Yunxi was on her way to her parents' house.
It had been almost six months since she married Yan Ling, and she had not been home once. So today, Yunxi was in a good mood.
"Hi, baby! Grandpa will definitely be happy to meet you for the first time! We will be staying at grandpa's house for a few days. You mustn't be fussy and cause trouble for the people there, understand?"
Yunxi stroked her protruding belly. Then her thoughts drifted back to the events of yesterday afternoon.
Flashback on
"My help? What kind of help?"
Yan Xiao raised an eyebrow. His previously friendly gaze turned cynical.
"I know you must be wondering, but this has nothing to do with the palace. I want to treat my father."
"Your father?"
"Yes, you know that my father is not a weak man. Father has been the commander of this empire's army since he was young. My father was a talented young man, even reaching the nascent soul realm faster than any other member of our clan. He was the strongest man in our clan. But, if I'm not mistaken, it's been almost a year since my father started getting sick. To be precise, it was a few months before I married His Highness the Crown Prince."
Yunxi looked at Yan Xiao, who was listening intently.
"Continue..."
"I feel that someone is slowly poisoning my father."
Yan Xiao widened his eyes, quite surprised by Yunxi's statement.
"I suspect someone, but of course I have no proof. So, I want to ask for your help to prove my suspicion."
"How?"
"As you know, I will return to my father's house and stay there for a few days. During that time, I will find out and collect all the food/drinks my father consumes. Then, I will give you the samples to study."
"Fu-fu-fu, sister-in-law, aren't you being too impulsive to trust me so easily? We've only met twice."
"I know, but I will still follow my heart that you are trustworthy."
Yunxi looked back at Yan Xiao. The young man smiled slightly and said,
"All right, since you trust me, I agree. But..." Yan Xiao glanced at the servants standing there, then signalled to Yunxi to tell them to leave the room.
"Except for Sumi, please wait outside the pavilion."
"Yes!" the servants replied in unison, then left the room one by one.
After making sure they had all left, Yan Xiao continued,
"To avoid arousing suspicion about our community, we should find a safer place. This Pomegranate Pavilion is still within the palace grounds, and there are always spies."
"I understand... But where..."
"The Zhijin Museum. We'll meet at the Zhijin Museum in two days."
"Mmm. All right. I agree. Thank you."
"So, what's my reward for this agreement?"
"What do you want? If you really help me, I'll do my best to help you too."
Yunxi said firmly.
Hearing Yunxi's answer, Yan Xiao felt satisfied. He said,
"I'll think about it later. But I will help you sincerely. For me, making a promise is like mortgaging my life. I will not break it."
Yunxi nodded. "I have decided to trust your promise."
Yan Xiao also nodded with a smile. Yunxi looked at the young man in front of her with mixed feelings. She had already received one favour. As for the reward, if her father agreed, as long as she and her family were safe, she was willing to hand over the Golden Star clan to Yan Xiao.
Flashback off.
"Consort Wang Yunxi has arrived!!!!" shouted the guards accompanying her entourage on their way to the Wang family residence.
Yunxi, who had been lost in thought, immediately snapped out of it. She opened the curtain of her palanquin and saw her father, younger sister, and aunts standing at the main entrance to welcome her.
"Father..."
Yunxi's eyes reddened. She remembered the dark memories of her previous life, after being separated from her father for a long time since living in the palace, their first meeting at that time turned out to be their last before her family was massacred.
This time, she could see her father and sister again, her heart was very satisfied. It felt like regaining the luck that had been stolen from her.
Yunxi got off the carriage and ran towards her father.
"Madam, take it slow, you are pregnant,"
Sumi reminded her. But Yunxi did not listen to him. Her father and sister were still alive, how could she resist hugging them immediately?
"Father!!!"
Yunxi threw herself into Wang Yibo's arms, crying uncontrollably. Yibo was certainly surprised. He knew that Bao Jia missed him, and he felt the same way. But Bao Jia's tears seemed to suggest that they had been separated for hundreds of years.
"Hahaha, my sweet daughter. Why are you crying like that? You look like you're crying over my dead body."
"Father!!!" Yunxi's crying became even more intense. Meanwhile, Mr. Wang Yibo chuckled.
"Enough, enough. Don't cry. This is a happy moment. Let's go inside and eat together while we talk!"
Yunxi nodded enthusiastically. Then she glanced at Wang-shu, who was also looking at her with teary eyes.
Yunxi hugged her only younger sibling tightly.
She could experience moments like this again, a miracle to be grateful for. Yunxi became even more determined to change the course of her destiny in this life. She would fight to save her family. Her father and sister.
She would also punish the traitors and criminals behind the massacre of her family so that they would receive the punishment they deserved!
"Father, how have you been lately?"
Yunxi asked as she placed food in her father's bowl.
"As you can see, I'm much better now!"
Mr Wang said enthusiastically. Seeing his family gathered together after so long, his heart felt very happy.
"By the way, where is uncle?"
"Your uncle is busy guarding the border, he usually comes back every 14 days. Our family should be grateful, because for generations we have been one of the supporters of the Empire's power."
Yunxi nodded and forced a smile.
'So, Uncle Kaibo isn't always at home, which means there is someone else helping him carry out his plans in this house. Could it be...'
"Father, who has been taking care of your needs, such as food, drink, and medicine?"
"Of course, Aunt yiyi takes care of everything. Your mother and I owe her a lot. If it weren't for your aunt, Father would have had a hard time."
Yunxi immediately clenched her fists when she heard her father's answer.
'So it's true, Uncle and Auntie are conspiring together, it's possible that almost everyone in this house has betrayed us!
Yunxi stared at her father, who was still happily telling the story, her eyes welling up with tears. How could her father, who was so brave and strong, now be so weak?
Her father, who was so kind to all the clan members, was stabbed in the back like this.
Yunxi, who had originally intended to tell him that this was her second life and recount the misfortunes that had befallen their family, now changed her mind. Yunxi did not have the heart to burden her father, who was already in poor health.
'I must check everything related to my father, without exception,'
Yunxi thought to himself. Then she returned to chatting with her father.
Perhaps due to exhaustion, Wang Yibo fell asleep early. Yunxi left her father's room and quietly headed to the kitchen. For now, she couldn't be honest with anyone, because at this moment, Yunxi could no longer tell who was her enemy and who was her friend.
Arriving in the kitchen, Yunxi took samples of all the food, spices and water used for the household's needs.
After taking all the samples, Yunxi also took her father's clothes. Because poison could not only be put in food, drinks or medicine. It could also be put in clothes.
"Hopefully Yan Xiao can really help me find the cause of my father's illness. If this is indeed intentional, I will find the culprit! I will not let my father and Wang-shu suffer again like in their past lives," Yunxi muttered. She then immediately returned to her room after making sure the coast was clear.
She returned to her room, unaware that someone was hiding and watching her.
Once in her room, Yunxi put everything in a bag. Tomorrow she would meet Yan Xiao at the Zhi-jin museum.
Feeling a little tired, Yunxi lay down. Her thoughts drifted back to her previous life. The last time she slept in this room was shortly before she was killed by her own uncle. Wang-shu was even more pitiful. Because her uncle had beheaded her beloved younger sister.
This time, Yunxi would try her hardest so that she could uncover the truth and bring all the traitors to justice before that fateful day arrived.
The next morning, she and Sumi prepared to go to the Zhi-jin museum.
Yunxi had sent a message to Yan Xiao beforehand by Yan Xiao's magic bird, which had been given to her on purpose so that they could communicate or exchange messages.
"Auntie Mu, are you sure no one is following us?"
Sumi quietly glanced around, then said.
"I'm not sure, ma'am, but don't worry, even if we are being followed, he won't be able to find us until we reach the Zhi-jin museum."
"Why?"
"Because I have a secret way to get there."
Sumi smiled broadly. Yunxi widened her eyes, quite surprised by Sumk's statement. Yunxi did not expect that Sumi, who had not spoken much all this time, knew such a thing. A secret path?
But Yunxi chose to just obey and not ask too many questions.
And sure enough, just as they arrived at the market, which was only a few metres away from the Zhi-jin temple, Sumi saw someone watching them secretly from behind.
It was no surprise that even though they were only servants, all followers of the Golden Star clan had abilities. They also trained themselves, so they didn't just rely on dedication or serving skills. They also had fighting strength and keen eyesight.
"Ma'am, please get off the palanquin. We will walk."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, come on..."
Sumi helped Yunxi down from the palanquin. Then he ordered several servants and the palanquin bearers to wait.
"We will take a walk. You wait here, understand?"
"Understood, Madam."
Yunxi nodded to Sumi, and they began to walk slowly, approaching the trinket and clothing shops that were neatly lined up in front of them.
The scout did the same. However, he tried to avert his gaze so that Yunxi and Sumi would not suspect him.
The two women had already disappeared from there. The stalker quickly searched for them, scanning the entire market.
Meanwhile, Yunxi and Sumi were already on another street, heading towards the Zhi-jin Museum. To be precise, that street was directly connected to the basement of the Zhi-jin Museum. If they continued down this passage, they would arrive right at the museum's back garden.
"How did you know about this street, Auntie Mu? I've never even heard of it."
When Sumi suddenly pulled Yunxi into an old building right behind an antique shop, Yunxi thought they would hide there until the stalker left.
Who would have thought that there was a secret passageway inside the building?
"Actually, besides connecting to the Zhi-jin museum, this passageway is also a shortcut to the Ancient Tian-ming Temple and the Imperial Border. It's not just from that ancient building. There are several buildings in this area that are gateways to shortcuts to the places I mentioned earlier."
Yunxi was stunned. She was so confused that she didn't know what to say, because this was completely beyond her knowledge.
"Don't be surprised, Madam. For slaves and servants like me and my family, this is essential knowledge. Because we experienced the wars of the past. So, as servants of the royal family and court officials, we must have skills like this, because the safety of the families we serve is our responsibility. These places were untouched by enemy troops. So, this was a way for our ancestors to save themselves and take refuge from enemy attacks. Rat paths like this exist in all areas of the kingdom. However, as times have changed, especially since there has been no war, these passages have not been used for a long time.
"I see... Auntie Mu, you are very impressive."
"No, Madam, it's not just me who knows about this. Everyone who serves a family must know about secret passages like this."
Sumi explained, and Yunxi nodded.
"We're here, Madam."
Sumi opened a door, and sure enough, as soon as they stepped outside, Yunxi was already in the back garden of the Zhi-jin Museum. This museum was very spacious, so their arrival would certainly go unnoticed because this place was quiet unless there was a special exhibition.
"Then let's go inside the museum. Yan Xiao might already be there."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Did you bring all the things I prepared?"
"Yes, everything is here, ma'am."
Sumi showed a red
cloth bag containing all the items Yunxi had taken from her father's kitchen, along with her father's unwashed clothes.
The two of them entered the museum, and sure enough, Yan Xiao was already standing there waiting for them.