Liu Xiyin observed everyone’s reactions, finding them all remarkably calm.
In the dramas she had watched, those who could read minds would usually show wonderful, expressive reactions—twitching eyes, ecstatic grins, or they would be dying to pull the “mind-reader” aside for a secret meeting.
None of the people in the Marshall’s mansion had stepped into any of her traps.
She had just dangled a lure as massive as Professor Wanka, and aside from the younger brothers and sisters pestering her to describe what that person looked like, no one else had any other reaction.
Could it really be that she was overthinking it?
No, she had to try again. Experiments require repeated validation.
Just as Liu Xiyin was pondering her next move, rapid footsteps echoed from outside. The Marshall’s Chief Adjutant ran in:
“Report to the Marshall! The Police Bureau has discovered one hundred and eighty jin of explosives each on Heping South Street, Wutong East Road, and Guihua Avenue!”
Bang!
Yan Ting slammed the table and stood up. “What?”
Everyone in the main hall was struck with horror!
Heping South Street, Wutong East Road, and Guihua Avenue were the three major thoroughfares leading to the three sides of the Marshall’s mansion. Discovering one hundred and eighty jin of explosives in each location—was someone trying to blow the entire mansion to smithereens?
And to have so much explosive material buried so close to the mansion without the Police Bureau or the Military Government discovering it beforehand… if it had gone off, the people in the mansion wouldn’t even have known how they died!
Earlier, Yan Changye had called the Police Bureau incompetent. Now it seemed it was more than just incompetence; that bunch of losers were nothing but useless bags of trash!
Liu Xiyin was also shocked.
【Heavens, the male lead is worthy of having “male lead plot armor.” Planting enough explosives to blow up three streets near someone’s base of operations and still managing to get away with it unscathed!】
Liu Xiyin couldn’t help but sigh.
In the original book, this incident was carried out by the male lead’s men. The story took place in the 12th year of the Republic. The “first beauty of Ancheng,” Liu Mingyue, had just turned sixteen. The Marshall’s mansion had come to propose marriage. The Liu family had only this one daughter, spoiled since childhood, and everyone in Ancheng knew of the long-standing engagement between the Marshall’s house and the Liu family.
Old Man Liu had followed Marshall Yan in his earlier years and taken a bullet for him; the Marshall had promised him that his son would surely marry a daughter of the Liu family. Marshall Yan valued his promises, and his eldest son, Yan Changye, had been at the front lines, remaining unmarried specifically to wait for the Liu daughter to reach marriageable age.
Because of this connection, Liu Mingyue had been the center of attention in Ancheng since she was a child. Even though Yan Changye wasn’t favored, everyone knew she was the daughter-in-law personally selected by the Marshall—her status was extraordinary.
Who could have known that just as the Liu family started preparing for the wedding after Liu Mingyue returned from studying abroad, one month before she turned sixteen, Marshall Yan suddenly brought men to surround the Liu estate. Holding two different blood type reports, he pointedly accused Liu Mingyue of being a fake, not the Liu family’s daughter at all.
The Liu family didn’t believe it, conducted a blood test on the spot, and it confirmed that Liu Mingyue was indeed a fake.
Marshall Yan, with his explosive temper, ordered the Liu family to find the real daughter before the wedding date; if they tried to fool him with a fake again, he would execute the entire Liu family.
The story began there, and Liu Mingyue’s world collapsed.
Once the high-and-mighty, sought-after socialite of Ancheng and the five southeastern provinces, she fell from heaven to hell because of a blood test. Unable to accept the fall, and even less able to bear being called a “fake” by the Marshall, she went out to get drunk in sorrow and accidentally had a one-night stand with the male lead.
The male lead was a hidden identity—a remnant prince of the fallen dynasty, preparing provisions in the prosperous southeastern provinces with plans to restore the throne. He was essentially the Republic of China version of Murong Fu.
Heaven knows how “fragrant” (addictive) Liu Xiyin had found the “bright, fake daughter who studied abroad VS the black-bellied, antique real prince” trope when she first read the book. She had even desperately wanted to see how the prince would give up his restoration plans and embrace the new era after being moved by the heroine.
The “Murong Fu” archetype was black-bellied, vicious, and crazy. He got addicted to the heroine after one night and decided to get revenge for her. Thus, on the road where the real daughter was being brought back to Ancheng, he decided to send men to kill her.
In the original book, the real daughter was a vicious cannon fodder character who had to jump around in Ancheng. She survived that ambush on the road, but eventually died by the male lead’s hand.
Liu Xiyin had transmigrated over with the intention of using the male lead’s hand to fake her own death. Who knew that the Liu family was so afraid of death that their guards were airtight? They had caught the stalkers halfway, dodging the assassination, leaving her no choice but to return and “jump around” just like the original host.
But things done always leave traces. With the real daughter being ambushed, Liu Mingyue was the primary suspect. To keep the Liu family and the Military Government from finding out about Liu Mingyue, the male lead decided to pull off an even bigger stunt to divert the Military Government’s attention.
So, he planned to blow up Liu Mingyue’s former fiancé, creating an explosion large enough to throw Ancheng into chaos, frame the Marshall’s political enemies, soothe his own jealousy, and take advantage of the chaos to reap benefits and set up his hidden plans.
Three birds with one stone.
【Explosives were planted on three whole streets. The book only mentioned Heping South Street. Was it because Yan Changye passed by there? Or would all three streets have been blown up regardless?】
【How many people would have died? The male lead should just die of an aneurysm and serve his country early!】
The original book glossed over the assassination and the explosion. After all, the victims were all villains, and the male lead’s main job was to flirt with the heroine. When Liu Xiyin reached that part, she only remembered that when the male lead’s men reported back, they mentioned 32 casualties on Heping South Street and that they couldn’t find Yan Changye’s body.
Now that she was living through it, she only found the male lead utterly detestable. He wanted his three birds with one stone, but didn’t treat the lives of cannon fodder like lives at all. He deserved his kingdom to fall!
【Yan Changye made the driver avoid all three streets, which means the explosives were discovered early. The fact that it’s only being reported to the Marshall now… is he trying to fish for the culprit?】
Provoked right under his nose, Yan Ting was furious and immediately took Yan Changye and Yan Changzhuo to a meeting.
Yan Changye had just returned to Ancheng and was on his wedding leave, theoretically not meant to return to the Military Government until after the New Year. But since the explosives were something he had ordered the Police Bureau to scan for beforehand, he couldn’t be absent from the meeting.
Before leaving, Yan Changye said to Liu Xiyin, “You stay at the Marshall’s mansion for now. I’ll come to pick you up tonight.”
Please, just go.
As soon as Liu Xiyin heard him mention tonight, her brain felt like it was going to explode. Last night, he hadn’t forced consummation because he suspected she was a spy. If he came to pick her up again tonight, what excuse could she find to dodge it?
Liu Xiyin’s eyelashes flickered and she nodded. “I will wait for the Young Marshall to return.”
【The mastermind is the male lead, Jiang Hanzhou. He’s currently staying at the Huateng Mansion. Go catch him, quick, catch him!】
Yan Changye’s departing footsteps faltered slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
The little bride was still probing.
Her alertness was impressive. In this short time, everything she thought was baited, just waiting for the person who could read her mind to take the hook.
Being so unwilling to have her mind read… did that mean it wasn’t a deliberate trick?
Yan Changye saw Yan Ting walking ahead with flying steps, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Last night, after Yan Changye left the room, he had experimented: as long as he left the space where he was sharing the room with the little bride, he couldn’t hear what she was thinking anymore. The main hall of the mansion was large. When this probing thought of hers came out, Yan Ting hadn’t exited the front gate yet.
Could he really not hear it?
Liu Xiyin’s gaze fell on Yan Changye’s feet. Did he just pause?
Then, Yan Changye stopped walking, turned back, returned to Qin Wan’s side, and whispered something in her ear.
Qin Wan listened, looked at Liu Xiyin, and nodded. “Go ahead, Mother knows.”
Liu Xiyin’s spine stiffened.
What did the Big Villain say? Does it have to do with me? Don’t tell me he’s digging another hole for me?
Don’t do it.
Liu Xiyin hugged herself tightly.