Chapter 300: Her Cousin Is the Person Closest to Her
Chapter 300: Chapter 300: Her Cousin Is the Person Closest to Her
"The Princely Heir should have arrived at the hunting ground by now. But since he only just got there today, he has many things to attend to. I’m afraid he won’t be able to get away," Tong Da replied.
Zhi Wan understood as soon as she heard this. Her cousin had no time to come see her today.
She went into her room, closed the door, and planned to rest.
Seeing her go inside, Tong Da dragged a chair over and sat down by the door.
He had promised the Princely Heir that he would guard the Miss well.
The Miss could not come to any harm, or else he would have no way to answer to the Princely Heir.
Zhi Wan had nothing to do, and since she had woken up early that morning, she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
She didn’t know how long she had slept when she suddenly sensed someone standing by her bed. The fright made her eyes fly open.
When she saw that there was indeed a person standing there, she opened her mouth to shout for Tong Da, but the person spoke coolly, "Little niece, don’t scream."
The words "little niece" made Zhi Wan fall silent.
She stared at the person by her bed, stunned.
It was already dark outside. The room was unlit and pitch-black; she could only faintly make out a figure standing there.
"Un... cle?" After a long moment, Zhi Wan finally found her voice and called out in a low whisper.
"Mm," the man grunted in acknowledgment and sat down on the chair by the bed.
Seeing that he meant her no harm, Zhi Wan grew a little bolder.
She got out of bed, lit a candle, and turned to look at him.
When she saw the mask on his face, she froze for a second before asking in surprise, "You’re the man I ran into on the stairs this evening?"
"Yes," the man replied softly.
"What happened to your face?" Zhi Wan blurted out.
The man paused, then took off his mask.
When she got a clear look at his face, Zhi Wan was so frightened she nearly cried out.
His face was a crisscrossing mess of horrifying scars, bearing no trace of its former handsome appearance.
She clutched her chest and asked in a trembling voice, "Are... are you really my uncle?"
The man sighed and put the mask back on his face. "I am Zhi Ye. Your father, Zhi Yu, was my twin brother."
Zhi Wan recognized his voice; it was indeed very similar to the one she had heard on the boat in Yangzhou. That, combined with him knowing her father’s name, dispelled her doubts. She asked with concern, "Uncle’s face... why did it become like this? Weren’t you being escorted to the capital?"
At the mention of this, Zhi Ye’s eyes darkened. "And who do I have to thank for that but your dear cousin?"
"My cousin?" Zhi Wan was taken aback. "What does he have to do with this? He was only following orders to escort you back to the capital."
Zhi Ye sneered. "Because your father and I are identical. The Emperor had met your father before. He was afraid that if the Emperor saw me, he would realize your father was also a descendant of King Jin, which would in turn implicate you. So, halfway through the journey, he ruthlessly tried to kill me, causing me to fall off a cliff.
"I was lucky to survive, but my face was slashed by sharp rocks during the fall."
Zhi Wan was completely confused. "A descendant of King Jin? Uncle, what are you talking about?"
Seeing she knew nothing, Zhi Ye sighed heavily. "Little niece, if your grandfather hadn’t been schemed against by the current Emperor and then hunted down to the last man, you would be a Princess of the Imperial Family, born to privilege, and would never have been reduced to living under someone else’s roof."
Zhi Wan frowned in disbelief. "How is that possible?"
’This is completely absurd. My father was just an ordinary man, how could he possibly be connected to the Imperial Family?’
"Every word I’ve said is true; I’m not lying to you. Did you think Lu Zhan went to Yangzhou before just to inspect Jiangnan? That was merely a pretense. In reality, he was acting on a secret decree from the Emperor to find the descendants of King Jin in Jiangnan.
"I was careless for a moment, and that’s how I fell into his trap and ended up in his hands.
"The moment he saw my face, he guessed that your father was also a descendant of King Jin.
"If the Emperor hadn’t suddenly issued an order for him to secretly escort me to the capital, he would have killed me back in Yangzhou.
"Even so, he arranged everything on the way to the capital to ensure I would die," Zhi Ye said flatly.
Although he tried his best to control himself, the thought of his recent experiences filled him with grief and indignation. He demanded, "He wants to marry you, yet at the same time, he tries to murder your own uncle. Do you still want to marry such a beast in human disguise?"
Hearing him speak with such conviction, Zhi Wan’s mind was in turmoil.
’Am I really a descendant of King Jin?’
Hearing her uncle’s accusation, she calmed down a bit. "No, my cousin is no beast in human disguise. He’s a good person."
’If what Uncle is saying is true, then my cousin only did those things to protect me. How could I possibly blame him?’
’And if Uncle were a good person, I believe my cousin would never have hurt him, no matter what.’
"He is calculating and ruthless. You call a man like that a good person? You are far too naive." Zhi Ye found this utterly ironic.
"Well, he’s still better than you!" Zhi Wan couldn’t help but retort. "I know about the things you’ve done, Uncle. Your hands are stained with blood. You’ve killed so many innocent people. How dare you judge my cousin? At least my cousin has never harmed an innocent soul."
Hearing this, Zhi Ye said sorrowfully, "Wan’er, I am your only living relative in this world, yet you side with an outsider?"
"My cousin is not an outsider!" Zhi Wan retorted. He was her fiancé, the person she was closest to.
Meeting her uncle’s disapproving gaze, she said firmly, "You are my uncle, and I should respect you. But the heinous things you’ve done can never be washed away. You may have your reasons, but they are no excuse for harming the innocent.
"Since you’ve managed to escape, you should turn over a new leaf and live a good life. Don’t commit any more of those unconscionable acts.
"I believe the spirits of Grandfather and Father in heaven would not want to see you doing evil."
Being lectured and admonished by his young niece left Zhi Ye both furious and uncomfortable.
After a long moment, he snapped coldly, "Let’s put other things aside for now. The Imperial Family and our family share a deep-seated, bloody feud. Your grandfather’s death cannot go unavenged.
"I won’t object to you marrying Lu Zhan, nor will I stop you. But you must cooperate with me and gather useful intelligence for me."
Zhi Wan shook her head. "Uncle, you’ve come to the wrong person. I will not betray my cousin. Furthermore, I hope you can let go of this hatred soon. I believe Grandfather would not want you to turn yourself into an executioner just to avenge him."
"What kind of love potion has Lu Zhan given you? You’re so utterly devoted to him that you won’t even avenge your own family!" Zhi Ye roared in fury, smashing his fist on the table.
BANG! The table instantly collapsed and fell to the floor.
"Miss! What happened?" At that moment, Tong Da’s voice sounded from outside the door.
Seeing her uncle fly into a rage and noticing the strange look in his eyes, Zhi Wan decisively ran for the door.
"Tong Da!"
However, just as her hand was about to touch the bolt, her arm was seized, and a powerful force yanked her backward.
Zhi Wan’s face went pale with fright, and she immediately screamed, "Tong Da, help me!"
The words had barely left her mouth when the door was smashed open.
Tong Da burst in.
Zhi Ye kicked a stool at Tong Da. As Tong Da threw a punch to block it, Zhi Ye swiftly hoisted Zhi Wan over his shoulder and escaped through the window.
Tong Da, horrified, immediately gave chase.