg Lady Xiao for her guidance!"

Bao Yue's jade-like palm made a bold cutting motion:

"That's simple. Tell me your original identity, and I'll see what can be done."

Wang Yang:...

Bao Yue set aside her playful expression, her gaze clear and sharp:

"Actually, even if you don't say it, I can guess your identity."

Heh.

Wang Yang met Bao Yue's gaze:

"Then have a guess."

"First of all, you were originally from a first-class high-ranking family."

"What makes you say that?"

"I won't even mention your talent and insight. Just the fact that you have never shown any awe toward my imperial status, nor any intention to climb or defect, tells me you come from a great family—and not a small one, but a true first-class noble house. Only those true first-class noble families, the top-tier clans, have such arrogance."

Bao Yue's judgment stemmed from the fact that the Lanling Xiao clan's rise was too recent. In the generation of the current Son of Heaven's grandfather, the Lanling Xiao clan could barely be considered middle-tier among the scholar-officials, and they still hadn't shed their military family colors (this was a "downgrading" trait among scholar-officials, so "military seed" was a derogatory term back then, almost like an insult). By the time the current Son of Heaven was young, their status was still not prominent, and their household finances were somewhat tight, so they could be considered "friends in poverty" with Yu Yi, though their status was not as pure or noble as Yu Yi's.

Later, although the Xiao family gained the throne, the Qi dynasty had only been founded for eleven years. Compared to those century-old noble families, their foundation was ultimately too shallow. Moreover, the founding Emperor, Emperor Gao of Qi (the current Son of Heaven's father), had achievements far inferior to the founding Emperor of the previous dynasty, Liu Yu, leaving them with less confidence when facing the noble families.

However, they were not weak either. Firstly, since the Liu Song dynasty, imperial power had been revitalized, and the imperial house had risen, breaking the noble families' monopoly on power. Secondly, although the Southern Qi dynasty was short-lived, Emperor Gao of Qi had accumulated power for years before ascending the throne and had long experienced military authority; it was only after quelling several rebellions that he controlled the situation. In particular, the current Emperor was brave and fierce, having experienced hardships early on, unlike a peaceful Son of Heaven raised in the deep palace. Furthermore, the Xiao clan's children held many key positions, so although the noble families were prosperous, they could not surpass the imperial house.

As a woman of the imperial clan, Bao Yue naturally understood this layer. Facing first-class high-ranking families, she never felt weak, but she also knew that in the eyes of some great noble families, the Xiao family was merely an upstart house. While they wouldn't lose their manners on the surface, they might not think much of them in their hearts. Those with even more unruly personalities wouldn't even bother with surface-level politeness.

Through her time with Wang Yang, Bao Yue judged that although Wang Yang didn't look down on her, he showed no respect whatsoever. Combining this with other signs, she knew he was not just from a high-ranking family, but a first-class one...

Wang Yang was stunned for a moment, then sighed:

"Sigh, I wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person, but I didn't expect it to be met with coercion and pressure. Now that you've figured it out, I won't pretend anymore. I'm showing my hand! I am indeed—born of nobility..."

Bao Yue looked deeply at Wang Yang, a subtle and indescribable emotion in her eyes:

"You don't need to feign arrogance; I know what you are hiding."

Wang Yang was amused:

"What am I hiding?"

Seeing Wang Yang's deliberately exaggerated manner, Bao Yue felt even more certain she had guessed correctly. Her voice lowered a few notches as she lifted the veil of truth:

"Since you are from a first-class high-ranking family, there is no reason to fake a surname, nor would you deign to fake another's. Even if you fled from the north, as long as you revealed your identity in Jiankang, the imperial court would surely treat you as an honored guest. (Back then, to attract people, they did the same for those fleeing south.) Therefore, you were originally a Langya Wang, but because of a family tragedy or some other reason, you didn't even register your household, and there is no trace of you in the genealogy or registers. Your daily life must be one of seclusion, hiding your light. Perhaps you have your own considerations, or perhaps those protecting you are waiting for you to grow up before finding an opportunity to restore your family status. But what you didn't expect was that even if you are a Langya Wang, when you have no household registration, are not in the genealogy, and live in seclusion without fame, the world treats you as if you don't exist. And it is precisely because of this that those people dared to act against you without restraint—"

"Act against me?" Wang Yang couldn't help but chime in.

Bao Yue took a deep breath, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling. Her gaze toward Wang Yang held pity, as if she could see him trapped in pursuit and isolated:

"Yes, act against you. As long as there is no protection, what does it matter if an non-existent person is erased? If I'm not mistaken, when you encountered the soldiers of A Qu, it was precisely when you were evading pursuit! The reason you want to publicly reveal your Langya Wang family status is not only to reclaim your identity and everything that belongs to you, but also—to take revenge."

Wang Yang: Hmm, I can't say you guessed wrong, only that you are completely off...

Bao Yue judged that Wang Yang must be an illegitimate child, but to spare his feelings, she didn't say it directly. She knew that since those people chose to act, they must have left no one alive! This blood feud must be very painful...

She gazed at Wang Yang, her voice not loud, but inexplicably solemn:

"Tell me, who is your enemy?"

Wang Yang asked curiously:

"What if I tell you?"

Bao Yue became increasingly solemn, her tone calm but hiding thunder, as if declaring an inevitable outcome, saying word by word:

"I will help you—take it back."

Wang Yang suddenly felt that the woman opposite him was so solemn, she was almost cute...

The moon passed the zenith. At Wang Yang's residence, in front of the moon-gate leading from the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard, a dark shadow crouched, carefully studying the large black lock by the faint moonlight.

"Uncle Zhang Er."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind him, scaring him so much he nearly jumped!

He hurriedly turned around to see Xiao A Wu standing in the middle courtyard, rubbing his eyes, looking sleepy, with a few strands of fine, soft hair sticking up, swaying gently in the night breeze.

Zhang Er immediately put on a stiff smile, acting as if it were casual:

"Oh, it's A Wu! You scared me. I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk, and then I heard a noise, like something fell into the inner courtyard. I don't know if it was a cat or a bird, so I was thinking of checking it out to make sure there were no thieves or anything."

Xiao A Wu yawned:

"Uncle, you're too honest. The young master isn't even here; we're just watching the house, no need to be so diligent..."

Zhang Er's expression relaxed quite a bit, and he laughed:

"I just happened to be here to take a look. On the contrary, A Wu, you're the most diligent worker; you can even tell if a broom is crooked. You're even more hardworking than when the young master was here!"

Xiao A Wu scratched his head in embarrassment:

"Actually, I'm just putting on a show. I heard from Dad that there are spies for the young master in the house, watching secretly. When the Wang family comes to take over, if that person puts in a good word for me, maybe I can get a good job..."

Zhang Er was shocked: "Spies? What spies?"

"I don't know who they are, anyway, they are trusted aides planted by the young master to look after the house—eh?"

Xiao A Wu's eyes widened, his whole body shrinking back, his expression filled with suspicion and panic:

"Uncle, you wouldn't happen to be the young master's spy, would you?!!"

Zhang Er hurriedly said:

"It's not me, it's not me! I was hired by Steward Hei, and I haven't even spoken to the young master a few times, how could I be a spy? I think Old Song looks a bit like one..."

Xiao A Wu let out a breath:

"You scared me to death. As long as it's not you, Uncle! Otherwise, if what I just said was told to the Wang family, I'd be dead."

Zhang Er gave a few distracted, perfunctory replies, while A Wu patted his chest, still feeling lingering fear:

"I'll go back to sleep then, Uncle, you get some rest too."

"Wait, A Wu..."

"What is it?" A Wu turned back.

Zhang Er hesitated for a moment before saying:

"With Steward Hei here, why would the young master need to plant spies?"

A Wu's expression dimmed:

"The young master actually doesn't trust my dad much, otherwise he wouldn't have hidden the money. Planting spies is naturally to keep an eye on my dad."

Zhang Er immediately spoke up for him: "Steward Hei is so loyal, yet the young master still guards against him; that's really... really a bit..."

Xiao A Wu kept his head down, his expression unclear, muttering in a low voice:

"Who told them to be the masters and us to be the servants..."

Zhang Er also sighed:

"Yeah, who told them to be the masters and us to be the servants..." Then he secretly glanced at A Wu: "I heard that Magistrate Liu from the Commandery School has been arrested."

Xiao A Wu was distracted: "Seems so..."

Zhang Er stared at A Wu: "Once Magistrate Liu is arrested, there will be no one to manage this house for the time being."

"Maybe."

"It's so chaotic now, the master can't even protect himself. As servants, we should find a way out."

Xiao A Wu looked up and asked suspiciously: "What way out?" ===== CHAPTER 337 =====