"Xylira, what are you thinking about," These past few days, he often saw Xylira quietly sitting by the window in the study, not reading, just staring out at the not-so-pleasant scenery as if deep in thought. The dazzling confidence that once shone in her eyes had settled, and though her ever-present gentle smile remained graceful, there was now a hint of something he couldn't quite describe.
"Brother," Xylira returned to her senses, "Why aren't you doing anything These days you haven't gone out at all, don't tell me you're worried about me." Her tone in the second sentence was filled with certainty.
Fortunately, Xylira's smile was still as sweet and affectionate. "Those things aren't as important as you," she said softly. Xylira had never brought up what had happened that day after she woke up, and he knew she didn't want him to feel guilty.
As for Caelen's cruel methods, he thought there was no need to tell Xylira.
"Hehe," Xylira sat up straight and motioned for Xiyan to sit opposite her. "Since that's the case, Brother, why don't you sell all the shops under your name?"
"Ah!" Xiyan had just sat down and didn't expect Xylira to suddenly say something like that. It wasn't that he couldn't bear to part with them, but he didn't understand Xylira's intention.
"Brother, do you even know how many people working in your shops are actually from this residence," Xylira said with a smile. "I'm not planning to stay in this Prime Minister's Manor any longer, do you really intend to live here forever?"
Before having enough strength, it was better to stay away from the people in the Prime Minister's Manor. Besides, there were eyes everywhere around here, making it really inconvenient to do anything, and she didn't want her brother to keep living in such frustration.
"Me?" Xiyan gave a bitter smile, once again feeling utterly useless. "I probably won't be able to leave in this lifetime." To set up an independent household, he either had to get married or possess enough wealth or power. Even though his business had shown some growth over the past two years, he knew with Lord Edgar suppressing him, he would never reach that level.
"Oh, but you do," Xylira put away her smile, stood up, and solemnly moved a sandalwood box from the desk to Xiyan. "Brother, open this and take a look."
Xiyan looked at Xylira in confusion, not even realizing such a box was on the desk. When he opened it, his eyes widened immediately. Inside were stacks of high-denomination silver notes, totaling five hundred thousand taels. Since he became aware of the world, his life's goal had been to support his sister, and despite all these years of hard work, his total assets didn't even reach two hundred thousand.
"Where did this come from?" His voice trembled slightly. For a family like theirs, thirty thousand taels would be enough to establish their own household. However, he quickly calmed down, thinking Xylira couldn't have this much money herself. Could it be that she got it from Caelen?
"Brother, there's also a letter underneath, read it first." Seeing his expression, Xylira knew exactly what he was thinking. If necessary, she certainly wouldn't hesitate to ask Caelen, but after learning more about how society functioned, she didn't believe Caelen could spare fifty thousand taels of ready silver aside from what the General's Manor owned.
Thinking about the contents of the letter, "Brother, no matter what you read, don't get too worked up."
Even with Xylira's warning, Xiyan's hands trembled as he read the letter, his expression growing sorrowful and angry. A flash of hatred even crossed his eyes. He sighed internally. That letter was left behind by Xylira's father.
The main content said he felt a looming danger and, just in case, he carefully hid the silver notes in this small study. If anything ever happened to him, his son could use the money to leave the Prime Minister's Manor once he was grown.
Though the letter didn't explain everything, they could easily guess. If a father went to such lengths to help his son escape the Prime Minister's Manor, what did that imply? That his father's death was not an accident, but murder.
The deep love of a father that poured from those words was something Xylira could truly feel when she read the letter.
Naturally, Xiyan could imagine it too. What did this mean? He had always believed their father had died at the hands of bandits. Now he knew their father had been murdered. The killer was someone from within the Prime Minister's Manor. Then all these years of silently enduring humiliation, his crippled leg, his lowered head? When he thought back to that scene, it didn't even seem like an accident. Back then, Xylira had been so young, how could she have climbed so high, and how could he have believed he could catch her without harming himself?
The more he thought about it, the more Xiyan felt like he had fallen into a massive conspiracy. First was his father's death, then his own crippled leg, which might have saved his life but destroyed him. Then it was Xylira, jumping into the well, then being drugged, and they had even tried to have Caelen witness her being with another man, trying to destroy her relationship with Caelen.
"Brother," seeing the dark coldness radiating from Xiyan, his clenched teeth making a grinding sound, Xylira asked, "Are you okay?" Whether or not to take revenge wasn't her decision. If her brother wanted to, she would stand by him. If he didn't, she wouldn't push him.
"I'm fine." Seeing his sister's concern, Xiyan tried to smile to reassure her, but failed. "Xylira," he shared everything he had just thought. "You must be careful from now on. I don't think they'll stop so easily."
"Maybe you're just overthinking it, Brother?" Xylira looked slightly doubtful, wondering if her brother had become overly paranoid from the shock.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Since Father left us this money, we should move out." Xiyan changed the topic. The murder of his father must be avenged, but he didn't want Xylira to get dragged in. In his few memories, he remembered his father bringing him to this very spot, smiling kindly and saying that when he felt troubled or wanted peace, he could come here. "In the future, if you're ever upset, you can come too, my son."
Back then, his father was the most handsome man he had ever seen. Even though his mother was a princess, none of the men she had known had ever matched his father's presence or looks.
Later, they had come here together, and he had also visited alone. If Xylira was his only remaining family, the one he had to protect all his life, then his father was his most cherished memory of all those past years.
They could have had more memories. Xylira could have experienced a father's love too. So whoever the murderer was, he would never let them go.
"Brother," Xylira pulled a chair in front of Xiyan and sat down, looking at him seriously. "Tell me, do you want revenge? If you do, don't leave me out. Even though I never met our father, he was still my father too."
"But, Xylira," Xiyan didn't deny it.
"This isn't something we can negotiate. If you leave me behind and go risk yourself alone, I'll hate you forever." Xylira said firmly, then looked sad. "I've already lost a father, and don't you know what kind of person our mother is? Were you thinking of waiting until I marry Caelen before you begin your revenge? You're my only family left. If you leave me, what if Caelen bullies me?"
"He won't."
"You can't be sure," Xylira pouted. "Promise me, Brother. We'll plan the revenge together, okay?"
Seeing her big eyes shining, her little hands tugging on his sleeve with such a pitiful look, he replied, "Okay."
Xylira breathed a deep sigh of relief. She understood how shocked, angry, and vengeful Xiyan must feel right now. If it had been her, she wouldn't have been able to remain calm at all. So she wouldn't say things like let it go, live happily instead. With a burden this big on his heart, how could he ever be happy?
But revenge must be taken with caution, not rashness. She gently shook Xiyan's hand. "Brother, I've grown up now, I understand things. All these years, you've been protecting me. Now it's my turn to protect you." Indeed, his leg was hurt because of her.
Xiyan looked into her serious eyes, and the anger and hatred in his heart slowly calmed down. Thankfully, he had Xylira. Otherwise, he might have already lost his mind. "I didn't take good care of you." He still felt guilty about what happened before.
"As long as you're okay, I'm satisfied." With time, those things would fade. Xylira smiled with her eyes curved like crescent moons, revealing her small dimple. "Brother, I have a great idea about setting up our own household."
"Oh? Let's hear it." Xiyan knew she was trying to cheer him up.
"I've already asked Caelen. Next to the General's Manor, there's an empty residence. I heard the previous family was executed for a crime, so it's been sitting there unsold." Xylira began, and Xiyan immediately understood what she meant. His eyes lit up. If they could live next door, even after she got married, they wouldn't be separated.
"You mean I should buy it?"
"Yes. Then we'll tear it down and build a new house. We'll even open a door connecting our home to the General's Manor." Xylira got more excited as she spoke. "That way, even after I get married, we can still see each other every day."
"That's a great idea. But won't Caelen mind?" Xiyan could already imagine Caelen's face when he heard about it, and the thought made him even happier.
"He won't. You're my brother, and you'll be his brother too. We'll all be family by then."
Well, now Xiyan felt a little sour inside. Caelen had already become family so soon? "Still, I need to plan this properly. Let's sell the shops first. After we move out, I'll start over. Should we tell Lord Edgar and Mother about this?"
Xylira frowned and thought for a moment. "Let's wait. You sell the shops first. If Lord Edgar asks, just say you're worried about me and need to stay home, so you don't have time to manage them. Buy the house secretly and let Caelen help with the rebuilding. Once everything is ready, we'll tell them. That way, we avoid any unnecessary trouble."
"Sounds good." Xiyan smiled and rubbed Xylira's head. "You don't need to worry about this anymore. In a few days, it'll be the palace examination. Is your hand alright?" His Xylira was really capable.
"It's fine. The medicine Caelen gave me worked really well. The wound's already scabbed. In a few more days, it'll be completely healed." Xylira lifted her chin. "Brother, just wait. I'll use the name Xyl to defeat General Renyu and Yarith."
"Alright, I'll wait." Then he thought again. "But wouldn't that attract too much attention? Both of them are top scorers. If you want to beat them both, you'll have to get first place."
"If that happens, so be it. I'm Xyl, aren't I?" Xylira didn't care at all. Once her identity was exposed, whether or not she was the top scorer would make a huge splash anyway. A little extra attention didn't matter.
After their talk, the siblings went back to their respective tasks. Because of what had happened before, Xiyan had become much steadier. But he no longer trusted anyone around him, handling most matters himself. Once the new house was built, he planned to hire clean and reliable people and hold their contracts in his own hands.
Xylira was even busier. The so-called palace exam wasn't as simple as she had imagined. All previous scores didn't count. There were four hundred participants, and all eight subjects would be tested thoroughly by the Emperor.
Only the top fifty would stay in Kang City, while the rest would be assigned to different regions to start from small official posts.
Those fifty who remained were considered the elite of Dakang. Based on their scores, they would be grouped in sets of ten. The top two from each group would compete against the top two from the next group. Winners would continue upward, and in the end, the Emperor would personally appoint the top three.
The rankings of top scorer, second, and third would come from there.
Looking at these rules, Xylira couldn't help but marvel. Aside from the wars at the borders, Dakang truly was a peaceful and prosperous nation.