Chapter 122: Bringing You Home to Your Ancestors

At this moment, Yan Heru...

She had originally planned to meet Nan An as agreed, but the person delivering the message this time was not Arno. Instead, this messenger produced Nan An’s jade pendant.

Yan Heru remembered that the last time she met Nan An, he indeed carried that pendant, so she trusted the messenger. But unexpectedly, the messenger did not take her to see Nan An; rather, he knocked her unconscious.

When she came to, she found herself in a dungeon.

If Shen Hezhi were here, he would surely recognize this dungeon—it was the very same one where he had once been imprisoned.

“Who are you?”

A man stood before Yan Heru. He bore a resemblance to Nan An at first glance, but on closer inspection, the two were not the same.

“You’re finally awake. Seems like you’re not as resilient as your husband; he regained consciousness in no time,” the man said.

At that moment, Yan Heru caught a peculiar scent in the room. She felt she had smelled it before. After some thought, she recalled it was the same fragrance she noticed in the room where Shen Hezhi had disappeared.

Could it be... this man was the one who captured the Ninth Prince?

Just as Yan Heru pondered this, the man spoke again, “Why are you staring at me like that? Do you think I’m more handsome than your husband?”

Hearing this, Yan Heru frowned in displeasure. This man was behaving like a frivolous rake, and even with her modern mindset, she found his manner of speech distasteful.

“Who are you?” Yan Heru asked coldly.

The man was indeed strikingly handsome, but from a very objective standpoint, Yan Heru was certain she had never met a man more beautiful than Shen Hezhi.

And although Shen Hezhi’s beauty was notable, it was not of the feminine kind but rather a masculine, dignified allure.

The man looked at Yan Heru’s cold expression, apparently surprised that his teasing had no effect on her.

“I am... Do you want to know who I am because you want to marry me?” he teased again.

Yan Heru seemed to see through the man’s thoughts and remained indifferent to his provocations.

“Talking so much here is pointless. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Since you locked me up and didn’t kill me, it means I’m of some use to you.”

She paused, watching the man’s reaction. His face remained smiling, unchanged.

“So if I’m useful, then we should talk,” she continued.

The man applauded and looked at Yan Heru with a gaze less provocative than before. “I didn’t expect the Ninth Princess to be so composed. Even in such a predicament, you can still joke and laugh.”

“That’s hardly joking or laughing. I just want you to tell me why you brought me here,” Yan Heru replied.

The man smiled lightly. “Bringing you here is simply because there’s something I wish to tell you. Actually, I’m not here to capture you. To be precise, you should consider this a homecoming. And between us, I should address you as my niece.”

Yan Heru furrowed her brow in confusion. Where did this address of “Sixth Sister” come from? She didn’t take his words seriously and thought he was jesting.

Seeing her confused expression turn to one of tentative understanding, the man realized she hadn’t grasped the full meaning and was likely considering something else.

“Don’t overthink it. Every word I say is true. Let me introduce myself: I am Nan Ye, the Fourth Prince of the Southern Yang Kingdom,” Nan Ye said.

Yan Heru was suddenly puzzled. Why would the Fourth Prince of Southern Yang capture her and claim they were related by blood?

At present, the most plausible reason for her capture was to threaten Shen Hezhi.

“Why do you still look skeptical? Don’t you know you are the niece of the Third Prince of Southern Yang, Nan An?” Nan Ye’s confident tone left Yan Heru even more uncertain.

Nan Ye didn’t sound like he was lying. If he spoke the truth, Yan Heru would have to question her own origins.

But this man was a stranger to her; she saw no reason to doubt her identity for his sake.

So Yan Heru maintained her cold demeanor, staring at Nan Ye, who did not seem impatient.

“You may not believe me now, but what I say is fact. You can accept it in time. For now, I’m here to bring you back to acknowledge your ancestry,” Nan Ye said.

“I don’t understand why the Fourth Prince would fabricate such a lie to deceive me,” Yan Heru said calmly.

Nan An sighed. “I’m not lying, but if you refuse to believe me, there’s nothing I can do. You’ll have to endure some inconvenience tonight, staying in a modest room. Tomorrow, I will take you to the palace to meet the Emperor.”

Yan Heru was suspicious again. Nan Ye didn’t seem to want to harm her, but if this were truly a matter of family recognition, why resort to such rough methods? They could have simply invited her.

Even though they were from opposing factions, such forceful means to establish a family bond seemed unnecessary.

And even if the matter of acknowledging lineage were true, there must be other motives. Members of the royal family were not all benign.

“If you want me to acknowledge my ancestry, you cannot treat me poorly. I absolutely will not force myself to endure tonight. If you don’t find me a comfortable place, I will die right in front of you. I’m still of some use to you, right? If I die, you’ll have some trouble,” Yan Heru smiled slightly, looking triumphantly at Nan Ye.

Nan Ye had never expected this woman to propose such a solution. But it was true—if she died, it would cause complications for him. Though it wouldn’t change the bigger picture, it would be troublesome.

Better to listen to her than let her die.

“As long as you have a comfortable and luxurious place to stay, you won’t try to kill yourself?” Nan Ye asked.

“Of course. Besides... if I really tried, I’m not sure I’d succeed, right? I just want a good place to stay,” Yan Heru replied.