Chapter 174: Fate, Heaven‑Ordained

"The real murderer of your father is someone else," Chi Nan Yi cut her off before she could finish speaking, and said softly, "Huangmang was only the executor; the one who truly wanted your father's life is another person, and that person is still in Jingcheng. Am I right?"

The few knelt there in silence, bowing their heads so low they dared not lift them to look at her.

She hadn't expected them to be seen through by the Pavilion Master so quickly.

They all hung their heads and did not see Chi Nan Yi's eyes, bright as stars.

It was them!

The vague fragments in the original host's memory finally pieced together.

She had once heard Mo Junyan mention that under Situ General there was a deputy general surnamed Yang who had four daughters; after they killed a man in the capital named Huangmang and fled, Mo Junyan had mocked them, saying they were just a few foolish things who didn't even know who their true enemy was, and he ridiculed Deputy General Yang for being clever all his life yet producing such stupid offspring. Later, when news concerning them reached her, it was that they had died.

There was only one reason why the deputy general under her father's command could still be pursued years later.

Deputy General Yang might hold a crucial clue, and that clue could perhaps prove the general's innocence.

"Your father was murdered; when you found Huangmang, did you ask him why he wanted to kill your father?"

"We asked. Huangmang said outright that my father took something that didn't belong to him. As for what that thing was or where it is, we don't know."

Sure enough, it was much as she had thought.

That thing, if it exists, would be the key evidence proving that the Bai family had not colluded with enemies or betrayed the nation; otherwise, they wouldn't still be seeking to eradicate them after all these years since the matter was settled.

"Has anyone seen the faces of any of you?"

"No, I can use the disguise technique; I wore it constantly when killing before."

Chi Nan Yi nodded; she wasn't that stupid.

"Staying by my side isn't impossible, but I have conditions."

"As long as the Pavilion Master can keep us, any condition is fine."

"I know you want revenge; I might know who your enemy is, but now is not the time."

The few suddenly lifted their heads at her words, their eyes blazing as they stared at Chi Nan Yi.

The Pavilion Master actually knew who their enemy was?

"Pavilion Master..."

Chi Nan Yi reached out and cut her off: "I know you're impatient, but seeking revenge now is like a moth flying into fire; even a stone dropped into water can create a ripple, yet you... cannot even make a sound. Your enemy is far beyond your reach, but once the time is right, I will let you personally slay your foe."

"Pavilion Master, really? Can we truly slay our enemy with our own hands?"

"Yes."

The few were moved to excitement: "Thank you, Pavilion Master. As long as you can help us avenge, our lives will belong to you."

"What would I do with your lives?" Chi Nan Yi said with a smile, shaking her head. "A life is only a brief 30,000 days; you must also consider yourselves properly. Revenge is not the end of life; you all need to have your own futures."

Chi Nan Yi settled them in a new residence, naming them Qingmei, Yulan, Cuizhu, Qiujv.

A few days later, while Chi Nan Yi was tallying the accounts, Ji Bai entered softly and said, "Miss, the Princess of Yuqin Guo has arrived; please go to the elegant chamber to meet her."

"Did she come alone, or with others?"

"The Princess came with two maidservants and several guards."

Chi Nan Yi entered the elegant chamber; at that moment, she was the only one inside, while the maid and the guards waited outside.

Upon seeing her, Qin Yue xi's eyes were full of smiles.

"Sister Nan Yi," she said with a laugh, "it's really you."

"Long time no see; why did the Princess only just enter the capital?"

"A sudden heavy snow trapped us, delaying our journey," Qin Yue xi said, looking at Chi Nan Yi as if seeing a relative, her little mouth chattering nonstop about the scenery she had witnessed along the way: "When we were in Yuqin Guo, the land was all grasslands, the heavens and earth were vast, and I thought that was all the beauty the world had to offer. But now that I've come to Daqi, I realize my previous view was short‑sighted; the great rivers and mountains are truly magnificent."

"So, the Princess has grown to like this place?"

"Hmm," Qin Yue xi nodded. "I like the mountains here, I like the water here, and also..."

"Hmm?"

Qin Yue xi's little face flushed; she lowered her voice, speaking timidly: "I also like the people here."

Chi Nan Yi's smile tightened slightly, and an inexplicable heaviness rose in her heart.

"People? What people?"

"Sister Nan Yi, do you still remember when I told you back in Nanpu that my heart favors a man, the war god of your Daqi?"

"I remember."

"My judgment was indeed correct," Qin Yue xi lifted her small face, her expression full of admiration and yearning for someone: "I recall that Daqi once had a phrase 'fate, heaven‑ordained'. In our Yuqin Guo, the union of man and woman is guided by the gods, so these two expressions mean the same thing. I used to think it was nonsense, but now I believe it."

"Believe what?"

"I believe that gods truly exist in this world, and that I was guided by a deity to come to Daqi and meet him. I believe I am the destined one of Prince Li."

Hearing her speak, Chi Nan Yi pressed her thin lips together; she hadn't been able to speak for a long time.

Looking at her flower‑like smile and fighting spirit, Chi Nan Yi suddenly realized that, if beside Mo Junyan's pallid face there could be someone like Qin Yue xi who sincerely cares for him and can constantly provide him with energy, that would also be good.

It seemed truly, as she said, heaven‑made and earth‑crafted.

"Sister Nan Yi, sister?"

Hearing her voice, Chi Nan Yi finally realized she had just been daydreaming.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something else."

"Sister Nan Yi, what do you think Prince Li will like?"

"How would I know what Prince Li likes?"

Qin Yue xi rested one hand on her fragrant cheek, looking a bit troubled: "In a few days it will be the New Year; I want to give him a gift, but I don't know if he'll like it."

"If the Princess wishes to present it, perhaps ask the guards around him; they might know."

Qin Yue xi nodded. "That's all I can do," she said, lowering her voice conspiratorially as she mentioned the guards: "Soon, I'll be able to move to Prince Li's annex."

"Annex?"

"Yes, there was a thief outbreak in the palace, and I'm a bit scared. The Emperor said Prince Li's residence is the most heavily defended, so he let me move to Prince Li's annex to stay briefly. Sister, do you think the Emperor intends to betroth me to Prince Li? I heard the young master of the Lord of the State's mansion disappeared and hasn't been found; does that mean I can refuse to marry him?"

Chi Nan Yi's eyes flickered, and a dry laugh came out a few times: "I'm not the Emperor, how could I know so much?"