Chapter 144: His Identity

Returning to her own mansion, her mind remained immersed in the flashing blades and shifting shadows of the imperial palace. The moment she entered the estate, an estate manager hurriedly rushed up to her with a ledger in hand, calling out, "General, General! There are some revenues and expenditures in the mansion that I need to report to you."

She replied dismissively, "Hand them over to the guards!"

A few others gathered around her as well, saying, "General, the maids and servants bestowed by the palace emperor have already been properly settled. Would the General care to inspect them?"

Her response remained the same: "Hand them over to the guards!"

"General, General..." Others still wished to speak.

She halted her steps, glared fiercely, and shouted, "Is there no end to this? Can you not grant me a moment of peace?"

The servants instantly fell silent, lowering their heads and standing at attention, not daring to utter another word.

Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, a calm voice drifted over from ahead, steady and even: "Any such tedious household matters can be reported to me from now on." Following the voice, a man stepped out onto the paved stone pathway, dressed in a pale cyan long robe with black cloth shoes. His expression was serene and his demeanor utterly at ease. It was Xuan.

Kaiming watched him step forward steadily, her eyes involuntarily darting toward his back. "Are your injuries completely healed?"

Xuan bowed slightly toward her and smiled. "They are all healed. Thank you for your concern, General."

Kaiming shot him a side-long glance. *This fellow is certainly well-mannered in front of others,* she thought to herself. *When he was teaching me how to read, he was never this respectful. He certainly knows how to put on an act.*

"Did you hear what the guards said?" she straightened her posture, raising her voice to address the crowd. "From now on, all those additions, subtractions, and accounts are to be reported to the guards. The guards will then report them verbally to me. Did you all hear that?"

The managers hurriedly acknowledged the order, bowing to both Kaiming and Xuan.

Hearing her say that he would report verbally to her, Xuan's lips curved slightly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Pretending not to notice his quiet amusement, Kaiming turned and walked straight into her bedchamber.

Being in a foul mood, she had no appetite for lunch. She lay lazily on the bed, lost in thought. Her gaze fixed on the canopy above, yet her mind was completely blank. It felt as though there was something she ought to be thinking about, yet she could not quite recall what it was. She remained in this hazy, dazed state for a while.

The bedchamber door was gently knocked. She ignored it. After hesitating for a moment, the person outside pushed the door open decisively and found her lying there with her hands pillowing her head, staring blankly at the bed canopy with a completely dazed expression.

"What is the matter?" Soft footsteps approached.

Without even glancing over, she knew by the sound of the steps that it must be Xuan. She lazily replied, "Nothing."

"Are you troubled by something? You aren't even eating lunch?" Hearing the sound of a tray being set down on the wooden table, Xuan began taking the dishes out one by one, arranging the bowls and chopsticks.

She stretched out her arms, hoisted her upper body up with a jerk, and turned her gaze toward him. "Xuan, I did something, and I am not sure if it was wrong."

Xuan spoke calmly, "Let's hear it."

"I... I saw Shaozi in the palace..." she stammered, watching his expression carefully.

Xuan let out an "Oh?" and fixed his eyes on her. "Shaozi is in the palace?"

"Actually, the night before, Dai Yuheng had already told me about Shaozi. He kept Shaozi in the palace to force me to go to war against Nangong..."

"Is that so?" Xuan's brows furrowed deeper as he paused what he was doing.

"I might be leaving tomorrow or the next day. Today I went to the palace and saw Shaozi. I... I told him about his biological parents..."

"I see." Xuan still maintained his composed demeanor, as if her actions had not surprised him at all.

Kaiming said somewhat insecurely, "I don't know if telling Shaozi the truth was the wrong thing to do. After all, he is still so young..."

"Shaozi is no longer a child," Xuan said calmly, letting out a long breath. "It is time for him to shoulder responsibilities like a true man."

Kaiming said with pleasant surprise, "Do you really think so?"

Xuan looked at her and smiled. "You did nothing wrong. Stop letting your imagination run wild. Come and eat!"

"Alright!" With a weight lifted from her heart, she readily agreed, slipped off the bed, and strode over to the table. Upon seeing the spread of dishes, her mood brightened even further. She wrinkled her nose, sniffed the air, and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"

Xuan smiled faintly. "Judging by that look, one would think you hadn't eaten in centuries."

"Together, together," she said, waving her chopsticks at him. Xuan did not decline and took a seat beside her.

As she bit into a piece of greens, a thought occurred to her, and she mumbled to Xuan, "By the way, have you heard about Ji?"

Xuan nodded. "I've heard a little. There are rumors everywhere."

Kaiming planted her chopsticks vertically into her rice bowl and frowned, saying, "It is truly bizarre. Such a loyal and dedicated confidant, yet they lock him up just like that."

Xuan looked at the dishes on the table and said, "We shouldn't meddle in other people's business."

"Oh." She lowered her head to shovel down a few bites of rice, but could not help adding, "Before I went to see Shaozi, I asked Dai Yuheng about it. Do you know how he answered me?"

Clearing her throat, she straightened her posture and mimicking Dai Yuheng's rigid tone, she recited: "The crime of treason sometimes does not merely refer to the deeds one has committed, but more often than not, it is due to one's identity."

The chopsticks in Xuan's hand suddenly tilted to one side. He swiftly raised his gaze, darted a look at her, and asked in a low voice, "Did Dai Yuheng really say that?"

"Yes!" she said, surprised by Xuan's reaction. Could Xuan actually understand Dai Yuheng's words? She herself had listened to them as if through a thick fog.

Xuan turned his head slightly, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

Kaiming opened her fingers and waved them in front of his eyes. "Hey, what is it?"

Xuan looked at her and smiled. "Nothing. Just thinking about some things."

"What things?" Knowing full well that there was no one around, she still cast a glance to the left and right, then lowered her voice. "Do you know what crime Ji committed? Don't keep it to yourself—tell me."

Xuan smiled faintly. "Didn't you just tell me what crime Ji committed?"

She frowned. "That was what Dai Yuheng said. It doesn't count."

"Why wouldn't it count? He already gave you the answer; it's just that you couldn't guess it yourself." Xuan gave a slight smile and continued picking up food with his chopsticks.

Kaiming bit down on her chopstick, glancing at him sideways. "He already gave me the answer? You mean that sentence?"

"Mm." Without even lifting his eyelids, Xuan replied, "What kind of crime is called treason? What kind of identity, even if one does nothing at all, will still be regarded as treason?"

Kaiming turned his words over in her mind, seemingly catching a glimpse of something, yet not daring to be certain. "The crime of defying superiors and plotting rebellion is called treason... What kind of identity, even if one does nothing at all, is regarded as treason?..."

She blinked her eyes and looked eagerly at Xuan. "I still can't seem to figure it out."

Xuan arched a brow, turned his face toward her, and whispered, "What was the reason Dai Yuheng ascended to the imperial throne? Why was he bold enough to sit fearlessly upon the central palace throne, unafraid of the condemnation of all the people?"

She answered foolishly, "Because he has military power and schemes..."

"Incorrect!" Xuan interrupted her cleanly. "It is because he believed that the imperial family of the Tian lineage had no surviving heirs left. Without any descendants of the imperial bloodline, the civil and military officials had no reason to oppose him, and the common people had no reason to condemn him. Naturally, he secured his grip on the throne."

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense."

"At a time like this, if a descendant of the imperial family were to emerge—even if he did nothing at all—his very identity would be enough to warrant his death..." Xuan's voice grew lower and lower, while Kaiming's eyes grew wider and wider until they were perfectly round.

"How is that possible? How is that possible! Are you saying Ji is... he is royal..."

Before the final word could leave her lips, Xuan swiftly covered her mouth, darted his eyes toward the door, and made a soft "Hush!" sound at her.

She stared at him in a daze, her eyes still remaining wide and round. Finding her expression somewhat amusing, Xuan released his hand, but her mouth remained open.

She moved her jaw, then raised her own hand to cover her mouth.

Xuan smiled and asked, "Have you finished being shocked? If so, continue eating."

Kaiming hurriedly dropped her hand, leaned in closer to Xuan, and whispered softly, "Are you saying Ji could be an imperial prince?"

Xuan shook his head. "I am merely guessing. You must not take it seriously."

Kaiming pulled herself back, propped her elbows on the tabletop, and twirled her chopsticks as she pondered, "Though it is just a guess, what you say makes a lot of sense. Could Ji really be an imperial prince? Living in exile among the commoners? Heavens, another version of Tian Lang!"

"Stop letting your imagination run wild. Aren't you setting out tomorrow? You only have this afternoon left—why aren't you hurrying to make preparations?" Xuan reminded her.

"Oh," she muttered casually.

"By the way, there will be half an hour of calligraphy practice after the meal."

"Ah, I just remembered I have a lot of luggage that needs sorting. If I don't pack it, it will be terribly messy..."

"The servants can take care of such matters."

"Ah, the palace emperor said my troop numbers are insufficient, and I need to go levy some more..."

"Half an hour won't delay your troop gathering."

"Ah, I also need to..."

"Kaiming."

"I remembered I still need to..."

"Kaiming!"

Having diligently practiced for a full half-hour, she finally shook out her sore and numb wrists and walked out of the room, muttering complaints under her breath the entire way. Normally, Xuan appeared to be a mild-tempered, good-natured person, so why was he so dead serious when it came to calligraphy practice? Even a harsh teacher might not produce such a strict taskmaster!

After taking a few steps, hearing the footsteps behind her, she couldn't help letting out a long sigh and saying, "Xuan, when I go out to muster the troops, you don't need to follow."

Xuan caught up to her in two strides and smiled. "That won't do. I am a guard; how can I not follow the General's side?"

"Right now," Kaiming raised both hands and made a couple of fierce slashing motions in the air, speaking to him with utmost solemnity, "I am very formidable. No one can hurt me."

Xuan scoffed. "Even I wouldn't dare claim to be formidable. With your half-baked skills, you dare boast? Hurry along now, lest you delay the General's troop inspection."

Kaiming said with dissatisfaction, "Listening to that tone, one would think you were the General!"

Xuan playfully lifted his chin and replied, "If General Kaiming is willing to cede her post to me, I suppose I could reluctantly accept it!"

Kaiming glared at him. "Have you no shame saying such things? I earned this position through blood and sweat."

Unable to hold back his laughter, Xuan reached out, wrapped an arm around her lower back, and pulled her closer to his side. "Let's go."

Utterly mortified, her muscles tensing up all over, she stared at his face and stammered, "J-just like this? We are w-walking?"