When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds

"Now that you’ve found your real family, I’m happy for you. This place isn’t some forbidden fortress. If you want to see me, you can come over anytime."

An Wen’s eyes turned red. "Thank you, Matriarch."

Tan You sighed softly. "Your maternal grandfather and grandmother are getting on in years. You’re also busy with court affairs, so it isn’t convenient for you to leave the capital. I remember you have a residence in the city. If the two elders are willing to stay here, it would save you a lot of travel and hardship in the future."

The old master of the Zhang family immediately agreed. "This commoner is willing. This commoner is willing to stay in the capital."

Tan You paused. "These are matters between you and your grandson, so ordinarily, I shouldn’t interfere. But An Wen carries a heavy burden, and the court truly cannot do without him. This will inevitably impose upon the two of you."

The old couple waved their hands frantically. "It’s no imposition, no imposition at all! Just thinking about how An Wen has become so successful and renowned makes us happy. How could we possibly stand in the way of his future?"

Tan You smiled and changed the subject. "Qi Yaosong and Chen Cui will have a public trial soon. Once your true parentage is announced, you will be met with a torrent of gossip and rumors."

An Wen clenched his fists, but then he heard Tan You say, "But I want you to remember, you are the victim. You cannot change the circumstances of your birth. Your mother, the elder Miss Zhang, was an honorable woman. She was also an innocent and pitiable soul."

"Even if she never spent a single day with you, she brought you safely into this world, and for that, you owe her a great debt of gratitude. Now that your identity is known to all, you may have lost your status as the Emperor’s cousin."

"Perhaps you’ve lost some of your halo, some of the advantages your background provided. But in my eyes, what’s most important is that the great injustice your mother suffered for years has finally been redressed. For a woman to sleep alone beneath the earth, burdened by such a grievance... even if she herself is unaware of it."

"But those of us who are still alive must remember. We must remember the immense injustice they once endured."

"As I see it, being the son of the elder Miss Zhang is far more admirable to me than being the Emperor’s cousin."

Tears streamed down the old master of the Zhang family’s face. "Thank you, Matriarch, for seeing justice done for us! Thank you, Matriarch!"

"And thank you, Matriarch, for raising An Wen to be such an outstanding young man."

Tan You tilted her head slightly. "You don’t need to thank me. ’A son’s misdeeds are the father’s fault.’ The Chen family failed to raise Chen Cui properly, and it cost four lives. That is the price the Chen family has already paid."

"As for the Zhang family... Forget it. The accounting of debts has become too tangled to unravel."

An Wen could hold it in no longer. He dropped to his knees with a THUD before Tan You, burying his face in her lap and clutching her hand, his shoulders shaking with sobs. For all these years, he had lived with the identity of being Chen Cui’s son, and his early years had been anything but easy.

After all, a child of unknown paternity will always be the subject of gossip, no matter where they are.

It was only later, as the clan grew more powerful and Tan You always treated him impartially, that the whispers gradually faded. But he had to admit, now that he was free from the identity of ’Chen Cui’s son’, An Wen truly felt he could finally live his life with his head held high.

Tan You patted his shoulder. "It hasn’t been easy for you all these years, and you have a tendency to overthink things. Ming Guang was young and immature back then. She was impolite and offended you in many ways, but please don’t hold it against her."

An Wen sniffled. "Yes. I’ll listen to the Matriarch."

Tan You’s hand paused. "Even though you have returned to your ancestral family, in my eyes, you are still one of our own. I would prefer it if you called me ’Aunt’."

An Wen looked up at Tan You. "I thought... I thought you wouldn’t want me anymore, Aunt."

"How could that be?" Tan You smiled. "You are a junior whom I greatly admire. Even back when you lived under the identity of Chen Cui’s son, I never treated you with any bias."

"What I’ve always seen is you, not your parentage."

Chen Xi knew it was her turn to speak. "An Wen, I admit I held a grudge against you in the past. I thought you were her son, so I subconsciously blamed you for the deaths of my father and elder brother. I know I was misplacing my anger, but I couldn’t help thinking that way."

"But now that I know you’re the son of the elder Miss Zhang, I no longer have such thoughts. Mother counseled me about this years ago, and I hope you won’t hold my past feelings against me."

An Wen slowly rose to his feet. "Elder Sister, you truly are magnanimous. Even when you harbored ill feelings toward me in the past, you never once treated me harshly. Aunt once said that one need not take responsibility for things that never happened."

"Everyone has a dark side, but you never once acted on it to do me any harm, Elder Sister. I am not as magnanimous as you, nor as benevolent."

Tan You tapped Chen Xi on the head. "You are both intelligent people. Intelligent people tend to overthink, but at the same time, they also tend to get stuck on trivial details."

"But that’s all right. Making a mistake isn’t what’s terrible; what’s terrible is knowing you’re wrong and refusing to change. Now that you have both finally reconciled with yourselves, I am truly happy for you."

Chen Xi rubbed her cheek against the palm of Tan You’s hand affectionately. "Mother, I understand. Starting today, I can finally make peace with my past self. I just miss my father, and my elder brother, and also..."

Tan You didn’t let her continue, simply patting her on the shoulder. "I understand everything. Now that the important matters are settled, you should both go and attend to your own affairs."

"An Wen, I’m giving you a three-day leave to get the two elders settled. After three days, I expect to see you standing in the imperial court."

An Wen clasped his fist in his hand and bowed. "Yes, Aunt."

The case of the Chen and Zhang families was sent to the Ministry of Justice, and its officials received it like a hot potato. This was a private matter of the imperial family, and what’s more, the main culprit was a member of the royalty. How were they supposed to pass judgment?

Besides, from ancient times to the present, never has a case involving a criminal from the royal family been publicly handled by the Ministry of Justice. This... wasn’t this blatantly making things difficult for them as officials?

Liu Fu, who had come along, watched the officials’ expressions shift and change. After taking in all their faces, Liu Fu flicked his horsetail whisk. "The Matriarch has given her instructions: ’When the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is to be judged the same as a commoner.’ I ask you all to please handle this according to the law."

He especially emphasized the words "according to the law." The Minister of Justice’s mind raced. He understood Tan You’s meaning and immediately and respectfully escorted Liu Fu to the door.

Still, he remained uneasy. When he saw Chen Yue, he scurried over to her. "Second Miss, Second Miss..."

Chen Yue glanced at him. "Jiang Qi, is something the matter?"

Jiang Qi glanced toward Diligent Governance Hall, then recounted Liu Fu’s recent visit. A corner of Chen Yue’s mouth lifted. "Handle it according to the law. Didn’t my mother say so? Let me give you the inside scoop..."

Jiang Qi leaned closer to Chen Yue, his eyes growing brighter the more he heard. Finally, he bowed deeply to her. "Thank you for your guidance, Second Miss. I know what to do now."

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