Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Inside the elegant room of Tingyu Tower, the air is filled with the scent of sandalwood and the fragrance of tea.

Han Jue's usual cynical demeanor was gone, and a lingering frost covered his brows. "Ever since I can remember, Mother has treated my Second Brother and me with extreme distance. But my Second Brother, though only two years older than me, is like a brother and a father to me, and the person I trust the most."

He gently stroked the rim of the teacup with his fingertips, speaking in a low voice, "It's well known to everyone in the court of Nanjing. Father and the Empress were married at a young age and were deeply in love. The eldest brother, born to the Empress, was both the eldest son and gifted, and should have been... but unfortunately, he didn't live long enough."

Han Jue suddenly forced a wry smile. "After my eldest brother passed away, my second brother and I became the chosen heirs. But my second brother often told me privately that he wasn't interested in this and was willing to devote all his energy to assisting me. And I... although I have no ambition to ascend to the throne, I have also diligently studied, simply to earn a compliment from my father and a smile from my mother."

His gaze, through the curling tea smoke, seemed to glimpse the distant past: "In the midsummer when I was fifteen, I returned from martial arts training and wanted to go to my mother's palace to ask for a bowl of iced yogurt to cool off. Who knew I would hear outside the palace..."

Han Jue's throat rolled, his voice trembling slightly. "I heard Second Brother tell Mother that my younger brother was too dull to handle such a big responsibility. He asked Mother to help him ascend to the throne, and Mother... Mother... actually agreed."

The water in the teacup swayed gently, reflecting the shattered light and shadow in his eyes: "At that moment, I realized that the so-called deep brotherly love was nothing but an elaborate lie."

He paused slightly, smiled bitterly, and said, "Three days later, my father will send me to Yuzhou on a mission."

As he spoke, he gently raised his hand and slowly peeled off the human skin mask. In the candlelight, the hideous scar ran diagonally from his brow to his jaw, like an ugly, winding venomous snake.

He reached out and gently stroked the scar, his fingertips trembling slightly. "On the way back, we were attacked and all my men were wiped out. I lay in a pool of blood, almost dead, when a man in black stepped on my head and slashed half of my face with a dagger."

His voice suddenly became unusually calm: "Although I only have one breath left, I clearly saw the red birthmark on that person's wrist..."

"It's the Second Prince's personal bodyguard." He closed his eyes and drank the tea in one gulp, as if to wash away the bitterness in his mouth.

You could hear a pin drop in the house. Everyone held their breath and even the candlelight was frozen, as if they were suffocating under the weight of the past.

Xie Qingli took light steps and gently placed her hand on Han Jue's shoulder: "In life, only by taking revenge and repaying kindness can one live a fulfilled life. Since you have escaped from the Hall of Yama, it is as if God has personally handed the knife of revenge to you. How can you let it down?"

Xie Tingyu's brows knitted slightly, a look of suspicion on his face. "Nanjing's Second Prince Xiao Yan has always been known for his virtue and gentleness. How could he be so different from the sinister and vicious person Han Jue described him as?"

Xie Qingli's red lips parted slightly, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "A reputation for virtue? Gentle? Isn't this a carbon copy of our Third Prince of Dongling? Is such a painstakingly crafted reputation really worth taking seriously?"

Her eyes flickered as she sneered, "Besides, I heard that Xiao Yan has been registered under the Queen's name and has been promoted to the position of Crown Prince. Such deliberate schemes only serve to confirm his hypocrisy."

Zou Ping took a sip of tea and said slowly, "This matter still needs to be considered. Han Jue's suffering is certainly real, but the conversation that was overheard can be fabricated based on the sound alone. There are countless people in the world who are good at ventriloquism."

He raised his hand and stroked the human skin mask on his face, saying meaningfully: "Even if you see it with your own eyes, it may not be true."

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. Yes, Feng Qian and the Zou family's human skin masks were so real that they could be mistaken for real ones.

Han Jue's cold gaze suddenly turned to Zouping, a faint glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes. He wished so much that the brother who had slept with him had never betrayed him.

Xie Qingli pursed her lips and argued softly, "But how can such a divine skill as Master be obtained by ordinary people?"

Zou Ping raised his lips slightly: "Since Feng Qian and the Zou family can set foot in Dongling, why can't they also get involved in the South View?"

He swept his gaze over the crowd, finally landing on Han Jue. "Since Song Zhaoxing had met Imperial Concubine Zhan and the Third Prince Xiao Rui, and Han Jue is the real Xiao Rui, then the person Song Zhaoxing met must be a fake."

He suddenly leaned forward, the candlelight casting deep shadows in his eyes. "A fake person who can make even those closest to him unable to distinguish the real from the fake, except for twins made for each other..."

Before he finished speaking, Han Jue had already shaken his head: "I don't have a twin brother."

Zou Ping's eyes flashed, "Then the only thing left is... the unique martial arts of the Feng Qian Zou family."

Xie Qingli twirled her hair lightly with her fingertips, speaking thoughtfully, "Han Jue said that Concubine Zhan was cold and distant towards the two brothers, but Song Zhaoxing said that Concubine Zhan and Xiao Rui had a deep mother-son relationship. And the Empress and Concubine Zhan have always been at odds, yet Xiao Yan, the child of Concubine Zhan, was registered under the Empress' name..."

Her eyes brightened. "So, Imperial Concubine Zhan and the fake Xiao Rui must be in cahoots. Xiao Yan might not have known about this at first, but later... perhaps he noticed something and turned to the Empress for protection?"

The candle flame suddenly jumped, illuminating everyone's faces flickeringly.

Zou Ping rubbed the rim of his teacup thoughtfully. "Interesting... If that's true, then Xiao Yan is quite the hidden talent. He knew Concubine Zhan was colluding with her fake brothers, yet he kept silent about it, and instead used the situation to climb the Queen's powerful tree."

The glimmer of hope that had just ignited in Han Jue's eyes suddenly died, and his voice cracked: "So... Second Brother is still Mother's accomplice after all?"

Xie Qingli shook his head slightly. "Not necessarily. If he really was in cahoots with Imperial Concubine Zhan, why would he change sides? This would seem like... a complete break with Imperial Concubine Zhan."

Xie Tingyu's brows furrowed, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table. "Perhaps... they were originally birds of a feather, but later turned against each other for personal gain, and Xiao Yan turned to the Queen?"

Xie Qingli nodded slightly, turned to Han Jue, whose expression was uncertain, and softened his voice: "Do you want to go back and find out?"

Han Jue was silent for a long time, his fingertips unconsciously touching the hideous scar on his face, and finally shook his head gently: "My homeland has become a stranger... I don't want to go back. But I want to remove this scar."

He raised his eyes and looked directly at Xie Qingli, a glimmer in his eyes: "Young lady said that day that she could remove this scar for me...Does that still count?"

He had intended to keep this secret of his life a secret for the rest of his life. Who would have thought that today, by some strange twist of fate, he would reveal it all before everyone? If he could restore his true identity, given his status as the Third Prince of Nanjing... would he be worthy of the young lady?

Although Xie Qingli didn't understand why he suddenly changed his mind, he smiled and said, "Of course it's okay. I'll start preparing the medicine for you tomorrow."

Han Jue's ears turned slightly red, and he whispered, "Miss, there's no need to rush. It's okay to start after the New Year."

Xie Qingli raised the corners of his lips slightly: "No problem, I'm really curious about what the legendary Third Prince of Nanjing is like."

When everyone heard this, they all smiled knowingly.

Xie Qingli's eyes drifted as he caught sight of Zou Ping. His heart suddenly trembled, and he asked softly, "Master, did your trip to Fengqian go smoothly? Why... did you become so thin?"