Chapter 83: The Untold Truth
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**Chapter 83: The Untold Truth**
Chang Suining looked at the cotton cloth that had fallen to the ground.
Chang Sui’an, thoroughly perplexed, asked, "Even my son has heard of the renowned Princess Xuan’an. How could you not recognize her, Father?"
Chang Kuo faltered, then corrected himself, "What I meant was that I am not acquainted with her!"
He reiterated emphatically, "How could I be acquainted with a treacherous woman like her?"
Chang Suining was baffled, "Why do you call her treacherous?"
Chang Kuo’s face was full of resentment: "Her actions are disgraceful; not only does she defy the virtues expected of women, but she also exploits the people of her fiefdom to indulge in luxury. She’s truly the most treacherous of all women!"
Chang Suining and Chang Sui’an were both stunned.
"Father… even if you say the Grand Princess is a bit libertine, I've heard of that myself. But exploiting the people…?" Chang Sui’an scratched his head. "From what I've heard, the people of Xuanzhou have been prosperous and content under her governance in recent years."
Chang Kuo immediately denied it: "Just rumors!"
Chang Sui’an looked on with a thought he dared not voice aloud: "Father, it seems more like you’re the one spreading rumors."
Chang Kuo corrected him again, "Libertine? No, she’s a disgrace to womanhood!"
Hearing him insist on this, Chang Suining couldn’t help but ask, "But the Grand Princess has been widowed for years, so technically, she is no longer bound by those rules. How does womanly virtue even apply to her?"
From what she knew, Old Chang was never this old-fashioned. He rarely mentioned a woman’s chastity as an issue. Why was he clinging so persistently to this particular aunt’s pastimes?
She couldn’t recall any past conflicts between them worth mentioning.
"In any case, she’s no good!" Chang Kuo dismissed their queries with a standard "You’re too young to understand" response. "You’re still young; you’ll understand later."
With that, he picked up his chopsticks. "Enough, let’s not bring her up again. Bad luck! Let’s eat."
He picked up a piece of lotus root, but when he looked closely at the holes in it, he saw a face that seemed mocking and sinister, causing him to let out a derisive snort, his anger suddenly reignited—outrageous!
He tossed the piece of lotus root aside with a hateful look, then set down his chopsticks with a resounding thud.
Chang Sui’an: "..."
Had he really just watched his father get angry at a piece of lotus root?
Chang Kuo placed his hands on his knees and looked at his daughter. "By the way, why bring up that treacherous woman Xuan’an out of nowhere?"
Chang Suining: "..."
The words "let’s not bring her up again" were still fresh in her ears.
Meanwhile, Chang Sui’an had the sudden impulse—he had never felt more compelled than at that moment to recommend some calming advice to his father.
But he didn’t dare.
Chang Suining then recounted her encounter with someone from the Grand Princess Xuan’an’s entourage at the cemetery.
Chang Kuo snorted coldly, "She truly is unwell."
"Father… do you think I’m in any danger?" Chang Sui’an asked again, a bit uneasy. "Though I forced her to swear an oath, what if one day that Grand Princess or her adopted daughter sees me by chance? I fear for my safety… You’ll have to hide me well!"
It wasn't that he was overconfident; the way the female bodyguard had stalked him was too manic and relentless, signaling a danger that screamed, "This boy will satisfy my lady’s needs."
"Does she dare lay a hand on Chang Kuo’s son? She doesn’t have the nerve!" Chang Kuo’s voice was firm as he glared at his son. "No hiding. Show some spine. Calm down."
Chang Sui’an could only nod.
Chang Kuo picked up his chopsticks again. "Enough, everyone eat. Let’s not bring up that unlucky person again."
The siblings fell silent: "..."
Once more, Chang Kuo’s chopsticks hovered over the plate of lotus roots, and as he stared at them, he felt as if every single slice exuded that same mocking expression.
This must have been an old, cynical lotus root grown in a pond of pure misfortune!
"Why bring such bad-luck roots to the table?" Chang Kuo demanded. "Take them away and feed them to the dogs!"
Everyone was speechless.
First, what exactly did the lotus root do wrong?
Secondly, dogs don’t eat vegetables.
But the maid could only comply.
As they ate, with each bite, Chang Kuo’s anger gradually subsided.
Chang Suining, who had been quietly observing him throughout the meal, concluded that Chang Kuo held deep-seated prejudice against the Grand Princess.
She had intended to learn more from Chang Kuo about the Grand Princess and Xuanzhou’s affairs but saw he was like a powder keg ready to explode at any mention of the subject and decided not to press further.
Failing to ask about the Grand Princess, she turned her mind to another, more pressing matter.
"Father, I heard from Ah Dian that the late Crown Prince’s birthday is approaching?"
On their way back from the dining hall, Chang Suining asked casually.
Chang Kuo paused, then nodded after a moment, "Yes, next month is His Highness's memorial day."
"Will you go to pay your respects, Father?"
"I would like to visit His Highness," Chang Kuo’s tone was calm, "but Jingshan Mausoleum doesn’t permit outsiders to enter except during the grand ceremonies."
Chang Suining paused, then said, "Father, you fought beside His Highness for years. You’re not an outsider."
Chang Kuo smiled faintly. "Even so, the rules cannot be broken. It’s alright; one doesn’t necessarily have to visit the mausoleum. A private offering will do…"
As he spoke, he looked up at the night sky. "As long as His Highness can hear, that’s enough."
Chang Suining nodded silently.
That point, she thought, was quite well-assured.
She continued seamlessly, "Since the late Crown Prince and Princess Chongyue were twins, that day would also be the princess’s memorial day."
Chang Kuo nodded, "Naturally."
And what they were truly honoring was indeed the latter.
"The late Crown Prince had his comrades in the military who will undoubtedly remember him," Chang Suining mused. "But Princess Chongyue, frail in life, didn’t interact with many, and later married far away in a foreign land… She has been gone for many years now. Are there still any close friends who remember her?"
There were many things she knew Old Chang knew, but right now, she was A Li, and she had to pretend not to know what Old Chang knew, and Old Chang had to act like he didn’t know… It was a bit convoluted, but that was the gist.
"There should be some…" Chang Kuo thought, "Apart from the Emperor, there are two people close to Her Highness. One is Duan Shi, the wife of the Marquis Zheng, who was her study companion."
"And the other?"
"The other was the Princess’s maid," Chang Kuo said. "She was by the Princess’s side from a young age and later accompanied her to Bei Di when she married. Before the Princess’s self-sacrifice for the country, she must have arranged for this maid’s escape. After our army’s victory, a soldier found her…”
This, in essence, was everything Chang Suining had pieced together recently—
She only knew that Yuxie was still alive. That was enough. It was what she had once hoped for, and what she still hoped to see now.
The living could provide her with answers.
Chang Suining waited silently for Chang Kuo to continue.
"Although she survived without major injuries, the combination of hiding in the cold wilderness for days and the shock of the Princess’s death… caused her to lose her mind somewhat."
"Lose her mind?" Chang Suining frowned.
Chang Kuo nodded, "She’s just a maid, so not many know the details. Out of respect for her years of service, the holy Emperor has arranged for her to stay at Princess Chongyue’s former residence. Due to her condition, she spends most of her time in a dazed state and hasn’t left in over ten years."
In a dazed state most of the time?
---
So, does this mean that there are moments of clarity?
As for this so-called foolishness, whether it is true or false is hard to say—holding such a secret and pretending to be foolish to avoid something is also a possibility.
"Why did you think to ask about the princess?"
"Speaking of the late crown prince, I thought of the princess."
There was a subtle hint of melancholy in Chang Kuo's tone as he said slowly, "The princess is indeed a person worthy of great respect."
Yet what she received during her life and after her death does not match what she gave.
He finally said, "On the day of the memorial, the wife of Marquis Zheng will likely go to the princess's residence to pay her respects... The holy Emperor could not let go of the princess, which is why the princess's residence has been preserved as it was, forbidding anyone to trespass on normal days. Only on the memorial anniversary is it permitted for the wife of Marquis Zheng, who was close to the princess during her lifetime, to go there to pay her respects."
Couldn’t let go?
Chang Suining lowered her eyes.
She couldn’t believe this statement.
It would be more believable to interpret it as an attempt to establish a reputation as a benevolent mother in front of the world.
As they spoke, they reached the fork in the road leading to the inner and outer courtyard. Chang Suining said, "Father, rest early," and then parted ways with Chang Kuo, walking towards her own courtyard with Xi’er.
Above the night sky, a full moon hung, not yet full.
Countless thoughts flashed through Chang Suining's mind, the clearest being that she must see Yu Xie.
She had a riddle in her heart that only Yu Xie could solve.
Everyone knows that twelve years ago, during the war between Da Sheng Dynasty and Bei Di, Princess Chongyue "somehow" managed to kill the Bei Di General.
People also know that after she brought the General's head out of the military tent, to avoid humiliation and to avoid being taken as a hostage, she committed suicide in front of the Bei Di army.
These are generally true.
But behind her suicide, there were other unknown circumstances—
At that time, during her fight with the Bei Di commander, she noticed something was wrong with her body—she had been poisoned.
And the only possibility she could think of was the cup of tea that the maid Yu Xie had brought her earlier.
Yu Xie was a trusted confidante of hers, and because she had already resolved to die at that time, it gave Yu Xie the opportunity.
If not for the poison taking effect, and having used the last bit of her strength to kill the Bei Di General, she would have insisted on taking down a few more with her; blood must be spilled, and not a single drop should be wasted.
She cared about her reputation, and since there was no chance to fight again, she chose a method of dying that she preferred. Compared to dying under the chaotic blades of those Bei Di people, suicide was clearly a better choice.
But she thought that after her death, the Bei Di people would not treat her corpse well.
She couldn’t care about the aftermath, only maintaining her dignity while alive.
As for her suspicion that Yu Xie had poisoned her, she was naturally clear about it.
This was evidently an attempt to prevent her from ever returning to Da Sheng Dynasty— and the one who needed this the most at that time was Ming Hou, who was just a step away from the dragon throne.
Even if the other party had promised to bring her back, those were merely words of authority used to appease children, just to be heard and nothing more.
But now Yu Xie was still alive, and well placed in the princess’s residence... If the poisoning truly was ordered by Ming Hou, why didn’t she clean up the loose ends?
It could also be explained that since everyone was dead, the truth would no longer be pursued. A foolish maid who had gone mad wouldn’t stir up any trouble, and being in the princess's residence was equivalent to being under house arrest. Everything was under control; it was better to keep her around to maintain the good name of the princess’s old associates—
But Chang Suining still felt a bit unsure.
It wasn’t that she still had illusions about Ming Hou, but rather that she must always maintain a minimum level of caution when seeking the truth.
Like blind trust, being lost in blind suspicion was also unwise.
Twelve years ago, who exactly wanted to poison her—the answer must lie with Yu Xie.
She had to find a way to meet Yu Xie.
Chang Suining turned her head and looked in the direction of Princess Chongyue’s old residence.
...
"General, I have something I don’t know whether I should say or not..."
The steward Bai, who accompanied Chang Kuo back, said cautiously.
"When did you learn to speak like that?" Chang Kuo glanced at him. "Say what you want."
steward Bai cleared his throat to ease the awkwardness: "It’s about the lady... I always feel that ever since she returned from Hezhou, her words, actions, and even her temperament have changed greatly."
Chang Kuo: "Isn’t that obvious? What daughter wouldn’t undergo a tremendous change when faced with such matters?"
"The reasoning is naturally so..." steward Bai thought for a moment and said, "But these days, I increasingly feel that the lady seems like a different person."
Chang Kuo suddenly laughed: "Do you still need to observe for so long?"
Bai was confused.
Chang Kuo sighed: "Ever since I saw this child again on the way back to the capital, I felt it even before she spoke. I knew she had suffered a head injury."
Bai was surprised: "You noticed the difference at first glance?"
Chang Kuo replied, "Yes, it really is as if she has become a completely different person, there’s no doubt about it."
"Then General..." steward Bai looked around, lowering his voice to the lowest it could be: "Have you ever considered the possibility that the lady is possessed?"
Chang Kuo shook his head: "I haven’t thought of that."
"Even if the General doesn’t believe in ghosts and spirits... but..."
"I don’t not believe in ghosts and spirits," Chang Kuo interrupted Bai’s words and said softly: "It’s just that although I feel Suining has changed greatly, there is a feeling that hasn’t changed—this child, no matter how much she has changed, still looks at me with the same eyes as family."
That kind of bond can only exist between family members; he wouldn’t mistake it.
After hearing this, steward Bai also smiled in relief: "That’s true. Listening to the General say this, I vaguely feel that although the lady has changed a lot, she has never made people feel strange."
"Yes." Chang Kuo raised his hand and stroked his beard, smiling: "No matter how much she changes, she is still family."
...
The next day, as evening approached.
At the entrance of the Cui family mansion in Anyi Lane, every quarter of an hour, a servant would return to report to Cui Lang.
"Still not back?" Cui Lang was a bit anxious.
At this time, a maid approached: "My lord, the birthday banquet is about to start. Madam urges you to hurry."
Cui Lang could only rush over first and, as expected, saw his father Cui Xing’s slightly displeased face.
(End of Chapter)
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