Chapter 32: Old Affairs, Intrigue in the Chancellor’s Residence

Luo Qianfan and Luo Yi tidied up the room briefly before standing before the window, gazing blankly at a pot of flowers and plants.

Approaching them, they examined the plants with care.

"I never expected this plant to be so resilient. Even after everyone has scattered, it still blooms so vigorously." As Luo Qianfan lowered her eyes to look at the stems, her gaze was caught by a scrap of fabric hidden within the soil.

"Hmm? What is this?" Her fair, slender fingers gave a gentle tug, and the scrap fell into her palm.

Luo Yi was taken aback; she had not realized there was a secret hidden here.

As the fabric was unfolded, lines of dense, cramped writing were reflected in Luo Qianfan's eyes. Her pupils constricted.

"This... how is this possible?"

……

In a dark alley, several figures arrived one after another; they were the same group that had been tailing Luo Qianfan and her companion.

Yan Mojue looked at the familiar faces before him, his presence naturally imposing. "You were following me!" Though phrased as a question, there was an undercurrent of turbulence beneath his words.

"Your Highness, please forgive us. Feiling was only worried for your safety, which is why..." The woman called Feiling looked terrified, unsure of what else to say.

"Worried for my safety? Since when did you learn to use that excuse?" Yan Mojue’s voice carried a trace of anger; he despised being followed above all else.

"Your Highness, Feiling was only acting out of concern and was momentarily confused. Please, Your Highness, forgive her," another man implored.

"All of you, go back. And from now on, do not stay by my side! This is my final warning: do not follow me." The man’s voice in the night was like a lost spirit—elusive, yet strangely captivating.

Feiling stared in disbelief at Yan Mojue’s handsome, chiseled face. She opened her mouth several times, but could find no words.

Your Highness!

Before she could react, her companion had already grabbed her and swept away into the darkness!

……

Seeing the look of disbelief on Luo Qianfan’s face, Luo Yi stepped forward. "Young Mistress, what is it?"

Luo Qianfan handed the scrap to Luo Yi. Upon reading the words, Luo Yi’s heart trembled violently, her shock no less than Luo Qianfan’s.

She had never imagined that the Young Mistress’s origins were so fraught with hardship!

She looked at Luo Qianfan with concern; the information on the scrap was difficult for her to process.

Luo Qianfan herself was also bewildered. She had believed she was alone in this world, but to discover that her birth mother was still alive—waiting for her somewhere—stirred a faint, unexpected tether in her heart.

This letter was written to her by the woman known as Mother Yue. The letter stated that Yue was near death and believed that one day, Luo Qianfan would return.

She revealed to Luo Qianfan that she was not her biological mother, but rather the personal maid of her true mother, Luo Wankong.

Years ago, when Luo Wankong was found to be pregnant, it was considered a family disgrace. The clan elders, fearing the Mu family would call off the marriage if they discovered the truth, plotted to terminate the pregnancy. Yue happened to overhear them, and after learning of the plan, Luo Wankong decided to flee.

The two escaped together, eventually arriving in the region of the Fengyue Kingdom, where Luo Qianfan was born.

Realizing they could not escape while burdened by an infant, Luo Wankong begged Yue to take the newborn Luo Qianfan and flee first, promising to catch up later.

But the members of the Luo clan arrived with terrifying speed. Luo Wankong was captured and dragged back, locked away in her home and forbidden from stepping out even a single step.

The naive Yue, having escaped with the newborn, eventually encountered the suave and charming Luo Jingsong.

At the time, he did not look down on Yue’s humble status; instead, he invited her to stay at his manor. Simple-minded and unable to support the child on her own, Yue accepted his help.

However, Luo Jingsong had no intention of helping her; he merely found her attractive and wished to possess her. One night while intoxicated, he forced himself upon her.

The servants of the Luo household looked down on her, and the head mistress bullied her both openly and in secret. The man who had once claimed to care for her remained indifferent.

Within a few years, as the manor welcomed new concubines, Luo Jingsong ceased to visit her, as if he had forgotten her existence entirely. Luo Qianfan, too, was treated with disdain.

Yue’s health withered year by year. The year Luo Qianfan was sent away, Yue was critically ill. By the time she regained consciousness, she was told that Luo Qianfan had been sent away by an imperial decree. Overcome with grief and rage, Yue passed away just a few days later.

She had written this letter while on her deathbed.

Knowing her time was short and that there was no news of her mistress, she felt helpless yet desperate to see them reunited. She wrote this letter, praying to the heavens that they might one day recognize one another.

Luo Qianfan felt a wave of emotion.

She had not expected the original Luo Qianfan’s background to be so riddled with drama, one layer after another. If the mother was not her biological one, then the father certainly wasn't either. She wondered who her real father was.

The Luo clan? It certainly could not be Luo Jingsong!

But in the Nine Prefectures and Six Kingdoms, she had never heard of a prominent family named Luo. Could it be a hidden clan?

Since she now knew her origins, she had to uncover the truth.

Whether for her own sake, for the sake of the late Luo Qianfan, or for the distant Luo Wankong, she had to find out what had happened all those years ago.

It was hard to believe the original Luo Qianfan had lived in such an environment. No wonder the father disliked her—she wasn't even his own flesh and blood. But surely, someone should have used that to mock and shame her? Why hadn't that happened?

Questions swirled in Luo Qianfan’s mind, piquing her curiosity.

It seemed this trip had been well worth it!

Just then, a mocking voice rang out.

"I never thought you’d turn out not to be a good-for-nothing after all." Luo Xiang’er stood outside the door, chin held high, surrounded by a crowd of maids.

She had brought so many people this time to show them that she was superior to Luo Qianfan, intending to stomp her into the dirt so that she would never recover.

She believed that a disgraced Luo Qianfan could never make any waves again.

Luo Xiang’er had been practicing her zither, preparing to shine at the annual palace banquet and make a proper name for herself. But just as she reached the crucial moment, Cai’er appeared, trembling with fear, to tell her that Luo Qianfan had returned.

How bold of you, Luo Qianfan!

Hearing the noisy commotion outside, Luo Qianfan curled her crimson lips into a bewitching smile.

"I never imagined my sixth sister missed me so much that she would rush to see me on my first day back at the manor. I am truly honored, third sister!"

A crisp, clear voice echoed from within the room.

Luo Xiang’er squinted. As she stepped forward, the door creaked open to reveal Luo Qianfan, standing there with an air of nonchalance and ease. She looked down at the intruders with an aloof, superior gaze.

"Hmph, clowns," Luo Qianfan sneered.

Luo Xiang’er looked at the familiar yet strangely different face in disbelief.

"You... you just returned from the countryside. How could you..." How could you be this beautiful? Luo Xiang’er choked on the final words.

Seeing Luo Qianfan’s stunning appearance, Luo Xiang’er’s complexion turned ghastly.

"You are not Luo Qianfan!" Her eyes were filled with venomous malice as she stared at her, as if trying to find a flaw in her facade.

One second passed, then two...

Luo Qianfan’s expression remained unchanged, the smile on her face only deepening.

Luo Xiang’er’s heart skipped a beat, and she fell into a state of panic.

Luo Qianfan absorbed the shock in Luo Xiang’er’s eyes, glancing at her with a haughty, condescending smirk.

"Who says one can only thrive in the Prime Minister’s manor? Mother Wang treated me very well these past few years, providing me with fine food and drink. Plus, I am naturally gifted and intelligent; my foundation has improved by leaps and bounds. What, is that not allowed?"

Watching Luo Xiang’er’s stiff face, Luo Qianfan’s gaze became even more radiant.

"You say I am not Luo Qianfan—could it be that you know where the real one is? Or perhaps you..." Luo Qianfan drew out the end of her sentence, only to be interrupted by Luo Xiang’er.

"How would I know where she is? What nonsense are you spouting?"

Luo Xiang’er rushed to cut her off, feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt.

She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth.

The speaker may have been careless, but the listeners were attentive. Those who had followed Luo Xiang’er—not just her personal maids, but servants from other mistresses' quarters and even some of Luo Jingsong’s men—all heard the implication. Even those with a modicum of wit could sense the foul play, though they simply exchanged glances without speaking.

Internally, however, they were already calculating how to use this information to their own advantage.

Luo Xiang’er had truly tried to steal a chicken only to lose her rice. She had failed to teach Luo Qianfan a lesson and had instead exposed her own dirty deeds.

Luo Xiang’er had completely lost her composure.

It can't be! It’s impossible!

How could Luo Qianfan know so much?

Luo Xiang’er had once sent men to kill Luo Qianfan, and when they reported that the deed was done, she had secretly rejoiced.

But not long ago, Mother Wang had sent word that Luo Qianfan had returned. At the time, she assumed the girl appearing now was an imposter and had cleverly planned to expose her—but now...

Luo Xiang’er grew more frantic the more she thought about it. As for Luo Qianfan’s claim that Mother Wang had treated her kindly, that was even more impossible. Mother Wang had long been bought by Luo Yuhuan, and given the depth of Luo Yuhuan’s hatred, how could she have possibly spared her?

Luo Xiang’er clenched her fingers involuntarily. Seeing Luo Qianfan, her eyes filled with a mix of awe and jealousy. If she could, she would have rushed forward to carve up that smiling face with a blade.

Driven by mounting envy, she suddenly drew a dagger from her waist and lunged at Luo Qianfan.

To Luo Qianfan, the cold, sharp blade felt as soft as cotton. Without her even needing to lift a finger, Luo Yi caught the tip of the knife and snapped it in two with a forceful twist.

Luo Xiang’er was flung aside, crashing hard to the ground; the sharp pain told her she was not lightly injured.

A brief, cold silence followed.