Though they understood, no one present had anticipated such a situation, especially Nangong Yi and Nangong Qiu.
They both found it laughable.
Nangong Qingle was simply someone with Spirit Clan blood. After presenting a token, their father joyfully acknowledged her.
Meanwhile, Ling Ran, clearly the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Clan, faced so many obstacles from their father just because she never revealed her identity and wanted to be with A-Qi.
Huang Quan asked, “Third question. My mother met my father, wanted to be with him, but never revealed her identity. It’s clear that the identities of Spirit Clan members must not be exposed. Why did you reveal your identity as soon as you arrived?”
“It was the man who told me to impersonate you and infiltrate the Nangong family,” Nangong Qingle said. “He said it would be easier for me to enter the Nangong family this way and give them more leverage to form an alliance with the royal family.”
Nangong Qingle continued, “My mother had me with an outsider and managed to cover up the fact that I wasn’t a pure Spirit Clan member. If I didn’t want my identity exposed and be expelled from the Spirit Clan, I had to do as he said.”
“My mother used a forbidden technique to conceal my impure bloodline. After that, she passed away, and no one knew my secret. I don’t know how that man found out, but I didn’t want to be expelled from the Spirit Clan, so I had to follow his instructions.”
“After I agreed, he gave me a jade pendant and told me to go to the Nangong family, pretending to be Nangong Qi’s daughter. Then I was to find a way for the Nangong family to arrange a marriage alliance with the royal family, making sure I married Emperor Qin no matter what.”
After hearing Nangong Qingle’s words, everyone in the room had a grim expression.
“Who is this man, and why does he want you to marry the Crown Prince at all costs? What does he intend to do to the Crown Prince?”
“I don’t know,” Nangong Qingle shook her head. “I can’t find him. Every time I see him, he finds me first. He always hides his face, and I don’t know who he is. He has never told me his purpose, only instructed me on what to do.”
“I really don’t know who he is…”
After listening to Nangong Qingle, Huang Quan pressed her fingers to her temples.
Her head hurt terribly.
With this question, even more things became apparent.
Nangong Qingle didn’t know who the man was. The jade pendant was given by him, and she didn’t know anything. She was just following his instructions and didn’t even have a way to contact him directly.
She was just a tool carrying out a mission, and a tool that had developed real feelings for the target during the mission.
“Besides this, what else do you know?” Huang Quan asked Nangong Qingle. “Do you know why my mother left the Spirit Clan?”
Nangong Qingle shook her head. “I don’t know. In the Spirit Clan, no one dares to mention it except for the clan leader and the elders.”
Huang Quan looked at her. “Let’s leave it at that for now.”
Then Huang Quan stood up, walked over to Nangong Qingle, and looked at her. “I won’t kill you. You can continue living as a young lady of the Nangong family, and you can even participate in the upcoming ruins expedition.”
Hearing this, Nangong Qingle was completely stunned. “You… really won’t kill me?”
Huang Quan smiled. “I keep my promises. You can rest assured.”
“Okay…”
Nangong Qingle said in a trembling voice, “As long as you don’t kill me, I won’t reveal these things.”
“Reveal?” Huang Quan’s lips curled slightly. “You can say it if you want.”
“But…”
Huang Quan raised her hand, her long fingers trailing down Nangong Qingle’s neck, stopping at a specific spot at the back. She tapped it gently. “Try and see if you can speak about it?”
Nangong Qingle shuddered, not daring to say anything further.
“See you tomorrow.” Huang Quan chuckled, then turned and walked out. “Let’s go.”
The others followed her out of the confinement room.
…
After leaving the confinement room, the group found a place to sit and talk.
“Quan Quan,” Nangong Min looked at Huang Quan, full of confusion. “Why are you still letting her out?”
Once she was out, there was a high chance she might reveal what happened today.
Huang Quan looked at her and smiled. “Brother, don’t worry. She won’t be able to talk about today’s events unless I allow it.”
She can’t speak or write about it. If she even thinks about it, her soul will feel like it’s being torn apart. If she insists on speaking, the mark on her soul will instantly take her life.
“Even so, there’s no need to let her continue posing as a young lady of the Nangong family.” Nangong Yi frowned after hearing what Huang Quan said. “Her identity could bring trouble to us at any time.”
“Moreover…” Nangong Yi looked at Huang Quan, “The true young lady of the Nangong family is you.”
“Me?” Huang Quan laughed. “But I don’t want to be the young lady of the Nangong family.” Otherwise, why would she let Nangong Qingle continue posing as the young lady?
Nangong Min nodded. “That’s right. Until we find our parents, let’s not discuss this further.”
Hearing this, Nangong Min thought of what Nangong Qingle had said and, disregarding his argument with Nangong Yi, looked at Huang Quan with a hint of despair. “Quan Quan, according to Nangong Qingle, we don’t have any clues.”
He had hoped to learn something about their parents from Nangong Qingle, but she didn’t know anything either.
“It’s not that we have no information at all,” Huang Quan replied.
Hearing this, Nangong Min’s eyes brightened. He looked at Huang Quan and asked, “Quan Quan, what information?”
Not only Nangong Min was curious, but Nangong Yi and Nangong Qiu were also intrigued.
“Nangong Qingle said her identity was concealed by her mother using forbidden magic, and no one in the Ling clan knew about it. However, that man saw through it. This indicates that the man can freely enter and leave the Ling clan and knows a lot about what goes on there.”
“Moreover, that man knows that Father is from the Nangong family, which means he has investigated Father. The Nangong family didn’t investigate Father’s whereabouts because the old master of the Nangong family ordered them not to. The Nangong family didn’t dare to defy the old master, but others wouldn’t have this concern. So, if that man has investigated Father’s background, he would naturally know where our parents went after leaving the Nangong family.”
“He might not have found out…” Nangong Qiu suggested.
Huang Quan shook her head. “That’s unlikely. Tianhuang depends on Tianqi, and besides, in those few short years, Father and Mother made the Nangong family comparable to Tianhuang’s original aristocratic families without hiding anything. If the man was determined to find out, he would have.”
“Furthermore, he had Nangong Qingle enter the Nangong family as the daughter of Nangong Qi, indicating he knew Father had children. Given this, why not control me directly instead of looking for someone like Nangong Qingle?”
“Controlling me, as the true daughter of the Nangong family, would have been far less risky.”
“Exactly!” Nangong Min also understood. “If he can freely enter and leave the Ling clan, it shows he is very powerful. After our parents disappeared, controlling you and Quan Quan would have been too easy.”
