Li Xiao switched to the first-person perspective, his view filled by an enlarged cat face, the fur so dense and soft it looked incredibly satisfying to touch.

“I didn’t realize you were into this sort of thing?”

Song Jin stroked his own belly. “My brother set this up on my terminal when I was little. He’s a cat himself, so he wouldn’t let me use a human avatar.”

Li Xiao pressed down on his paw. “Why?”

Song Jin replied, “He said that if we stood together, I’d look like his accessory, which would damage his ‘lofty and imposing’ image.”

Li Xiao finally understood, saying gloomily, “So, because he messed with you, you’re messing with me?”

Song Jin laughed, unbothered. “What’s wrong with the couple having matching avatars? Isn’t it cute?”

Li Xiao retorted, “Is there something wrong with your eyesight?”

Song Jin spread his hands. “You can’t see it anyway, so as long as I like it, that’s enough.”

Li Xiao: “…”

The lunch break was limited, and since he only had half a day of access to the archives left, Li Xiao didn’t dwell on the game avatar. “What did you find?”

Song Jin opened a training room and pulled Li Xiao inside.

Sitting by the ring, Song Jin propped up one leg and tilted his head to ask, “I wanted to say this when I saw Wei Feng before, but don’t you think you look a lot like him?”

“Where is the resemblance?” Li Xiao glanced at his unrestrained sitting posture and replied casually.

If it were Song Jin’s own body, this posture might have had a touch of charm, but now, in this short, chubby, round form, his legs were just balls of meat—like an infant pretending to be an adult. Li Xiao restrained himself from reaching out to poke him, suddenly realizing the appeal of this avatar. The Song family’s tastes were truly bizarre.

Song Jin looked down at himself, confused. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Li Xiao pulled his wandering thoughts back. “Is what you discovered related to Wei Feng?”

“Answer me seriously first. You really don’t think you look like Wei Feng? Or, at least, that you give off a very similar vibe?” Song Jin pressed.

Li Xiao didn’t see the resemblance. As for the “vibe,” Song Jin hadn’t spent much time with Wei Feng, mostly just during the chaotic skirmishes. In his past life, Li Xiao had learned combat from Wei Feng for a while, which might have given Song Jin a false impression.

“It’s not because he also fits your ‘type,’ is it, that you think we’re similar?” Li Xiao asked skeptically.

Song Jin rolled his eyes and scoffed, “How could I possibly like an old man?”

Li Xiao: “Don’t beat around the bush. What did you actually find?”

Song Jin leaned in, looking into his eyes as he tested the waters: “Have you ever thought that you two might have a blood relation?”

Li Xiao frowned slightly. “Me and Wei Feng? How is that possible—”

Mid-sentence, Li Xiao thought of the Omega who gave birth to him. Although he was his biological father, Li Xiao had only known for years that he was a Bique-race Omega. He didn’t even know his name. An attendant giving birth to the King’s child was a scandal in any country, so all information would naturally be sealed.

In his past life, he had thought about investigating this Omega’s identity, but since the person was already deceased, and he had lived with the King, the Queen, and his brother since his earliest memories, he had no obsession with his birth father.

Both his birth father and Wei Feng were of the Bique race—a tiny ethnic group with very few members. After these years of war, the survivors might indeed share some blood relation.

“The Bique race is even smaller than you think; it wouldn’t be strange to have a little blood relation.” Li Xiao glanced at Song Jin’s fluffy cat ears. “Is that really all you wanted to say?”

Seeing that Li Xiao’s expression didn’t seem fake, Song Jin projected a DNA report between them.

“But he is your father.”

Li Xiao paused. “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Song Jin tilted his chin. “See for yourself.”

Li Xiao looked at the screen. The DNA report clearly stated a parent-child relationship index of over 99.9%. He instinctively suspected that the reports or the samples were flawed. How could Wei Feng be his father? He feared this kid was just messing with him.

Seeing through Li Xiao’s thoughts, Song Jin said languidly, “I’m not so idle that I’d run all the way here just to prank you.”

Li Xiao: “Where did you get the samples?”

Song Jin: “It’s not hard to pluck a hair from you and from him.”

Li Xiao: “…”

Technically speaking, Song Jin could indeed do this easily, but the report was so outrageous he didn’t know where to start complaining. After a long silence, Li Xiao met Song Jin’s probing gaze and said coolly, “He’s only in his early thirties. How could he have given birth to me with the King nineteen years ago? And he’s an Alpha—how would he even give birth?”

Song Jin leaned back comfortably, dangling a chubby leg as he pondered, “That’s what I can’t figure out, which is why I came to ask you. But reports don’t lie.”

Li Xiao: “Which hack doctor did you have do this?”

“My dad did it himself.” Song Jin looked at Li Xiao. “Is it possible that Wei Feng’s real age is over forty? Also, were you perhaps adopted?”

Li Xiao: “…”

Li Xiao helplessly countered, “Compared to Wei Feng, I look much more like my brother. Could it be that he’s adopted too?”

Song Jin rubbed his chin, making an earnest but wild guess. “Actually, is your father an ‘incognito Omega,’ and both you and your brother came out of his belly?”

Li Xiao: “…………”

Li Xiao: “Don’t you find that ridiculous yourself?”

“Then how do you explain it? The facts are right in front of you.” Song Jin sat up straight. “Whether it’s Hu Jiang or Wei Feng, their attitudes toward you are very subtle. You can’t possibly haven’t felt that.”

That was true. When parting at N2533, Hu Jiang told him to “protect yourself,” and when Wei Feng heard Hu Jiang introduce him, the look in his eyes was very strange, as if to say, “I’ve finally met you.”

In his past life, Wei Feng had taken the initiative to come forward and help; he had assumed it was to use his hands to bring down the Meng family, but perhaps there was a reason he didn’t know about?

If Wei Feng was his father, then who was the Omega from his childhood? If it had nothing to do with the Omega, why did his brother secretly execute that person? Where did the rumors about an “attendant climbing into the King’s bed” come from? And as a pure-blooded rogue, how did Wei Feng even get access to the King?

There wasn’t a hint of fatherly affection in Wei Feng’s attitude toward him. This DNA report didn’t solve a single problem; it only created more questions.

Song Jin reminded him, “The Royal family should have birth records for every member. If you look them up, you might know Wei Feng’s background.”

“I looked it up a long time ago. Nothing.” Li Xiao looked at Song Jin. “In my file, my parents are the former King and Queen.”

Song Jin mused, “Then they must know your true origins, which is why they hid the truth… Your brother and you have such a big age gap, could he know something?”

Mentioning Li Ji, Li Xiao felt a bit despondent. “He won’t say. If he were that easy to talk to, I wouldn’t have to go through such a roundabout way.”

Song Jin: “Then we can only start with Wei Feng.”

“Hmm.” Li Xiao stood up. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I’m going to check the archives first.”

Song Jin followed him up. “Leaving so soon?”

Li Xiao saw the fur on his ears twitch and asked suspiciously, “What is that on top of your head?”

Song Jin touched them. “What what?”

Li Xiao gestured for him to lower his head. “Let me see.”

Song Jin didn’t think twice and lowered his head, asking, “What is it?”

Li Xiao grabbed his head and tucked it into his chest to rub it, laughing softly. “So those are your ears.”

His paws sank into the soft fur, feeling even better than he had imagined. He had never been interested in stuffed animals, except for this one. Hearing Li Xiao’s laughter, Song Jin knew he’d been played and swiped a paw at him.

“You messed up my fur!”

Li Xiao took two steps back to dodge. “Shall I help you smooth it back down?”

Song Jin attacked. “Win against me first.”

One black and one white figure began fighting in the center of the ring. Li Xiao had been buried in the database for two days, and after a good fight, he felt refreshed—more mentally stimulating than coffee.

After logging off, Li Xiao hurried to the library and flipped through all the remaining records, but there were still no events related to the Bique race. However, he noticed one strange detail. He pulled out the records from 74 years ago.

That year, Meng Shan, the head of the previous generation of the Meng family, took over the Zifu seat, and the Zheng family took over the Suyang seat. But at the same time, they sent a large number of combat troops to the Nanming seat, which was highly unusual in Danse.

Unless a major military conflict erupted, divisions rarely deployed troops to each other’s sectors. But the records only contained deployment logs, not event logs—no one knew what they were doing with that many troops there.

Clearly, this event had been deliberately erased. Thinking of Wei Feng saying the Bique race’s wars had continued for decades, Li Xiao had a gut feeling that what happened 74 years ago was related to the Bique race.

Li Xiao asked 09 mentally: [Is there a way to invade the Royal secret archives?]

09: [I can get in, but dealing with an AI of that level will leave traces. Should I invade?]

Li Xiao thought about it and shook his head: [Wait a bit longer.]

What happened over seventy years ago didn’t necessarily require hacking the secret archives.

09: [Master, I’m hungry.]

Its once-majestic voice sounded pitiful. Li Xiao’s mind flashed with the image of Song Jin acting miserable, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

After returning to his sleeping quarters, Li Xiao went to the back garden and picked up a blue stone from the side of the road. Before he could speak, 09’s excited voice rang in his ear.

[Energy detected! I want, I want!]

Li Xiao: “Eat this to pad your stomach first.”

09 transformed into wisps of thread, sliding down Li Xiao’s arm and gathering into a metal sphere. Two mechanical arms the size of matchsticks extended from its sides, grabbed the energy stone, and threw it into its gaping maw. After crunching twice, it exhaled a puff of white smoke, revealing two red blushes.

Seeing it stay still in an intoxicated state, Li Xiao tentatively asked, “Did eating Danse stones give you indigestion?”

09: “The energy purity is 90%. I have never eaten such a high-purity energy stone.”

Li Xiao walked back. “If you behave, you might get to eat even higher purity ones.”

09 followed. “It’s a deal. No backing out.”

Upstairs, Jiang Hao was scrolling through the news. Seeing Li Xiao return, he reported the events he had recorded. Three days had passed since the hijacking, and the debate online remained heated. The focus had shifted to which legion had saved the exchange student. At 9:00 AM, Meng Zai’s Second Legion released a set of front-line photos and videos. This post was retweeted by many military and political departments, and the comments were filled with sycophantic praise.

Jiang Hao zoomed in on a video. “They even filmed the Raven’s spaceship. They’re claiming they suspect more than one organization participated in the hijacking.”

The Raven appeared in District 9, while the Fierce Tiger headquarters was in District 7. It was impossible for them to appear on camera with the army at the same time—it was clearly a ploy by the Meng family to shift the focus.

Li Xiao watched, and sure enough, the Raven was trending with its full name, and the comments were filled with condemnation. The Meng family must have done this kind of thing many times.

Li Xiao dug out the video he had recorded earlier in the N2533 Qilin armory, cropped a segment, and posted it using an account he’d registered on the fly.

[LIX: Active military weapons found in the Fierce Tiger headquarters. Please explain, military. @Second Legion]

In the video, a dark, spacious warehouse was filled with wooden boxes. As the camera zoomed in, the gun models were clearly visible. The camera then panned to two people standing on the other side of the corridor, talking about moving the weapons out to sell.

The scene was too dark, and since it didn’t show their faces, it was impossible to identify them, but the sheer volume of discussion made the post a trending topic.

“This is terrifying?! Military weapons in a pirate syndicate?!”

“This is no small matter! Meng army, get out here and explain!”

“It must be framing! This video doesn’t prove anything!”

“Big shots have already verified it; the weapons are real! The warehouse is so shabby it doesn’t look like a military one!”

“No wonder the exchange student was snatched so easily!”

Soon, the support for the Meng family was suppressed by the volume of questions, and the hashtag #MengFamilyColludingWithPirates# skyrocketed to the top of the trending list.

At the same time, in the main hall of the Danse Palace.

Meng Jian, Yi Yongning, and two other generals were meeting in Li Ji’s office.

Meng Jian said fiercely, “The rotation of authority every eight years is the rule. How can it be changed just like that?! Besides, this hijacking incident was handled by the Second Legion first, and it was they who found the people and the weapons!”

“Bullshit!” Yi Yongning retorted bluntly. “The Second Prince himself said the Third Legion saved him. As for the weapons—heh, dare you make the records public?!”

The two argued endlessly. Meng Jian looked at Li Ji. “Your Majesty, the rotation involves too much. Why not decide by vote?”

Yi Yongning: “Your Majesty said the decision would be based on the rescue results. By saying this, do you want His Majesty to veto his own decision?!”

“I support a vote,” said Qi Shoude, who had been silent until now. “The rotation system was implemented with great difficulty, learned from historical lessons. Breaking it so easily is not conducive to national stability. We must be very cautious.”

Seeing Meng Jian’s glare, Zheng Kang’an added slowly, “A vote is indeed a compromise.”

As they were talking, Special Assistant Old Liu entered, reported the events online to Li Ji, and projected the content of the video.

Meng Jian’s face darkened. “Who leaked this kind of thing?! It must be thoroughly investigated!”

“There are no walls without cracks.” Yi Yongning looked at Li Ji. “Your Majesty, if we change office at such a critical moment, I fear it will stir up public resentment.”

Zheng Kang’an insinuated, “This isn’t the Fierce Tiger’s armory at all; someone is making an issue out of this.”

Yi Yongning had never seen the Fierce Tiger’s armory, as the Third Legion couldn’t get within a half-step of it. Hearing this, he retorted in a low voice, “If there are military weapons elsewhere besides the Fierce Tiger, isn’t the problem even more serious?”

Meng Jian: “This kind of video is one hundred percent fake!”

Yi Yongning: “Fake or real, it must be investigated!”

Li Ji felt a headache coming on and barked, “Enough!”

The four arguing generals stopped, going instantly silent.

Li Ji said, “You all make sense. Now that military weapons have leaked, the credibility of the military and the Royal family is damaged. We must investigate clearly as soon as possible and give the public an explanation.”

Li Ji looked at Meng Jian. “The incident happened in the Nanming seat. I’ll leave the investigation to you. When it’s clarified, then we’ll handle the handover.”

Meng Jian’s heart sank; he was so angry his mouth twitched. “The investigation and the handover don’t conflict.”

Li Ji crossed his hands in front of him and looked at him coldly. “But if we hand over now, the Royal family’s credibility will be further damaged. Will you take responsibility for that?”

Meng Jian gritted his teeth, not daring to speak another word. Royal power was supreme; no one dared say they could take responsibility for the Royal family.

After the meeting, the four generals left the office one after another. Yi Yongning walked out a few steps and looked at Meng Jian with a smile. “I hope you find out the truth soon and do not let His Majesty’s trust go to waste.”

Meng Jian didn’t even look at him as he stormed off.

In the Meng household.

Meng Zai had been brought to Imperial Capital Star to recover from his injuries. With three ribs crushed by Li Xiao, plus a broken neck bone and hand bone, he lay on the bed, unable to move a muscle. Meng Tao visited him with his arm in a sling, and the father and son began arguing before they had exchanged two sentences.

“Trash!” Meng Zai became angrier the more he thought about it, throwing the cup of water beside him. “If you had completed the mission, how would things have ended up like this?!” If he had killed Li Xiao at Shengya, he wouldn’t be under his heel, suffering this humiliation!

Meng Tao was hit by the cup, and the fire he’d been holding in for days finally erupted. “You only know how to yell at me! You brought such a large army and didn’t kill him—aren’t you more trash than I am?!”

“What did you say?!” Meng Zai struggled to get up to hit him but was persuaded to lie back down by the old butler. “Get out! Go back to school!”

Just as Meng Tao turned, the door opened, and his grandfather, Meng Jian, walked in. Seeing Meng Jian’s ugly expression, the father and son immediately went silent.

“Father, what was the result?” Meng Zai asked.

Meng Jian’s face was gloomy. “Use any means necessary to get rid of Li Xiao. If we drag this out, we’ll become more and more passive.”

Meng Tao caught the murderous intent in these words and couldn’t help but shudder. He asked carefully, “Grandfather, which school will Li Xiao transfer to next?”

After returning to the country, Li Xiao went straight to Shengya; he had only hung his name at the First Military Academy without actually attending.

Meng Jian: “His Majesty intends to drive him away.”

Meng Tao was overjoyed. If he was out of sight and out of mind, that would be the best.

“No,” Meng Zai said, panting in pain. “If he disappears from under our noses, he might hide somewhere, making him even harder to deal with.”

Meng Jian: “I will persuade His Majesty to have him transfer to the First Military Academy.”

Meng Zai sneered. “It’ll be easy to handle him once he’s there.”

Meng Tao felt a bit uncomfortable, but then he thought that the First Military Academy was his territory. If Li Xiao really came, he’d have plenty of fun.

Side Palace.

Not long after Li Ji’s meeting of the five, Li Xiao received the news. Hearing what Li Xiao said and seeing this intelligence, Jiang Hao was confused. “His Majesty asked the Meng family to investigate? Isn’t that like asking them to investigate themselves? Is this giving the Meng family a step down?”

Li Xiao was sitting at the table correcting Jiang Hao’s homework and said casually, “Of course not. Only the Meng family can investigate this matter, but as for how deeply they investigate, that won’t be up to the Meng family.”

Jiang Hao pondered for a moment and seemed to understand a little. The Meng family was powerful, making it hard for others to intervene. They were in the dark while the enemy was in the light, making it easy to be ambushed by the Meng family. But if the Meng family investigated themselves, it was the opposite: they were in the light, and he was in the dark, making it easy to play little tricks. As long as someone didn’t want the Meng family to get the power of the division, they wouldn’t let the investigation proceed smoothly—or, at least, they wouldn’t let the Meng family get away with a sloppy job.

But if they really found evidence that the Meng family was linked to the leak of military weapons, then the Meng family would lose their chance at the power of the Tianjiang seat. This was truly a “feast at Hong Gate.”

Jiang Hao mused, “Looking at it this way, His Majesty doesn’t seem to value the Meng family that much after all.”

This was also something Li Xiao couldn’t understand. His brother was distant with everyone, playing a game of checks and balances; he didn’t know what medicine was hidden in that gourd. In his past life, his brother had trusted the Meng family extremely—at least, he had maintained a perfect surface—but looking at the current situation, there was likely a hidden agenda. How much of the situation did his brother grasp? How much did he know about the Meng family? Was he looking for an opportunity to eliminate them? Or did he just want to suppress them and keep the balance of forces?

His terminal vibrated. Li Xiao swiped it open; it was a reply from Jiang Mu.

Jiang Mu: [Is tomorrow okay? My treat!]

Li Xiao: [Okay.]

After agreeing on the time and place, Li Xiao looked at Jiang Hao: “Go out of the palace with me tomorrow.”

Jiang Hao: “Do I need to bring weapons?”

Li Xiao had 09, but Jiang Hao had nothing. After thinking about it, he said: “Let’s go pick up your ‘little wife’ first.”

Jiang Hao’s eyes brightened: “Thank you, Boss!” That Tang sword he’d brought from his home planet had been left outside the palace because it wasn’t allowed inside.

The next morning, Li Xiao got up for his morning workout and saw Jiang Hao sitting on the steps as he opened the door, his expression exceptionally excited.

“So early?” Li Xiao walked downstairs past him.

Jiang Hao followed: “I woke up at three. I missed my ‘wife’ so much I couldn’t sleep.”

Li Xiao: “…” Even he, who actually had a partner, hadn’t been that sleepless.

After finishing the workout and showering, Li Xiao and Jiang Hao ate breakfast and left. As they walked to the outer palace, the butler of the side palace greeted them: “Your Highness, are you going out? Do you need me to prepare a driver?”

Li Xiao: “Going out for a meal with friends, no need for a driver.”

The butler respectfully agreed, asked for the dining location, and arranged a low-key black hovercar for Li Xiao.

Jiang Hao sat in the driver’s seat, looked at the attendants behind them, and whispered: “Returning this time, I feel like their attitude is much better.”

Li Xiao sat in the back, watching the scenery flying past the window, and replied coolly: “The palace is that kind of place; if you have no power or standing, anyone can bully you.”

The place agreed upon with Jiang Mu was a commercial street in the Youying district, less than an hour’s drive from the palace. Although the Youying district didn’t restrict civilians from entering, only aristocrats could buy property there. There were many pedestrians on the street. The two parked the car and headed toward an ordinary hotpot restaurant on the commercial street.

Jiang Mu was waiting at the door. Seeing them from afar, he waved: “Here!”

Li Xiao wore a baseball cap and a plain-looking athletic suit, but he was like a moving spotlight in the crowd, causing passing pedestrians to turn their heads frequently.

“It’s such a cold day, why didn’t you go inside?” Li Xiao said casually.

“I was afraid you wouldn’t find it.” Jiang Mu looked at the sword in Jiang Hao’s hand and smiled. “That sword has a great aesthetic. Where did you buy it?”

Jiang Hao: “Brought it from home.”

On the way, the three chatted casually about things at school and went to a private room on the third floor of the hotpot restaurant. No sooner had they entered than news of Li Xiao and Jiang Mu meeting outside the palace reached the ears of all parties.

Old Liu: “It seems Jiang Mu is thanking the Second Prince and treating him to hotpot.”

Li Ji flipped through the documents without looking up: “It’s high time they ate; tell them to leave as soon as they’re done.”

Old Liu: “…”

Inside the private room, Jiang Mu changed his laughing attitude, opened a secret door, and let Li Xiao and Jiang Hao follow, whispering: “This hotpot restaurant is where my family passes information.”

Li Xiao: “Does it matter if you tell me this?”

Jiang Mu shook his head: “You’re not the enemy.”

The corridor ahead widened. The three boarded a small car, drove for ten minutes, passed through a very long tunnel, and opened a door to reach another private room with a completely different decor.

It was a tea room, and Yi Yongning was sitting by the tea table boiling tea.

“You’ve arrived.” Yi Yongning rose to salute. When he raised his eyes and noticed Jiang Hao behind Li Xiao, he paused for a moment in surprise.

“No need for salutations.” Li Xiao sat down opposite him, noticed Yi Yongning’s gaze, and explained coolly, “He is not an outsider.”

Yi Yongning scanned the sword in Jiang Hao’s hand, smiled as he sat down, and placed tea cups in front of them. “This matter owes much to Your Highness.”

“The handover hasn’t been decided yet, and there are still many variables.” Li Xiao picked up a tea cup and toyed with it in his hand. “I assume Elder Yi also wants to continue our cooperation?”

As they spoke, a thin, thread-like filament extended from the inner side of Li Xiao’s wrist to his fingertips, reaching into the tea.

09: [No lethal toxins detected.]

Yi Yongning: “What is it you want?”

Li Xiao: “I remember your father was also a general in charge of a division. Help me ask him: what happened in the Nanming seat 74 years ago?”

Yi Yongning’s expression changed slightly. “What are you investigating?”

“Just pure curiosity.” Li Xiao set down the tea cup. “I’m very interested in history and the humanities. What kind of event would be artificially erased from history?”

Yi Yongning: “Since it was erased, it means they didn’t want future generations to know. Why bother to probe?”

Li Xiao: “The more they cover it up, the more I want to know. Or do you know something?”

Seeing Yi Yongning’s troubled expression, Li Xiao pressed: “Is it related to the Bique race?”

Yi Yongning was silent for a long time before he raised his eyes to look at Li Xiao again. “That’s right. Because that event would involve you, it was erased by the late King.”

“Involve me?” Li Xiao laughed. “What does an event from 74 years ago have to do with me?”

Yi Yongning sighed softly: “The Bique race launched a coup in the Nanming seat that year, suppressed jointly by the Meng and Zheng families. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and several inhabited planets were bombed to craters, turning them into no-man’s-lands.”

Li Xiao’s hand, toyed with the tea cup, paused.

“A coup? Just with those few people from the Bique race?”

“You only know the Bique race as it is now.” Yi Yongning took a sip of tea and continued, “Seventy or eighty years ago, the Bique race was once glorious, but they were too high-profile and offended everyone. After that coup, there were very few people left in the tribe, yet they still wouldn’t rest, causing trouble everywhere. To this day, they remain a thorn in the military’s side as rebels.”

It was indeed hard for Li Xiao to imagine that the Bique race, which he had always thought were surviving in the cracks, had actually launched a coup. So, Wei Feng hated the Meng family because they suppressed the coup back then?

Yi Yongning: “You have the blood of the Bique race. The late King feared that this matter would be exploited by those with ulterior motives, so he erased everything and didn’t let anyone mention it again.”

Li Xiao examined Yi Yongning’s expression and asked calmly, “Since the Bique race are rebels, why were they recruited into the palace as attendants? Even if my father were foolish, he wouldn’t sleep with such people.”

“The attendant back then had hidden their identity. As for how they passed the layers of screening, I don’t know the specifics.” Yi Yongning looked confused. “In my view, the late King and the Queen had a very deep relationship and were unlikely to have had an affair. Back then, we even suspected: did the late King give birth to you, who has the blood of the Bique race, in order to appease or restrain the Bique race?”

This sounded plausible at first glance, but it was total nonsense upon closer inspection. Seventy years ago, there weren’t many people in the Bique race; such a level of rebellion wasn’t enough to make the King use royal blood as a gamble.

Yi Yongning: “But perhaps this is also one of the reasons why His Majesty cannot accept you.”

Li Xiao frowned slightly.

Possessing the blood of rebels and being the product of an affair that destroyed the relationship between his parents—was that why his brother wanted to kill him?

Was it really like that?