Suspicion

When Wen Chan went to pay her respects to the Emperor, he indeed did not have Xu Yingluo by his side, likely feeling a bit awkward in front of his daughter. Although having three palaces and six courtyards was perfectly normal for the Imperial Family, for some reason the Emperor was a little intimidated by Wen Chan in this regard. Perhaps it was a faint guilt towards the late empress, or perhaps it was because Wen Chan had dealt with Noble Consort Fu's nephews as soon as she returned to the palace, an incident that had left too deep a shadow in his heart.

Wen Chan was now as slippery as a loach and would certainly not cause the Emperor to lose face. She properly paid her respects and offered thanks for his rewards, implicitly and tactfully advising him to rest more and take care of his health. Finally, she began to discuss recent official matters in a clear and organized manner. The Emperor found it tedious after hearing just two items and waved his hand, saying, "With you and Minister Yuan to share my worries, I can rest assured. It's rare to be out of the capital. Don't always coop yourself up in your room. The scenery at the temporary palace is quite nice. When you have free time, come over... for a stroll."

The latter half of his sentence was a bit hesitant. Wen Chan guessed that he had subconsciously wanted to say "accompany me for a stroll," but now that there was someone else he would rather have accompany him, he had forcefully swallowed those two words.

She pretended not to have heard, smiled faintly, and said softly, "Thank you, Father Emperor, for your consideration. Your daughter understands."

Her understanding made the Emperor feel rather uncomfortable. However, the guilt only pricked him for a short while. As soon as he saw the flower-like, moon-like Xu Yingluo, he cast the sting completely to the back of his mind and wholeheartedly sank into her gentle embrace.

The imperial entourage stayed at the temporary palace for several days, during which the Emperor and Xu Yingluo were inseparable. Upon arriving at Duanhua Palace in Pingjing, Xu Yingluo was immediately granted the title of Consort. Her brother, Xu Wei, was appointed Director of the Imperial Music Bureau. Although Xu Zhaoyun's official position did not change, the palace bestowed upon him large quantities of gold, silver, and brocade, clearly acknowledging his status.

The Xu Clan became the talk of Pingjing overnight. Other gentry and officials were envious and tempted to follow suit, searching for beautiful women by all means and sending them into the palace under various pretexts. Unfortunately, no matter how clever the newcomers were, the Emperor's heart had already been firmly captured by Xu Yingluo.

Meanwhile, Yuan Shuye had sent people to investigate the Xu family's background and had indeed uncovered some irregularities. The siblings' biological father was Meng Wenqiong, a son from the third branch of the Meng Clan of Pingjing. He originally had a secret affair with an embroiderer from his household, Lady Song, and fearing that his family would not tolerate it, he kept her outside. Later, his affection faded. After Lady Song gave birth to a son and a daughter for him, she, having nowhere else to turn, came to his door to ask for a proper status. But Meng Wenqiong was in the middle of marriage negotiations with the Ye Clan of Jingu and did not want to stir up trouble, so he threw Lady Song and her children out, never again asking about their whereabouts.

Not long ago, news of the Emperor's visit to Pingjing spread through the city, and all the major families were secretly pondering how to make an impression on His Majesty. Meng Wenqiong heard a rumor from somewhere that Lady Song and her children were being raised in Xu Zhaoyun's manor, and that the daughter he had abandoned had now grown into a devastatingly beautiful woman. Xu Zhaoyun was planning to send her into the palace to become a consort. Once this woman gained favor, she would become a phoenix rising from the ashes, and her parents and brothers would ascend to heaven along with her.

For all these years, Meng Wenqiong had not amounted to much. He relied on the savings of his and his wife's families to run a business locally, making him a wealthy merchant with some surplus assets, but he was nothing compared to his brothers who had become officials. Upon suddenly hearing this news, his first reaction was immense regret, hating himself for his past impulsiveness and for only caring about petty, immediate gains. However, this was immediately followed by the thought that he was Xu Yingluo's biological father. Nothing in the world was more important than blood ties. A daughter's glory should be enjoyed by her father. Could he really just stand by and watch Xu Zhaoyun pluck his fruit?

However, Xu Zhaoyun was, after all, the Prefect of Pingjing, the local official. Meng Wenqiong stood no chance against him in a direct confrontation. Thus, he resorted to a clandestine approach, managing to bribe a servant in the prefect's manor. He first met with Lady Song, pouring his heart out to her with great sorrow, fawning over her, repenting and admitting his faults in every way possible, and promising to bring her home as his legitimate wife. He also said that the children could not be without a father and that the most important thing was for them to acknowledge their ancestors and return to the clan, asking her to bring their son and daughter home as well.

Lady Song had always been merely a guest in Xu Zhaoyun's manor, with no official status or title. Her entire worth was staked on her children, and she always felt insecure in her heart. Hearing Meng Wenqiong's honeyed words, she was actually somewhat moved. But being of a weak and indecisive nature, she did not dare to agree on her own and said she needed to go back and discuss it with her children. Meng Wenqiong then managed to prepare lavish gifts and asked her to pass them on to Xu Yingluo and Xu Wei, hoping they would put in a good word for him.

Unlike her mother, Xu Yingluo understood the stakes. After hearing Lady Song out, she immediately took the items and Meng Wenqiong's letter to find Xu Zhaoyun. She told him the whole story truthfully and said, "If not for foster father's rescue back then, I would still be trapped in a life of hardship. This daughter only recognizes the name 'Xu' and only considers herself a member of the Xu family."

Meng Wenqiong's sudden move caught Xu Zhaoyun completely off guard, but thankfully Xu Yingluo was clear-headed. Xu Zhaoyun had hidden the siblings very well these past few years. The background of his foster son and daughter, especially his plans for them, were known only to a few trusted confidants. Amid his shock and relief, he could not figure out how the news had leaked. But since Meng Wenqiong was already eager to make a move, he feared that waiting until the imperial entourage arrived in Pingjing would invite trouble. So, he made a swift decision to first send Xu Yingluo and her brother to the Luochang Imperial Villa.

Hearing this, Wen Chan asked sincerely, "Prefect Xu is such a meticulous person, he shouldn't have made such a mistake. Where did Meng Wenqiong get his information? And at this specific juncture, could it really be a coincidence?"

Yuan Shuye stroked his beard a couple of times and explained calmly, "The ways of the world are unpredictable. Perhaps it was just a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse. Besides, both families are in Pingjing. They're bound to run into each other. I'm afraid nothing can be hidden for long."

Wen Chan met the old fox's eyes and knew he was hiding something more, probably the key detail. She wouldn't get it by asking, and he wasn't generous enough to share such an important piece of leverage with Wen Chan.

"Whether it's a coincidence or intentional, Consort Xu has already caught His Majesty's eye. Prefect Xu's goal is achieved. Any attempt by the Meng Family to obstruct this is futile." She looked at Yuan Shuye for confirmation. "Right?"

Yuan Shuye nodded in agreement. "Your Highness is right."

One had to interpret this old fox's words in reverse. His ready agreement meant that the Meng Family was still up to something.

In her past life, Xu Yingluo had entered the palace smoothly. The Meng Family was likely among the last to find out. Probably daunted by Xu Zhaoyun's power, they hadn't stirred up any trouble, only spread the story around. Wen Chan remembered a period when people in the palace privately discussed Xu Yingluo's background, but as her imperial favor grew and her rank rose higher and higher, the rumors gradually faded into silence.

The only thing that remained unclear now was the origin of the force pushing things from behind the scenes. Using Meng Wenqiong to obstruct Xu Yingluo's entry into the palace was indeed a move precise enough to be disgusting. But Xu Zhaoyun had kept it such a tight secret. Who could have known his plans in advance and used that knowledge as bait to hook Meng Wenqiong?

'I could.'

An incredible thought suddenly surfaced in Wen Chan's mind: If I were the mastermind, then this whole setup would make sense.

A reincarnator who knew future events in advance could possibly lay out such a plan. It would be feasible for Pei Rusong, but what if it was... Xiang Guihai?

During the wedding assassination attempt, Wen Chan had always suspected that Xiang Guihai was also a reincarnator. She had people watch his movements in Tangshan, and his various actions seemed to subtly confirm her suspicions. Yet, one point remained doubtful—Xiang Guihai was currently just a border commandery commander. How did he have the ability to place assassins in the Capital City? Who helped him complete this plan?

If this affair in Pingjing was also Xiang Guihai's doing, it made even less sense. In the past, he was an official who had befriended Xu Wei and stood with the Prince of Jin's faction. Not only was there no enmity between them, they were allies. If Xiang Guihai wanted to make a comeback, he might even need the Xu Family's power. It was impossible for him to obstruct Xu Yingluo from entering the palace.

Stepping back from the incident itself and looking down from a higher perspective, Xu Yingluo entering the palace ahead of schedule had a striking similarity to the wedding assassination: without the intervention of the two reincarnators, Wen Chan and Pei Rusong, an event that should have developed in the same way as in the past life took a different turn. And following the clues, one vine led to Xiang Guihai, while the other led to Meng Wenqiong.

It couldn't be that both of them were also reincarnators. If reincarnation were that common, then everyone might as well stop fighting, hold hands, and lie down to wait for the next round to begin.

The only possibility was that both Xiang Guihai and Meng Wenqiong were the "real person's" smokescreen, a cicada's shell used to divert attention.

And the natural enemy the real cicada wanted to guard against was Wen Chan.

Whether it was the original Wen Chan or the "suspected reincarnator" Wen Chan, the first priority was to eliminate her. Failing that, the second-best option was to support her enemies to strike at her—

So he made Meng Wenqiong appear, not to obstruct Xu Zhaoyun's plan, but to indirectly advance Xu Yingluo's entry into the palace, fearing that Wen Chan would completely cut off Xu Yingluo's path of advancement after arriving in Pingjing.

The person hiding under layers of cicada shells, who could it be?

Wen Chan's enemies from her past life could fill an entire page. To name a few, there were the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Yue, Xu Wei, Xiang Guihai, Yuan Shuye... But among them, besides Xiang Guihai, none of the others seemed to be reincarnators.

Wen Chan had a groundless intuition that the person was not in a border commandery, but must be somewhere very close to her.

She buried this matter deep in her heart, not even telling Pei Rusong. She sent people to secretly track Meng Wenqiong's movements. Who would have known that after a few days, Meng Wenqiong would suddenly have a massive, unforeseen breakdown.

He ran to the Dengwen Drum in Pingjing and beat it to announce his grievance, accusing the Prefect of Pingjing, Xu Zhaoyun, of stealing his wife. He claimed to be the biological father of Xu Wei and Consort Xu, and demanded that the Emperor uphold justice for him and allow him to reclaim his wife and children.

The entire city was in an uproar. Wen Chan was stunned.

This Meng Wenqiong either didn't act, or when he did, it was with a flurry of wild punches. Wen Chan suddenly felt her brain wasn't quite up to the task. Could her previous speculations have been just her own paranoia? Was the other party's goal not to protect Xu Yingluo, but simply to disgust the Xu family and bring down the future Consort Xu, who would monopolize the Six Palaces' favor, ahead of time?

But if one were to ask who hated Consort Xu the most, that would only be... the Crown Prince.