Chapter 165: Identity Exposed
"Shi'an, you seem quite surprised to see your uncle?"
He Xu squatted down in front of Xie Shi'an.
Xie Shi'an quickly glanced toward the crowd at the palace gate. More and more classmates attending the Imperial College were gathering, all curiously watching them.
In about fifteen minutes, the court officials would be dismissed, and the crowd would only grow larger.
His eyes flickered as he rapidly considered how to lead He Xu elsewhere.
"Young Master Xie, is this your uncle?"
The heir of Pingjin approached.
"Wait, this isn't Lord Yun. When did you gain such an uncle?"
Xie Shi'an remained unperturbed. "He's not my uncle. You must have misheard, Heir."
"What, Shi'an, are you ashamed of having an uncle like me?" He Xu laughed. "Of course, since you've already planned to have me eliminated, why would you acknowledge me as your blood uncle in public?"
The heir of Pingjin's face lit up with amusement. Excellent—there was drama to watch, and it involved Xie Shi'an no less. He wouldn't miss this for the world.
He promptly added, "Young Master Xie's mother is the legitimate daughter of the Yun family. His uncle is Lord Yun. What right does a coarse man like you have to claim kinship here?"
"Ha! Stop glorifying him!" He Xu turned to the surrounding onlookers. "He merely addresses the Xie family's matriarch as 'mother.' That doesn't mean he has any connection to the Yun family. He was born from Xie Jingyu's illicit affair with my younger sister before marriage. Calling him illegitimate would be too generous!"
Xie Shi'an abruptly seized He Xu's wrist. "Stop spouting nonsense here. Come with me—we'll talk somewhere else!"
"What, planning to lure me away and then kill me, is that it?" He Xu shoved him off and raised his voice. "Do you all know why Xie Shi'an wants me dead? Because I know his biggest secret! For his own selfish gain, he personally drove his birth mother to her death!!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
"Heavens, Xie Shi'an killed his own mother?"
"A woman carried him for ten months, gave him flesh and blood, and he cruelly murdered her?"
"He's so studious, so beloved by his teachers. I thought he was a gentleman, but he's worse than a beast!"
"Someone so devoid of conscience shouldn't be allowed to study at the Imperial College. He deserves to be drawn and quartered as a sacrifice to heaven!"
"..."
Scholars have always been critical of one another. Many students at the Imperial College had long resented Xie Shi'an for being the teachers' favorite. Now, they eagerly stepped forward to mock him.
Xie Shi'an took a deep breath, maintaining his composure. "Fellow students, I don't know this man. I have no idea who sent him. Perhaps I inadvertently offended someone, and they've dispatched him to slander me. All of you study under the great scholars of the Imperial College. I trust you can distinguish truth from falsehood. Innocence needs no defense—I'll say no more."
"Hahaha! Young Master Xie, you think too highly of yourself!" the heir of Pingjin sneered. "If you had offended me, I'd have dealt with you face to face. Why go through the trouble of hiring someone to frame you? This brave man's account is detailed and plausible. I suspect such a vile incident truly occurred. We should report this to the authorities and have it thoroughly investigated!"
He Xu continued, "Do you know why Xie Shi'an forced his mother to her death?"
Xie Shi'an's expression finally shifted.Only then did he truly realize that He Xu had come not merely to cause trouble, but to utterly destroy him.
He grabbed He Xu’s hand once more and whispered, “You bear the He surname. Do you understand what you’re destroying? Not just my future, but the last hope for the He family’s vindication! Think carefully before you speak!”
“As the sole remaining heir of the He family, I nearly died at the hands of my own dear nephew. What use do I have for vindication?” He Xu turned to the crowd. “Let me tell you why Xie Shi’an heartlessly murdered his own mother. It’s because my sister and I bear the He name—we are the direct descendants of Minister He, the former Minister of Revenue from over twenty years ago. To conceal his identity as the offspring of a disgraced official, he brutally killed his own mother!”
Those present were all students of the Imperial College, naturally scions of noble families. While they weren’t thoroughly versed in court affairs, they had heard whispers of such nationally significant events. The moment He Xu mentioned the He family, the crowd erupted in chaos.
“Minister He from twenty years ago—wasn’t he that corrupt old villain who nearly emptied the state treasury?”
“Back then, all male members of the He family over seven were executed. The young children and women were sent back to their ancestral home. This must be the young master of the He family from back then.”
“How would I know? I wasn’t even born then—I’ve never seen anyone from the He family.”
“If Xie Shi’an is truly the son of the He family’s legitimate daughter, then he carries the He bloodline. How could the descendant of a disgraced official enter the Imperial College?”
“Heavens! What was his purpose in infiltrating the Imperial College? Enduring humiliation to restore the He family? Even storybooks wouldn’t dare write such a plot!”
“He interacts with so many princes daily in the Imperial College. If he harbors malicious intent, the consequences are unthinkable!”
“The Imperial College isn’t far from the Imperial Study either. If he wanted to assassinate the Emperor, it wouldn’t be impossible…”
“Why didn’t the Chancellor’s Office investigate his background thoroughly…?”
Countless voices boiled around him.
Xie Shi’an’s head spun, and he nearly collapsed.
He Xu was utterly triumphant.
Although he was a descendant of a disgraced official, he had long been pardoned. Even if everyone knew he bore the He surname, it wouldn’t affect him.
In contrast, Xie Shi’an—this cold-blooded nephew of his—had clawed his way up, finally reaching the Imperial College. The identity of a disgraced official’s descendant would render all his years of effort futile!
“If you hadn’t tried to kill me, I wouldn’t have been forced to take such extreme measures!”
He Xu stared at Xie Shi’an, enunciating each word with vindictive pleasure.
He wanted to reveal more to the onlookers.
He remembered how, as a child, he was often surrounded by crowds like this, and whatever he said would be praised as clever.
For a moment, all eyes were on him, as if he had returned to his childhood…
But as soon as he opened his mouth, someone pulled him aside. Turning, he saw it was Chen Bo.
Chen Defu dragged him out of the crowd. “Although the Emperor hasn’t explicitly forbidden the He descendants from entering the capital, your sudden appearance in the imperial city might lead to your arrest. Let me take you somewhere to lay low for now.”
He Xu was filled with gratitude. “Chen Bo, you’ve always cared for me the most…”
Chen Defu hurried him into a carriage and swiftly departed from the palace gates.
The morning court session had ended, officials were leaving, and the crowd at the palace entrance grew larger and larger.
Countless voices exploded like thunder in his mind.Xie Shi'an didn't know how he had left the palace gates, nor did he know how he had made his way back to the Xie residence. The moment he stepped through the entrance, he stumbled and fell.
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