RPAGF Chapter 366 The Xie Family's Past
Chapter 366 The Xie Family's Past
The three sat down, but none of them spoke; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Wen Jiayue didn't want to speak, afraid of disturbing them, but seeing that neither of them made a sound, she had no choice but to speak first to ease the atmosphere.
"Miss Xie, your peach shortbread is very good. My husband and I both love it. I didn't know you had this skill."
Xie Yan said in a low voice, "I learned it from my grandfather."
She was holding something in her hand, which seemed to be a jade pendant. Perhaps she was too nervous, because her fingertips were clenched so tightly they turned white.
Wen Jiayue was taken aback. Didn't Shen Fuyou say she was a beggar? Since her grandfather had such good skills, she shouldn't have fallen to this state.
She wanted to ask where her grandfather was, but a bad feeling crept into her heart.
Perhaps her family fell on hard times, or... she was separated from her family when she was a child?
However, neither of these guesses seems to be correct, since they have nothing to do with Shen Fuhan.
She looked at him, and Shen Fuhan was silently sizing up Xie Yan, his eyes filled with emotions she couldn't understand.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly spoke up: "How did you escape back then?"
Xie Yan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Shouldn't Lord Shen verify my identity first?"
She gently placed the two jade pendants she was holding on the table.
The jade pendant appeared to have been broken; the twin lotus flowers were split in two and repaired with gold, becoming two pieces.
Wen Jiayue had seen it before. It was Shen Fuyou who broke the jade pendant and asked her for help. After it was repaired, she even showed it to her.
Unexpectedly, this jade pendant was the physical evidence proving Xie Yan's identity. No wonder Shen Fuyou said that Xie Yan was very angry that day.
Shen Fuhan glanced at it briefly before looking away: "Those peach shortbreads that taste similar are enough to prove it."
Xie Yan then answered his question.
“My grandfather, father, mother, brothers, uncles and aunts all helped me, and I escaped in the chaos.”
Her tone was calm, but when she mentioned these long-lost terms of address, her eyes filled with tears, and she choked up at the end.
Although she didn't know what she had been through, she knew it wasn't a good thing. Wen Jiayue felt a little uneasy and handed her the handkerchief.
Xie Yan thanked him and asked, "Did Lord Shen help me back then?"
Shen Fuhan did not deny it: "But I thought no one from the Xie family had escaped."
After the matter was settled, he quietly went back for a look, and found that the remains of all the Xie family members were still there.
He thought he had overlooked something important and failed to help them, and this became a knot in his heart. For many years afterward, he never set foot in Jinzhou again.
It was as if by not going, he wouldn't be reminded of this regrettable and heartbreaking past event.
“After I escaped, I naturally acted in secret, how could I dare to let you know?” Xie Yan said softly, “I always thought that you and the Princess were in cahoots.”
She closed her eyes and recalled what happened that year.
The destruction of the Xie family in Jinzhou was an unexpected disaster.
The Xie family's peach shortbread has always been famous. In the early years, the late emperor visited incognito and tasted it, praising it highly. From then on, the Xie family began to offer peach shortbread as tribute to the royal family.
The Xie family all thought they would continue to live peacefully like this, passing on the craft of making peach shortbread to generation after generation of Xie family members.
However, Li Zhilan used peach cakes to harm people. In order to clear her name, she pretended to be poisoned, which greatly angered the late emperor who loved his daughter dearly.
After much investigation, the investigation finally led back to the Xie family.
To fabricate charges, every word and action of the past became a fault, especially with Li Zhilan secretly fueling the flames. The Xie family was soon imprisoned.
At the time, Shen Fuhan had just been promoted to the position of Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review and was in charge of handling this case.
He promised the Xie family that if they were wronged, he would clear their name.
But after waiting for three days, the family received news of their imminent execution.
After escaping, Xie Yan was devastated. Her family members had died so mysteriously, and she could do nothing about it.
But she thought she didn't blame that Lord Teramasa; he must have tried his best for the Xie family, but he was powerless to contend with the Princess.
For the next few years, she kept gathering information about Chang'an, especially about Li Zhilan, preparing to take revenge for her family.
Unexpectedly, the more she learned, the more desperate she became.
The magistrate she had once been genuinely grateful to was rising in rank and growing closer to Li Zhilan.
She couldn't help but wonder if he and the princess were in cahoots, and that he was just lying to appease the family and prevent them from causing trouble.
From then on, she had one more person to resent.
Later, she finally got her chance when Shen Fuhan's fourth brother, Shen Fuyou, came to Jinzhou. She disguised herself as a beggar and was rescued by him.
Things went incredibly smoothly. Shen Fuyou fell in love with her almost at first sight and brought her to Chang'an, where they stayed in a separate courtyard.
But she could never find an opportunity to get close to Shen Fuhan.
She couldn't help but regret that she should have suggested becoming Shen Fuyou's maid instead of wasting her days in the villa.
Just when she was at her wit's end, Shen Fuhan suddenly stopped taking charge of repairing the princess's residence, and his attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
She then saw a glimmer of hope and decided to take a gamble, using peach shortbread to lure Shen Fuhan over to find out what was going on.
As it turned out, she made the right bet; she could see the guilt in Shen Fuhan's gaze as he looked at her.
“I have never been on the same side as the Princess, and I approached her for other reasons,” Shen Fuhan said. “If you want to know the truth, I can tell you.”
Xie Yan shook her head: "No need, it's enough that I know Lord Shen has difficulties."
At only sixteen years old, a girl who should be indulging in unrestrained behavior under the pampering of her father and brothers, only showed strength on her face.
Shen Fuhan was silent for a moment, then asked, "How have you been these past few years?"
“A family that had once received kindness from my grandfather secretly took me in. Although we weren’t exactly well-off, we weren’t starving or freezing either.”
Shen Fuhan looked at her with a complicated expression: "What are you going to do next?"
"That depends on Lord Shen's opinion."
Xie Yan straightened her back, trying her best to pretend to be an adult.
“I know you have a grudge against the Princess. I hope that when you get your revenge, you can clear the Xie family’s name. I will agree to whatever conditions you ask for.”
She knew that Shen Fuhan had no obligation to do so, but on her own, she had no way to even get close to Li Zhilan.
She could only pin her hopes on Shen Fuhan and take advantage of his guilt. If guilt wasn't enough, she was willing to agree to any of his conditions.
Unexpectedly, Shen Fuhan said, "No conditions are needed. This is something I should do."
Xie Yan was stunned; she never expected him to say that.
“However, I would like to return what you just said,” Shen Fuhan said solemnly. “After your exoneration, whatever decision you make, I will agree to do my best.”
Xie Yan was taken aback; she hadn't thought that far ahead.
However, when she first arrived in Chang'an, she thought that after avenging her family, if she had the chance, she would live for herself.
However, just as she was about to speak, her gaze fell on the twin lotus jade pendant, and she hesitated slightly.
Shen Fuyou...
The events involving him over the past year flashed through her mind, making it impossible for her to freely express what was on her mind.
She bit her lip: "I..."
"There's no rush," Shen Fuhan interrupted her, seeing that she hadn't made up her mind yet. "You have two months to think it over."
Xie Yan looked up: "Two months?"
Shen Fuhan promised, "I will give the Xie family an explanation within two months at the latest."