Chapter 412: Chapter 412: I Am Your Responsibility, You Cannot Evade It

His words truly startled Song Lianhe as well.

How could Zhou Cangyan be Zhou Yang’s son?

’Even though the original story didn’t have an ending, not a single word of this was revealed, right up until Zhou Cangyan was shot to death by a volley of arrows!’

’Is it as I guessed before? Has my arrival changed the course of everything... Or maybe, this was the truth all along.’

Zhou Ye was in agonizing pain. He lifted his head to look at Zhou Cangyan, gritted his teeth, and propped himself up to speak slowly. "Back then, after your mother, Luo Chaoyan, married into the Imperial Palace, she was named a Consort and was deeply favored by the late Emperor. But she had a cold personality and didn’t know how to please him... As time went on, she fell out of favor."

He took a deep breath. "The next time I heard news of her, it was that she had contracted a serious illness. The late Emperor issued a decree, confining her to the Consort Hall, claiming it was to prevent the sickness from spreading and forbidding anyone from visiting... In truth, she was already pregnant at the time, but the palace kept it a secret. Later, it was my own mother who let it slip. That’s how I learned that Min Zhaoyi wasn’t seriously ill at all—the late Emperor had discovered she was having an affair!"

Song Lianhe was secretly shocked. When she looked again at Zhou Cangyan, he didn’t show the slightest surprise.

’It seems he already knew.’

’And the man Luo Chaoyan had an affair with must be Zhou Yang.’

"The late Emperor hated her to the bone, but with all of Sui Bei behind her, he couldn’t openly punish her. So, he put her under house arrest, which gave rise to the story of a ’serious illness’."

Zhou Cangyan listened coldly, the tip of his sword resting on the ground. The knuckles of the hand gripping the hilt had turned a pale, bloodless white.

Zhou Ye looked at him, forcing a cold sneer despite his pain. "You must understand now, right? That man was Zhou Yang! I only investigated out of curiosity and discovered that ever since Min Zhaoyi entered the palace, she often met with Chun De, as they were close friends. This gave her the opportunity to interact with Zhou Yang! This is the Imperial Palace, after all. Who else could it have been but my dear second brother?"

Song Lianhe couldn’t help but shake her head. ’People in the Royal Family are all so cunning. ’Out of curiosity’? What a nice way to put it! He just wanted to find some dirt on them, no matter who it was.’

Standing behind Zhou Cangyan, Song Lianhe looked at his stiff back and felt a pang of heartache for him.

She gently reached out her hand and slipped it into his palm. He didn’t react at first, but a moment later, his fingers slowly tightened around hers.

Zhou Cangyan held her hand, the pad of his thumb caressing her palm.

"Not long after that, news came from the palace that Min Zhaoyi had passed away from her illness." Zhou Ye let out a weak, derisive laugh. "But how could something like that be hidden from me? ’Passed away from illness’? Nonsense! The late Emperor had her executed to protect his own son and preserve the Royal Family’s honor!"

Song Lianhe’s breath caught in her chest, and she immediately looked at Zhou Cangyan.

He remained perfectly calm.

’He had already investigated everything Zhou Ye said, down to the last detail.’

’His mother’s death was the shackle he carried, an unhealable wound in both his and his maternal grandfather’s hearts.’

’But at least this proved that Zhou Ye truly knew the inside story. He wasn’t lying.’

"...On the night you were born, there happened to be a strange celestial phenomenon. Those old fools from the Astronomical Bureau declared you an unlucky star and said you must be sent out of Ling’an immediately, forbidden to return before your twentieth year. Heh heh... This was all the late Emperor’s doing. He had already investigated thoroughly and knew you weren’t his Prince, but his Imperial Grandson! It was only because of your Royal Family blood that he didn’t kill you, but sent you away from Ling’an instead!"

At this, Zhou Ye burst into loud laughter.

He laughed at the late Emperor, at Zhou Yang, at all these ridiculous people!

"If I were you, I would have stormed Ling’an long ago to avenge my mother! How could you let Zhou Yang sit securely on his dragon throne? It shouldn’t just be him—the entire Zhou Family should be buried with your mother!"

The moment his words fell, Zhou Cangyan swung the flat of his sword again. Zhou Ye’s face immediately swelled up, and two bloody gashes appeared on his cheek from the edge of the blade.

He glared furiously at Zhou Cangyan. "You promised—"

Before he could finish, the sword struck again.

Zhou Ye collapsed, completely unconscious.

Looking at the man on the ground, Song Lianhe walked to Zhou Cangyan’s side, a little worried.

"Biwu, his words still need to be verified."

"I know."

Zhou Cangyan sheathed his sword with a calm expression and said slowly, "Don’t worry, I’m fine."

Turning around, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"So many years have passed. I no longer care who my biological father is. Just as Zhou Ye said, I only want to avenge my mother."

Just then, a figure suddenly materialized before them.

He moved so fast it was as if he had appeared in the blink of an eye.

"My Lord."

It was Xuan Qi.

Still dressed in an elegant long robe and holding a folding fan, he stepped forward and reported respectfully, "We have captured all the remnants of Nanchen. Prince Yongdong’s men are not yet aware."

Zhou Cangyan turned around. "Then why haven’t you sent Prince Yongdong back?"

Xuan Qi replied steadily, "Yes, my lord."

He then glanced at the surrounding Nanchen Death Warriors. In terms of sheer Combat Power, they were all quite high, easily top-tier among second-rate fighters. Any one of them could fight to the very last breath, the type to drag their opponent down with them even in death!

’Who would have thought a single packet of medicinal powder could take them all down?’

’Honestly, when he and his brothers saw it happen, they were both shocked and impressed.’

’If they had known, giving up martial arts for medicine might have been a good career path after all.’

"My Lord, what should be done with these men?"

Zhou Cangyan didn’t even glance their way, only giving a cool command, "They heard something they shouldn’t have."

Xuan Qi understood. "This subordinate will handle it."

Just as he was about to leave, Song Lianhe suddenly stopped him. After rummaging through her clothes for a moment, she found a bottle of medicine.

"Grind this into a powder, mix it with water, and feed it to them. After they fall asleep, pierce their Houchi acupoint. When they wake up, they won’t remember a thing. Then, send them back to Yan Jiayu. He’ll understand."

Xuan Qi paused, not taking the medicine immediately. Instead, he looked toward his lord.

Zhou Cangyan had his back to them. Although he said nothing, he had surely heard everything, yet he didn’t stop her.

Xuan Qi took the medicine. "This subordinate understands."

’Since they are Death Warriors, they were prepared to die the moment they were sent out.’

’If you could have killed them but instead returned them completely unharmed, the meaning would be entirely different.’

’For Yan Jiayu, at least, this was both a provocation and a deterrent. If he still insisted on getting involved, they would become mortal enemies.’

Zhou Cangyan glanced back at her, the corners of his lips tilting upward in a barely perceptible smile.

"Starting to scheme on my behalf, are we?"

Song Lianhe felt a little embarrassed. "It’s not scheming. I just didn’t want these men to lose their lives just like that."

Zhou Cangyan chuckled, not exposing her true intentions. "Yes, my Princess Consort has a kind heart."

"Of course!"

Worried he might be in a bad mood, she took his hand and started leading him down the small path.

Behind them, the men arranged by Xuan Qi followed at a respectful distance.

Song Lianhe tilted her head to look at him and comforted him softly, "Biwu, we can’t decide the path we came from, but we can choose the path we walk. Your life isn’t just about revenge; you still have so much to do. For example, Sui Bei. Your maternal grandfather is getting old, and this time he deployed troops without a decree for your sake. Emperor Cheng Xiao won’t let him off the hook for that! Aren’t these all problems you need to solve? And also..."

She turned back, her limpid eyes fixed on him. "There’s also me."

Song Lianhe took a step forward, wrapped her arms around his waist, and looked up at him. "I am your responsibility too. You’re not allowed to run from it."

Zhou Cangyan’s brown eyes narrowed. He swiftly wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"All of you, turn around."

The men following behind them spun around in a flash.

’See no evil.’

Zhou Cangyan tilted her chin up, his lips brushing against hers. Then he slowly let her go, raising a hand to gently tousle the top of her head. "I won’t run from it. I’ll bear it gladly."