"That’s right, the old master and the old madam haven’t been able to find the slightest bit of information about Miss Changying’s mother anyway." Housekeeper Xu did not correct Meng Shuyan’s form of address, continuing, "We don’t even know if this person really exists. I also don’t know why Mr. Chengli would choose to raise a daughter when his own life is already so impoverished. Alas..."
"Thank you, Mr. Xu. I’m heading back to the Meng Family," Meng Shuyan said with a smile, having obtained the information he wanted.
Housekeeper Xu saw him to the car and bowed respectfully. "Take care on your way back."
After getting into the car, Meng Shuyan’s smile vanished.
"Young Master, don’t worry too much," the Meng Family’s driver said. "Your grandparents haven’t shown any favoritism toward their biological child. Besides, you have the Meng Family’s support. Why should you fear that newly arrived father and daughter?"
"What do you know?" Meng Shuyan was somewhat irritable. "It’s not that I want to fight them for it, but they insist on squeezing out our family’s living space. My mother has a weak personality, and Shuyu is uncontentious. If I don’t fight, given Shi Changying’s schemes, we will soon have no place left in the Xu Family!"
"They are of the Xu Family’s bloodline, after all. Even if they don’t fight for it, it’s still theirs—" The driver stopped abruptly and hastily apologized. "Young Master, I misspoke! I will take my punishment when we get back!"
Meng Shuyan’s face was cold. "Drive."
The driver didn’t dare say another word and drove away.
During the break of the evening self-study class, Shi Changying received a milk tea given to her by a classmate. She drank it while watching a drama on her phone.
"Sigh, when Senior Sister mentioned Xie Qingshi today, I couldn’t help but feel it was such a pity that he died at thirty-two," Song Qingmu suddenly said. "I can’t even imagine what kind of peerless zither masterpieces he would have left behind if he had lived a few more years."
Lu Mi thought for a moment and replied, "It seems like everyone from Empress Taichu’s era died very early. It’s quite strange."
"There’s nothing strange about it. Since ancient times, heaven has always been jealous of genius. The good die young," Song Qingmu said with a sorrowful expression. "My idol, Emperor Chengtian, also died in his prime. He became a star in the sky at the age of twenty-eight."
"Emperor Chengtian?" Shi Changying’s attention was pulled back by those three words.
"That’s right, the founding emperor of the Jing Dynasty!" Song Qingmu patted his chest, filled with immense pride. "I believe that if my idol had been given another hundred years, the entire Southern Region would have groveled at his feet."
Shi Changying’s fists clenched.
She wouldn’t have needed a hundred years; five years would have been enough.
She was not done settling scores with the heavens.
Leaning back in his chair and pretending to sleep, Shaoyuan suddenly spoke up in a casual tone. "You like him too?"
Shi Changying looked indifferent. "I don’t like him."
"You don’t like him..." Shaoyuan slowly opened his eyes, softly repeating her words, and unexpectedly probed further. "Why not?"
Lu Mi was somewhat surprised. Having been in the same class as Shaoyuan for two years, she had never seen him participate in any history-related discussions.
"Yeah, why not?" Song Qingmu was puzzled. "That’s Emperor Chengtian! Every Young Emperor in all the novels combined couldn’t even compare to a ten-thousandth of him!"
Shi Changying kept her eyes glued to her phone. "Because he isn’t money, and he isn’t delicious food."
After three seconds of silence, Shaoyuan suddenly chuckled. "Then of course he isn’t."
He had never thought that there would come a day when he would be compared to those two things by future generations.
"Ke Yingying, if it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be the current Jiuzhou. It was he who inherited Emperor Yan’s dying wish to unite the world and achieved true unification. He was even the one who named Jiuzhou!" Lu Mi’s eyes sparkled with starry-eyed worship. "If I were to time-travel back to the Jing Dynasty over two thousand years ago, I would gladly toil like a beast of burden for our ancestor, wanting nothing more than for him to conquer the entire globe."
Shi Changying remained expressionless. "Now I dislike him even more."
"Huh?" Lu Mi stammered. "E-even though he did indeed gain the world through rebellion, his merits far outweigh his faults."
"Because I only want to usurp his throne," Shi Changying said coldly.
She had worked so hard to be the Emperor just so that future generations would be forced to acknowledge her achievements, even when they cursed her name.
In the end, not only was everything erased, but she was also slandered.
How could she, the Emperor, endure this?
Bullshit!
She had to investigate exactly what had happened over those hundred years.
The finger Shaoyuan had been lightly tapping on the desk paused. His eyebrows suddenly shot up, showing a rare trace of youthful spirit.
Usurp him?
He was accustomed to the flattery of later generations; this was actually the first time he had heard such wild and arrogant words. Yet, it gave him a novel feeling.
Shaoyuan raised his hand and gently stroked the area over his heart.
He liked this kind of heartbeat.
Seeing Lu Mi and Song Qingmu looking at her as if they had seen a ghost, Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that? Am I wrong?"
"You aren’t wrong," Shaoyuan said meaningfully. "It’s just that if Emperor Chengtian heard those words, he might be very heartbroken."
Shi Changying looked lazy. "What a pity. Why can’t he hear them?"
Sure enough, she was still better than Emperor Chengtian. At least she could hear how future generations criticized her.
Shaoyuan’s calm gaze swept over her instantly delighted eyes and brows as he said unhurriedly, "Yes, what a pity."
He thought casually about what he should do now. He had heard her, he was heartbroken, and he no longer wanted to treat her to a meal.
"Senior Sister, what boldness!" Song Qingmu gave her a thumbs-up. "Princes, generals, and ministers are made, not born! Who says a woman can’t be an Emperor?"
Shaoyuan had already closed his eyes again, his tone lazy. "Like Emperor Taichu, for example."
Not expecting him to suddenly chime in, Song Qingmu jumped in fright and immediately covered his mouth to stifle his voice.
Shi Changying took out a chocolate ball and handed it to Shaoyuan.
Shaoyuan opened his eyes, looking up at her with a raised brow. "Why so generous all of a sudden?"
Her level of food protectiveness was no different from a stray kitten’s.
This time, Shi Changying spoke with utmost sincerity. "My fondness for you hasn’t been in vain."
It was rare to hear someone praise her. As the Emperor, she naturally had to bestow a reward.
After the evening self-study ended, Ming Chengli picked up Shi Changying and took her to the hospital.
Following another physical examination, the doctor stated that she still needed one more injection.
The nurse hung up the IV drip and prepared to insert the needle.
Shi Changying’s entire body practically radiated refusal. "I don’t want an injection."
"When you’re sick, getting injections and taking medicine is the only way to recover quickly. This is the last injection; we absolutely cannot skip it," Ming Chengli coaxed her. "Changying, be good. I’ll take you out for something delicious later."
Shi Changying would not tolerate being questioned. "Of course there are other ways. Xuan Doctor therapies are much faster than an IV drip."
"A Xuan Doctor?" Ming Chengli was taken aback and asked uncertainly, "Daughter, are you talking about the medical school developed on the foundation of traditional Chinese medicine that treats both the body and the spirit? This school was born and reached its peak during the Xuan Dynasty, which is how it got that name."
Shi Changying nodded. "That’s right. You don’t believe it?"
"I research the history of the Xuan Dynasty, so of course I believe it." Ming Chengli sighed faintly. "Last year, a set of Xuan Dynasty medical tools was unearthed in Youzhou, but to this day, they can’t verify its authenticity. There’s no way to confirm if Xuan Doctors actually existed. How could the historical gap be so complete..."
Listening in, the nurse quickly finished inserting the needle into Shi Changying’s arm. She pushed the treatment cart out of the ward and chatted with her colleague. "The rumors aren’t false. That Mr. Ming has truly gone mad from archaeology. He actually claimed that Xuan Doctors are real."
Her colleague burst out laughing. "The legendary Xuan Doctors who could allegedly raise the dead and regrow flesh on bare bones?"
"Yeah, isn’t it ridiculous? If Xuan Doctors were real, why were so many emperors of the Xuan Dynasty so short-lived? It’s just a complete fabrication."
Overhearing them, Pei Xuan’s footsteps paused just as he was about to step into the elevator. He slowly turned his head.