Xiao Mo had always known he was the Xiao family's child. Though he didn't know Xiao Yun's true identity, he was grateful that Xiao Yun had taken the Xiao family's curse upon himself. Thus, their brotherly bond had deepened over the years, and he had diligently managed the Xiao family's businesses, never vying for anything with Xiao Yun.
Xiao Yun: !!!
So, this huge matter was known to Old Zhongyong Gong, Old Taifei, his father, and Xiao Mo, but not him!
This was too much!
He looked at Wang Qingyao with a wronged expression.
Wang Qingyao quickly said, "It's okay, I didn't know either?"
"You married into the family later, how can it be the same?"
Old Taifei never expected that Xiao Yun's point of anger would be here.
She explained sheepishly, "Your identity is noble, and the matter is of great importance. If it were leaked, your life would be in danger. That's why we didn't tell you."
Xiao Yun, like a startled cat, was gradually soothed by Old Taifei and Wang Qingyao.
Wang Qingyao truly hadn't expected that the Xiao family's curse and the matter of the First Prince would end up intertwined.
In retrospect, she shouldn't have kept it from Xiao Mo back then.
Xiao Mo had always been accommodating to Xiao Yun, and although he had investigated the Green Demon in Nanzhou for him, he was completely unaware of the truth behind it.
Now was the time to tell him.
"Wait," Wang Qingyao suddenly thought of something, "Since Ah Yun is the First Prince, then aren't he and the Fifth Princess siblings? Last time Consort Wei schemed for Ah Yun to take the Fifth Princess as a concubine..."
She looked at Old Taifei.
Old Taifei nodded, "That's right, Ah Yun and the Fifth Princess are siblings, how can they marry? Although Consort Wei's plan failed, I worried they wouldn't give up and would do other scandalous and immoral things. So, I deliberately said I liked this child, Wei Yun, and went along with it, letting her enter the manor. Once Wei Yun was in the manor, the Wei family wouldn't bother the Fifth Princess anymore."
So that was how it was.
But Wang Qingyao recalled what Old Taifei had said to her back then and still felt a bit uncomfortable.
If she and Xiao Yun hadn't insisted on investigating the whereabouts of the First Prince, Old Taifei would never have told the truth, and their grandparent-grandchild relationship would have slowly eroded.
Old Zhongyong Gong heard about this for the first time and couldn't help but curse the Wei family for their shamelessness.
"My granddaughter-in-law," he said, "was your 'Secret History of Palace Love-Hate' really something you made up?"
Wang Qingyao felt both amused and exasperated. "Grandfather, it was really me who made it up. I didn't lie to you. At this point, there's no need for me to lie."
Old Zhongyong Gong stroked his white beard and laughed heartily, "Indeed, it's all fate. The National Teacher's prediction was correct, you are truly the Xiao family's benefactor."
Mentioning Feng Fu Guoshi, Wang Qingyao thought of his purpose for going to Nanzhou and asked, "Grandfather, do you know what the National Teacher went to Nanzhou for?"
Old Zhongyong Gong looked puzzled, "He was on imperial orders to find the elixir of immortality!"
Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao exchanged a look.
They hadn't expected that the usually unreliable Feng Fu Guoshi would act so discreetly that even Old Zhongyong Gong, who traveled with him, didn't discover his main objective.
The place was small, and Old Zhongyong Gong and Old Taifei naturally noticed the subtle interactions between Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun.
Old Zhongyong Gong immediately asked, "What? Does the National Teacher have a problem?"
If secrets about their identities could be shared, other things didn't seem to matter much.
Xiao Yun said, "Before King Ding Nan came to Duanjing, he wrote to me. The National Teacher seems to be looking for an antidote for the Green Demon."
Green Demon.
It was this poison that had killed Old Taifei's husband and son, and had also intended to kill her grandson.
Upon hearing the name, Old Taifei instinctively flinched in alarm.
"The National Teacher is looking for the Green Demon?"
Xiao Yun clarified, "Not the Green Demon, but the antidote for the Green Demon."
Old Zhongyong Gong didn't know the intricacies of the situation and had never heard of the Green Demon, so he looked confused.
Xiao Yun briefly explained it to him. He slapped his thigh, "I knew it! There's no such thing as a curse, it's clearly man-made. But speaking of which, since the person who poisoned them has been found and is already dead, why is the National Teacher still looking for the antidote for the Green Demon? Could someone still want to harm your Xiao family?"
Old Taifei became even more frightened.
Xiao Yun had initially been worried about Old Taifei's peace of mind if she knew. Now that it had come to this, he recounted his and Wang Qingyao's speculations in full.
Old Taifei could barely sit still, "What? There's a mastermind behind it? You suspect the Empress Dowager? Why would the Empress Dowager do such a thing?"
The Xiao family had no enmity with the Empress Dowager! In fact, the Empress Dowager doted on Xiao Yun!
Old Taifei was full of doubts.
Old Zhongyong Gong was also perplexed.
Xiao Yun shook his head, "I don't know either." After a moment, he added, "Don't tell Ah Mo about this for now."
Xiao Mo had always believed that Eunuch Changshou was dead and the Xiao family's curse was resolved. If he knew now that there was a mastermind, he would be unwilling to let Xiao Yun bear the risk for him.
Old Taifei, with teary eyes, held Xiao Yun's hand, "Grandmother has failed you."
Although they didn't tell Xiao Mo later that there was a mastermind behind the curse, they did tell him about his identity. Xiao Mo was surprised that Xiao Yun's status was even more noble than that of King Ding'an.
This had no impact on the two brothers.