Xie Lian shook his head. “So, he already had a history. Good thing he’s good at hiding; if the Upper Court found out he had a hand in all those mortal conflicts, they wouldn’t show him any mercy.”
“The Gilded Banquet Massacre was very much his style,” Hua Cheng said. “So I had always believed that he was the mastermind and the State Preceptor Fangxin was his lackey. But in the Upper Court, when Lang Qianqiu identified you as the State Preceptor Fangxin, it was clear there was no way Fangxin and Qi Rong could be on the same side.”
Xie Lian’s steps slowed. It seemed that even though Hua Cheng wasn’t present in the heavens, he was still very well informed on what went on in the Palace of Divine Might. And not just that, he was also very knowledgeable about Xie Lian’s personal relationship with Qi Rong.
Hua Cheng continued, “Nevertheless, I still leaned toward Qi Rong as the mastermind, or at least the one who started the whole thing. Ordinary Xianle descendants received tremendous improvements to their lives after Lang Qianqiu’s father ascended the throne, and they no longer thought of avenging their fallen kingdom like they had in the past. The only ones who couldn’t let go would be the royal family of Xianle. At the time, the sole remaining descendant was Prince An Le. If Qi Rong wanted to instigate anyone into starting anything, it would have been him. And very conveniently, the man in question randomly died of an unknown illness right after the Gilded Banquet. Obviously suspect, is it not?”
Xie Lian nodded, and Hua Cheng concluded.
“So he was most likely killed, and the reason for his death had something to do with the Gilded Banquet. My initial deduction was that it was the work of Yong’an nobility, but nothing happened to the descendants of Xianle, so it couldn’t have been them. I thought about it and came to my present conclusion.”
Xie Lian smiled and was amazed. “So few clues, and yet you deduced so accurately.”
“It’s not hard,” Hua Cheng said. “You just have to know the main people involved well.”
“That’s for sure, but in your deduction, there is a significant assumption that I don’t understand.”
“And that is?” Hua Cheng asked.
“Why were you so convinced that Qi Rong was the one who made the first move?”
“It’s not that I believed he did it. I just believed that you didn’t.”
Xie Lian’s smile faded at this. He was quiet for a moment before asking, “Why is that?”
“If you had admitted to the Gilded Banquet Massacre using any other reason, then I would’ve believed it was you,” Hua Cheng replied. “The Yong’an king was a diligent ruler, loved by the people, and yet Lang Qianqiu said the reason you told him was ‘I couldn’t stand seeing your people on the throne.’
“That was a model declaration for someone intent on overthrowing the crown. But if that declaration came from you, it’d be a poor attempt at tarnishing your name.”
Xie Lian puffed a soundless laugh at the mention. “‘Tarnishing my name’？ You didn’t think that I might have harbored those thoughts deep down inside? Maybe I do have some resentment hidden.”
“Thoughts are thoughts. You wouldn’t have acted on them,” Hua Cheng said.
Xie Lian shut his mouth. After a moment, he said, “San Lang, I’m not the person you think I am. You—”
Xie Lian closed his eyes and shook his head, as if unsure whether to continue.
Hua Cheng urged, “Tell me, it’s fine.”
Xie Lian chewed on his words but finally said, “I just think it’s best for people not to place too much hope on someone else.”
“Oh?” Hua Cheng hummed. “And what do you mean by that?”
“You shouldn’t idolize people or think of them as overly perfect,” Xie Lian replied. “If you’re just watching a shadow from afar and never interacting, then sure. But once acquainted and grown close, one day you’ll find that this person isn’t what you imagined, maybe even the complete opposite. When that happens, you’ll be very disappointed.”
Hua Cheng disagreed respectfully. “You never know. I don’t care if anyone else is disappointed. But to some, the very existence of a certain person in this world is in itself hope.”
Although he didn’t specify who “some” were, or who “a certain person” was, and though his tone was plain and casual like he was making an offhand comment, Xie Lian’s heart suddenly lifted, and he felt light.