Chapter 577: Deng Family’s Past

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Xiao Juan strode over. After confirming that Niaoniao had only fallen asleep and that there was nothing wrong with her body, he was relieved. Then, he took Niaoniao and held her in his arms. He asked Lo Pingsha.

“Why are you guys here?”

Lo Pingsha recounted how they had come here.

Xiao Juan thought for a moment and guessed that someone wanted to kill Yu Niaoniao when he was not around.

The Deng family saved Yu Niaoniao and the others in time. In that case, the Deng family did not seem to be an enemy.

Deng Yuchuan turned his body slightly, revealing the low couch behind him.

“You can put the Princess Consort on the couch to rest.”

Xiao Juan stood still.

Although Deng Yuchuan had sent someone to save Niaoniao, Xiao Juan still had doubts about him.

Deng Yuchuan said helplessly.

“This is the Deng family. If I really want to harm you, I just have to shout.

There’s no need to go in such a big circle.”

Although he had already retired, he still had a group of private soldiers under him. It was at least a thousand people. If he really fought head-on, it would be very difficult for Xiao Juan to escape unscathed.

The reason why he did not use force directly was because he wanted to have a good talk with Xiao Juan.

Xiao Juan naturally knew this.

He strode over and placed Niaoniao on the low couch. He pulled the blanket over her.

The clerk lit the candle in the inner room and finally retreated out the door.

Xiao Juan turned to look at Deng Yuchuan and asked the question in his heart.

“Why did you pretend not to know Li Niang during the day and chase us out of the Deng family only to secretly meet me at night?”

Deng Yuchuan sat in the armchair and spoke slowly.

“There were too many people during the day to talk.”

Xiao Juan asked, “This is the Deng family. As the head of the Deng family, you actually have concerns?”

Deng Yuchuan sighed.

“The Deng family is a large family. There are many people in the family. Even if I’m the head of the family, I can’t guarantee that everyone is reliable.”

Xiao Juan said, “Then can you tell me now what your relationship with Li Niang

Deng Yuchuan asked instead.

“You haven’t answered me. Why are you investigating Li Niang?” Between questions and answers, they seemed to be back to square one.

Xiao Juan was silent.

Deng Yuchuan spoke unhurriedly, “From the moment you entered Luzhou, you were targeted.”

“You have already become prey in the eyes of others, but you are still ignorant.”

“If I hadn’t sent someone to the inn to protect you, your Princess Consort would probably have fallen into the hands of evil people. Isn’t that enough to show my kindness to you?”

Xiao Juan was unmoved and asked calmly, “Since you have no ill intentions towards us, why can’t you answer my question first?”

Deng Yuchuan could not help but laugh. “Forget it, let me speak first.”

He closed his eyes as if remembering something. It was a long time before he spoke again.

“Li Niang is my sister.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Xiao Juan, but even Lo Pingsha and Ling Hai were stunned.

Before they could ask further, Deng Yuchuan continued.

“Li Niang and I were born to the first wife. After our mother died of illness, Father married a second wife. The current Empress Dowager Deng was born to the second wife.”

In other words, he and Li Niang were biological siblings from the same mother. Empress Dowager Deng was only his half-sister.

The relationship between them was very clear.

Xiao Juan asked, “Since Li Niang is the legitimate daughter of the Deng family, why did she appear alone in Jinguan City?”

“I’ve followed my uncle to the border since I was young.Because the border is far from Luzhou Mountain, I can only go home once every few years.” “Usually, I could only communicate with his family through letters.” “In the past, Li Niang would send me a letter every month.

“She didn’t want me to worry, so she only reported the good news in her letters. So I thought she was having a good time at home.”

“Until thirty-nine years ago, I hadn’t heard from Li Niang for a long time.”

“I was very worried, but the border battle was tight at that time and I could not escape. By the time the battle stabilized slightly, two years had passed.”

“I rushed back to Luzhou, but I was told that Li Niang had died of illness and her body had been buried.”

At this point, Deng Yuchuan slowly opened his eyes, his gray eyes filled with sadness.

“Li Niang has always been in good health. I don’t believe she will suddenly die of illness.”

“I wanted to open the coffin and perform an autopsy, but my father wouldn’t allow it.”

“Because of this, I quarreled with my father and almost severed ties with him.’

“In the middle of the night, I sneaked out of the house in the dark and quietly went to Li Niang’s grave to dig it up.”

Xiao Juan, Lo Pingsha, and Ling Hai were all entranced.

Lo Pingsha could not help but ask.

“And?”

Deng Yuchuan said, “There was a skeleton lying in the coffin. Although there was no flesh and I couldn’t see his facial features clearly, I was sure that the skeleton in the coffin wasn’t Li Niang.”

Xiao Juan asked, “Do you have any evidence?”

Deng Yuchuan said, “Li Niang once told me in her letter that she accidentally fell once. The small toe of her left foot hit the stone.”

“Although the injury was later treated, the little toe was a little deformed. It was usually impossible to tell when she walked. Not many people knew about this.”

“The bones in the coffin were intact. There are no signs of deformation, so I concluded that she was not Li Niang.”

Xiao Juan accepted his explanation and continued to listen to his narrative.

“After I returned home, I told Father about this, hoping that he would investigate this matter thoroughly and find the missing Li Niang.” “In the end, Father locked me up and ordered me not to spread this matter.”

Ling Hai could not understand and could not help but say.

“Doesn’t he care about his biological daughter at all?”

Deng Yuchuan said, “I once asked him that.”

“He said that he was not only Li Niang’s father, but also the head of the Deng family. He had to think for the entire Deng familAs for Li Niang, she can only blame her bad luck.”

The more he went on, the softer his voice became. His fingers tightened involuntarily on his walking stick, and the veins on the back of his thin hand bulged.

Clearly, he was not calm at all.

“For so many years, I’ve been thinking of ways to investigate Li Niang’s whereabouts. However, everyone in the family kept their mouths shut. “No matter how I questioned them, no one told me the truth.”

“When my father and stepmother passed away, I inherited the position of head of the family. Those who knew back then were no longer alive.”

“What if Li Niang wasn’t dead? What if she was still alive? Perhaps she was waiting for me somewhere in the world to save her. I could never give up searching for her.”

“Until you suddenly appeared. Not only did you bring a portrait of Li Niang, but you also brought news of her death.”

When he said the last sentence, Deng Yuchuan could not hold it in anymore. His eyes were red and his voice was filled with grief.

The heavens had even cut off his last hope.

Ling Hai also had a sister, so he could empathize with Deng Yuchuan. If something had happened to his sister, he would definitely break down in grief..