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Yunchu’s Vengeance - Chapter 165

Chapter 165 - True Lineage Exposed

"Shi'an, you seem rather surprised to see your own uncle?"


He Xu squatted down in front of Xie Shi'an.


Xie Shi'an quickly scanned the crowd gathered near the palace gates. More and more classmates arriving for their studies at the Imperial College were glancing over with curiosity.


In about a quarter of an hour, the morning court assembly would conclude, and the crowd would only grow larger.


His eyes flickered as he urgently calculated what excuse he could use to lead He Xu away to another location.


"Eldest Young Master Xie, this man is your uncle?"


The Heir of Pingjin leaned in closer.


"Huh, this isn't Master Yun. Since when did you gain an uncle like this?"


Xie Shi'an's expression remained unchanged. "He is not my uncle. The Heir heard wrong."


"What is it, Shi'an? Are you ashamed that an uncle like me brings disgrace upon you?" He Xu chuckled. "Well, of course. You were already planning to hire men to eliminate me, so why would you ever admit in broad daylight that I am your biological uncle?"


An amused smile crept onto the face of the Heir of Pingjin. Wonderful—a lively spectacle was unfolding, and one concerning Xie Shi'an no less; watching it cost nothing.


He hurried to chime in, "The Eldest Young Master Xie's mother is the legitimate daughter of the Yun family, and his uncle is Master Yun. What business does a coarse brute like you have randomly claiming relations here?!"


"Ha, stop trying to flatter him!" He Xu looked around at the onlookers who had stopped in their tracks. "He merely calls the Xie family's primary mistress 'Mother.' That doesn't mean he has a shred of connection to the Yun family! He is the product of Xie Jingyu's illicit affair with my biological sister prior to his marriage! Calling him a concubine-born son is already giving him far too much credit!"


Xie Shi'an abruptly seized He Xu's wrist. "Stop speaking nonsense here! Come with me; we can talk in another place!"


"What, trying to lure me away so you can kill me?" He Xu violently shook him off and bellowed at the top of his lungs, "Does everyone here know why Xie Shi'an wants to kill me?! Because I know his darkest secret! For the sake of his own selfish ambitions, he forced his own biological mother to her death with his bare hands!!"


As soon as those words fell, an uproar erupted throughout the entire area.


"Heavens above, Xie Shi'an killed his own mother?!"


"A woman carried him for ten months to give him life and flesh, yet she was ruthlessly murdered by him?!"


"He was so brilliant in his studies and so favored by the tutors; I truly took him for an upright gentleman. To think he is worse than a beast!"


"Can someone so utterly bereft of conscience still be allowed to study at the Imperial College?! He ought to be torn apart by five horses as a sacrifice to the heavens!"


"..."


Since ancient times, scholars had naturally looked down on one another. Many students of the Imperial College had long harbored resentment over Xie Shi'an being favored by the tutors, and one by one, they stepped forward to throw sarcastic stones.


Taking a deep breath, Xie Shi'an maintained his calm and composed demeanor. "Fellow classmates, I do not know this man, nor do I know who sent him. Perhaps I inadvertently offended someone in my daily life, prompting them to deliberately throw dirty water on me. Every classmate here has studied under the great scholars of the Imperial College, and I believe everyone possesses the ability to discern truth from falsehood. The pure remain pure of their own accord; I shall say no more."


"Hahaha, Eldest Young Master Xie certainly thinks highly of himself!" The Heir of Pingjin sneered mockingly. "If you had offended me, I would have disciplined you to your face. Why would I bother hiring someone to frame you? To me, this fellow's words sound detailed and substantiated. I'm afraid such an atrocious deed truly did take place! Why not report this to the magistrate's office and have them launch a thorough investigation?!"


He Xu continued loudly, "Do you all know why Xie Shi'an forced his own mother to her death?!"


Xie Shi'an's face finally turned pale.


Only now did he truly realize that He Xu had not come merely to cause a disturbance—he had come to destroy him completely.


Once again, he gripped He Xu's hand, his voice hushed and low: "Your surname is He! Do you realize what you are destroying by doing this?! It is not just my future, but also any hope for the He family's case to be overturned in the future! Think carefully before you open your mouth!"


"I, the only remaining bloodline of the He family, nearly died at the hands of my wonderful nephew! What hope of overturning the case do I still need?!" He Xu turned to address the crowd. "Let me tell you all why Xie Shi'an was cruel enough to murder his biological mother: because my sister and I bear the surname He, the direct legitimate descendants of Minister He of the Ministry of Revenue from twenty-odd years ago! In order to conceal the fact that he is the descendant of a convicted traitor, he brutally murdered his own birth mother!"


Everyone present was a student of the Imperial College, and naturally of noble or official lineage. Though they might not know every minute detail of court politics, they had certainly heard of such nation-shaking historical scandals. The moment He Xu mentioned the He family, the surrounding crowd erupted completely.


"Minister He of the Ministry of Revenue twenty years ago... Wasn't he that corrupt old thief? The imperial treasury was nearly emptied by him!"


"Back then, all males of the He family above the age of seven were beheaded, while the young boys and women were banished back to their ancestral homes. This man must be the young master of the He family from back then."


"Who knows? I wasn't even born yet at that time; how could I have ever seen anyone from the He family?"


"If Xie Shi'an is truly the son of the He family's legitimate daughter, then the blood of the He family runs in his veins! How could the descendant of a convicted traitor be permitted into the Imperial College?!"


"Good heavens! What was his goal in infiltrating the Imperial College? Bearing humiliation to shoulder heavy burdens and restore the He family? Even popular storybooks wouldn't dare write such a plot!"


"He rubs shoulders with so many imperial princes every single day in the Imperial College! If he harbored sinister intentions, the consequences would be unimaginable!"


"The Imperial College isn't far from the Imperial Study either. If he wanted to assassinate the Emperor, it wouldn't be impossible..."


"Why didn't the Ministry of Education thoroughly investigate his background..."


All manner of clamorous voices boiled in his ears.


Xie Shi'an's vision spun, and he nearly collapsed on the spot.


He Xu was immensely pleased with himself.


Although he was the descendant of a convicted official, he had received an imperial pardon long ago. Even if the entire world learned that his surname was He, it would not affect him in the slightest.


On the other hand, Xie Shi'an—this cold-blooded nephew who had yearned so desperately to climb the ranks, finally clawing his way into the Imperial College with immense effort—would see all his years of striving reduced to ashes because of his identity as a traitor's offspring!


"If you hadn't tried to kill me, I wouldn't have pushed things to such an absolute extreme!"


He Xu glared at Xie Shi'an, enunciating every word with malicious satisfaction.


He wanted to reveal even more to the surrounding onlookers.


He remembered that in his childhood, he had often been surrounded by crowds like this, and no matter what he said, everyone would praise him for his wit.


At this moment, having everyone's eyes focused solely on him made him feel as though he had returned to his youth...


However, just as he opened his mouth, someone beside him yanked him back. He turned his head and saw Uncle Chen.


Chen Defu dragged him out of the crowd in one swift motion. "Although the Emperor never explicitly forbade descendants of the He family from entering the capital, appearing rashly near the imperial palace might lead to your arrest. Let me take you somewhere safe to lay low for now."


He Xu was filled with gratitude. "It's still Uncle Chen who cares for me most..."


Chen Defu pulled him into a carriage, swiftly departing from the palace gates.


The morning court had adjourned, and officials began streaming out, causing the crowd around the palace gates to swell further.


Countless voices exploded like a chaotic tempest in his mind.


Xie Shi'an did not know how he left the palace gates, nor did he know how he managed to walk all the way back to the Xie residence. The moment he crossed the threshold of the Xie family's gates, he stumbled and collapsed heavily to the ground.

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