Her Entire Court Reborn with Her in the Modern World

Chapter 164: Chapter 163: A Twenty-Year Secret, the Empress Saves the Beauty

THUMP, THUMP!

Ming Chengli’s heartbeat was unprecedentedly violent, almost leaping out of his chest. He turned around in a panic, not daring to let anyone see anything amiss.

Only an archaeological team member closest to him noticed. He asked with concern, "Mr. Ming, are you alright? Are you too tired? Don’t work anymore, get some rest."

Ming Chengli took a few deep breaths before calming down. "Maybe because I rushed here, I’m still feeling a bit airsick. It’s nothing serious."

The night deepened, and even the stars quietly hid behind the clouds.

"Xiao Ran, waiting here doing nothing isn’t a solution." The old professor glanced at his watch. The hands already pointed to two in the morning. He said, "Let’s find a place to stay and get a good rest."

Bai Xiaoran nodded. "You are right."

"Everyone! We... we just sorted out a portion of the manuscripts." Right at this moment, an archaeological team member ran over panting. "We can confirm that Xie Qingshi’s blindness was caused by his mother; it wasn’t congenital!"

The entire site fell dead silent.

The old professor was overjoyed. "That’s wonderful!"

Pei Xuan’s expression remained indifferent as he snorted softly. It seemed that sometimes, diaries could indeed play a crucial role.

"Furthermore, Xie Qingshi wrote in his personal account that when he was eighteen, he was saved by the Empress, and his mother tried to use this opportunity to ruin his face," the team member said excitedly. "The Empress arrived in time and saved him again, granting him permission to sever ties with his mother. He was able to escape the quagmire and was deeply grateful to the Empress."

Silence descended once more. Everyone exchanged glances in dismay.

Because in known history, Empress Taichu had taken a fancy to Xie Qingshi’s beauty, forced him to sever ties with his mother, and abducted him into the palace. But now, in Xie Qingshi’s manuscripts, the course of events was completely the opposite.

Pei Xuan smiled meaningfully. "It seems that the history everyone has been researching indeed has a new direction. Overturning what is already established will certainly keep you busy."

"Just one Xie Qingshi doesn’t mean much." Bai Xiaoran looked at him calmly. "Young man, if you have studied history, you should know the Four Great Young Masters’ attitude toward Taichu."

Pei Xuan’s expression turned cold. How could he not know his own attitude toward the Empress? He had wished that Shi Yaoguang would only use him, without anyone else competing for her favor.

"If you don’t know, then go back and carefully read the ’Imperial Decree’ written by Cui Jinghan, as well as Pei Xuan’s ’Records of Mingjing’, and see how they cursed Taichu right to her face." Bai Xiaoran smiled condescendingly. "Are you going to claim that they didn’t write these?"

Pei Xuan took a deep breath. His fists clenched tight, and veins bulged on his forehead.

He had written them. But he had written them when he didn’t know what kind of person the Empress was!

He had only written that one poem, "Records of Mingjing", to mock her, but later he wrote hundreds of poems praising and eulogizing her. Yet out of those hundreds of poems, only a few were passed down. Because they lacked specific historical context, these few poems were interpreted by later generations as his praise for Ancestor Xuan.

"Also, even elementary school students know that she practiced nepotism and delegated too much power to her subordinates. Do you know how much trouble she caused for her successor, Empress Qingyun?" Bai Xiaoran said coldly. "If that Grand Secretary Ye Yu hadn’t died early, he would have reduced Empress Qingyun to a mere figurehead long ago!"

The old professor stroked his beard. "Xiao Ran makes a lot of sense. Even if she saved Xie Qingshi, she must have still valued his looks."

Gu Qingjin suddenly spoke up. "Since the manuscripts have surfaced, Vice President Bai should be re-evaluating Xie Qingshi as a person and making these manuscripts public, right?"

Bai Xiaoran frowned even tighter and said coldly, "Naturally."

"Mr. Bai has the backing of the Bai family, so I assume there is no lack of research funding," Gu Qingjin said casually. "I hope to see the manuscripts online within this week."

"There is no need for Mr. Lan to worry!" Bai Xiaoran seemed full of pent-up anger as he turned and walked away.

Ming Chengli stared intently at Bai Xiaoran’s back. His fists clenched tightly, a hint of hatred appearing in his eyes, and his body trembled with emotion.

The archaeological team member beside him asked again, "Mr. Ming, are you alright?"

"I’m fine. Having new historical materials just made me too excited." Ming Chengli shook his head and asked in a low voice, "Who is he?"

"Mr. Ming, you actually don’t know him?" the team member asked in surprise. "That’s Bai Xiaoran, an official expert in researching Xuan History and the vice president of the Jiuzhou Xuan History Society."

Ming Chengli muttered, "He’s already the vice president..."

Twenty years had passed. Some people soared upward to a brilliant future, while others were reduced to dust in the mud, never to be heard from again.

"Yes, and before long, once the current president steps down, Mr. Bai will definitely be the prime candidate to succeed him," the team member sighed with admiration. "He is truly formidable."

Ming Chengli said no more. He lowered his head and silently organized his archaeological tools.

When Xu Shuangqiao woke up again, it was already the afternoon of the next day. Holding her still-dizzy head, she sluggishly recalled the events of the previous night.

Oh no. She had actually downed a bottle of beer after drinking a glass of hard liquor. Fortunately, she had gone to Half Cup of Clear Dream and not some other bar, otherwise, something bad would have definitely happened.

Xu Shuangqiao rubbed her face and noticed that her clothes had also been changed. There was a note left by Shi Changying on the bedside table, reminding her to drink a glass of honey water when she woke up.

Xu Shuangqiao was deeply moved. "My little sister is the best!"

Whenever her younger cousin, Xu Wenge, called her "sister," she knew he was definitely up to no good.

In the evening, Xu Shuangqiao hurried to Jianghuai High School to pick up Shi Changying. When passing by Half Cup of Clear Dream, she couldn’t resist going in again.

Qian Qiu obviously still remembered her. "Valued guest, what would you like to drink today?"

Xu Shuangqiao snapped her fingers. "Give me a glass of Spring of Soft Crabapple, and a glass of orange juice for my sister."

Shi Changying sat by the bar counter, holding her orange juice in silence. She had a great tolerance for alcohol; she could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. According to the law, she was already an adult. Why wasn’t she allowed to drink?

Qian Qiu saw through her thoughts and chuckled. "Alright, little girl, don’t be angry. I’ll treat you to your first drink after you graduate next year."

"Yingying, high school students are not allowed to drink," Xu Shuangqiao said.

Shi Changying retorted, "You just got drunk yesterday, and I haven’t even scolded you yet."

Xu Shuangqiao fell speechless. Not daring to speak further, she could only drink her alcohol in silence.

After downing a mouthful of her drink, Xu Shuangqiao’s expression perked up. "This drink is truly mixed well. I must try all the new items on the menu."

Shi Changying drank her pulpy orange juice expressionlessly.

"Yingying, let’s go." Xu Shuangqiao finished her drink. "In a bit—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by a commotion. Shi Changying narrowed her eyes and looked toward the source of the noise.

Several thuggish young men were drunk and using their intoxication as an excuse to cause trouble, smashing bottles and howling loudly.

Qian Qiu’s expression turned cold. She stepped forward and said, "Guests, please quiet down. If you cannot maintain your quietness, please leave."

"Quiet? A bar needs to be quiet?" One of the young men scoffed, as if he had heard something hilarious. "Come here, sit down, and have a few drinks with us to cheer us up!"

Qian Qiu remained unmoved.

"What are you standing there for! Are you playing hard to get?" The young man reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Feed me some wine!"

Xu Shuangqiao’s expression changed. "Yingying, go call the police. I’ll stay here—"

SWISH!

A table knife grazed past his cheek, leaving a shallow bloody scratch.

The young man let out a miserable shriek. He abruptly raised his head. "Who? Who’s the blind bastard!"

Shi Changying tossed the remaining fork in her hand. "Let go, and get lost. You’re ruining my mood."

Qian Qiu’s body trembled as a voice overlapped in her ears.

"You lot are ruining my mood."