Chapter 124: The Shang Family's Adopted Daughter

"Miss, Miss!"

Shang Xinlei impatiently pulled the blanket over herself, but it was immediately lifted off. "Miss, wake up! You can’t sleep anymore!"

"Hmm?"

Shang Xinlei rubbed her eyes and got up. She stared at the maid for a while before suddenly realizing something and waking up completely. "What time is it now?"

"It’s already early in the Si hour!" the maid said anxiously. "Master is calling for you. Hurry and wash up—you mustn’t keep him waiting!"

Flustered, Shang Xinlei changed clothes and freshened up, inwardly complaining about how she had fallen asleep.

Yes, after returning from the Thieves’ House last night, she had started changing clothes while sitting on the bed. Halfway through, she ended up in her undergarments and crawled under the covers, planning to nap for a bit.

So much had happened—her father was injured, the Imperial Palace was burgled, the whole of Jiangnan City was in chaos. Anyone aware of the situation would’ve been too anxious to sleep, and yet she had slept like the dead, blissfully unaware and carefree.

Perhaps it was because she already knew the path ahead. So even if the world outside collapsed, her heart would remain unshaken.

When Shang Xinlei arrived at the study, she found not only her third brother Shang Qiao present, but also the tiger-faced girl Qian Gongyu sitting nearby, yawning with a weary look on her face.

Upon seeing her, Qian Gongyu stood up excitedly. Her round, beast-like ears even seemed to grow larger, like a cat that hadn’t seen its owner in a long time, eager to pounce and meow. Fortunately, she remembered there were others present, so she restrained her enthusiasm, sat back down, and enthusiastically waved her paw-like hands at Shang Xinlei, her face beaming with joy.

"Xinlei, you’re up rather late today."

After a tumultuous night, Shang Xuanwen’s first words to his daughter were a criticism of her poor sleep habits. But knowing his nature, no one was surprised.

Shang Xinlei noticed that although her father’s complexion wasn’t great, his voice was strong and there were no visible injuries. She felt relieved—she had overestimated Black Wolf and White Fox. Her father was indeed capable of dealing with them.

"Where did you go last night? Do you know the young mistress of the Qian Family escaped from Shuiyue Pavilion and searched the entire Jiangnan City for you? And you didn’t even tell anyone when you came back—we searched for you for ages."

Shang Xinlei froze and glanced at the drowsy Qian Gongyu. Hearing herself mentioned, Qian Gongyu immediately flashed a wide grin, proud as if she had accomplished something great. For the first time, Shang Xinlei wondered whether befriending such a dummy had been a wise choice.

Originally, she didn’t want to expose her whereabouts. She had planned to complete her mission quietly and sneak back into the house without anyone knowing.

Now it was ruined. Not only did her father discover she had gone out at night, but Qian Gongyu had also committed the offense of escaping just to look for her. One misstep after another. Who knew what kind of punishment her father might impose?

She couldn’t help recalling the way Jiang Ten interacted with Qian Gongyu, always issuing commands like “Young Miss, move.” At the time, she thought Jiang Ten was being impolite, but now she realized that might be the correct way to handle Qian Gongyu. Social niceties didn’t work on dummies—they couldn’t understand them anyway.

Though this time the dummy meant well but did poorly... in the end, she was still Shang Xinlei’s dummy.

"Please, Father, don’t punish Xiaoyu," Shang Xinlei said flatly. "If you must punish someone, punish me first. But if you punish me, you can’t punish her."

Qian Gongyu and Shang Qiao were stunned, about to speak, but Shang Xuanwen asked first, "Why?"

"Because she’s my friend. If she’s humiliated, it pains me. If she’s hurt, I’ll care for her. She escaped from Shuiyue Pavilion for my sake. I can’t let her be punished again, or my conscience won’t allow it. I might even lose her as a friend."

As she finished, a sense of relief washed over Shang Xinlei. She gazed seriously at her father. "I don’t have many friends, Father... I don’t want to lose Xiaoyu."

"If you insist on punishing her, I can’t stop you. But I’ll resist you in my own way. I’ll live with her in Shuiyue Pavilion, sharing joys and hardships. I won’t stand by while my friend suffers."

Father and daughter locked eyes—the atmosphere turned tense.

Shang Qiao opened his mouth but fell silent at Shang Xuanwen’s glance.

"No merit, no reward—that’s the Shang family’s rule," Shang Xuanwen said. "What are you willing to offer in return—"

"I’m not requesting this as your subordinate, Prime Minister," Shang Xinlei interrupted. "I’m asking this as your daughter."

"Father, I’ve made my stance clear. But if you continue to ignore my feelings and act unilaterally... I’ll resent you."

Shang Qiao sensed things going awry and tried to intervene. "Xinlei, how can you speak to Father like this? Apologize now."

"I won’t. Father is the one at fault!" Shang Xinlei said stubbornly.

Even though both she and Yan Qing believed their father loved his children, facing off against him still made her uncertain. What if he couldn’t tolerate her defiance? What if he was too proud to admit he was wrong? He was, after all, the Prime Minister of Great Liang and head of the Shang family. Always praised, never challenged. Power might’ve already molded him into a political creature.

Still, Shang Xinlei pressed on. She refused to remain a child forever—she had grown up. No matter how thorny the path ahead, no matter how fierce the storm, she would face it. This was what growing up meant.

Yet instead of facing a storm, she was suddenly engulfed in a suffocating hug.

"Waaahhh——" Qian Gongyu burst into tears and latched onto Shang Xinlei like a spider, her face a mess of snot and tears. Her voice was choked with emotion. "Xinlei, you—you’re the best person in my life besides my father! You’re my best friend!"

Shang Xinlei’s first thought was to call Yan Qing to witness this, then ask if she looked prettier crying.

She shook her head to dismiss the ridiculous thought, pushed the tiger-faced girl away, and asked with a smile, "What about Jiang Ten?"

"Jiang Ten... Jiang Ten is the same as you. She’s also my best friend!"

So easy to fool. All I did was say a few sweet nothings, while Jiang Ten brought you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. How can I possibly be on par with her... Shang Xinlei ruffled Qian Gongyu’s head, thinking, Without me guarding this dumb tiger, she’d probably lose even her Legendary Token. Then she turned to Shang Xuanwen. "Father, your answer?"

"Xinlei," Qian Gongyu spoke up, "Actually, Uncle told me last night he wouldn’t pursue the matter of me escaping Shuiyue Pavilion. You blamed him wrongly."

Shang Xinlei blinked in surprise and looked at her father.

"Last night, I first encountered the Taohu Rebel and lost nearly all my guards," Shang Xuanwen said calmly. "Then I was ambushed again by thieves. Thankfully, the young mistress of the Qian Family passed by and helped. Otherwise, I might’ve died before Qiao arrived with reinforcements. Though merits don’t cancel faults... the circumstances were exceptional and understandable."

The situation last night was that dangerous?

Shang Xinlei felt a chill run down her spine, followed by intense guilt. Without her intel, Black Wolf and White Fox wouldn’t have been able to ambush Shang Xuanwen. They wouldn’t have planned tactics around his token in advance... She had thought her father would be in no real danger, but reality often defied expectations.

Just like how the emperor had Foundation Messengers, just like how her father had been ambushed twice in one night, just like how once you entered the Inner Treasury, it was hard to get out.

She ought to pay the price for her arrogance.

After a brief silence, Shang Xinlei took out a pair of orange-glowing Throwing Rings from her storage ring and placed them on the desk amidst everyone’s astonished gaze.

"I want to clear Xiaoyu’s name and remove her prison sentence. These are the Legendary Throwing Rings I obtained from Mansu Woodland. I’m offering them to the family."

As she finished, she quickly covered Qian Gongyu’s mouth to stop her from speaking.

"You wish to exchange this token for the young mistress’s freedom?" Shang Xuanwen asked.

"No. Regardless of whether you accept or not, the Legendary Throwing Rings will be given to the family. Consider it compensation for not helping Father last night and troubling everyone with my disappearance," Shang Xinlei said. "The family has raised me all these years. I owe it a return."

At this point, even Shang Qiao couldn’t say more. But he had a nagging feeling that his sister had changed dramatically, like a whole new person. As if she had cast off her burdens, dared to defy Father, dared to speak her mind—her whole being radiated brightness. What could have caused such a change?

He arrived at the answer almost instantly: Love!

But his sister didn’t know any young heroes... and she went to the Thieves’ House last night... could it be...

"Since you’re so sincere, Father will accept it," Shang Xuanwen said, pausing briefly. "The Left Swift Rider Guard has tracked down a suspect in the Luo Weijin case—Lin Yuan. Regardless of his condition, as long as the real culprit is found and there’s no evidence implicating the young mistress of the Qian Family, she will be exonerated. She’ll also receive some Spirit Jade as compensation for her detention. Within a week at the latest, her name will be cleared."

What, just like that?

Shang Xinlei and Qian Gongyu perked up, exchanged glances, and bowed in unison. Freedom alone wasn’t enough, of course. Qian Gongyu possessed a valuable treasure that many forces coveted, but Shang Xinlei planned to handle that herself. She couldn’t always rely on her family.

"I also have a proposal."

Shang Xuanwen looked at the tiger-faced girl and asked seriously, "Given your youth, lack of guardians, and the fact you saved me..."

Qian Gongyu quickly wiped her face. "I didn’t do much, Uncle. You’re exaggerating."

"Let me finish." Shang Xuanwen’s voice deepened, causing everyone in the study to instinctively stand at attention, like students before a strict teacher. "Once your name is cleared, I would like to adopt you as my daughter."

Shang Qiao and Shang Xinlei widened their eyes. Qian Gongyu asked blankly, "Adopted daughter?"

"It will be formally announced. Although your surname won’t change, you’ll receive all main-branch privileges of the Shang family and be treated as a family member in public," Shang Xuanwen said, sipping tea. "As for your Legendary Token, the Shang family will borrow it for one year. Of course, this depends on your consent. Even if you refuse, as my adopted daughter, no one will dare to take your token."

Shang Xinlei looked at Qian Gongyu and kept silent. This was a serious matter—even she couldn’t decide for the dumb tiger. Glory and downfall would now be shared. It had to be a mutual choice, or it wouldn’t be meaningful.

Qian Gongyu thought for a moment. "Then will I wear the blue band or the vermillion band?"

"Either. You’re qualified to wear the Shang family’s vermillion band."

"Then I agree!" Qian Gongyu exclaimed excitedly. "I can wear the vermillion band and be family with Xinlei? Uncle, I agree!"

The Shang siblings twitched at the corner of their mouths. Of all things, the deciding factor was the vermillion band?

Shang Xuanwen tapped the desk. "In that case, you should call me Adoptive Father now."

"Adoptive Father!" Qian Gongyu replied without hesitation.

"Gongyu, as a welcome gift, choose one item from this list," Shang Xuanwen said, handing her a slip of paper. She glanced at it and immediately said, "I want the second one!"

"Very well."

Shang Xuanwen stood up. "I have matters to attend to. You can talk with Gongyu. As for this—" he glanced at the Legendary Throwing Rings on the desk, "you’re the only Throwing Ring Messenger in the family, so treat it as a temporary loan. But if you misstep again, you won’t be let off lightly."

With that, Shang Xuanwen strode out, leaving the others in the room.

Shang Xinlei stood frozen, feeling as if she were dreaming.

She had truly prepared herself to hand over the Legendary Throwing Rings. Never did she expect her father would return them, even under the guise of a loan. He could have exchanged them with another family for greater resources... He had accepted her apology without making her pay any price.

If his treatment of Shang Xinlei could be explained, then his response to Qian Gongyu completely baffled them.

He not only ignored her disobedience, but went out of his way to clear her name—and even offered to adopt her?

Wasn’t it said that no merit means no reward?

Didn’t he usually deliver a harsh lesson before giving any benefits?

Why was he suddenly so human today? He had never been this kind, even to his own children.

A thought stirred in Shang Xinlei’s mind. She looked at the gleeful Qian Gongyu and a bold suspicion crept up: Could Father really have an illegitimate daughter…?

"Xinlei!" Qian Gongyu shook her arm excitedly. "We’re family now!"

"Xiaoyu, what did you choose as your welcome gift?" Shang Xinlei asked, then complained, "You could’ve at least discussed it with me."

"Don’t worry—you’ll love it!" Qian Gongyu said cheerfully. "I chose the martial technique workbook for circulating secret techniques. We can learn together!"

Shang Xinlei blinked, then poked the ‘王’ on her forehead.

"You chose it for yourself. Why consider me? Wasn’t there a direct Secret Technique Book?"

"There was. But Xinlei, didn’t you say I was getting fatter? With the workbook, I can exercise along with it. Plus, we can train together—it’s way better than a regular technique book…"

"Aaaah, you’re so stupid!"

Shang Qiao had planned to talk about their father’s decision, but seeing the happy scene between his sister and new adopted sister, he simply smiled. It wasn’t necessary anymore.

"I’ll go with Father to check on the injured. Xinlei, show Gongyu around the house," he said with a smile. "Gongyu, from now on, this is your home."

"Mm!" Qian Gongyu nodded vigorously.

"The injured?" Shang Xinlei asked. "Who was hurt?"

"The Rat Monk," Shang Qiao replied with a sigh. "He was badly injured while protecting Father. When I arrived, I thought he was dead. But he was still breathing. After an entire night of rescue efforts, he finally pulled through."

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