Yu Wan continued, “There’s another important reason why I’m so bold. That’s because my father is a marquis of the Great Zhou Dynasty and a fierce general guarding the border! As the saying goes, like father like son, like mother like daughter. My father grew up in the countryside, but he has such ability. Isn’t it because he has the blood of the God of War flowing in him?”
These words were true and false. They were both emotional and logical. No one could find any fault with them.
The attendant had been in the Helian family for many years and had served the General well, but the information he should have should not be careless. Was what this woman said true? If it was true, why didn’t he know? But it didn’t look like it was fake either. The attendant was confused by Yu Wan.
Helian Beiming said unhurriedly, “All of you, stand down.”
“Yes.” The attendant accepted the order and retreated ten feet away with the guards. Someone also forcefully carried the Gu Master out.
“My Grandma doesn’t have to leave!” Yu Wan said. If the old man was carried around by a group of sacrificial soldiers who did not know the severity of the situation, it would be unknown if he would die in the end.
Helian Beiming did not mind the old man. The old man was as calm as a bell, which was eye-catching. However, Helian Beiming’s attention was not on him. Helian Beiming looked at Yu Wan.
Although his figure was not as powerful as Xiao Zhenting’s, he was still burly and muscular. Even though he was sitting in a wheelchair, he still had the aura of a powerful army. Ordinary people would be defeated by his aura.
Yu Wan did not. Her eyes were as clear as water, and she was calm and collected from the beginning to the end. The night wind blew against her hair, and her black hair fluttered. Her skirt fluttered, making her look like a fairy in the forest.
Helian Beiming said with a dangerous gaze, “My brother has long died prematurely. I buried him myself. My mother insisted on seeing him one last time. But because it was too tragic to look at, I lied that there was no corpse left.”
A thousand curses surged through Yu Wan’s heart.
That was thirty-five years ago. Helian Beiming had just become a slightly sensible child. His mother gave birth to his brother in the fief of West City. She originally planned to leave for the Imperial Capital after his brother was a month old, but the carriage malfunctioned halfway and his brother fell off the cliff when they overturned. His mother was caught by the guards in time, but his brother unfortunately fell to his death.
At that time, he was on his way to West City with his father to welcome his mother and brother. After hearing the bad news, he went to the bottom of the mountain with his father. He was the one who found his brother’s corpse. He had personally buried his brother.
Helian Beiming said, “However, because I lied that there was no corpse left, some rumors spread. Among them was the nonsense of my brother still being alive. My mother believed it, so she thought that her youngest son was not dead.”
Yu Wan was stunned. “Then… hasn’t Old Madam been looking for him?”
“That’s right,” Helian Beiming said.
“This is too cruel…” Accepting the news of death was only a momentary pain in the heart, but enduring the separation of the mother and son for the rest of her life was like frying her heart in a pot of oil.
Helian Beiming had not mentioned these things to anyone for a long time. He looked at the endless colors, and his eyes became deep and distant. “My father could not bear to see her continue to suffer, so he told her the truth. In the end, she went crazy.”
Yu Wan was speechless.
Helian Beiming said, “She can’t accept my brother’s death. She would rather think he was still alive, and suffer the pain of separation day and night.”
“What happened after that?” Yu Wan asked.
Helian Beiming said expressionlessly, “After that, she forgot what my father said and only remembered that my brother had fallen without his corpse being found. All these years, I’ve found many ‘young brothers’ for her, but she saw through them.”
Yu Wan was not stupid after all. He either wanted to kill them or plan to put them in an important position by telling them such an important secret.
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After thinking about it, she raised her head and said, “Grand General, do you want me to try to pretend to be your brother’s… descendant?”
Helian Beiming did not refuse. “Whether you can live depends on my mother. If she acknowledges you, all of you can live. If she sees through you, you’ll be imprisoned.”
Yu Wan’s eyes darted around. “The punishment for assassinating a Gu Master is…”
“The death penalty.”
Yu Wan shut up. Oh, how terrifying.
Helian Beiming’s guards had returned. No one knew what the General had said to a little girl who had suddenly rushed out to acknowledge her family, but the General had instructed them to bring the little girl’s family over. At least for the time being, the General did not plan to pursue the crime of assassinating Gu master.
Fei Luo’s corpse was found, and the unconscious guards of the Queen Manor were also discovered by them.
The attendant said awkwardly, “Grand General… they’re too bold. They actually provoked the Queen Manor. If the Queen Manor investigates…”
Helian Beiming said indifferently, “If Old Madam acknowledges her, my Helian family will protect her!” On the contrary, if the Old Madam felt that this girl was not her biological granddaughter, then Helian Beiming would be very happy to send these murderers to the Queen Manor.
Helian Beiming did not ask about the identities, backgrounds, and true motives of those people who enter Nanzhao. This was because if Old Madam did not acknowledge that girl, they would be dead, and he, Helian Beiming, would not be interested in information about a group of dead people.
The attendant said to Yu Wan, “My surname is Yu, and my name is Gang. I’m the general’s attendant. If Mrs. Yan has any problems in the future, you can look for me.”
“Yu Gang?” Yu Wan raised her eyebrows. Why would anyone have such a strange name? [Note: The pronunciation of the fish tank in Chinese is Yu Gang.]
The team set off again. The Gu Master was abandoned by Helian Beiming’s guards.
“Hey! How did this happen? Don’t leave me behind!”
“Grand General! I’m a Gu Master!”
“I’m a Gu Master invited by the Yue family to the Capital!”
“Don’t leave me behind—”
“In the wilderness. I’ll die—”
However, no one cared about his cries. His voice gradually disappeared into the night.
Jiang Hai and the other two had internal injuries and were not suitable to drive the carriage. Helian Beiming’s attendant had arranged for a few guards to be the coachman. Yu Wan was sitting in the carriage with Old Cui and the old man, and Jiang Hai and the other two were also there. The atmosphere was a little strange.
Yu Wan asked resentfully, “What’s the chance of us successfully escaping?”
Everyone looked at her—None.
Yu Wan : “…” Alright, then they could only brace themselves and go to the General Manor.
“Speaking of which, does Helian Beiming know that Helian Qi’s death is related to us?” It was Qing Yan who asked.
Strictly speaking, Helian Qi died in the hands of Yan Jiuchao. It was related to Yu Wan, Jiang Hai, and not much to the Ghost Clan. However, at some point, he had already placed them in the same camp. When Yue Gou and the old man heard this, they did not refute.
Yu Wan thought for a while and said, “I don’t know for the time being, but I shouldn’t be able to hide it for long.”
“It’s fine,” Qing Yan said. “Helian Qi is only Helian Beiming’s cousin, but Old Madam is his biological mother. He has a balance in his heart.”
They were carrying the crime of infiltrating Nanzhao, assassinating a Gu Master, offending the Queen Manor, and killing Helian Qi. No matter how one looked at it, they were going to die. The Old Madam was their only chance of survival. They had to win her favor. Otherwise, not to mention Yan Jiuchao’s medicinal primer, their lives would be over.
As they spoke, Yu Wan suddenly felt her body burning.
Jiang Hai noticed her gradually flushed face and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Yu Wan shook her head. “No.”
She just felt hot. Her heart was hot. Everything was hot. It seemed that she had this reaction after her Gu worm ate a full meal. However, at that time, she did not notice it much because her life was on the line. Now that she was in the mood to care about her body, she could not suppress it anymore.
“I-I’ll go back to my carriage first.” Yu Wan alighted as if she was escaping.
The old man saw through it but did not expose her. The remaining people looked at each other, not understanding what was wrong with Yu Wan.
In the carriage, Fu Ling and Zi Su guarded Yan Jiuchao. Seeing Yu Wan come up, the two of them bowed. “Madam.” Since her cross-dressing had been exposed, she decided not to pretend anymore. However, she still could not call out the identity of the Princely Heir and the Princely Heir Consort.
Yu Wan looked at the sleeping Yan Jiuchao and her throat moved. “Leave this to me. Go back to your carriage.”
“Yes.” The two of them alighted.
… .
Tonight’s plan was originally flawless. Yu Wan never expected that General Helian would appear halfway. However, even so, Yu Wan had made two preparations. She first let Yan Jiuchao take the medicine and sleep, then let Fu Ling and Zi Su guard him. If the plan succeeded, he would wake up at dawn. If the plan failed, the two of them could escape with him.
Of course, the plan succeeded in the end, but Helian Beiming caught them. Before the Old Madam saw through them, their days were relatively comfortable. At least they did not suffer any grievances along the way.
The guards in the Imperial Capital were tighter than in any city. Yu Wan did not doubt that if they still followed that Gu Master Yu, they would be stopped at the city gate, but they would not be stopped if they followed Helian Beiming.
All the guards stood respectfully on both sides. No one dared to check Helian Beiming’s team, so the group entered the Imperial Capital without any obstructions.
On the way here, Yu Wan had done her homework. She had asked Helian Beiming’s attendant, Yu Gang, about many of Old Madam’s taboos and preferences. She found out that Old Madam’s spirits were sometimes good and sometimes bad. Usually, she was no different from other elders. When she was abnormal, she would be crazy and say crazy things when she caught someone.
Yu Wan nodded and asked, “Then under what circumstances did my grandmother meet those people pretending to be my father?”
Yu Gang : “…”
Aren’t you getting too involved?
