Ji Zizhao had long considered how he would react when she finally revealed the truth, whether it would be surprise, disbelief, or fervent denial, as this was no small lie.
Once exposed, it would be grounds for utter destruction!
However, Xie Jinglan's current reaction was truly beyond Ji Zizhao's expectations.
So calm.
Was it ultimately because he was too powerful?
Powerful enough to acknowledge something that could cost him his head with such equanimity.
Just like now, he still looked at her with a nonchalant smile and asked, "When did you find out?"
When?
Ji Zizhao thought carefully, "Perhaps the very first time we met."
She herself knew some self-defense skills, though incomparable to the martial arts of this era, she could clearly sense the immense power within the Xirong assassin who had threatened her.
Yet, when facing Xie Jinglan, that person had offered no resistance.
Even now, Ji Zizhao could clearly recall the sense of relief and release on that person's face before death.
To put it plainly, it wasn't that Xie Jinglan had the urge to kill, but rather the Xirong assassin had sought death.
"At the time, I couldn't understand it, I just thought it was strange. It wasn't until later when Huo Niangong arrived at the Four Great Medical Halls, coercing the doctors to examine you, and I personally went. Although my eyes were covered, your aura couldn't hide your identity..."
And then later...
It was in the Imperial Medical Academy's medical records archive.
"It clearly states that because the Fourth Prince had a chronic illness since childhood, the Emperor found someone to plant a蛊毒 (gu poison) within the Fourth Prince's body to counteract the original蛊毒 (gu poison). For the true Fourth Prince, that蛊 (gu) was life-saving, but for you, it was fatal."
As she finished speaking, Ji Zizhao let out a soft sigh of relief.
Some things, once spoken, felt much lighter.
Xie Jinglan looked at Ji Zizhao, not expecting this girl to be so sincere towards him, even after knowing his true identity.
"I thought I had hidden it seamlessly, but I never expected you to have noticed so long ago," Xie Jinglan said, a slight curve to his lips. Since she was so forthright, any further concealment from him would be dishonorable.
"Empress Dowager must have known even earlier than I did," Ji Zizhao returned his smile. Compared to the Empress Dowager's intelligence, her own cleverness was nothing to mention.
Mention of the Empress Dowager seemed to soften Xie Jinglan's dark eyes.
"Many years ago, the Ji family fought on the battlefields for Yu Lin, rendering great service. At that time, all nations would tremble at the mere mention of Yu Lin. Xirong was in internal turmoil, the Emperor was gravely ill, and my brothers were killing each other for the throne. To gain Yu Lin's support, my eldest brother promised to cease hostilities with Yu Lin for ten years after his ascension. Mother told me that only if I left would the Xirong throne be peaceful... Later, my eldest brother ascended the throne, and as I was young, I embarked on the journey to Yu Lin."
Xie Jinglan spoke calmly, as if all that had happened was merely a fleeting past. Even though he was the one sent to Yu Lin as a hostage.
Ji Zizhao listened with a racing heart.
Imperial consorts, who were mothers to princes, would never sacrifice their own sons for others' glory, unless...
Xie Jinglan's mother was also the mother of the eldest prince of Xirong!
Only then did everything make sense. She Shi Xiao Shuo.
Sacrificing one to save the other.
Ji Zizhao had to admit, Xie Jinglan's mother was truly formidable. She made decisions without hesitation, perhaps only such a decisive person could reach a higher position.
It was just a pity that in this exchange of gain and loss, Xie Jinglan was the one abandoned by his own mother and brother.
"How old were you then?" Ji Zizhao's heart ached with a knot of pain. She knew how ridiculous her question was, but she didn't know what else to ask.
She feared that no matter what she asked, it would be a painful reopening of a wound for Xie Jinglan.
"I don't remember well." Xie Jinglan saw the tenderness in her eyes but still smiled nonchalantly.
He wasn't lying to her; he truly couldn't recall when he was sent from Xirong to Da Yu. He was too young then, and his memories were somewhat blurred.
"I never expected you to be so close to the Fourth Prince." Ji Zizhao recalled Wen Hui's words, imagining how self-conscious and reserved the Fourth Prince must have been.
"He was quieter."
Ji Zizhao, "..."
That evaluation was truly...
Xie Jinglan paused and then added, "After Wen Hui left, he became even quieter."
Ji Zizhao knew Xie Jinglan was telling the truth. Someone already reserved would only become more withdrawn after being dumped by Wen Hui.
"Not long after Wen Hui left, a great fire broke out in the palace. I had already pulled him towards the entrance, but he pushed me away. When I looked back at him, he was smiling at me. It was too late for me to go back and save him..."
Xie Jinglan's gaze was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Ji Zizhao mused that perhaps Wen Hui's departure had also taken the Fourth Prince's heart with her.
Once a person lost their heart, even if alive, they were merely a walking corpse.
"The palace servants who came to rescue me said they would take me away, but instead, they led me to a secluded place and intended to silence me."
Ji Zizhao exclaimed, "People of Yu Lin?"
Xie Jinglan shook his head, "People of Xirong."
Ji Zizhao immediately understood. Xirong had sent Xie Jinglan to Yu Lin because the eldest prince had just ascended the throne, and the Xirong court was in chaos. They could not afford to invite foreign conflict while facing internal strife. But once the Xirong court stabilized, Xie Jinglan, held as a hostage, became a bargaining chip for Xirong.
The person with the authority to issue such an order could only be Xie Jinglan's elder brother or his mother!
Either way, it was a devastating blow.
"They wanted to kill me, but they forgot that Xirong's poison physicians were highly developed. The first skill my master, who taught me martial arts from a young age, taught me was disguise. If I wished, transforming into someone else was as easy as turning over my hand," Xie Jinglan chuckled coldly, his demeanor indifferent and detached.
"Then, the Xirong assassin I encountered was also a dark guard sent by Xirong to kill you?"
"He was the Grand Tutor of Xirong, and also my master."
Ji Zizhao, "..."
Suddenly, she didn't know what to say.
Xie Jinglan's master must have wished for Xie Jinglan to live, which was why he deliberately allowed himself to be killed.
A biological brother, a birth mother, and in the end, they were no match for a master with whom he shared no blood...
Indeed, there was no familial affection under the guise of imperial power.
"In that case, your actions have not been kept a secret from Xirong?"
"Although Yu Lin had publicly announced that the Xirong hostage died in the great fire, the Xirong spies who infiltrated the Yu Lin palace to set the fire never returned to report. My eldest brother was already suspicious. Even if the one who survived was truly the Fourth Prince, he would still eliminate any potential threat to ensure his peace of mind."
Ji Zizhao shivered with dread, unable to fathom how a person could be so ruthless.
As Ji Zizhao was contemplating, she suddenly saw Xie Jinglan raise his hand to touch his chin.
Soon, a layer of skin as thin as a cicada's wing slowly peeled away from Xie Jinglan's face.