The night was misty, bronze bells softly chiming. After driving through the darkness for who knows how long, Que’er lifted the curtain to look outside.
“I’ve left the city.”
I sighed in relief. “That’s good. I thought you might have been trapped. Where’s An Jin? Are my parents okay?”
Que’er hesitated before answering, “Your family has been escorted out of the city by another group. We’re heading to meet them. As for the master—” She glanced at the woman beside her.
I followed her gaze. The woman removed her mask; it was my mother-in-law. She looked pale and haggard, but her eyes remained sharp.
Bitterness and grief surged up, and I couldn’t help but grab her hand, choking, “Mother-in-law… Father-in-law, he—”
“I already know,” she replied, her hand cold and voice steady. “Now is not the time to discuss this.”
My emotions were abruptly stifled. How could she remain so calm? Her husband had just died—could she really feel nothing? Was this composure or cold-heartedness?
Indifferent to my confusion, her face was like stagnant water, without a ripple.
The secret agents of the secret department conducted a covert investigation in Yao Town, but the elderly woman from back then was extremely low-key. Few people remembered her, and those who did only recalled that she had long passed away.
As for the infant she brought with her, almost no one knew her whereabouts. The elderly woman likely worried about being found by the empress’s people. Before her death, she instructed her parents not to publicize the baby girl’s origins. My father soon left for an exam, and my mother took my older brother and me to travel with him, leaving no informed people in Yao Town. The secret department’s investigation yielded nothing.
Later, my parents became neighbors with the An family. My mother had put away the black gold token hanging on me, which went unnoticed except by An Jin. When he visited, he saw the black gold token but was too young to pay much attention, only recalling that the Yao flower was special. It wasn’t until he turned fifteen and took over the secret department’s affairs that he recognized the token’s image, which was presented to the department by the Qi Emperor.
He likely remembered the token from my house and secretly investigated the Xiao family’s background, gradually confirming my identity. However, he never revealed this to his mother-in-law or mentioned it to the Qi Emperor.
From the beginning, he never intended for the Qi Emperor to know my identity or have me return to Nan Rui as a princess.
At eighteen, he proposed to me but was tragically rejected. He decided to become an official, leading to a significant conflict with his mother-in-law. By then, he had taken over the secret department, leaving her with no choice. He waited to propose again after becoming an official and had instructed dark agents to monitor my every move, ruthlessly cutting off any potential romantic prospects.
However, my gambling-addicted mother lost the black gold token, which changed everyone’s fate.
The token fell into the hands of the Third Prince, Xia Zhichun, prompting immediate notification to his mother-in-law. Furious, she demanded An Jin report the matter to the Qi Emperor. An Jin resolutely refused, preferring to suppress the issue and feign ignorance to prevent me from becoming a tool in their political schemes.
Even out of personal selfishness, he didn’t want me involved in the conflicts between the three countries. Although his mother-in-law was angry, she couldn’t overpower him. Having watched me grow up, she was reluctant to see me become the Qi Emperor’s pawn and ultimately agreed.
The Third Prince, after obtaining the black gold token, kept it private and used it to find me, successfully inducing our acquaintance.
An Jin observed everything and understood the Third Prince’s purpose. As an unpopular illegitimate prince, gaining Nan Rui’s support would provide a strong backing. With Western Liang and Qi Country at odds, Nan Rui was a contentious figure. This backing could help the Third Prince rise and possibly replace the Eastern Palace’s heir.
An Jin planned his counter to the Third Prince’s design when the Qi Country faced military defeat, leading to peace talks. Undercover agents in Western Liang reported that it intended to demand the cession of two cities. An Jin ordered the agents to influence the Western Liang Emperor’s decision, changing the final condition to sending a hostage.
The Qi Emperor had only two sons, and the Eastern Palace heir couldn’t become the hostage, leaving only the Third Prince as an option.
The Third Prince abandoned his plans and went to Western Liang. An Jin attempted to retrieve the black gold token from him, but the Third Prince had hidden it too well. Despite this, An Jin felt assured that he would not reveal the token or my identity to the Qi Emperor or Eastern Palace.
However, he underestimated the Third Prince. Although Xia Zhichun went to Western Liang, he found a collaborator there, the Fourth Prince, Yan Huo. To gain Yan Huo’s help, he revealed the whereabouts of Nan Rui’s missing princess. Yan Huo disguised himself as a Western Liang merchant, traveled to Yan Feng, and successfully approached me.
Afterward, An Jin regretted not acting decisively earlier. He put significant effort into dealing with Yan Huo and ultimately used Western Liang’s palace intrigue to force him back. Knowing he could delay no longer, An Jin proposed marriage to my family, despite the timing being less than ideal.
His mother-in-law opposed the marriage strongly. My identity was too special, and she feared it would bring difficulty and disloyalty to the An family.
I could marry anyone except becoming an An family daughter-in-law. However, An Jin was determined and ultimately made the marriage happen.
His mother-in-law was furious, resenting An Jin for prioritizing love over family responsibilities and the challenges it presented for the An family. Every time she saw me, she became cold towards me.
An Jin thought that after our marriage, Yan Huo would give up, and we would no longer have troubles. However, issues arose when Nan Rui and Western Liang arranged a marriage with the Fifth Princess, who bore some resemblance to me.
Later, when the Fifth Princess escaped the marriage and I was placed in the Eastern Palace’s bridal chamber, it raised suspicions. Eventually, both the Qi Emperor and the Eastern Palace learned my true identity.
The Qi Emperor, believing the secret department had rebellious intentions, bestowed a sterilization potion as a test, leading to the final break between the imperial family and the secret department.
By then, An Jin had calmly begun his final scheme, determined to solve all threats.
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
Without An Jin, I would have become a chess piece in the power struggle between Xi Liang and the royal family of Da Qi, facing deception, false kindness, betrayal, and exploitation, forever losing my freedom. The Qi Emperor, Crown Prince Xia Zhichun, and Yan Huo were all deeply calculating masters of intrigue, seeking power like my ambitious biological father. In contrast, my husband An Jin’s schemes were solely to protect those he loved. With such a husband, what more could a wife ask for?
Chapter Fifty-Six: Fleeing to Nan Rui
When the Qi Emperor proposed that An Jin pretend to defect to Xi Liang to investigate Xia Zhichun’s whereabouts, An Jin had already prepared two contingency plans. If the Qi Emperor kept his word, he would verify the Third Prince’s location, return, hand over the Secret Department peacefully, and then escape with his family. However, the Qi Emperor chose to plot against the An family. Fortunately, An Jin had a backup plan, having arranged for the Secret Department in advance and staging an act to convince the Qi Emperor and Crown Prince that he had been killed by Tang Wei.
