Duke Zeng looked at Xiao Yan with a grave expression:
"I found it strange, so I sent a message ordering someone to secretly follow them. Later, I discovered that the Liang family had captured a group of people, interrogating and torturing them brutally, as if trying to uncover something. Afterward, they secretly escorted them back to the capital."
"My men followed them all the way until they were near the capital, only to unexpectedly learn the identities of those people. The ones captured by the Liang family were actually members of the Xiao family, who should have long been dead. Even Xiao Yan’s father, the notorious former head of the Xiao family, Xiao Jin’an, who was supposedly killed by Xiao Yan for mistreating him, is still alive. All these years, he’s been living under a different name, hiding with the rest of the Xiao family in Jiangnan."
"What did you say?!" Marquis Wenxin exclaimed in shock.
Cao Dejiang also stood up abruptly: "You’re saying Xiao Jin’an is still alive?!"
Feng Qiuli blurted out: "Impossible! When the Xiao family was massacred, many people saw Xiao Jin’an’s body with their own eyes."
"Exactly, Xiao Jin’an is supposed to be dead."
"How could the Xiao family still be alive…?"
"Could there be a mistake?"
The hall erupted in commotion at Duke Zeng’s words.
Who didn’t know how Xiao Yan had "slaughtered" his family, how he had killed his father and brothers, stepping over the corpses of the Xiao family to earn his ruthless reputation? He had risen step by step to become the most favored eunuch in front of the emperor, eventually being entrusted by Emperor An with control over the Privy Council.
Xiao Yan was a solitary minister, with no ties to hold him back, which was why Emperor An had trusted him so heavily. The court and the public feared and respected him because he had no vulnerabilities.
A man who could kill his own father and kin, who would dare provoke him?
Yet now, Duke Zeng was saying that the Xiao family wasn’t dead at all, that Xiao Jin’an was still alive and well. How could this not shock everyone?!
Emperor An never imagined the Xiao family could still be alive. He turned sharply to Xiao Yan: "Xiao Yan, how dare you deceive your emperor?!"
Xiao Yan tilted his head slightly: "Your Majesty speaks too harshly. I have never personally told Your Majesty that I killed the Xiao family."
"You didn’t? You-"
Emperor An was about to berate him, but his face paled as the words reached his lips.
Xiao Yan said calmly: "I only told Your Majesty that I was at odds with my family, that I had a miserable childhood, and that I had no close kin since my youth."
"It was Your Majesty who assumed I had killed my father and kin, that I was ruthless and heartless, that I had committed an outrage against human ethics and was condemned by the world, that I could only rely on Your Majesty and thus was useful. From beginning to end, I never once told you that I killed the Xiao family."
Emperor An’s face turned ashen: "You…"
Xiao Yan raised his head: "Your Majesty misunderstood, and as a subject, I merely followed Your Majesty’s wishes and acted accordingly. How can this be considered deceiving the emperor?"
"You!!"
Emperor An trembled with rage at Xiao Yan’s shameless words, his anger peaking as he met Xiao Yan’s clear, cold gaze. But more than anger, he felt unease.
When Xiao Yan first rose to prominence in the palace, a stroke of fortune allowed Emperor An to notice his talent. After casually promoting him to the Twelve Directorates, Xiao Yan proved capable and aligned with his wishes in every way. Being a suspicious man, Emperor An naturally investigated Xiao Yan’s background. Upon learning that Xiao Yan had entered the inner court due to a falling out with his abusive father, the emperor saw potential for heavy reliance.
He deliberately gave Xiao Yan opportunities to shine, and Xiao Yan, as expected, turned against the Xiao family. He framed them, viciously slaughtered them, abandoned all filial piety, and eradicated the Xiao family entirely, earning the scorn of the world.
Seeing Xiao Yan as a lone man, willing to do anything to gain favor, Emperor An grew confident in him. Like a stray dog with no one else to rely on, Xiao Yan became trustworthy. Gradually, Emperor An granted him power, making him a confidant and even entrusting him with the Privy Council.
But now, he was told that everything Xiao Yan had shown was a lie.
He hadn’t killed the Xiao family. He hadn’t murdered his father or kin. Everything since entering the palace was a facade, meaning Xiao Yan had been acting in front of him all these years.
Emperor An’s unease reached its peak.
Someone capable of deceiving him, hiding the Xiao family in Jiangnan, and performing before the emperor for years, what was Xiao Yan’s true purpose?
What was his goal in gaining his trust?!
Cui Lin didn’t notice anything amiss, only shocked that the Xiao family was still alive. Feeling wronged, he said: "Duke Zeng, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I send anyone to Jiangnan?"
"How would I know? Shouldn’t you ask yourself, Minister Cui?"
"Don’t slander me! I never sent anyone there!"
"If Minister Cui says so, then so be it."
If Cui Lin had continued to argue, it might have been fine, but his dismissive attitude nearly made Cui Lin faint with anger.
Duke Zeng had no interest in arguing further, ignoring Cui Lin’s furious expression and turning to the calm Xiao Yan.
"My men intercepted a letter sent back to the Liang family in the capital, revealing that Grand Preceptor Liang had long suspected Xiao Yan’s identity, doubting whether he was truly a son of the Xiao family. They also suspected there was something fishy about his relentless targeting of the noble families, especially his extermination of the Lu family. So, they brought the Xiao family back to the capital to plot against Xiao Yan."
"They seized this opportunity and uncovered a shocking secret."
Grand Preceptor Liang’s heart raced as he listened to Duke Zeng. He had indeed sent people to Jiangnan to investigate the Xiao family and dig into Xiao Yan’s background. But his men hadn’t sent back any news, so he assumed they hadn’t found anything significant. He never expected they had already located the Xiao family, only to be intercepted by Duke Zeng’s men.
Now hearing Duke Zeng mention a “shocking secret,” he instinctively wanted to interrupt, but it was too late.
"Twenty-three years ago, the legitimate daughter of the third branch of the He family married Xiao Jin’an, the eldest son of the Xiao family. After the He family was wiped out in a treason case, that He family woman took her own life to protect the Xiao family. The Xiao family did indeed have a legitimate second son, but he died shortly after birth. However, after the He woman’s death, that second son miraculously ‘came back to life.’"
"The Xiao family claimed the child was frail and sent to a villa to recover, but in truth, the boy they brought back wasn’t a Xiao at all."
"They named him Yan and treated him exceptionally well, but never let him appear in public, making everyone think the Xiao family disliked him. In reality, this so-called legitimate second son wasn’t of Xiao blood at all. They were merely concealing his true identity, paving the way for his future actions."
Duke Zeng looked at Xiao Yan, enunciating each word:
"Xiao Yan is not a son of the Xiao family. He is the youngest son of He Wenzhuo, the third master of the He family, and the last surviving bloodline of the He family, the legitimate grandson, He Yan."
"The Xiao family hid him in their household for years, changing his name and identity. They sacrificed their connections and wealth in the capital, faking a rift with him and staging the deaths of the entire Xiao family, all so that the He family’s bloodline could legitimately gain the emperor’s favor and return to the court as a Xiao!"
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T/N: Gasp
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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