It turned out the Futu family had such an ancestral instruction, it must have been left by Brother Luo Xuan. The last time she saw him leave, he was utterly disappointed in her.
He hated the imperial family, so leaving such an ancestral instruction was perfectly normal.
Ling Yao drooped her head in dejection.
Xiao Shan embraced her and asked Futuo Suo in a chilling voice, "Who was that young man?"
He knew too much!
Futuo Suo sized up Xiao Shan, observing his intimate gesture towards Ling Yao, his heart filled with confusion.
"I don't know who he was. He said his surname was Chen."
Surname Chen, Xiao Shan pondered, but couldn't guess who it was.
"I told him, what use are ancestral instructions? Can they stand against imperial power? For five hundred years, our Futu family has been prisoners of the imperial family because of the divine maiden!"
Futuo Suo suddenly became agitated. He looked at Ling Yao, his aged face trembling.
Xiao Shan stepped back slightly, holding Ling Yao, his gaze wary of Futuo Suo's movements, a hint of killing intent flickering on his face.
"What do you mean?" Ling Yao's tender voice trembled.
What did it mean, because of her? What had she done?
Prisoners of the imperial family?
"The Futu family has always been controlled by the imperial family. If a daughter was born, she would enter the palace; if a son was born, he was a tool for procreation, confined to a small area. They had wealth and status, and never lacked anything, but they were denied freedom for life! Have you ever heard of the Empress's maternal family? No! The Futu family are hidden concubines! All because of the prophecy that the divine maiden would be born into the Futu family!"
"Before I turned eighteen, I occasionally saw my parents. Back then, I didn't understand the sorrow on their faces. After reaching adulthood, I was arranged to marry, to have children. Then my parents passed away, and I took over the Futu family. Only then did I understand everything, but it was already too late. Great Ancestor once tried to resist, he committed suicide, even killed his own children, but all he got was even tighter surveillance. You don't know what it's like to be watched even when sleeping or drinking water. It drives you mad, makes you go insane!"
A flush of shame and anger appeared on Futuo Suo's sickly face.
"You don't know how despairing it is to be force-fed medicine every day and compelled to bear children..."
"You're lying!" Ling Yao retorted in alarm, "Mother once met the Prince of Runan. If she had been imprisoned here all along, how could they have met?!"
"Prince of Runan, Prince of Runan..."
Futuo Suo didn't recognize the name. He had been confined here his entire life and knew nothing of the outside world.
It was only in the past few days, after going into the city, that he had inquired about the events in the imperial family over the years, and also learned that both daughters had died.
"Before Luo Hua got married, she did go out for a period. I remember... that's right, she was arranged to meet the Third Prince. I overheard them discussing that the Third Prince was in Lucheng, and the Emperor favored him as the Crown Prince. Originally, they intended to arrange for Lan Ruo, but Lan Ruo had caught a cold at the time."
What? Mother's meeting with the Prince of Runan was an arranged affair?
Ling Yao couldn't believe it. She looked at Xiao Shan in distress, but Xiao Shan was looking at her with concern.
If the Prince of Runan had returned to the capital at that time, the throne would indeed have been his, but things had taken a twist of fate.
What Futuo Suo said was likely true.
He had investigated the Empress's maternal family, and only found two places with the surname Futu, but they had no relation to the Empress, merely branches from several generations ago.
The divine maiden must be born into the Futu family.
For their own benefit, why wouldn't the imperial family keep this goose that laid golden eggs tightly guarded?
But this was not Xue Niang's fault.
"Until eighteen years ago, many people here withdrew, and they stopped forcing me to drink medicine. The steward who had been serving me all along told me as he was leaving: 'You can leave this door now.'"
"I guessed that the divine maiden might have already descended. Although I could leave, people still followed me. Later, I became too lazy to go out. A few days ago, everyone withdrew, leaving only an old woman to cook and an old servant to sweep. The vast mansion suddenly became empty, and at night, it was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard..."
"That young man told me that if one day the divine maiden came here, I should give her what was passed down. If she didn't come, I should burn it! From now on, the Futu family is truly free."
Futuo Suo knelt on the ground, pried open a floor tile, and pulled out a black, ancient box. He opened it, and the items inside were neatly arranged.
A scroll, a bamboo dragonfly with a broken wing, two small, darkened silver bracelets, a fist-sized clay figurine, a carved wooden doll, a small fan, a rabbit effigy, a clay whistle, silk flowers...
Ling Yao finally covered her mouth and burst into tears.
"Xiao Nian, brother got paid today, I bought you a little flower fan. The little girls in town all like these."
"Xiao Nian, don't cry. Brother will carve a wooden doll for you too, better than Xiao Xue's."
"Xiao Nian, you're a big girl now. Wear the silk flower, it looks nice. When brother earns more money, I'll buy you silver ones."
...
She tearfully opened the scroll. The three people depicted were lifelike. The girl in the middle wore a beautiful floral dress and smiled brilliantly, while Futu Gaoli and Luo Xuan behind her looked at her with smiling eyes.
Tears dripped onto the scroll.
Then, the scroll shattered, quickly turning into a pile of powder. Everything in the box turned black, cracked, and turned to ashes.
"Brother Luo Xuan, Brother Luo Xuan, it was Xiao Nian's fault. I was wrong! I was wrong!"
Ling Yao reached out to grab the items, but in vain, she grasped a handful of ash. She fumbled, finally retrieving a silver bracelet that hadn't yet weathered. Clutching it as if it were something immensely precious, she knelt on the ground, weeping heartbrokenly.
"Xue Niang..."
Xiao Shan embraced her, his eyes red, unsure how to comfort her.
Futuo Suo tilted his head back, tears falling from his cloudy eyes.
"The bond between the Futu family and the divine maiden has completely ended."
But the Futu family would have no more descendants to carry on the lineage. With him, it ended.
"It was my fault... I was wrong." Ling Yao looked blankly at the rows of spirit tablets.
She had been so foolish, so naive. In her past life, imprisoned in the palace and subjected to severe torture, the Grand Shaman secretly treated her wounds and brought her food. She had treated him as a trusted friend.
She didn't know that the Grand Shaman served the royal family, and everything was prioritized for the imperial family's interests.
At that time, she had revealed too many secrets. Now, she realized that she had sent the Futu family, who had shown her immense kindness, to hell.
"It was the Grand Shaman! For so many years, it was the Grand Shaman's office of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau that controlled everything!"
Scenes from her childhood flashed through her mind. Such a kind person, such a trusted person. Even when she left the capital, he hadn't revealed any of this!
The imperial family, Father Emperor, the Grand Shaman, what was true affection?
She tightly hugged Xiao Shan, crying with desolate helplessness.
Because of her, five hundred years of imprisonment, living without dignity... She had failed her adoptive father, failed Brother Luo Xuan. She was a source of disaster!
Xiao Shan's eyes were filled with pain. "It's not your fault. It was me, I shouldn't have elevated you to such a high position back then. It's the world's fault, people are too greedy..."
Ling Yao shook her head frantically. "No, it's me. I'm an anomaly. I shouldn't have appeared in this world. I should have perished with Hai Ling Tian. I, I..."
Overwhelmed by grief, she fainted into Xiao Shan's arms.
"Xue Niang!"
...
It was truly over. All traces of the divine maiden had vanished. The Futu family was truly free.
After offering another stick of incense, Futuo Suo left the ancestral hall.
His aged wife sat foolishly by the wall, watching the birds on the branches.
In the prime of her life, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Rites, a true lady of a noble family, she was chosen for the Futu family and never saw the light of day again. Who wouldn't go mad?