Chapter 183: with translation of chapter title

Shen Shuangning, upon hearing the news of his death, felt her vision go dark, nearly collapsing, but she steadied herself by gripping the door frame, and A Heng quickly caught her.

The messenger was the dark guard Xiao Jingyuan had left by her side; in fact, he didn't need to say anything, as this tragic news had already spread far and wide.

It is said that Xiao Jingyuan was overly eager for merit, refused to heed Prince Rui's dissuasion, after diverting the reinforcements he personally led men into the bandits' lair, only to fall into an ambush, resulting in the annihilation of the entire army.

Finally, Prince Rui arrived with the reinforcements and only then wiped out the remaining sea bandits in one fell swoop, becoming the great meritorious official who pacified this battle.

As for Xiao Jingyuan, he died after falling into the sea.

This news was a disaster for the Yan Prince's mansion and the Duke's mansion, but for some people it was wonderful news.

Shen Shuangning didn't have time to see Su Wan off; instead, she went first to see the Yan Princess.

She thought that upon hearing of Xiao Jingyuan's mishap, the princess must be devastated, and as a member of the Xiao family, she ought to go console her no matter what.

No matter what, first stabilize the Yan Prince's mansion.

Shen Shuangning hadn't seen Xiao Jingyuan's corpse, and no matter what she couldn't believe he had just died like that.

She forced herself to stay calm, hurriedly walking toward the Yan Princess's courtyard, expecting to see the princess grief-stricken, but upon entering she heard laughter instead.

Shen Shuangning's steps faltered slightly; looking up, she saw a man in his twenties sitting on the master's chair in the room, his eyebrows and eyes somewhat resembling the princess's.

He wore a brand-new brocade robe, its hem woven with gold-thread embroidery, extremely splendid.

The princess's smile hadn't yet faded when she saw the woman at the door, beckoning her: 'Ningning has come, hurry inside.'

The man, hearing the voice, also glanced at Shen Shuangning, without rising, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.

Shen Shuangning's gaze lingered on him for a few breaths, then she looked puzzled at the Yan Princess.

The Yan Princess sighed, realizing she could no longer hide it, and said: 'He is Xiao Ze.'

'Xiao Ze, you have met your elder sister-in-law before.'

The man rose as instructed, cupping his fists toward Shen Shuangning; as he bowed, his eyelids twitched slightly, staring at the woman before him like a hyena.

He obediently called out, 'Elder sister-in-law.'

Shen Shuangning didn't respond, merely turning her head to look at the Yan Princess, her expression showing confusion, bewilderment, and disbelief.

Seeing the doubt in her eyes, the Yan Princess gestured for her to sit down, then patiently explained the events of those years.

On the journey back to the capital that year, they concealed their identities and mingled with a merchant caravan, only to be discovered by Northern Qi assassins who had been secretly tracking them.

The Northern Qi were brutally cruel; they wouldn't even let the unconscious young heir go, seizing him to threaten the princess into writing a surrender letter to force the Yan Prince to retreat his troops, otherwise they would grind his bones and scatter his ashes.

The Yan Prince's subordinates fought desperately to escort the princess away, but they could not recover Xiao Ze.

This is why Xiao Ze has only a spirit tablet in the mansion, without even a real grave.

At that time they all concluded the young heir was dead, fallen into enemy hands, likely not even leaving a whole corpse, so even the princess held no hope.

Who would have thought, Xiao Ze actually came back......

According to his account, back then he merely suffered a high fever and lost consciousness, not truly dead. The Northern Qi, seeing he still had breath, took him back, imprisoned him and tortured him, forcing him to learn vicious tactics, hoping to someday send him back to deal with the Yan Prince.

He endured for over twenty years, until last year when internal strife erupted in Northern Qi, he seized the chance to escape, begging his way back to Da Liang, suffering much hardship.

His eyebrows and eyes are truly too similar to the Yan Princess's.

Xiao Ze lowered his head at the right moment, his voice heavy with suppressed pain: 'Those years in Northern Qi, they beat me, scolded me, forced me to acknowledge a thief as my father; any slight disobedience earned a brutal beating. I have often wanted to die, but thinking of my mother and father king, I gritted my teeth and endured. I know my elder brother… my elder brother is gone; from now on I will honor our mother in his stead and guard the Yan Prince's mansion for him.'

Shen Shuangning's eyes were calm, devoid of pity, as she asked lightly: 'Since you escaped from Northern Qi and returned, why didn't you go straight to find the Yan Prince, or directly return to the capital, but instead traveled south all the way, only surfacing after reaching Jinling?'

Though her tone was mild, the question was extremely pointed.

Xiao Ze paused, glanced at her, then explained: 'Elder sister-in-law, you don't know that when I fled Northern Qi I had only a set of ragged clothes, not even a travel permit. The Northern Qi tightly inspected the borders, declaring me a fugitive 'hostage', posting rewards for my capture everywhere and secretly sending assassins; how could I dare to show myself to look for my father king?'

He lowered his eyes, as if sinking into painful memories: 'I fled south, hiding all the way, fearing Northern Qi's dark guards would recognize me, and even more fearing that if I went straight to the capital, the mansion's people would not acknowledge me. After all, I have been 'dead' for twenty years; if I suddenly appeared claiming to be Xiao Ze, who would believe me? If I were taken as a swindler and driven out, or as a Northern Qi spy and arrested, wouldn't that waste twenty years of endurance?'

'Then why go to Jinling?' Shen Shuangning pressed, her tone still even.

Xiao Ze's Adam's apple rolled once, as if weighing his words.

'I heard from the Northern Qi that in the merchant convoy escorting my mother back then, there was an old steward from Jinling who happened to escape that disaster; he might know some details. I wanted to find him as a witness, so that with evidence in hand I could return to the capital to acknowledge my kin more securely.'

He paused, his eye sockets slightly red when he lifted his head: 'But upon reaching Jinling, I inquired everywhere and found no one; I grew anxious, and then heard that my elder brother had achieved great merit in Quanzhou, and everyone in the capital was praising the Yan Prince's heir...'

'I was momentarily muddled; recalling the suffering I've endured these years, I spoke some angry words, saying I wanted to reclaim what rightfully belonged to me… Elder sister-in-law, that was just a momentary impulse; I certainly did not mean to curse my elder brother!'

He spoke with genuine feeling, even choking up, as if he truly were a wronged pitiful soul who didn't know propriety.

The Yan Princess, listening beside him, felt heartbroken and quickly patted his hand, saying: 'Good child, I know you didn't mean it; it's all in the past. Ningning, he has had a hard time escaping death, so don't press him further.'

These questions, she had already had people investigate thoroughly; otherwise she wouldn't have allowed Xiao Ze to set foot in the Yan Prince's mansion.

She too had harbored doubts, but upon seeing this face, all her doubts vanished instantly, leaving only the joy of having recovered what was lost.

Shen Shuangning didn't look at the princess, merely staring fixedly at Xiao Ze. His explanation sounded seamless, yet upon closer thought it was full of holes.

Shen Shuangning slowly withdrew her gaze, picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip; the tea had gone cold, like her present state of mind.

But what chilled her even more was the Yan Princess's attitude.

The woman who once said she would properly make amends to Xiao Jingyuan, upon hearing of his 'death' less than half a day later, so readily acknowledged this 'lost-and-found' son.

If Xiao Jingyuan knew, his heart would probably turn cold as well.

A flicker of mockery crossed Shen Shuangning's eyes as she looked at Xiao Ze and asked: 'Since the younger brother is seeking evidence, have you found that old steward?'

Xiao Ze shook his head: 'Not… not yet found; perhaps he is no longer in Jinling, or perhaps he has already passed away.'

Shen Shuangning didn't press further, merely nodding calmly, as if accepting his explanation, and she didn't ask another word about his identity.

She rose from her seat, spine straight as a rod, turned to face the Yan Princess, and though her tone was light, it carried unquestionable firmness: 'Mother, before the heir's corpse is found, I hope the mansion will first refrain from holding a funeral.'

The Yan Princess started, evidently not expecting her to make this request, her brows immediately knitting together.

'How can that be? The news has spread everywhere, and the palace has sent condolences; if we delay the funeral, wouldn't that make the Yan Prince's mansion a laughingstock for deceiving itself?'

Xiao Ze, standing aside, spoke up at the right moment, his tone carrying 'consolation': 'Elder sister-in-law, I know you can't bear to lose your elder brother, but the battlefield is perilous; the chance of surviving after falling into the sea is minuscule… the authorities and Prince Rui have confirmed it, and dragging this on will only cause greater grief to father and mother.'

Shen Shuangning ignored him completely, only slightly bending her knees toward the Yan Princess in a salute: 'I don't believe he's dead; please, Mother, wait a while longer. If the emperor blames us, I will bear it all.'

Seeing her so obstinate, the Yan Princess had no choice but to agree.

Xiao Jingyuan died in battle; she was also extremely grief-stricken, but the return of her own son uncontrollably diluted that sorrow.

She knew this was not good, and her heart was also conflicted.

Shen Shuangning said that and then left directly.

Xiao Ze frowned slightly, watching her silhouette disappear outside the door, wondering what she was thinking.

Su Wan had been waiting for Shen Shuangning since early morning.

Seeing that she still hadn't come, she couldn't help but worry, pacing back and forth in the room, unable to sit or stand still.

She had also heard the news of Xiao Jingyuan's death in battle.

Outside, they said Xiao Jingyuan was overly eager for merit, but she absolutely didn't believe it; it must be Prince Rui scheming behind the scenes.

Even when she was the Crown Princess, she had heard the Crown Prince say how crafty and ruthless Prince Rui was.

Xiao Jingyuan went to Quanzhou together with Prince Rui, and indeed something still happened.

Su Wan dared not imagine how heartbroken Shen Shuangning must be; she wanted to go see her, but she couldn't.

As noon approached, Shen Shuangning finally appeared.

The imagined tears streaming down and grief to the point of despair did not appear; Shen Shuangning was unexpectedly calm, calm to a startling degree.

The words of comfort Su Wan had on the tip of her tongue suddenly became hard to say.

"Sorry, I'm late." Shen Shuangning's voice was a little hoarse but clear, "There are many matters at the mansion, causing a delay."

For now, the matter of Xiao Ze acknowledging his ancestry and returning to the clan has not yet spread; as for what kind of stir it will cause later, and how the Prince Yan's mansion will proceed afterward, Shen Shuangning suddenly wasn't very concerned.

She did not want to stay there and engage in empty pleasantries.

"Ningning... are you all right?" Su Wan asked with concern.

Shen Shuangning shook her head: "It's fine. The carriage is already ready; let's go."

Su Wan said feelingly: "You're feeling sad inside; you don't need to come specially to see me off."

Who would have thought Shen Shuangning would say, "I'm not here to see you off; I'm going with you."

Su Wan was taken aback: "You want to go with me to Suzhou?"

Shen Shuangning: "No, I'm going to Quanzhou."