Chapter 127: What Was the Truth of That Year?

Nangong Ao had not expected that Elder Mo and Xianyu Qing’s family shared such a deep connection.

Since the topic had been broached, Mo Haoyuan continued to talk to Nangong Ao about Xianyu Qing. "Master Ao, besides her, are there any other members of Xianyu’s family still alive?"

Regarding this question, Nangong Ao could not reveal the truth, so he followed the lead and answered, "She is the only one left."

Hearing this, Mo Haoyuan sighed with regret. "Did her family all meet with misfortune?"

Nangong Ao countered, "Does your grandfather also know about the affairs of Qingqing’s family?"

Mo Haoyuan replied, "My grandfather was unwilling to speak in detail, only mentioning the phrase 'a house decimated by bloodshed'..."

Nangong Ao remained calm on the surface, but inwardly, he pondered: It seems the old acquaintance Elder Mo spoke of was Qingqing’s great-grandmother. Furthermore, their relationship must have been quite profound, otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to know about that "decimation" from back then.

He did not know the full details of that tragedy either; he had only heard his own grandmother mention that Qingqing’s great-grandmother had married far away to Nancheng in her youth.

Her husband was from a prominent local family. The two had met and fallen in love while studying abroad, eventually marrying. Later, they had a daughter. In the early years, she would occasionally bring her daughter back to Emperor City in secret to visit Lady Nangong and reminisce.

However, because her husband’s family were ordinary people, she did not want to involve them in the grudges of the Nangong family, so she gradually severed ties. Before the massacre, she had reached out to Lady Nangong once, hoping to obtain the Nangong family's protection. But by the time Lady Nangong sent people over, the entire household had already been slaughtered.

Xianyu Qing’s great-grandparents had both died under frost; her father was burned by flames beyond recognition; and her mother had disappeared with Xianyu Qing. Later on, Xianyu Qing’s mother was found in the snowy mountains of Nancheng, already succumbing to a lethal poison...

It appeared that the massacre of Xianyu Qing’s family was a conflict between "others" (non-humans). But the Xianyu family was merely a distant branch with the weakest bloodline; logically, they should not have become victims of such a struggle. The only explanation was that someone had already discovered Xianyu Qing’s uniqueness back then, which is why they targeted her family. This suspicion arose from the fact that members of the Nangong family had also participated in that massacre.

For many years, Lady Nangong had been investigating in secret and had gathered some information, but because the internal relationships within the Nangong family were so intricate, she had kept it hidden. Now that Xianyu Qing had returned to the Nangong family, those people were becoming restless again, creating one incident after another, even going so far as to offend the Mo family—this showed they were becoming desperate.

"Haoyuan, this incident was instigated by the Nangong family, and the Nangong family will take full responsibility for all losses."

Nangong Ao spoke with sincerity, and Mo Haoyuan was not an unreasonable man. He relayed the stance of his elder uncle and father to Nangong Ao: "Although this matter stems from internal conflicts within your Nangong family, since it happened at the Mo estate, we will not shirk our responsibility. Those people even dared to scheme against the Mo family; we are not to be trifled with either!"

This meant the Mo family would assist him fully in resolving the incident. After all, the deployment of so many "pseudo-others" proved that it was not just members of the Nangong family who were involved.

Once a consensus was reached, Nangong Ao returned to the Di Hong Building to urge A-Si to resolve the matters at their ancestral home as quickly as possible.

***

Elsewhere, Xi Junle had been contemplating for days how to inquire about the grudge between Elder Madam Xi and Xianyu Qing’s family. Seeing him restless all day, Elder Xi summoned him to the study to ask why.

"Junle, is your recent erratic behavior all because of that little girl from the Nangong family?" Elder Xi always spoke plainly to his own kin.

Xi Junle knew that his entertainment news was known all over the city and that his grandfather understood him better than anyone; his thoughts could not be hidden, so he confessed directly: "Yes! I like Qingqing..."

Upon hearing this, Elder Xi did not lose his temper but merely stated the facts: "She cannot enter the Xi family."

Xi Junle looked up, asking unwillingly, "Why?"

"Her status is not a match."

When Elder Xi answered this way, Xi Junle questioned, "Is it only because of her status? Or is there another reason?"

Elder Xi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Xi Junle hesitated before speaking: "Ziyu said that Grandmother and Qingqing’s family are sworn enemies. I want to know why."

Elder Xi’s brow furrowed even deeper. "You know there is no future for you and her, so why ask so much!"

Xi Junle pursed his lips. "Grandfather, this concerns my lifelong happiness; why can’t I ask for clarity?"

"If I say you can't ask, you can't!" Elder Xi seemed particularly sensitive about this.

Yet, Xi Junle did not comply as he usually did, insisting on getting to the bottom of it: "Since you are unwilling to speak, I will go ask Grandmother myself!" As he spoke, Xi Junle turned to leave the study.

"You dare!" Elder Xi struck the floor hard with his cane and barked sternly, "If you dare to go to your grandmother, I will have that girl destroyed!"

Xi Junle froze instantly. He turned back to look at his fierce grandfather, his eyes filled with both shock and confusion: although his grandfather was usually overbearing, this was the first time he had spoken such severe words. Just how great was the enmity between his grandmother and Xianyu Qing’s family?

Xi Junle stopped insisting on asking his grandmother, but he stood rooted to the spot, seemingly unwilling to give up without knowing the truth. Having raised Xi Junle since he was a child, Elder Xi knew that once he set his mind on something, it was not easy to change it. He slowly paced over to the bookshelf, pulled out a file folder wedged between two thick books, and tossed it in front of Xi Junle.

"The truth you want to know is in here. See for yourself." Elder Xi sighed heavily. "Your grandmother is old and her health is failing; she cannot withstand any further stimulation."

After saying this, Elder Xi leaned on his cane and walked out of the study.

Xi Junle looked at the aged file folder, feeling a sense of unease. It was as if once he opened it, there would be no turning back!

After a long hesitation, Xi Junle stepped forward, picked up the folder, and slowly untied the string, pulling out several old newspaper clippings.

The saga of the grievances that had once rocked Nancheng unfolded before him.

More than forty years ago, Xi Junle’s grandmother, Celeste, was a descendant of an ancient Western aristocratic family in Austria, while Xianyu Qing’s great-grandfather, Lin Qingfeng, was the eldest son of the Lin family in Nancheng.

When Lin Qingfeng went to Austria to study in his youth, he was noticed by Celeste for his outstanding talent and appearance, and her family supported their courtship.

A year later, they became engaged. But less than a month later, the media exposed that Lin Qingfeng was secretly meeting a local girl from his home country. Celeste’s family was furious and demanded she break off the engagement.

Celeste, deeply in love with Lin Qingfeng, would never agree. She cast aside her aristocratic pride and self-respect, running to confront Lin Qingfeng about the truth and attempting to win him back.