The atmosphere in the study gradually relaxed, and even the fragrance of the tea brewing nearby became more intense.
Xiao Yan quickly stood up and bowed to Di Shuangcheng. "I didn’t expect the General to be an old acquaintance. I apologize for what happened to Madam Di. I’ll have someone send a message and bring her back immediately."
Di Shuangcheng smiled and gestured for him to sit again. "It’s fine. You haven’t fully recovered from your injury. Sit down quickly."
He patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder.
"Your situation was already dangerous. To have escaped back then was a stroke of luck. It’s only normal to act cautiously. Besides, you did protect Tao’er and the others. If not for your desperate rescue, their siblings might have already fallen into the hands of the Beiling people."
Xiao Yan felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this. "After I learned of the young general’s identity, I didn’t want the Beiling people to succeed, but I also had my own motives when I protected him. It was my first time coming to the northwest, and I feared that my search would go badly or that something unexpected might happen. I was thinking of using the young general’s favor…"
Seeing Xiao Yan’s embarrassed look, Di Shuangcheng didn’t get angry but instead felt he was being honest, which made him chuckle.
"I knew there was something sly about you when I first met you. You nearly fooled me with that serious expression of yours."
Seeing Xiao Yan’s discomfort, Di Shuangcheng smiled again.
"Alright, no matter the reason, you still saved Tao’er and the others. You wouldn’t know how much trouble Tao’er has caused in these past few days. Even Fang Yun kept asking about you. I’ll call them over to meet you shortly, so they don’t think I’ve forgotten all about you."
Xiao Yan smiled lightly. "Alright."
Di Shuangcheng looked at Xiao Yan, who was handsome, well-mannered, and sincere, and felt a deep fondness for him. With his background as a member of the He family, Di Shuangcheng naturally felt a greater sense of closeness.
After chatting casually for a while, Di Shuangcheng finally asked, "What brings you to find He Rongzhang this time?"
Xiao Yan’s smile faded slightly. "I wanted to ask about some old matters of the He family. However, as the General reminded me, since he left the He family so early, he probably doesn’t know much about those things."
Di Shuangcheng looked puzzled. "What matters?"
Xiao Yan pursed his lips. "Twenty years ago, when the mad prince and my uncles went south to aid in disaster relief."
Di Shuangcheng froze, instantly straightening his posture. His biological father had been implicated in this case. Even after the disaster in the south had subsided for over two years, he was still dragged into it. Later, he was harmed by someone and lost his life.
Seeing Di Shuangcheng’s concern, Xiao Yan didn’t beat around the bush and directly explained:
"I’ve been secretly investigating the He family’s affairs all these years, trying to clear my father’s and grandfather’s names. Recently, I discovered something. Twenty years ago, when the mad prince and my uncles went south to provide disaster relief, the government ship carrying relief supplies wasn’t accidentally sunk—it was tampered with."
Xiao Yan recounted the words the Empress had given him, the blood letter, and everything related to the disaster relief case, but he concealed the source of the information and the blood letter. He substituted the Empress with someone he had accidentally learned about.
As Xiao Yan spoke, Di Shuangcheng’s expression gradually darkened, and by the end, his anger flared.
He slammed his palm on the table, and the surface cracked, the teacup almost toppling.
"Massacre the entire city?! They actually massacred a whole city for their own selfish desires?!"
"These beasts!!"
Xiao Yan subtly leaned back to avoid splashing tea. "I sent people to Jiangnan to look for the coroner who examined the bodies of the officials after the ship was sunk. We also followed the leads to find those in the know, but it’s been so long, and the investigation hasn’t been easy."
"In the capital, any cases related to the mad prince and the He family have long been sealed away. With the current emperor and the Lu family involved, I fear they won’t allow anyone to investigate."
"I came to find He Rongzhang to ask if he knew anything about this or had any leads, but I didn’t expect him to be dead."
Xiao Yan sighed at this point:
"But it seems I was grasping at straws. Even if he were still alive, it probably wouldn’t have been of much use…"
Di Shuangcheng originally thought Xiao Yan had come to find He Rongzhang for family matters, but he never expected it to be for this. His face filled with rage, both because of the beasts who set fire to Rongjiang and because of how they used the disaster relief issue to frame the mad prince.
When the flood occurred, Di Shuangcheng was still young. He had witnessed the people’s suffering as they were displaced, corpses scattered everywhere.
After the floodwaters receded, when he followed his father out of the city, the levees and riverbanks were lined with dead bodies, and the air was filled with wails.
They had hoped the court’s disaster relief would bring hope to the southern region, but then the official ship sank, and the supplies were lost. Those who had just gained a glimmer of hope were plunged back into an even deeper hell. The whole southern region was in chaos, with thieves everywhere. To get a mouthful of food, people were killing each other in droves.
During that time, he watched his father’s hair turn white with worry, yet he could do nothing to help.
Later, the court sent new disaster relief officials, but the chaos in the southern region didn’t end. More people died, and his father, seeing the city slowly recovering its prosperity, didn’t feel happy. Instead, he couldn’t sleep at night. At that time, Di Shuangcheng didn’t understand why.
Now he understood—his father had long seen through the beasts in the court.
They had created a hell on earth and still enjoyed worldwide renown!
"Beasts!!"
Di Shuangcheng’s eyes were bloodshot with anger.
Xiao Yan’s expression was also grim. "It’s a pity that time has passed, and no one is willing to let the events of the past come to light. As for me…"
He gave a bitter smile. "I’ve spent all these years amassing some influence. I thought I could use it to deal with the noble families, even if it was difficult. But who could have expected that even the current emperor…"
"With my own strength, I fear I won’t be able to do anything against them."
Di Shuangcheng’s voice turned cold. "What emperor? His throne is hardly legitimate!"
"General…" Xiao Yan looked at him in surprise.
Di Shuangcheng’s face was filled with frost. "The prince was wise and righteous. How could he have done such cruel and brutal things? Moreover, there were so many people who framed the prince using the disaster relief case, making him fall out of favor with the late emperor and lose the people’s trust. The current emperor took advantage of this to rise to the throne. The prince and the He family were certainly wronged."
Xiao Yan hesitated. "But this is still just speculation…"
Di Shuangcheng interrupted him. "Do you believe the accusations against the He family and the prince? Do you believe they plotted rebellion?"
"Of course not!"
Xiao Yan answered without hesitation. "The He family and the prince would never do such a thing!"
Di Shuangcheng spoke in a deep voice. "I have met the prince twice. He was bright and upright, not the kind of person who could harbor such dark thoughts. And the He family is certainly not like that."
"Since you have obtained the blood letter and found witnesses from back then, even if we can’t bring down the emperor, at least we can clear the He family’s and the prince’s names."
"As for my father… My father shouldn’t have died unjustly. The people of Rongjiang who were burned alive shouldn’t have died in vain!"
"They must get justice!!"
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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