Afterlife Department

Chapter 194 – Royal Family

Gu Xingfeng watched as Kale walked away. 

Yes – he just walked. Not to mention bodyguards, he didn't even bring a driver with him! A prince, he is walking openly in broad daylight without even any weapon or people with him to defend himself!

Gu Xingfeng felt his head ached. He remembered Kale's question earlier. 

"Why didn't you mention about the fourth one?" 

The fourth one is the remaining left where Huo Ling belonged to: the royal family. Gu Xingfeng might have said he is a straightforward person, but he didn't say anything about the royal family. Not because he felt it awkward or rude to talk about the royal family when someone from the royal family is in front you. It is because there was nothing to talk about them. Why? 

Because they didn't have any information about the royal family other than the common knowledge. 

The previous king, and his queen, had a son and after the king died the queen had an affair with Huo Dakuan. They had a daughter – Huo Meiying. The reason why it was only an affair and the queen and Huo Dakuan didn't marry is because they didn't have the chance to.

The queen was diagnosed with an illness. She only had a short time to leave. And her death was pushed early because of her pregnancy. That's why when Huo Meiying was born, the queen hated her and tossed her to Huo Dakuan whom she gradually hated. Then, she placed all of her affections to her son, the crown prince. Not long later and she died. 

The crown prince didn't hate his half-sister and instead grown fond of her after he witnessed her birth. Thus, he was disappointed with their mother when she sent Huo Meiying away. When he ascended the throne, he wanted to take her back. However, she refused him. At that time, Huo Meiying became close to Huo Jinghua. Although the king felt jealous of Huo Jinghua, he could only properly confer Huo Meiying as the princess. Then, out responsibility as a king, he married a daughter from the aristocrats and bore a son. 

However, that woman has a secret that was circulated between the other aristocrats in private. She is the third daughter of the Will family. The Will family only have daughters, and all we raised as the finest ladies. At that time, all of them are unmarried. Obviously, it wasn't the third daughter's turn to marry. It was the oldest daughter who was engaged to the king. Yet it was the third daughter who married the king. 

Conspiracies and gossips are intangible. The Wills may have covered the incident, and the king, in order not to lose face after being forcibly hooked up by a woman on the bed, his royal advisors spread the news the king fell in love with the third daughter. 

The king naturally can't do anything even if the rice wasn't cooked. He was forced to marry her. And because there was no feelings invested, and obviously the woman only forced herself on him because she wasn't favored by her family thus she felt spit towards them, the king never had gotten close to the newly-crowned queen. His mind, if not on the country's affairs, was on Huo Meiying – his half-sister. 

The new queen, whose mind is poisonous, heard of Huo Meiying and found out about the king's almost scandalous behavior towards his half-sister. Thus, she hated Huo Meiying since she thought that the king really loves his half-sister, despite it was taboo. 

And so, when Huo Meiying reached a marriageable age, she suggested to the king to marry Huo Meiying. Half of it, she wanted Huo Meiying away. Another half is that she was testing the king's feelings towards his half-sister. Thus, when the king strongly refused, she 'confirmed' the king really is in love with his sister. She didn't know that the king refused to protect his sister's secret so that no one can harm her. 

To not let the king interfere with Huo Meiying's marriage, she poisoned him. Even though Huo Meiying's marriage was delayed because of the funeral, it was still in the end had been decided by her. Huo Dakuan, who only wanted for someone to protect Huo Meiying, agreed with the queen's plan to marry Huo Meiying with Gerard Jackson. Huo Dakuan, as the only one left who knows about Huo Meiying's condition, only cared about Huo Meiying's protection.

Gerard Jackson really never knew Huo Meiying's condition. He just thought it was her temperament as a royal princess, and that he never cared about her. And so, Huo Meiying's secret was kept until one day, that afternoon while Hao Baiyun was teaching Huo Ling with his assignments, she suddenly freaked out without a reason, which is strange. 

That was seen by the servants of the Hao family. Hao Baiyun, at that time, didn't notice anything until later on, and he was still young so he has no power yet to control their servants' mouth. 

The Hao and Huo families are close, thus some servants would also chat. And they talked about Huo Meiying's strange behavior that day. One became ten, and ten became a hundred. The Huo brothers found out, as well as Huo Jinghua. Huo Jinghua wanted to slit their mouth, yet he was acting as a sheep at that time. 

Thus, as the only one who could protect Huo Meiying at that time, he had Huo Dakuan intentionally hear the gossip about Huo Meiying. And Huo Dakuan really became enraged. He had them all shut their mouth, while he fired the servants. Although Huo Meiying didn't care at that time, Huo Dakuan and Huo Jinghua do. 

It was only when Huo Ling was born did light shone upon the life of Kale, Huo Meiying and Huo Jinghua. Huo Jinghua who became an uncle; Huo Meiying who became a mother; and Kale whose mother's hate spread towards his newly-born cousin. 

How can Kale not know his mother's dirty and bloody secrets? She was already being secretly gossiped about as an unfavored daughter who forced herself to the king. After she got married to the king, the gossips subsided. However, the king, who's the only one who can protect her, was killed by her. And so, gossips about her flooded again, as if they can't wait to reach Kale's ears. 

The queen, who married and gave birth only out of interests, has an estranged relationship to her son. As Kale grew up, their relationship became even more estranged. Kale, after he heard the gossips about his mother, didn't want to doubt her. However, he personally saw with his eyes her hysterics every time she was provoked. 

The thing that snapped the thread that ties him to his mother is that one phone call. 

—

"Xiao Jiang. Xiao Ke. You go follow him. And escort him." Gu Xingfeng said, referring to Kale who is about to disappear from their sight. 

"Boss…" Jiang Xinduo and Ke Congyi wanted to cry. Why them? QAQ

Gu Xingfeng's brows raised in amusement. He knows the two had unintentionally provoked the prince, thus he rescued them from Kale's clutched earlier. However, now he's personally tossing them to him. "We are out of hands. Only you two left. And since he is a prince, there should at least be two people accompanying him." He explained. 

Jiang Xinduo and Ke Congyi who knows this is a punishment. "…" 

Gu Xingfeng knew he was seen through, yet he still added. "Do you think, if there's only one of you two who'll go with him, will either of you live?" He asked. 

"!!!" 

Gu Xingfeng was pleased with their reaction. "Go and find out what he is hiding from us." He told them, finally revealing his intention.

After that unanswered question that actually doesn't need, or wasn't expecting, an answer, Kale left. Gu Xingfeng didn't stop him. One, he is in a lower position than Kale. Two, he has to recollect his thoughts and then plan. 

"Yes!" Jiang Xinduo and Ke Congyi saluted. "What about you, boss?" They asked. 

Gu Xingfeng suddenly paused. "I have something to do." He answered. 

Jiang Xinduo and Ke Congyi naturally didn't ask and just left to follow after Kale. Gu Xingfeng watched them disappear from his sight before he went to his car and drove away. 

He drove in the direction of Hao Baiyun's place. 

Tianxing Entertainment.

The director's loud heaps of praises for Lei Shan can be heard amidst the sounds coming from the set being rearranged. 

The staff casted a short glance at the director before pulling their gaze away, thinking to themselves that the director is too blind and oblivious for not noticing Lei Shan's sharp aura today. They're not complaining, since Lei Shan's acting is on the spot and today is very productive. 

However, when it was off-cam, they all can't help but stiffen because of Lei Shan's aura. They couldn't tell whether he was in a bad mood or was too focused on his acting. But these thoughts, they didn't say aloud and just kept to themselves.