I recognized at a glance that they were Concubine Mi’s handwriting. It said Lu Fu, the west of the extreme west.”
The west of westernmost part of Xiliang is Tiansheng.
“When I saw Concubine Mi’s handwriting, I knew there must be something amiss. I first searched for Lu Fu (Concubine’s trusted maid) in the western part of Xiliang but it was to no avail. Then I thought that the west of western part must be Tiansheng. The Regent’s influence is spread all over Xiliang so perhaps Concubine Mi felt that the only way to survive was to escape from Xiliang. At that time, I was still unaware the prince had disappeared and just wanted to find Lu Fu first, so I secretly sent some people into Tiansheng. They searched all the way from Minan and eventually found some of secret codes Lu Fu had left behind using the same unique characters. My men copied down the words and what Lu Fu wrote was- I took the young master to the South Sea.”
Casting a glance at the still silent Feng Zhi Wei, Lu Rui continued, “Later on we found the place Lu Fu was buried and confirmed it was her body but the young master she mentioned was no where to be found. Since we knew South Sea had orphanages, we searched there but no child matched. It wasn’t until a short while ago I got news that the adopted daughter of Marquis Wei was similar in age to the prince. Where Marquis adopted her was also right where Lu Fu disappeared. I have been haboring this suspicion for a long time, but due to our identities and being far away from each other, it was truly difficult to meet. Fortunately, thanks to the birthday of the Regent, I finally have the chance to meet the Marquis face to face.”
Listening to that last sentence, a thought suddenly dawned on Feng Zhi Wei. She thought to herself- no wonder the Regent suddenly wanted to send an invitation to Tiansheng for his birthday. You must have contributed to his sudden decision, didn’t you? As soon as Xiliang invited, Tiansheng sent an envoy, and who else would it be other than me, the one who has been to South Sea, the very eloquent Minister of Rites?
The thought lit a little fire within her but she was still all smiles as she said, “There are many children of similar age in the world. That couldn’t possibly be the basis for the Grand Marshal’s assumption, could it?”
“Age, location, and…” Lu Rui replied, “personality.”
“Oh?” Feng Zhi Wei raised an eyebrow.
“The family of Concubine Mi is a large clan that has existed for hundreds of years. It is said that their ancestor was a descendant of the great general Shenwu, part of the Dahan dynasty that existed long before Dacheng. General Shenwu was an important official of the founding of Dahan. The most favored general of the first emperor of Dahan, and was famed to be the most loyal and unruly. It is said that he had werewolf blood, and some claimed that he drank wolf milk growing up. In short, his personality is very different from ordinary people. After the death of Emperor Dahan, the general retired to the mountain and supposedly prefered spending his time with the wolves instead of humans. Since then, generation after generation, this clan never ventured out of the mountain. For some unknown reason, the members of this clan, have particularly cold and perticular personalities and are not afraid of death. I have sent people using verious identities to collect information regarding your daughter’s behaviors, and the more I look at it, the more I feel she really fits what Concubine Mi’s child would be like…”
Feng Zhi Wei lowered her eyes, took a sip of tea with a smile and said lightly, “Grand Marshal’s ideas are good but it’s a pity that there is no proof, and without that, there is no way the matter can be brought forward for verification. The emperor of your empire is already sitting firmly on the throne. My daughter, naturally, doesn’t need to get involved in this muddy water.”
“Zhi Xiao is the rightful queen of Xiliang, isn’t she?” Lu Rui stared at her intently, “Her throne was stolen by others, and she, the real queen, was forced to go into exile in another country. She even has to go serve the person who stole what’s hers right now. Her mother was harmed by others’ plot and is even now still trapped in the palace, pretending to be crazy in order to survive. Shouldn’t she take back everything she lost?”
“I didn’t see her lose anything.” Feng Zhi Wei was unmoved, “Let’s put aside the fact that Zhi Xiao may not be the heir to the throne you are looking for. Even if she is, what has she lost? She has never suffered the hardship of being exiled to another country. On the contrary, she has been pampered and has been well-dressed and well-fed. She is even the living Buddha respected by the twelve tribes of the grassland. She has never seen her mother, but she doesn’t miss her because she has an adopted father she loves deeply. I believe if you ask Zhi Xiao now what choice she would make- would she separate from her adoptive father to get involved in the bloody struggle for the throne in the unfamiliar empire of Xiliang, or to accompany her adoptive father back to the familiar Tiansheng to enjoy family happiness, her answer will certainly be one that will disappoint you.”
“But you can’t deprive a mother’s expectation of her child. Zhi Xiao is the bone of her bone, blood of her blood! You have no right to cause a child to miss the chance of meeting her biological mother, and never to see one another again, and regret it for the rest of their lives!” Lu Rui stood up abruptly.
“I also have no right to make an important decision for a child that affects her lifelong happiness.” Feng Zhi Wei didn’t even raise her eyelids and drank her tea leisurely.
“I will do everything in my power to help you and to help Zhi Xiao ascend to the throne. Think about it carefully. Once Zhi Xiao takes the throne, you will be the father of the empire! This will be of immeasurable help to your position and career in Tiansheng!”
Feng Zhi Wei was silent for a moment.
Master Gu secretly raised his head to look at her. There was a hesitant look in his eyes, but Feng Zhi Wei averted his gaze. Master Gu was taken aback, then he too also silently looked away to stare at the crack in the wall beside him, as if he stared at it long enough a flower would suddenly grow out of it.
There was no flowers in the crack in the wall, but a face appeared like a flower. It was Zhi Xiao’s face. Master Gu stared at the phantom little face, feeling a bit confused, he wondered what did all that mean just now? Zhi Xiao, is she the princess of Xiliang?
What being the princess of Xiliang represented, he had never thought about and nor did he want to think about it. Zhi Xiao is his daughter. This is an unchangeable fact ever since he held her in his arms.
However, he understood what Lu Rui said just now. If Zhi Xiao inherited the throne of Xiliang, then it would be a great help to Zhi Wei.
He didn’t think what kind of help it would be, but he knew very well that Feng Zhi Wei needed help.
Under her calm appearance, her heart was always rolling and surging like a torrent of rivers. The long swords in her heart were unsheathed, the traps and stratagems that were carefully laid step by step, and the memories buried in the darkest corner inside, those endless blood and snow of the thirteenth year of Tiansheng.
He knows it all, understands it all.
It’s amazing. Sometimes he doesn’t understand the simplest thoughts of others, but he could understand Feng Zhi Wei’s most complicated inner feelings.
This came from their mutual connection to each other, not from logic.
He knew the significance of this sentence to Feng Zhi Wei.
He understood her silence at this moment.
So he also remained silent, and even turned his eyes away, not letting his gaze interfere with her decision.
He was afraid that his gaze would reveal reluctance and pleading, making her uneasy thus giving in.
No, don’t.
Everything in the world can be sacrificed for Zhi Wei.
Gu Nan Yi sat silently in the corner, thinking about the little face that accompanied him day and night, and silently whispered to himself: Zhi Xiao, Zhi Xiao.
All text copyright @ www.Ninja-Reflection.com
I’m a bit confused, Zhi xiao is clearly a girl but they refer to the lost heir as a boy. I also have to go back and read the backstory of concubine mi again. Is she alive pre dead? What about the bandits in the hills? Is zhi weis mother involved in any of this?
When the child was born, they declare it to be a prince but if Zhi Xiao was the lost child, then obviously they lied. As Lu Rui explained, under the circumstance at the time, the child would be declared a boy no matter what gender the baby was. The bandits in the hill were soldiers who used to be Zhi Wei’s mother’s men.
What is the episode where they find zhi xiao? I’d like to read it again!
Sorry, I don’t keep track of which post cover which storyline but it would be quite a bit ago since it happened before Zhi Wei’s mother died.
What a surprising turn of events! I would not in a million years have anticipated this as the story arc for Zhi Xiao!
I did. Remember the pendant on the baby Zhi Wei took and hid? I always knew the baby was important and waiting to see who she really belonged to.
Oh, how I wish you translated and published this book. I would be the first one to buy it. Thank you for your efforts and thank you for your personal explanations that make it easier to understand. I am waiting anxiously for the next chapter. As always, the book exceeds the screen production by far. I am surprised that, with the raise in popularity of Chinese dramas, no one figured out the opportunity to translate and publish these novels. It’s a great publishing niche. If I knew chinese, I would surely exploit this opportunity. Stay well, stay safe, and delight us with another wonderful chapter soon.