Chapter 1235 - A Capable King (1/2)

Qiu Ling heavily leaned against the door. He stared ahead, unable to really wrap his head around what had just happened. On the other hand, An Bai kept quiet, trying to look away. He didn't know how to deal with this situation either.

Finally, Qiu Ling looked up at him, his expression still as unbelieving as before. ”You know.”

An Bai's throat seemed to constrict. No matter how he tried, he couldn't say a single word at this moment. Thus, in the end, he merely nodded.

”Since … since when?” Qiu Ling's voice cracked halfway through the question. He had expected a lot when he came here. He had even half-expected that An Bai might understand what the truth of the matter was when he originally asked him for these books and that maybe this grand dream of somehow finding explanations and being able to live a normal life would all go up in smoke.

He hadn't dared to dwell on the thought. After all, he might not have a problem with it if he lost his throne by itself but it would also mean that he lost Jing He. This was the thing he feared most. But now, it actually turned out that not only did An Bai know exactly what he had meant, but he had even known the real truth before. How could he just accept that?

An Bai had a hard time to explain himself. He kept quiet for a moment but still did not dare to look Qiu Ling in the eye and finally just shook his head. ”Actually, I didn't know for sure. It was just a conjecture.”

Qiu Ling wasn't too interested in the difference between the two. ”Since when?”

”A few years … A few years after you met His Highness. He asked some questions and remarked on some things that made me a little doubtful.”

The last bit of color drained from Qiu Ling's face. ”Then Jing He —”

An Bai shook his head and finally looked up at Qiu Ling. ”No. You don't have to worry, Your Majesty. His Highness doesn't assume the same. At the very least, not that I know of. I helped you to explain back then so he shouldn't. Of course, I can't say for sure but it is very unlikely. Your Majesty doesn't need to worry.”

Qiu Ling closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. Well, that was at least something. He had really feared that maybe the secret had gotten out somehow. Although … thinking about it, that didn't make any sense. If Jing He had really found out, he couldn't have hidden that knowledge. After all, they had spent time together until the day that Jing He went for his trial.