The Grand Secretary’s Pampered Wife

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Li.

This was Xuanyuan Li?

Xuanyuan Li was of the same generation as the Emperor. If he were alive, he would be about the same age as the Emperor.

This must be a portrait of him from his younger years.

Why did it feel so familiar, as if Gu Jiao had seen it somewhere before?

Was it the teardrop mole? Xiao Heng had one too.

Or was it the red-tasseled spear in his hand?

"This is Xuanyuan Li, the former head of the Xuanyuan Family." Ye Qing said, noticing her distraction and kindly offering an introduction.

The Xuanyuan Family was a taboo subject in the State of Yan, but Ye Qing, as the senior disciple of the Imperial Advisor's Hall, had the confidence to bring it up.

Gu Jiao looked at it for a while, then carefully rolled up the portrait and put it back. She went to open another one.

This time, she looked at the name first——Xuanyuan Sheng.

It was also a portrait from his younger years, and he looked to be in his early twenties.

He was clad in silver armor, holding a red-tasseled spear, and his appearance closely resembled Xuanyuan Li. He looked extremely valiant, with a vermillion mole between his brows.

If he were to shed his battle armor, he would surely be a graceful and handsome young man, as elegant as jade.

Ye Qing looked at the portrait and said, “Xuanyuan Sheng was weak and sickly as a child. Coupled with this red mole between his brows, he was often laughed at by his peers, being called a little girl. After that, he trained hard in martial arts under his father's guidance, determined to become stronger, and eventually became a renowned general capable of continuing Xuanyuan Li's legendary feats.”

Gu Jiao marveled, "I didn't expect such a story."

The man in the portrait was tall, with a sharp gaze and a commanding presence. Who could have guessed he had such an experience in his childhood?

Gu Jiao opened the third portrait, which depicted Empress Xuanyuan before she married. The name written below was Xuanyuan Hanyan.

It was a painting of her riding a horse while playing polo, showcasing the demeanor of a valiant daughter of a military family.

Her beauty was striking.

Shangguan Yan resembled her greatly, especially her phoenix eyes.

Looking at it this way, Xiao Heng also bore quite a resemblance to her.

The fourth portrait that Gu Jiao opened was also of a young lady from the Xuanyuan Family, named Xuanyuan Zi.

"Who is she?" Gu Jiao asked Ye Qing.

Ye Qing smiled warmly, answering, "Xuanyuan Zi, the legitimate eldest daughter of Xuanyuan Li, the biological sister of Xuanyuan Sheng, and later became Jing shizi’s consort."

Gu Jiao was puzzled, "Jing shizi’s… Consort?"

Ye Qing thought for a moment before saying, "Ah, Duchess An. When she passed away, Jing shizi had not yet inherited the Duke Estate, so she was buried with the status of a shizi’s consort."

Gu Jiao instinctively asked, "Jing Yinyin's mother?"

Now it was Ye Qing's turn to be surprised, "Huh? Young Master Xiao, you know about her?"

Gu Jiao let out an "Oh" and said, "It just suddenly came to mind."

Ye Qing expressed understanding, "You've been in the capital for quite some time now, so you must have heard about the Duke An Estate."

"Yes, I've heard some things." Gu Jiao continued to examine the woman in the portrait.

It was a face that seemed ethereal and otherworldly. When looked at individually, none of her features were particularly exquisite, but together they created a beautiful whole.

It was the kind of appearance that Gu Jiao liked.

Gu Jiao stared at Xuanyuan Zi's portrait for a long time, so long that the last rays of daylight faded away.

At that moment, a clattering noise came from the stairs leading down from the third floor——a disciple had knocked over the books and scrolls he was holding, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Ye Qing hurried over to help him pick them up.

The two disciples stationed on the second floor did not move.

In the library pavilion, not only were the books and materials classified by rank, but so were the disciples.

Disciples on the first floor were not allowed to go to the second floor or to look at anything from there, and disciples on the second floor were prohibited from going up to the third floor or handling anything related to it.

Thus, only Ye Qing could assist.

Seeing that the two disciples didn’t move, Gu Jiao understood that it wasn’t appropriate for her to go over either, so she stayed where she was.

However, that disciple was so flustered that the portrait he had just managed to pick up fell down again. He hurried to grab it, nearly losing his balance and almost falling down.

Ye Qing also found himself in an awkward situation because of him.

A scroll rolled to Gu Jiao's feet. She bent down to pick it up, not unrolling it, and walked over to hand it to them, saying, "Here."

Ye Qing accepted it, "Thank you."

Several scrolls were scattered on the ground, but Gu Jiao didn’t particularly look at them and turned to leave.

However, in her peripheral vision, she unintentionally caught a glimpse of one portrait.

Her first instinct was to continue walking, but her second instinct made her stop suddenly.

This time, she looked at the portrait openly, while the disciple quickly rolled it up and put it away.

He apologized repeatedly, "I'm sorry, senior brother."

Ye Qing responded with understanding, "It's fine; just be more careful next time."

The disciple gratefully said, "Yes, then I'll take my leave, senior brother."

Ye Qing nodded, "Go on."

The disciple gathered the books and portraits and headed downstairs to the second floor.

But the image of the youth in that portrait lingered in Gu Jiao’s mind.

It wasn’t for any particular reason——just that the youth’s face looked too much like Long Yi's.

If Long Yi had returned to the age of thirteen or fourteen, he might look exactly like that.

Ordinary people couldn’t completely visualize someone's face in their mind. Even for their closest people, like parents, when one closed their eyes, all that was left was a vague outline.

But Gu Jiao had undergone special training. She could vividly bring to life all the faces she remembered.

In her mind, she kept comparing Long Yi's face with that of the youth in the portrait.

Could that youth be Long Yi from many years ago? Or just someone who happened to resemble him?

If it was the latter, then it didn’t matter. But if it was Long Yi——

From the layout of the first and second floors, it seemed that the higher one went, the more confidential the matters became.

The portrait that was just brought down came from the third floor; even the portraits of the Xuanyuan Family and the top ten noble families were only on the second floor. Could it be that Long Yi's level of confidentiality was even higher than theirs?

......

In the study on the third floor, the Emperor and the Imperial Advisor sat facing each other on round cushions, engaged in a game of chess.

Wang Xu had been waiting by their side for more than half an hour.

It was only after the Imperial Advisor made his final move that the Emperor sighed, "You’ve won again."

The Imperial Advisor replied, "Just by half a point."

The Emperor scoffed, "Half a point is still a win. Don't think Zhen didn't notice you've been letting me win."

The Imperial Advisor looked at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty’s chess skills weren't this bad in the past. You seem distracted. Are you worried about the Crown Princess?"

“Zhen is not worried about her!" the Emperor said, then paused for a moment. "And she's no longer the Crown Princess."

The Imperial Advisor did not point out that it was the Emperor himself who had called her the Crown Princess last time.

The Emperor hesitated for a moment before asking, "Her injury… can it really be healed?"

"It can." the Imperial Advisor answered without a second thought.

The Emperor looked at him suspiciously, "You sound too certain."

The Imperial Advisor replied, "Because it was him who performed the surgery, so I am confident."

The Emperor's frown deepened, "Imperial Advisor, Zhen has known you for over thirty years, and you’ve never praised anyone in front of Zhen. Is this Xiao Liulang really that exceptional?"

Raz P.'s Thoughts

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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…