Xu Xinyao

Zhou Chen did not respond to Xu Yuan's words.

He knew very well what should be said and what should not; when it came to the Prime Minister's Estate's family affairs, it was best to keep his mouth shut.

For a moment, both men fell silent.

Xu Yuan's gaze remained fixed on the young ladies dancing with long sleeves and bare jade feet on the hall stage, while his mind pondered this fourth younger sister of his.

He certainly knew of this Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister's Estate.

One of the heroines of Cangyuan, Xu Xinyao.

However, until just now, Xu Yuan's impression of Xu Xinyao had remained stuck in his knowledge from his past life; he had not deliberately sifted through the original owner's memories.

Yes.

Just now, when Xu Yuan cursed Xu Xinyao as a slut, it was entirely his own desire to do so—no ulterior motives, just pure emotion.

Standing from the perspective of a god in his past life, he had felt nothing for this heroine.

But prompted by Zhou Chen's reminder, Xu Yuan began to search his mind for information regarding his fourth younger sister.

The memories were mostly fragmented and blurry, but he could roughly piece together the pattern of their interactions.

Currently, his relationship with this fourth younger sister could be described as abysmal.

Xu Yuan was not the least bit surprised by this.

Given the original owner's previous conduct, it would have been abnormal if they had a good relationship.

However, it was worth mentioning that when they were children, the relationship between the siblings had been decent.

According to his memories, he even seemed to have secretly liked his adopted younger sister when he was young.

The "incestuous" kind of liking.

This was because Xu Xinyao had been gentle and kind since childhood.

Under the brilliance of their two older brothers, the mediocre Xu Changtian had been withdrawn from a young age.

However, because his two older brothers had accompanied and comforted him during his childhood, the original owner's withdrawal had not been very obvious.

But once Xu Changge and Xu Chang'an reached the age of maturity and left to travel, it became increasingly apparent.

Fortunately, there was Xu Xinyao, a younger sister who was willing to stay by the side of this withdrawn child.

To put it in more literary terms, She was the softest beam of light in his heart.

But this very beam of soft light gradually turned into a searchlight as they grew up.

It was so piercing that the original owner could not keep his eyes open.

And most crucially, this light left after two years.

Once Xu Xinyao's interest and talent for formations were discovered, their father asked her if she wanted to go out and study the craft.

The original owner begged her not to go, but she left anyway.

The original owner, still a brat, viewed this as a betrayal.

And what happened afterward was just as Xu Yuan had recalled.

The original owner became a thoroughly withdrawn child.

By the time Xu Xinyao returned from her studies, Xu Changtian had completely changed.

Seeing her third brother, who had originally been silent and reserved, gradually turn wicked, the kind-hearted Xu Xinyao tried to dissuade him.

But who was Xu Changtian?

A god-like figure who couldn't even be reined in by his own brother's whip—would he be dissuaded by the words of an adopted sister?

The result of such dissuasion was often that Xu Xinyao would go to report him, and after Xu Changge returned home from his travels, the original owner would be hung up and beaten.

The original owner, whose personality had already completely twisted, blamed all these things on Xu Xinyao.

He began to attack her origins, calling her a bastard, and even began to lay hands on her.

At first, Xu Xinyao's kindness prevented her from giving up on this third brother, but she simply could not withstand Xu Changtian's increasingly warped personality.

As his actions within the Imperial Capital became more absurd and unscrupulous, the two siblings gradually drifted into a complete rift.

In less than ten years, their relationship had deteriorated to the point where they wouldn't even speak a single word to each other.

As the memories ended, a trace of wistfulness appeared in Xu Yuan's eyes, but it immediately turned into a look of intrigue.

Xu Xinyao, a very perfect heroine.

But when playing Cangyuan in his past life, Xu Yuan had never been able to like this Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister's Estate.

Now, with the original owner's memories, Xu Yuan's perspective on her had changed somewhat.

As a heroine in Cangyuan, Xu Xinyao was qualified.

Ever since their accidental meeting in the early stages, she had provided the protagonist controlled by Xu Yuan with a great deal of material assistance.

At first, Xu Yuan had actually quite liked her.

After all, who doesn't love a wealthy woman?

There are quite a few paths one can take for the romantic arc of the character Xu Xinyao in Cangyuan.

Meet, adventure, and eventually fall in love.

Meet, love-hate relationship, and eventually fall in love.

Meet, hero saves the beauty, adventure, and eventually fall in love.

From the perspective of the story's protagonist, Xu Xinyao is truly perfect.

Beyond being wealthy, she is gentle, kind, and understanding; she even possesses talent in the way of formations that can assist the protagonist.

But the problem is, At that time, Xu Yuan could not only immerse himself as the protagonist, but he also possessed a god's-eye view of the characters within Cangyuan.

As her identity was gradually revealed, Xu Yuan began to lose all interest in this character.

In the late stages of many world lines in Cangyuan, when the Prime Minister's Estate began to collapse and decline due to the protagonist's interference, many people chose to betray his father, whether out of self-interest or a desperate desire to survive.

And in those world lines, among those who betrayed him was this noble Fourth Miss, Xu Xinyao.

In fact, In some world lines, her betrayal even played a pivotal role.

Xu Yuan has always believed that everyone has their own internal logic for why they do things.

Because humans are imperfect, this logic can be contradictory or double-standard, but whatever one does must be rooted in the position they occupy.

Yet Xu Xinyao completely abandoned the position she stood in.

Because she felt the protagonist was on the side of justice, and because she felt her foster father's actions had caused suffering for the common people.

Therefore, she chose to sacrifice her family for the sake of righteousness.

Very noble, very upright, very "filial daughter."

"."

Thinking this far, Xu Yuan inexplicably wanted to laugh, but after a couple of chuckles, he shook his head slightly.

Xu Yuan hasn't been to other parts of the Great Yan Dynasty in this reality, so he doesn't know the specifics.

But in Cangyuan, this world had long been rife with undercurrents.

The barbarians in the north, the Ancient Abyss in the southwest, and the various sects within the Great Yan Dynasty—many such forces were already restless.

As the Fourth Miss of the Prime Minister's Estate, Xu Xinyao knew these things.

But she sought a way to coordinate all parties and resolve the situation without resorting to force.

She thought about it, and she acted on it.

In many world lines, she constantly strove for this, but unfortunately, in every world line, her efforts eventually turned into a joke.

Because on this chessboard destined for chaos, her father was the first to make a move.

It was like the collapse of her faith.

She began to struggle, She began to waver, She chose betrayal.

Betrayal.

Xu Yuan let out a long breath, a flash of helplessness crossing his eyes.

As expected, no matter how beautiful she looked in his memories, he just couldn't bring himself to like this woman.

He didn't ask her to abandon her beliefs to help, but at the very least, she could have remained neutral and stayed out of it, right?

Anyone could betray the Prime Minister, but not you, Fourth Miss Xu Xinyao.

It was he who gave you a home when you were at your most helpless.

It was he who pulled you from starvation to the clouds, giving you the best education, the best material comforts, and providing you with the best of everything.

The grace of raising is greater than the grace of birth; he was more than a father, and your eldest brother and second brother treated you as if you were their own blood.

Yet, You chose to stab them in their softest spot when they least expected it.

Thank you all for the votes and investments.

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