Chapter 105: A Heart’s Resonance from the Eastern Palace

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Joking aside, suspicions arose among the group, and they began discussing whether to check the young man’s clothes. This chapter is provided online by {Chinese Network}.

“On a dark and windy night...” Hearing this, Kaiming smiled wryly; even Chang Geng used the phrase “dark and windy night.”

“At that pitch-black night where one couldn’t see their own hand, once the entire barracks had fallen into a deep slumber, the roommates began their move. They grabbed the youth—some held his hands, others his feet, some tugged at his clothes—turning the scene into chaos. Then came the sounds of crashing and clattering…”

“What kind of description is that!” Kaiming complained. “Who summarizes such a raw event with just those words?”

“Well, it’s like this: no one really knows what happened inside because everyone was asleep. The forced incident that night was only described by a late-returning soldier; no one witnessed it firsthand, it’s all speculation.”

“Why speculate?” she asked, puzzled.

“Because when that soldier reached the door, all he heard were the sounds of crashing and clattering inside, then silence. That’s what he relayed,” Chang Geng rolled his eyes, trying to recall the story. “Because after he pushed the door open, there was no one alive inside.”

“What?” Kaiming’s hair stood on end, her eyes wide. “No one alive? What does that mean?”

“It means they were all dead,” Chang Geng said, no longer shocked after hearing the story several times. “He tripped on something upon entering, then felt the blood all over the floor. When he looked up, the room was full of corpses…”

“And Xuan?” she asked anxiously. “Was he dead too?”

“If he were dead, how would you have your later husband?” Chang Geng snorted. “He wasn’t there at the time. After the roommates discovered the corpses and alarmed the barracks, Xuan came in from outside, clean and calm, as if nothing had happened.”

“Ah?” She opened her mouth in surprise.

“Because the late-returning soldier insisted that Xuan was the killer, but had no proof. Xuan happened to enter under everyone’s watchful eyes. So, despite the strangeness, the matter was shelved. Later, Da Yin took Xuan to serve as a palace guard, and the whole incident was sealed under strict orders. Few dared to speak of it again.”

Kaiming stared blankly at him. Everything today revolved around this man. Though she had moved on from her ex-husband, why did he continue to interfere with her life incessantly?

“Kaiming? Are you alright?” Chang Geng looked worried. “It’s all in the past. Xuan is gone now. Nothing to worry about.”

“I’m fine, just a little tired,” Kaiming averted her gaze awkwardly and silently stared at Xiao Wan’s grave. “Xuan… who exactly is he? A mysterious, cold-hearted assassin? Or a gentle, harmless, timid husband?”

“Xuan is from the Eastern Palace,” a voice suddenly came from the nearby woods.

The two were startled. Another person lurking nearby had gone unnoticed. If it were an assassin, wouldn’t they have been killed instantly?

The one who emerged was not an assassin but someone quite close to them—a man with a slender face and phoenix-shaped eyes, the Commander of the Imperial Guards. He was dressed in plain clothes with a long cloak and held the reins of a horse as he approached.

Chang Geng’s expression darkened. “Commander, how long have you been eavesdropping there?”

“Oh, not long,” Ji said casually. “I only arrived when your story was nearing the end.”

“Are you here to pay respects to Xiao Wan as well?” Chang Geng sneered.

Ji replied calmly, “I heard that Da Yin buried Xiao Wan in this forest and came to pay my respects.”

Chang Geng snorted, “Are you here to see Xiao Wan or her mother?”

Kaiming glared at him fiercely, and Chang Geng immediately shut up. Ji smiled, showing the composure of a nobleman who wouldn’t bother with petty quarrels, released the horse’s reins, and walked toward where they were sitting.

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“You said Xuan is from the Eastern Palace?” Kaiming stared intently at him, doubting his words. “Do you know Xuan’s background?”

Ji stood silently at Xiao Wan’s grave for two minutes, paying his respects. She had no choice but to be patient.

Then Ji turned and sat beside her. Chang Geng’s eyes widened.

“As someone from the Dai household, I once conducted a thorough investigation into anyone around Da Yin who might pose a threat. Xuan was naturally at the top of that list. That’s not disputed, right?”

Kaiming nodded, while Chang Geng rolled his eyes at him.

“I found that the year Da Yin met Xuan was at the border between the Eastern and Central Palaces. Many soldiers witnessed Xuan, covered in blood, sitting atop a boundary marker. Is that right?” Ji seemed to be seeking Kaiming’s confirmation, who nodded recalling Da Yin’s words.

Ji smiled, “Looks like Da Yin told you quite a few secrets.” She raised an eyebrow and shot him a glare.

Ji continued, “Given these facts, I combed through every bloody incident between the Central and Eastern Palaces. Coincidentally, a major event did occur at the Eastern Palace!”

“A major event at the Eastern Palace?” Kaiming asked with surprise. What kind of major incident could have happened in Xiao Bi’s country?

“During the Old Palace Emperor’s birthday celebration, a young man suddenly burst in, claiming to be an old acquaintance from the Emperor’s hometown, bearing a generous gift. When the gift box was opened, it was a bloodied human head!” Ji suddenly exclaimed.

The two listeners were so engrossed that their souls seemed to drift away.

“Hey, just tell the story, no need to scare us!” Kaiming was furious and pounded Ji’s shoulder.

Ji chuckled, “Just setting the mood.”

“Damn it!” Chang Geng shouted angrily.

“Yes, damn it,” Ji went along with him. “Do you know whose head it was? The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, the heir to the Emperor’s throne. Quite a serious matter!”

“The Crown Prince was killed?” Kaiming was stunned. If this man was Xuan, then he was truly audacious.

“Why would he kill the Crown Prince? Did they have a grudge?” Chang Geng couldn’t help but ask.

“He had no grudge against the Crown Prince but did against the Emperor,” Ji said with a sly smile. “Because he was the Emperor’s illegitimate son born among the commoners.”

“Oh dear, not this cliché again!” Kaiming sighed. Why must such a melodramatic tale be repeated over and over?

“This man was no ordinary person. He disguised himself as a ritual officer, crashed the birthday party, and threw down the Crown Prince’s head, then fought his way out of the palace, clearly seeking his own doom.”

“Seeking his own doom?” Kaiming felt a stir in her heart. Did he come looking for trouble because he wanted to die?

“The Eastern Palace eventually dispatched their strongest palace guards to assist Prince Xin Bi in suppressing this madman.”

“Prince Xin Bi?” She was shocked. Xiao Bi was a royal prince? She had only known him as a leader of a reckless group in the Central Palace. He actually held such a high position?

“The very kid you’ve met,” Ji said mockingly. “Upon returning, Prince Xin Bi reported to the Emperor that the rebel was executed on the spot and brought back a bloodied head.”

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“He died?” Kaiming was astonished.

Chang Geng snorted, “If the head was mangled beyond recognition, it’s obvious. Looks like Prince Xin Bi wanted to cover for this man.”

“Chang Geng’s guess was correct,” Ji nodded. “I thought the same.”

Kaiming pondered their meaning. “You mean Prince Xin Bi fabricated the story and let the troublemaker escape? But why?”

Ji shrugged. “Who can guess the truth? Anyway, the scandal was brushed aside and the case closed ambiguously. That’s the intelligence we received.”

“Commander, do you think the Xuan from the Central Palace is the same man who caused trouble in the Eastern Palace?” Kaiming asked cautiously.

“I never said that. It’s all speculation,” Ji smirked. “But the troublemaker’s name back then was Xin Xuan.”

“Xin Xuan?!” Kaiming frowned. The Eastern Palace’s troublemaker Xin Xuan and the bloodied Xuan sitting on the boundary marker—could they be the same person? Thinking of Xiao Bi’s urgent pursuit of Xuan and his overnight rush to report, linking all these clues forms a thrilling palace saga spreading from Eastern to Central Palace.

Chang Geng snorted, “All talk and no conclusion, basically.”

Ji glanced at him. “We could have investigated further, but an accident interrupted the process.”

“An accident?” Kaiming asked curiously. What kind of accident?

“Xuan suddenly vanished without a trace,” Ji said with a light laugh. “After all these years, seeing you now, Kaiming, I truly didn’t expect your husband to be Da Yin’s former deputy general, the man we suspected as Xin Xuan from the Eastern Palace. Because he carries no trace of cruelty.”

“Cruelty?” Her expression shifted.

“If a person’s hands are stained with so much blood, they naturally emanate a violent aura. At least, that was not the feeling I got when I first saw Xuan,” Ji explained.

“Oh.” Kaiming unconsciously brushed her lips with her finger. The first time she saw Xuan, he was a humble man kneeling with a willow branch asking to be punished. Their later interactions were filled with family warmth. Yes, family!

If the Central Palace’s Xuan was indeed the Eastern Palace’s Xin Xuan, then after leaving Da Yin, what he most longed for was a complete family. That explained why he adopted Xiao Wan, despite the mystery surrounding the murder of her parents. He accepted Da Yin’s child without hesitation, out of affection for Da Yin, sympathy for the child, and because their origins were similar.

Raising a child was never easy, and then a second wife was found for the boy. The stepmother couldn’t be just anyone. Conveniently, a monk recommended this original incarnation—a simple-minded Yaksha woman, somehow enchanted by some spell, drawing her from the modern world into this.

Yes, everything fell into place logically. But if that was true, wasn’t Xuan terribly terrifying?

She shivered, suddenly recalling the terrifying incident at the inn. She heard Xuan say, fragmentarily: “No one ever dared!” That’s right—if this was the real Xuan, the Yaksha woman daring to slap him would be courting death.

“You’re lucky to be my wife. It’s your greatest fortune to be matched with me!” If he was indeed a prince, albeit a fallen one, and she just a commoner with no status or background, she was truly unworthy of him.

Thinking it through, all the suspicious points from start to finish now made perfect sense.

She was 99.9% certain that the Central Palace’s Xuan was indeed the Eastern Palace’s Xin Xuan!