20demayo Chapter 1152 Reveals the Truth to Fan Xian!
Chapter 1152 Reveals the Truth to Fan Xian!
In an instant, a circle of black arrows, symbolizing death and warning, suddenly formed around them!
The arrows came from an extremely cunning direction, clearly indicating that the surrounding high ground and concealed positions were already filled with archers. Their power, accuracy, and seamless coordination all demonstrated that this was a well-equipped and highly trained long-range strike force.
Haitang Duoduo's expression finally changed. Previously, when facing the swordsman in green, she was still confident that she could break through by relying on her superb agility and breaking through the enemy's defenses.
However, with the addition of these archers lurking in the shadows, ready to unleash a deadly volley at any moment, the difficulty of breaking through increased several times over. Even a ninth-rank expert is not invincible; under such dense barrage, especially given the limited terrain and the need to be distracted to protect others, she was not confident of escaping unscathed.
Moreover, Ran Min and Lü Bu, who just killed two ninth-rank officials, may be lurking not far away! If one of them gets entangled with him, along with the surrounding blue-clad swordsmen and archers, today would probably be a deadly situation.
The atmosphere in the forest plummeted to freezing point after this warning volley. Di Renjie maintained his smile, as if the rain of arrows that had terrified any expert had nothing to do with him. He quietly watched Fan Xian, awaiting his reply.
Fan Xian took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil within him. The other party displayed absolute control, their purpose clear—to speak with him alone. Refusing could result in an immediate bloody massacre, with their chances of victory slim. The other party's claim that they "wouldn't take anyone's lives" suggested... perhaps there was still room for negotiation?
He glanced at Haitang Duoduo and saw the same solemnity and weighing in her eyes; then he glanced at Guo Baokun and his men, who were pale and almost unsteady on their feet, and at Xiao En, who was silent and like a stone statue.
“Alright.” Fan Xian finally spoke, his voice calm, his gaze fixed on Di Renjie. “I’ll go with you. But you must guarantee their safety until I return.”
Di Renjie smiled slightly, stroked his beard, and nodded: "Young Master Fan is a man of few words, please rest assured. I guarantee with my reputation that as long as you do not act rashly, no one will harm them in the slightest." He stepped aside and made a "please" gesture, "Young Master Fan, this way please."
When Di Renjie uttered the words "My Lord," Fan Xian's heart skipped a beat, and his thoughts raced through a series of suspicious points. The well-trained and ruthless men in black, their attitude of not taking either the Southern Qing or Northern Qi forces seriously, and that familiar cold and aloof style—it was indeed Gao Yao's style.
“You are from Gaoyao!” Fan Xian blurted out, his voice carrying a chilling realization.
Di Renjie nodded slightly, his face remaining calm: "Indeed. When the lord learned of your journey north, he anticipated trouble. These people," he gestured towards the corpses lying on the ground outside the woods, "are just the first wave. The Southern Qing Princess, the Second Prince, the Crown Prince—who wouldn't want to use this opportunity to ensure you never return to the capital? As for Northern Qi, although Zhan Qingfeng and you are from the same school, what do personal relationships matter when national affairs are at stake?"
Fan Xian remained silent. He understood all of this, of course, but he hadn't expected Gao Yao to intervene with such a grand gesture. This unfathomable figure from another time and space always acted in unexpected ways.
“My lord’s intention,” Di Renjie continued, “is, on the one hand, to ensure your safety, and on the other hand… there are some truths that it’s time for you to know.”
"The truth?" Fan Xian frowned. He had already guessed a bit, but he wasn't sure.
Deep in the woods, the light was dappled and fragmented. Di Renjie took out a stack of yellowed papers from his robes; the edges were worn, clearly indicating their age. He handed them to Fan Xian with a solemn and slow gesture, as if passing on something heavy.
"You are special, yet not special." Di Renjie's words were like a lighthouse in the fog, guiding the way but not entirely clearly. "At least this body of yours does indeed have a biological father and mother. The biological mother is naturally Ye Qingmei, and the biological father..."
He paused, looked into Fan Xian's eyes, and said, word by word, "He is the Prince Jing of yesteryear, now the Emperor Qing."
"what!"
Fan Xian felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His pupils contracted sharply, and his heart seemed to stop beating for a moment before pounding wildly in his chest. He instinctively took a half step back, his back hitting a rough tree trunk before he regained his balance.
Countless images from the past flooded her mind—the mysterious surveillance agents in Danzhou, Emperor Qing's complex and unfathomable gaze when she first entered the capital, the emperor's seemingly casual yet deeply meaningful questions at the banquet in the palace...
“Impossible…” Fan Xian murmured, his voice hoarse. “If that’s really the case, why was I sent to Danzhou? Why did Fan Jian recognize me as his son?”
Di Renjie sighed softly, a sigh that seemed to contain a sense of lament for the capriciousness of fate. "This is the cruelty of power, and also the choice made by Lady Ye Qingmei back then. Take a look at these first."
Fan Xian took the stack of papers with trembling hands. The first one was a simple sketch. The woman in the drawing had delicate features and a bright smile. Behind her stood a young man, and the two stood side by side. In the distance was the newly completed Overwatch Council building. Next to the drawing were delicate handwriting: "Today the Overwatch Council is established. Prince Jing said that this will change the Qing Kingdom."
"This is my mother's handwriting," Fan Xian said in a low voice, his throat tightening.
He continued flipping through the pages. The following pages recorded how Ye Qingmei met and became acquainted with Emperor Qing, who was then Prince Jing, how they joined forces to reform the court, and how they fought their way through the bloody struggle for the throne.
Between the lines, one can see Ye Qingmei's trust and admiration for that Prince Jing, and also how she used her knowledge and wisdom that were ahead of her time to help him ascend to the throne.
"She created the Censorate, established the Imperial Treasury, and designed the first military equipment of the Qing Kingdom..." Di Renjie's voice was calm and clear. "She was not the empress, but she held great power; she had no official position, but her students and old friends were all over the court. At that time, Ye Qingmei, though she did not have the title of empress, had the power of an empress."
Fan Xian's finger hovered over a yellowed copy of a secret report. It was a copy of a letter from a court official to his family, in which he wrote in alarm: "Ye Qingmei spoke frankly in court today about reforming the bureaucracy, and no one in the entire court dared to object... His Majesty's face turned ashen, yet he could only nod in agreement. If this woman were a man, she would surely be a powerful and ruthless ruler; if she were a woman, she would be a source of national disaster..."
"The source of national disaster." Fan Xian repeated these four words bitterly.
"Power is like a mirror," Di Renjie said slowly, "reflecting the deepest desires and fears of human nature. Emperor Qing, or rather Prince Jing, rose from an unfavored prince to the throne thanks to Ye Qingmei. Initially, he was naturally grateful, but once his throne was secure, and he discovered that his authority could never surpass that of the woman who helped him ascend the throne..."
Fan Xian suddenly looked up: "You mean...?"
“Based on our years of investigation,” Di Renjie said, his tone still calm, but each word carried immense weight, “the death of Ye Qingmei was the result of the involvement of many forces, but the ultimate instigator was none other than Emperor Qing, who had already ascended the throne.”