Chapter 92
Tian Heng stepped into the small, familiar house, the scent of old wood and faint incense clinging to the air. This was his home, had always been, but at this moment, it felt distant, as if he were intruding in a place that no longer belonged to him.
The morning light seeped through the gaps in the wooden walls, casting long, golden streaks across the floor. His mother and younger siblings had left early, likely to sell whatever they could at the market. The silence was unsettling.
He exhaled softly, reminding himself of why he was here. Find anything useful. Anything that might help Feng Jiao Xue uncover the truth.
Tian Hao wouldn’t have been careless. His older brother was ambitious, always chasing something bigger than this tiny house, bigger than the life they were given. He had left home young, eager to carve a place for himself in the palace. It had worked, somehow, against all odds, he had made it. And yet, even from a distance, he had never let go of this house.
Tian Heng moved first to their mother’s room. It was neat, sparsely decorated except for the old wooden chest near the bed. He knelt beside it, fingers grazing over the rough edges before he unlatched it.
Inside, he found the usual things, clothes folded with care, a few silver pieces tucked away in a cloth pouch. Then, beneath them, a small bundle of letters.
He swallowed, carefully lifting the papers.
They were from Tian Hao.
His gaze flickered over the ink, the handwriting familiar but more refined than he remembered.
"Mother, I have sent silver. Use it wisely. Do not trust anyone outside of those I have named."
Tian Heng frowned. Named? Who had Tian Hao told her to trust?