She's skilled in medicine, martial arts, and even understands animal language—the abandoned dau

After a long while, he released his embrace, his expression resolute: "Han'er, with you here, I will never back down. However, right now I need to find out the truth as soon as possible, give the Meng family justice, and also find my true self."

Once this matter is settled, I will come to the Marquis's residence openly and honestly to propose marriage, and marry you in grand style.

Shen Han's cheeks flushed, her eyes filled with longing, and she nodded gently: "Okay, I'll wait for you. Just be careful in your actions, and don't make me worry."

Cui Jinrong glanced around Shen Han's boudoir once more, remembering the warmth of the moment, then turned around, nimbly climbed out the window, and disappeared into the vast night.

Shen Han stood by the window, gazing in the direction where he had disappeared, and murmured to herself, "Cui Jinrong, you must return safely."

The following day, around 7:00 AM, Cui Jinrong returned to the Duke of Xingguo's residence with his few remaining men to report back to the Duke.

"Father, I have failed in my duties and have let you down. Please punish me." Cui Jinrong knelt on one knee, bowed his head and clasped his hands. Although his voice was somewhat tired, it still revealed a firm resolve.

His men behind him also knelt down in unison, not daring to utter a sound.

Duke Cui Chengdao of Xingguo sat in the grand chair in the main hall, his face so gloomy it could drip water. He slammed the teacup in his hand heavily on the table, making a crisp sound, and splashed tea, wetting a small part of the tabletop.

His gaze was piercing as he stared intently at Cui Jinrong. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Cui Jinrong took a deep breath and recounted the whole story in detail, from the ambush he set up on the way after learning that Lin Simiao's mission had failed, to the fierce resistance he encountered from Shen Man and others, to the intense battle between the two sides, and finally the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Chu Zhiyi. He left out every detail.

He knew that hiding it now was useless, and besides, he had other plans in mind. Now that the mystery of his origins had begun to emerge, he had to be more careful in his future actions. Perhaps by being honest with the Duke of Xingguo, he could glean some truth from his reaction.

Cui Chengdao's face grew increasingly grim as he listened, his hands clenched into fists, veins bulging on the backs of his hands. "Hmph, I sent you to handle such an important matter, and you've proven utterly useless!"

"Chu Zhiyi is gaining increasing power; if he isn't eliminated soon, he will become a major threat. And Ding Man, she has repeatedly opposed my Xingguo Duke's mansion; why don't you execute her on the spot?"

Cui Jinrong's heart tightened, and he subconsciously defended Shen Man, saying, "Father, Ding Man is highly skilled in martial arts and also knows medicine. We did our best at the time, but we were outnumbered. Besides, if we rashly killed her, it would probably cause more trouble and arouse a lot of suspicion among the people and the court."

He knew in his heart that although Shen Man was on a different side from him, she might be a key figure in his search for his origins, and he couldn't let her die for the time being.

Cui Chengdao laughed angrily, "Fine, you're actually speaking up for her. I think you've been out there too long and your wings have hardened, you don't even listen to me anymore!"

After saying that, he suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the hall. His anger seemed to materialize, making the surrounding air feel oppressive.

Upon seeing this, Cui Jinrong kowtowed again: "Father, I dare not. I am willing to accept punishment for the failure of this mission. Please give me a chance to redeem myself. I will do my best to complete the task you have assigned me."

He knew he had to stabilize the situation first and not let his father be completely disappointed in him, otherwise it would be even more difficult to investigate his origins later.

Cui Chengdao stopped and scrutinized Cui Jinrong for a long time, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he slowly spoke: "Hmph, since you put it that way, then I'll give you another chance. I've already persuaded the Emperor to reopen the Zhou Yu murder case, and everyone involved in it will be returned to the capital."

Find a way to kill Chu Zhiyi before he arrives in the capital. This time, success is the only option! If you mess this up again, don't blame me for disregarding our father-son relationship!

Cui Jinrong's heart skipped a beat. Chu Zhiyi and the others must have been prepared for their return to the capital, and taking action now would be extremely risky. But at this moment, he had no choice but to reply, "Yes, Your son obeys."

After Cui Jinrong left, Cui Chengdao sat back down in his armchair, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes: "That kid is getting more and more troublesome. I hope he doesn't cause me any major problems..."

After returning to his room, Cui Jinrong fell into deep thought. On the one hand, he had to prepare for another assassination attempt on Chu Zhiyi, and on the other hand, he had to secretly investigate his own background. These two matters weighed heavily on his mind like two mountains, leaving him no peace for even a moment.

He sat in his room for a long time, and finally came up with the quickest and most effective way to confirm his identity: check the Cui family genealogy. If he was indeed Cui Chengdao's biological son, then it would definitely be recorded in the genealogy.

Cui Jinrong knew that checking the family genealogy was by no means an easy task.

As a prominent family, the Cui family's genealogy has always been carefully kept deep inside the ancestral hall, which is not only guarded by layers of guards, but also equipped with many hidden mechanisms and sentries to prevent outsiders from spying on it.

But in order to find out about his origins as soon as possible, he had to take a risk.

As night fell again, Cui Jinrong changed into a black outfit, concealing himself in the darkness, and stealthily made his way towards the ancestral hall.

Along the way, he skillfully avoided the patrolling servants by relying on his familiarity with the paths within the mansion.

As he approached the ancestral hall, he saw two guards standing at the entrance, their posture upright and their eyes wary.

Cui Jinrong dodged behind a stone pillar and took out two pebbles from his pocket, then launched them with force.

The pebble struck the guards precisely at their pressure points, causing them to fall to the ground instantly and silently.

He gently pushed open the ancestral hall door, the hinges making a slight creaking sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Cui Jinrong's heart tightened, and he quickly slipped inside, then closed the door behind him.

The candlelight inside the ancestral hall was dim, casting shadows, and rows of memorial tablets exuded a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

He walked straight to the sandalwood bookshelf where the family genealogy was placed. Just as he was about to reach for it, the stone slab beneath his feet suddenly trembled slightly, and then several sharp arrows shot from all directions.

Cui Jinrong reacted extremely quickly, lightly touching the ground with his toes and leaping into the air, wielding his long sword to deflect the arrows.

After landing, he dared not delay for a moment. Relying on the method of solving the mechanism in his memory, he carefully avoided triggering new traps and finally arrived in front of the family tree.

The thick family genealogy book was wrapped in silk. Cui Jinrong's hands trembled as he opened it and searched for his name page by page.

However, when he turned to the page for the corresponding year, he found that his name had been altered, and the original handwriting was blurred, as if someone had deliberately covered something up.

Cui Jinrong's heart sank, and he became even more certain that his background was unusual.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, a commotion suddenly came from outside the ancestral hall, presumably because the guards had noticed something amiss during their shift change.

Cui Jinrong hurriedly put the family genealogy book back in its place and turned to look for a way out. At this moment, a hidden door at the back of the ancestral hall caught his attention. Without thinking twice, he ran over, pushed it open forcefully, and slipped inside.