The Glory

"Мiss, what yоu mеаn is..." Ji Lаn рondered thоughtfullу.

"She's hiding, cоnceаling hеrsеlf, nоt lеtting оthers discоver her existencе." Нan Yаn lowеrеd hеr hеad аnd tооk а siр of tеa. "That's whу shе delibеrately mаde her skills аppеаr сlumsу in а smаll villаge eаst оf the сitу, dоing mending wоrk to suррort her fаmilу."

"If that's thе case, wоuldn't it be better tо lеаve thе capitаl?" Shu Ноng loоkеd аt Наn Yаn.

Hаn Yаn smiled fаintly. "Еxaсtly, thаt's thе flаw."

For sоmеоnе who goes tо great lengths to hide thеir tracks, fleеing far awаy wоuld bе the bеst approach. Abi once worked in the Zhuang Prince's mansion in the capital. After being driven out, common sense would dictate that she should stay far away from this place of sorrow, especially after having her tongue cut out. Yet she stayed. And after staying, she hid herself. There's only one possibility—she simply couldn't leave.

"What kind of situation would make it impossible for her to leave the capital?" Han Yan intentionally asked her two maids. As her confidantes, from now on, she would gradually train them to become sharp-witted guards, capable of seeing the whole picture from just a glimpse.

"It's because someone has been watching her all along!" Ji Lan made this discovery and looked at Han Yan excitedly. Han Yan nodded at her in affirmation. Shu Hong said, "But after all these years, she still lives under an assumed name, which means she remains wary of whoever is watching her." She seemed puzzled. "But so much time has passed—it shouldn't be like this!"

Han Yan's gaze darkened. "That's exactly what worries me."

Ji Lan and Shu Hong exchanged a glance. Han Yan spoke slowly, "After all these years, Abi is still so fearful of the force watching her that she won't even tell us the truth." She lowered her eyes. "How terrifying that force must be."

Hearing Han Yan's words, both maids were startled. Han Yan had already foreseen this—the more terrifying the force behind the scenes, the more unfavorable it would be for their investigation into this past incident.

There was one more thing Han Yan didn't say aloud. To have spies deployed in the capital for so many years, preventing an ordinary maid from even leaving the city, and to have handled the Donghou Prince matter so discreetly that it never saw the light of day—there was one possibility: it could be someone from the royal family.

That was what Han Yan least wanted to see.

Dealing with the royal family was like bargaining with a tiger. Abi was so afraid, which suggested that the force back then was extremely cruel and vicious. If they discovered she was investigating the matter now, the consequences would likely be...

But did that force even know she might be the daughter of the Donghou Prince?

At this moment, Han Yan suddenly wanted very much to know everything about the Donghou Prince—that legendary prince's mansion that vanished in flames, that extraordinary man who might be her father.

"Sister!" A sudden call came from outside the door. It was Zhuang Hanming rushing in hurriedly. Seeing Han Yan, he didn't even bother to sit down for tea, panting as he said, "I heard the Xuan Qing Prince wants to marry you as his princess consort. Is it true?"

Han Yan pulled him to sit down. "Of course it's true."

Zhuang Hanming then said regretfully, "I only found out now. I'm truly sorry, Sister." He looked at Han Yan. "Have you met the Xuan Qing Prince... do... do you like him?"Han Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "What does it matter whether I like it or not? The Emperor has personally bestowed this marriage. Do I have the right to say I don’t like it?"

Zhuang Hanming excitedly grasped her hand. "If you don’t like it, you naturally shouldn’t marry." He looked at Han Yan, tears welling up in his eyes. "I only have one sister. If you don’t live well..."

Han Yan felt a warmth in her heart and comforted him, "How could I not live well? The Xuan Qing Prince is taking me back to be his princess consort. From now on, I will be noble and honored, and no one will dare bully us again." After a pause, she added, "And that person is also very good—accomplished at a young age, handsome, of noble status, and skilled in both literary and martial arts." This was the first time she had praised Fu Yunxi to someone else, and Han Yan felt a bit awkward. However, the more she spoke, the less confident she became. This person’s qualities seemed truly outstanding. Having such an excellent person as her husband made her ponder deeply.

Seeing Han Yan drift into thought as she spoke, Zhuang Hanming quickly called out to her, pouting. "I’ve never heard you praise someone like this before, but hearing you say this, I feel reassured."

Listening to his deliberately mature tone, Han Yan couldn’t help but be amused. "Don’t talk about me. What about you? How has your martial arts training been at the martial arts school these days?"

A few days earlier, Zhuang Hanming had begun training at the Shunchang Martial Arts School under Yang Qi. At first, Han Yan had worried whether Yang Qi would accept Zhuang Hanming as a disciple. Fortunately, to her delight, Yang Qi said Hanming had a natural talent for martial arts and happily took him on as a student. Every day after leaving the Imperial College, Zhuang Hanming would go to the Shunchang Martial Arts School to practice martial arts for an hour. Since this was kept secret from Zhuang Shiyang, he didn’t dare stay too long. With such limited time, Zhuang Hanming seized every opportunity to learn, carefully memorizing the moves in his mind and practicing them secretly back at the residence.

Zhuang Hanming immediately made a pained face. "My master is extremely strict with me." As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves to show Han Yan the bruises on his body. "Every day, my body aches all over."

Han Yan patted his head. "Endure hardship to rise above others. Don’t you want to become a great general? If you can’t endure a little hardship now, how will you achieve great things in the future?"

Zhuang Hanming immediately clenched his fists. "Of course! A true man isn’t afraid of a little pain like this." Then he looked at Han Yan. "I heard that prince was once a general too. If I have the chance in the future, I’ll definitely ask him for a few pointers."

His words were so bold that Han Yan couldn’t help but glare at him. She wondered what expression Fu Yunxi would make if he knew a little kid was challenging him.

"By the way, sis," Zhuang Hanming said, "that Zhang Wei has been trying to get close to me lately... He even said he wants to go drinking with me."

Han Yan was startled. Indeed! In the past, she hadn’t known about Zhang Wei’s interactions with Zhuang Hanming, but she knew that not long after, the incident at the brothel occurred. Now she understood—Zhuang Hanming’s entanglement in a lawsuit in his previous life, his unjust imprisonment, and his eventual fatal illness were all part of a carefully orchestrated scheme. Zhang Wei had already set everything in motion at this point.

Very well. In this life, she would make sure those who harmed her Ming’er paid the price!

"Just ignore him," Han Yan said. "If he insists on dragging you along, now that you’ve learned martial arts, you can fight him without holding back. If anything happens and Father blames you, I’ll take care of everything."Zhuang Hanming earnestly took Han Yan's words to heart and nodded.

Perhaps due to the news that Fu Yunxi intended to marry her, the Zhou Sisters had actually quieted down considerably these past few days. Zhuangshan only occasionally ran into Han Yan and mocked her with a few remarks. On the other hand, Concubine Mei sent over a large pile of gifts, her face full of flattery.

Han Yan had no desire to break off relations with her for now, so the two still maintained their cooperative relationship. These days, she had been visiting Chai Jing's place even more frequently.