The Grand Secretary's Pampered Wife

Chapter 706.3: The Truth of the Past

Special Thanks to these patrons for their support!

S T E L L A R C L O U D

[Galetron]

O R A N G E S T A R

[Alma S.] [Christine G.-L.] [Fazzienaz] [K.Rom]

[Onepiece] [Suong D.] [Tori D.] [Ziana K.-P.]

Y E L L O W S T A R

[Passerby] [Xena]

G O L D S T A R

[Nevy] [Roxanne C.]

R A I N B O W S T A R

[Debra W] [Kiiayame]

T H E S U N

[kuroneko_chan] [Michelle K.] [Smurfinbatik]

CELESTIAL CONQUEROR

[Ava C.] [BritnaeM] [Lily J.] [Manon] [Sophia W.][Val Nes]

Also, many thanks to everyone who bought me coffee (*???*)

"That horse is the Black Wind King? It actually is..." Second Master Jing muttered with a complicated expression.

"What’s the matter?" Gu Jiao asked.

Second Master Jing sighed, "How should I put this? You’ve seen the Han Family’s Black Wind Cavalry horses, but did you know that the Black Wind Cavalry originally didn’t belong to the Han Family? They were all trained by the Xuanyuan Family."

"I’ve heard people mention it." Gu Jiao said, "After the Xuanyuan Family's downfall, military power was divided into four, and the cavalry went to the Han Family, which included a large number of Black Wind Cavalry horses."

"You seem to know quite a bit about the State of Yan affairs."

Gu Jiao didn’t deny it.

Second Master Jing was merely teasing Gu Jiao and actually didn’t think she had any ulterior motives.

He continued, "Out of thirty thousand Black Wind Cavalry horses, only one Black Wind King emerges. Traditionally, every Black Wind King has been a stallion, but this one is a mare. She was born through a difficult labor and had been stuck in the womb for too long. By the time she was born, she was barely breathing. Incidentally, it was my elder brother-in-law and General Xuanyuan who delivered her. After she was born, General Xuanyuan took her back. So, in fact, that horse was personally raised by General Xuanyuan."

Gu Jiao asked, "Your elder brother-in-law is..."

Second Master Jing awkwardly replied, "Ahem, my elder brother’s brother-in-law is my brother-in-law too! Xuanyuan Hao!"

Gu Jiao nodded and asked, "Didn’t he change his name to Xuanyuan Sheng?"

Second Master Jing was stunned, "You even know that?"

Gu Jiao said, "I’ve heard about it too."

Who exactly were these people you hang out with, discussing the Xuanyuan Family so casually? Weren’t they afraid of getting beheaded?

Second Master Jing rolled his eyes slightly. Then, as if recalling something, he added, "Speaking of which, the Black Wind King is the same age as Yinyin."

"Yinyin?" Gu Jiao murmured. That name always felt oddly familiar to her; she seemed to have heard it in her dreams.

Second Master Jing, unaware of her thoughts, assumed she was simply asking. He explained, "Yinyin is my elder brother and sister-in-law's daughter, born the same year as the Black Wind King. When they were two years old, something happened to the Xuanyuan Family. The Han Family made a significant contribution during the war, and the Emperor rewarded them with the Black Wind Cavalry. Naturally, the Black Wind King, still a foal at the time, also went to the Han Family. Sigh, in the blink of an eye, it's already been fifteen years."

So the Black Wind King had returned to find its original master?

After all these years, it was still waiting for its master to return?

Gu Jiao was silent for a moment before asking, "Did the Xuanyuan Family really rebel?"

The room suddenly plunged into an eerie silence.

Second Master Jing tensed up and dared not answer.

Duke An dipped his fingertip in tea, and with the little strength he had regained, shakily wrote down a single word.

Looking at the character "Yes" that Lord Duke had written with nearly all his strength, strangely, Gu Jiao didn’t feel too surprised.

Duke An wanted to continue writing, but he no longer had the strength.

Second Master Jing, watching his elder brother’s trembling hand, said with a pained expression, "Elder brother, stop writing. I’ll speak for you!"

They hadn’t met this young man many times, and they shouldn’t have been discussing things so deeply. He couldn’t understand why his elder brother had no defenses at all toward this kid.

Second Master Jing composed himself and solemnly said, "That’s right, the Xuanyuan Family did rebel, but they were forced into it. And the culprit behind all of this was the Imperial Advisor's Hall!"

"What did the Imperial Advisor's Hall do?" Gu Jiao asked.

Second Master Jing scoffed and said, "That damned Imperial Advisor made a divination for the Xuanyuan Family, claiming that someone in the family had the fate of the Purple Star. The Purple Star is also known as the Emperor Star, a fate that only a ruler of a nation is supposed to have. It was a blatant accusation, implying that the Xuanyuan Family had imperial ambitions. Tell me, what Emperor would feel at ease hearing that? To prove their loyalty and that they had no rebellious intentions, the Xuanyuan Family resolutely handed over their military power."

"But not long after they handed over their military power, war broke out at the borders. Jin and Liang formed an alliance and attacked Yan’s frontier. The State of Yan was besieged on both sides. At first, the Emperor didn’t want to use the Xuanyuan Family, but after suffering several defeats, morale plummeted, and the army was in disarray. The nation was crumbling, and cities were falling. In desperation, the Emperor had no choice but to call upon the Xuanyuan Family again."

"Xuanyuan Li led his eldest son into battle, spearheading the charge against the Jin army. They recaptured three cities in one swift strike. Xuanyuan Li's younger brother, along with the third and fifth sons, led troops against the Liang army, winning every encounter. The once impenetrable alliance between the two nations was shattered by the Xuanyuan Family, and the border was stabilized. The people at the frontier were deeply grateful, and when the Xuanyuan Family withdrew their forces, the entire city came out to bid them farewell."

"This event made the Emperor fully realize the Xuanyuan Family’s strength and their standing in the hearts of the people. The 'Purple Star' in the Xuanyuan Family wasn’t something that surrendering their military power could stop, unless——"

Gu Jiao finished his sentence, "Unless they were all dead."

Second Master Jing nodded, "Exactly. From the moment the Xuanyuan Family returned to the capital in triumph, the Emperor had made up his mind to root them out completely. But Xuanyuan Li was a veteran of two reigns and a War God, a Divine General among the six states. While the various measures of the Imperial Advisor's Hall played a part in the State of Yan’s rise from a lower country to an upper nation, how could those who had once oppressed the State of Yan willingly accept its rise? The Xuanyuan Family fought countless battles and shed untold blood to defend the nation against the ambitions of these foreign enemies. Without the Xuanyuan Family’s defense of the borders, the State of Yan would have long since been destroyed. What talk of an upper nation would there be then?"

"The Xuanyuan Family's accomplishments overshadowed the Emperor, and though he became wary, he couldn’t simply kill them off. To become a leading nation, he still needed the Xuanyuan Family. So, the Emperor devised a plan to lull them into a false sense of security. When the Empress Xuanyuan gave birth to an imperial daughter, the Emperor immediately declared her the Crown Princess. For over ten years, he showered the Crown Princess with affection, treating her with utmost care, and granted the Xuanyuan Family whatever they asked. The Emperor's original intent was to make the Xuanyuan Family arrogant through this favor, but the family’s strict house discipline prevented them from doing anything improper."

Gu Jiao remarked, "Even if they had, it wouldn’t have been enough to condemn the Xuanyuan Family, right?"

Second Master Jing was briefly stumped, "Ahem, that’s true."

Gu Jiao hummed in agreement and said, "So, the Emperor wasn’t trying to make the Xuanyuan Family commit a mistake on their own. He wanted the entire nation to see how well he treated the Xuanyuan Family so that one day, if they ever betrayed him, the people would cry injustice on his behalf."

Second Master Jing scratched his head, "Huh, is that it? What you’re saying actually makes some sense."

Gu Jiao asked, "Then how exactly was the Xuanyuan Family forced into rebellion?"

Second Master Jing was silent for a while, clenching his fists with a complicated expression. "I’m not sure about the details. It seems to have something to do with the Crown Princess. My elder brother knows more, but as you can see, he can’t speak."

Gu Jiao thought for a moment and asked, "There were probably many people who wanted something to happen to the Xuanyuan Family, right?"

Second Master Jing nodded in grief and indignation, "The power, status, military authority, and achievements of the Xuanyuan Family made everyone jealous. The Xuanyuan Family never wronged the world, but the world wronged the Xuanyuan Family."

......

The rain showed no signs of letting up, and the sound of raindrops pattering on the eaves echoed in the room.

Second Master Jing said he was hungry and went to the kitchen to find something to eat.

Now only Gu Jiao and Duke An remained in the room.

Gu Jiao pulled a small stool over to sit by Duke An’s side, massaging his arm and hand to help with his rehabilitation.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell someone about the Xuanyuan Family’s affairs?" Gu Jiao asked.

Duke An tapped the armrest twice with his fingers.

Not afraid.

To her surprise, Gu Jiao understood what he meant.

As she continued massaging his other hand, she asked, "Why not? We haven’t met many times. I’m actually a bad person."

Duke An tapped the armrest three times.

You won’t.

Gu Jiao raised her eyebrows at him, "How do you know I won’t?"

Duke An tapped several more times.

You just won’t.

From the moment Gu Jiao had first hidden under his quilt, he had felt a strange sense of familiarity and connection.

He couldn’t explain why.

But it was like someone most important to him had returned to his side.

Raz P.'s Thoughts

To read advance GSPW chapters! Updates 7x a week (daily).

You can read up to 45 advance chapters in our patreon so you should go check it out. ^^

No patreon but want to support us? Then,

OR if you can't support us in money, you can always support us emotionally -just hope into . Hehehe~

--------------------------------------------

PLEASE CHECK OUT OUR NEW PROJECT:

Description:

In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.

When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.

The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.

From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.

***

Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.

After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"

Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"

Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

—

Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”

Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."

Jiang Baiyan: ...?

He hasn't finished his lines yet though…