Chapter 168 - 166: The Past from 12 Years Ago (First Update)

Chapter 168: Chapter 166: The Past from 12 Years Ago (First Update)

Zhao Jingming was slightly taken aback; he hadn’t expected Xu Jing to think along those lines. Seeing the worry and self-blame between Xu Jing’s eyebrows, he waved impatiently, saying, "That guy deserved whatever injuries he got; don’t take it to heart."

Hearing this and recalling what Zhao Jingming said yesterday when he took Xiao Yi for treatment, Xu Jing had a sudden realization, "Could it be that Vice Minister Xiao was already injured before entering the Wang Family estate?"

"How did you know..."

Zhao Jingming raised an eyebrow. Thinking about this woman’s uncanny ability to solve cases, he couldn’t help but curl his lips and said, "Yes, that guy left the Western Capital for a business trip some time ago, and he only returned to Western Capital early yesterday morning, covered in injuries. I heard... after you were captured and taken to the estate, he refused any advice and insisted on going in. What was that hit from the pillar yesterday? Deserved it!"

He gritted his teeth as he spoke, clearly very angry.

Xu Jing felt a heaviness in her heart, but she said, "Vice Minister Xiao is really dedicated."

Dedicated, my foot! If she wasn’t in there, even if the Minister of the Ministry of Justice came to him, he wouldn’t even look, coldly saying, "This case isn’t under the Ministry of Justice’s jurisdiction."

This helpful Xiao Yanci, it’s the first time he’s seen since he grew up!

Zhao Jingming’s mouth twitched furiously, truly finding it hard to comment.

Xu Jing was a bit concerned and asked, "Where was Vice Minister Xiao injured before? Was what he did very dangerous? Uh, if it’s inconvenient to say, just pretend I didn’t ask."

"With others, it might be inconvenient, but with you, it doesn’t matter, since it’s somewhat related to you."

Xu Jing was slightly puzzled until Zhao Jingming said, "Didn’t I tell you before? Prince Xing set up four secret arsenals in Great Chu, Zheng Shouyan revealed three before his death, and Yanci has always been leading people from the Prince Xing faction, not only to lure out more of their people but also to find out where the fourth arsenal is.

Yanci successfully lured out a few impatient people from the Prince Xing’s faction and extracted the fourth arsenal’s location from them. Recently, he was ordered to lead soldiers to handle those four arsenals.

Messing with these four arsenals is like touching the lifeblood of the Prince Xing faction. They went crazy, sending assassins to ambush Yanci. Even though Yanci anticipated it, he still fell into their trap and got a cut on his back."

Zhao Jingming gestured with two fingers, indicating the length of Xiao Yi’s wound, and Xu Jing’s eyebrow twitched slightly. From Zhao Jingming’s gesture, Xiao Yi’s back wound was as long as an infant’s arm!

That’s definitely not a minor injury!

No wonder he looked so pale when she saw him yesterday. To be injured like that and still insist on entering the Wang Family’s estate – no wonder Zhao Jingming was so upset!

Xu Jing knew that Xiao Yi hadn’t been in the Western Capital recently, but she didn’t expect him to be dealing with this matter.

Xu Jing furrowed her brow slightly, "Isn’t he a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice? Why does he have to lead troops for this kind of thing..."

She almost said, wasn’t there anyone else the Holy Emperor could order around?

Zhao Jingming, however, wore an expression of accustomed nonchalance, "Isn’t it the Holy Emperor who decides who does what? Besides, since Yanci discovered these four arsenals, it’s reasonable for him to handle them. You didn’t think Yanci, as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is just a civil official who only investigates cases and writes articles, did you? The Xiao Family followed the Grand Ancestor Emperor in his conquests. Although today’s Xiao Family isn’t purely a military general’s house, they still built their success on military achievements, and the Xiao Family has always valued their younger generation’s prowess in martial arts.

In fact, Yanci joined the army at thirteen and spent four years there, experiencing the entire turmoil of King Wu. You were old enough then to remember, surely. When King Wu first rebelled, he caught the court off guard, and the court was initially at a complete disadvantage. During that time, the entire northwest of Great Chu fell into King Wu’s hands, with the people displaced, living in misery.

Yanci joined the main force against King Wu and followed my father and the others to gradually reclaim Great Chu’s territories, witnessing the harshness of war. Don’t let Yanci’s current rigid and dull demeanor fool you; he... has been through a lot to become like this. In recent years, as rebellious forces have become restless again, Yanci has been pouring all his energy into eliminating those forces, working harder than anyone. His position as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice is just a front..."

Seeing the woman before him in a daze, Zhao Jingming realized he’d said too much, quickly closing his mouth, "Anyway, it’s not the first time this guy risked his life. Don’t worry about it; even if he dies young one day, it’s his own doing!"

He wasn’t worried about being overheard; the servants were far away, and, besides, the Zhao Family was his territory; he knew what he could say.

Xu Jing hadn’t expected Xiao Yi to have such a past.

The original protagonist indeed had memories of the turmoil of King Wu twelve years ago, but knew very little. At the time, the original protagonist was nine years old and kept in a secluded estate, with very limited information, only knowing that the turmoil lasted four years, Great Chu was weakened by the conflict, and barely resisted invading border tribes. She didn’t know much more.

Now, hearing Zhao Jingming’s account, Xu Jing realized the situation back then was far more critical than she imagined. If the court hadn’t ultimately won, she wouldn’t know what kind of chaotic world she would face upon arriving here.

Though today’s Great Chu is still fraught with peril, it remains generally peaceful, which could be considered one of heaven’s rare kindnesses to her.

She suddenly remembered something, "I heard Vice Minister Xiao passed the imperial examination as the top candidate at seventeen..."

"Yes," Zhao Jingming immediately wore a face of envy, jealousy, and hate, "That guy barely half a year after leaving the military, went to take the imperial exams, and who would’ve thought he’d become the top candidate just like that. You’d think he’s hateful, too, right!"

Xu Jing: "..."

Indeed, that’s quite hateful.

However, she now understood why Xiao Yi was so renowned among the younger generation.

Although many aristocratic children could rely on their family’s influence to secure official positions, unless they could inherit family titles, they had to take the imperial exams like common folk to gain powerful posts.

But she recalled that Xiao Yi was from the main branch of the Xiao Family and should inherit the title, so why take the exams?

The original protagonist’s memory didn’t include any interaction between Xiao Yi and the Xiao Family members.

Earlier, Madam Cen also said that with the Xiao Family’s current situation, no one could arrange a marriage for Xiao Yi... Is there more to this than meets the eye?

As Xu Jing pondered, Zhao Shao Hua returned and, seeing Zhao Jingming still there, couldn’t help but twitch her mouth, repeatedly reminding herself that this brother was her blood, and she couldn’t beat him. Smiling at Xu Jing, she said, "Doctor Xu, it’s rare for you to visit the Zhao Family. Let me show you around the garden."

Xu Jing noticed Zhao Shao Hua wanted to say more to her, smiled and said, "Sure, thank you, Young Madam Zhao."

Seeing Zhao Shao Hua glare at him warningly before leading Xu Jing away, Zhao Jingming was speechless for a moment, silently looking up at the sky.

Alright, knowing Xu Jing plans to develop in the Western Capital is good news.

Just after walking a short distance, Zhao Shao Hua warmly took Xu Jing’s hand, saying, "Doctor Xu, actually, I have another favor to ask you."