Feng Lai’s expression shifted, and he heard Xiao Yan say, “Though the events of the past have been smoothed over, they’re not without traces. To deceive both the late Emperor and Emperor An, and even keep Lu Chongyuan unsuspicious, it must have been someone they trusted.”
“I once spoke with an old servant of the Dowager Empress. She told me that after the Eastern Palace fire, the Dowager Empress clashed with the late Emperor, once provoking his murderous intent due to her hysteria. But later, she suddenly fell gravely ill and weakened, and with the late Emperor’s passing and the new Emperor’s ascension, someone mediated, ensuring she was only confined to her palace.”
“After the new Emperor took the throne, someone secretly looked after her, ensuring her safety.”
A mad, disfavored Dowager Empress, left with only a frail old servant barely clinging to life.
Without someone secretly protecting her, she likely wouldn’t have survived until Xiao Yan’s return to the palace.
Xiao Yan stood. “I owe you a great debt, Eunuch Feng.”
Eunuch Feng, Lord Feng.
A single word’s difference, yet a world apart in meaning.
Tang Ning, hearing these secrets for the first time, realized Xiao Yan’s words made sense. Without someone intervening back then, he couldn’t have escaped the palace’s pursuit or left the capital safely. She stood as well, offering Feng Lai a respectful bow.
“Thank you, Lord Feng.”
Xiao Yan looked at Feng Lai earnestly. “To clear the He family’s name, I must navigate the Emperor’s court, and that cannot bypass you. Though I’ve deceived you and used means to compel your cooperation, I’ve never intended to harm you. If things become untenable, I’ll find a way to stage your death and let you reunite with your two grandsons.”
“I withheld the truth out of necessity. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
Feng Lai’s face stiffened, the earlier fear dissipating somewhat, his panicked eyes settling. But faced with the deep bows from Xiao Yan and Tang Ning, he hesitated, wrestling inwardly before speaking honestly.
“The body placed in the fire wasn’t my doing.”
Xiao Yan froze.
Feng Lai lowered his voice. “Do you remember Xu, an attendant in the Eastern Palace, Governor Xiao?”
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed, a figure surfacing in his mind as Feng Lai continued, “During the Eastern Palace fire, not only was a child’s body missing, but an attendant who was supposed to be on duty was also unaccounted for. Yet when the palace later counted the bodies, the Eastern Palace’s numbers were complete—not a single person missing.”
“That day, Lord Cao and Grand Tutor Rong both entered the palace. Grand Tutor Rong clashed with the late Emperor over the Eastern Palace’s alleged treason, nearly overturning the Imperial Hall in their heated argument. The Dowager Empress, in her madness, kept claiming the Prince was framed and the late Emperor had allowed the crime, stirring unrest in the palace. All eyes were on them.”
“Lord Cao, cautious and unwilling to be entangled in the treason case, left quietly without entering the hall. But I checked his palace entry records—he lingered in the palace for nearly an hour. When he left, he had injured his leg and was assisted out by an attendant.”
“I recognized that attendant.”
At the time, Feng Lai was serving the late Emperor, but his mentor, Eunuch Sun, was the late Emperor’s most trusted confidant. During Grand Tutor Rong’s dispute with the late Emperor, Feng Lai wasn’t in the hall but was sent by Eunuch Sun to monitor the Eastern Palace. On his way, he encountered Cao Dejiang, limping from his injury.
Feng Lai, sharp and observant, sensed something amiss and visited the Inner Court Department. There, he found records of an additional “deceased” young eunuch and an “escaped slave.” By coincidence, someone else arrived at the Inner Court Department while he was there. Feng Lai turned a blind eye, not exposing the matter, and even helped cover it up, adjusting Cao Dejiang’s palace exit time by half an hour.
Feng Lai pursed his lips. He knew that if he claimed credit for that life-saving act, Xiao Yan would likely spare him and perhaps even grant him great wealth. But some things couldn’t be hidden forever.
With Xiao Yan revealing his identity today, he was likely planning something major.
Though Grand Tutor Rong was dead, Cao Dejiang was still alive, as was the Dowager Empress. If they later spoke of those events and discovered Feng Lai had claimed someone else’s merit, the small favor he’d done back then would be wiped out, and he’d die without knowing how.
Feng Lai sidestepped their bows, his face showing a trace of guilt. “His Highness the Prince once spared my life, but I couldn’t do much for him. As for the Dowager Empress, the Cao family has been secretly funneling money to care for her. All I did was refrain from scrutinizing the Inner Court and ensure the palace staff didn’t mistreat her too harshly.”
As a eunuch, he lived by the grace of his masters.
After aligning with Emperor An, he didn’t dare overly protect those the Emperor despised. His only act of conscience was knowing about the Cao family’s actions and quietly covering for them.
He didn’t dare do more.
Xiao Yan’s expression shifted as he listened to Feng Lai’s words. He hadn’t expected another survivor from the Eastern Palace or that Feng Lai would confess so candidly.
After taking over the Twelve Eunuchs, he’d learned someone had been secretly caring for the Dowager Empress’s palace. Feng Lai, who managed the Inner Court before him, had never mistreated her and had even ensured her survival during several critical illnesses. Combined with the fact that someone had covered his and Aunt Xue’s tracks, with incomplete Inner Court records that neither Emperor An nor the late Emperor had noticed, Xiao Yan had assumed it was someone with significant influence as a eunuch. Feng Lai, later favored by Emperor An, seemed the most likely candidate. But he hadn’t anticipated Cao Dejiang’s involvement.
Seeing Feng Lai’s uneasy expression, as if worried, Xiao Yan gave him a deep, formal bow.
Feng Lai started. “Governor Xiao, what are you…”
Xiao Yan said solemnly, “Though it wasn’t entirely your doing, without your restraint and subtle assistance in covering it up, it would’ve been impossible to succeed.”
“I’ll remember Lord Cao’s kindness, and yours as well, Lord Feng.”
Seeing Xiao Yan’s sincerity and forthright gaze, Feng Lai’s tightly wound heart finally relaxed. He was relieved he’d chosen honesty, realizing that playing games with someone like Xiao Yan—who had clawed his way through vengeance and bloodshed since childhood—was the worst strategy.
The atmosphere at Yue Li Platform softened. With everything laid bare, Feng Lai’s demeanor eased, and as he sat back down, he looked at Xiao Yan’s face with a mix of guilt and lament.
“Back then, I acted on a whim, never imagining the young lord would actually survive.”
Xiao Yan said calmly, “Perhaps the injustice was too great, and even the heavens couldn’t bear it. After escaping the palace, I was saved by a benefactor and spent years plotting to return to the capital.”
Feng Lai hesitated. “So, Governor Xiao, you plan to…”
Xiao Yan replied, “Naturally, to clear the names of my grandfather and the He family.”
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T/N: The next chapter title made me gasp
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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