Ch. 63 - Xiao Nong: I don't understand

Zhong Yansheng was so shocked by the boss' sudden kneeling that he was stunned for a long time. He hurriedly wanted to help him up: "What did you call me? You get up first!"

Wei Ling shook her head and continued to kneel in front of him. Her throat felt like it was made of iron, and her voice was very difficult to speak: "The incident happened suddenly that year. When we rushed to the East Palace, it was too late. There were corpses everywhere and flames all over the sky... We followed the will of His Highness and fled south. We hid for many years. It turns out that the young master is still alive. It turns out that the Zhong family has always..."

Zhong Yansheng paused while holding his hand, his mind confused and bewildered.

He could understand every word Wei Ling said, but the combined meaning made him at a loss as to how to react.

The Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess, and the Zhong family.

There is only one person who can relate to these.

The former crown prince Pei Xi.

Zhong Yansheng's long eyelashes trembled, and he suddenly had a confused and unbelievable premonition in his heart. He whispered, "Master Wei, please explain clearly first. Who am I? Who are my parents?"

After a moment, Wei Ling raised her head, her eyes were completely red, she looked at him, and said word by word: "Your father is the Crown Prince Pei Xi, and your mother is the Crown Princess Yin Yifan who grew up with the Crown Prince as a childhood sweetheart..."

The late Crown Prince Pei Xi, who was nailed to death outside the east corner gate of the imperial city eighteen years ago.

Crown Princess Yin Yifan was engulfed in the fire at the Eastern Palace.

The bloody smell and scorching flames of the past seemed to rush towards him. Zhong Yansheng had difficulty breathing, and his chest rose and fell violently for a few times. It was not until Taxue, who was lying quietly beside him, nudged his hand with his head that he came to his senses and asked blankly, "Why are you so sure?"

"Your eyes," Wei Ling said hoarsely, "are exactly the same as your father. You look very similar to your father, and you have some of the Crown Princess's charm. The birthmark on the back of your neck, your relationship with the Zhong family, and your age all match... I will never make a mistake. Anyone who was familiar with your father back then can recognize you."

Zhong Yansheng blinked slowly: "Who are you?"

"I am the commander of the Eastern Palace's secret guards." Wei Ling paused, "I am only loyal to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhan Rong is ostensibly Xiao Nong's personal guard, but in reality he commands the secret guards.

Zhong Yansheng understood why he looked at Wei Ling and felt that his temperament was somewhat similar to Zhan Rong. They were both death warriors, but they were not quite the same as ordinary death warriors.

Perhaps it is because their "masters" cherish their lives and never treat them as dead objects.

There was no need for Wei Ling to lie, let alone swallow the poison given by Zhan Rong without hesitation in order to deceive him.

He really is the leader of the secret guards of the late Crown Prince Pei Xi... Zhong Yansheng is also really the late Crown Prince's child.

Zhong Yansheng grabbed Taxue's ear and said incredulously: "So your majesty is actually..."

"Your grandfather."

When the emperor was mentioned, Wei Ling's expression became extremely ugly: "After Huo Shuang went south, he contacted me and said that His Majesty asked him to find a young man and bring him back to the palace to call him the eleventh prince. I felt something was not right."

Zhong Yansheng felt that his brain was almost shutting down. Doubts kept coming up in his mind. He felt confused and wanted to go back to Xiao Nong to ask for his opinion. He couldn't help but rubbed Taxue's head vigorously with his hand and tried to sort out his thoughts: "I want to know, what happened back then?"

Those who knew what happened back then are either dead or have witnessed the bloodbath in the capital and dare not speak anymore.

Zhong Yansheng was confused for a long time until he heard some of the truth revealed by Wanzhou in the cave.

He was eager to know what was going on, why the prince chose to force the emperor to abdicate, and what exactly did the old emperor do?

At this point, Wei Ling calmed down a bit and took a deep breath: "This matter has to start with the late emperor."

The late Emperor Shun had six sons, and the current Majesty is the third.

Several princes were eyeing the throne, but no one's brilliance could surpass that of Crown Prince Kangwen. Crown Prince Kangwen was the eldest son of Emperor Shun and the elder brother of the current Majesty. He was a distinguished figure in the capital, talented and knowledgeable with extensive knowledge of classics, and a bright and handsome man.

Most of the officials in the court were satisfied with the Crown Prince, and almost everyone felt that after Emperor Shun abdicated, Crown Prince Kangwen would surely inherit the throne.

At that time, the current emperor was of mediocre talent and plain appearance, and his mother's family was just a small and impoverished clan. The other princes had supporters, but he did not, and he was even bullied by his brothers.

Prince Kangwen was kind and always helped to protect his younger brother. He also often took his younger brother with him to study together.

The Grand Tutor who lectured to Prince Kangwen back then was a great scholar from a prominent family in Langya. He had a daughter and had a very good relationship with both Prince Kangwen and the current emperor. The three of them grew up together as childhood sweethearts. Everyone thought that the Grand Tutor's daughter would marry Prince Kangwen, become the Crown Princess, and then become the Queen in the future.

But no one expected that the daughter of the Grand Tutor would choose to marry the Third Prince, and no one expected that Prince Kangwen would begin to fall ill frequently after that.

His illness became more and more serious, and he began to vomit blood continuously. The Imperial Hospital could not find out what was wrong, so the furious Emperor Shun dragged him down and hacked him to death.

Naturally, the important task of the country could not be entrusted to Prince Kangwen who could not even get off his sickbed, but Emperor Shun still had hope and delayed changing the crown prince. After two years, when Prince Kangwen's health had just improved, he suddenly passed away one night.

Extreme sorrow and joy are harmful to the body. Emperor Shun was devastated and fell ill. After the death of Crown Prince Kangwen, several other princes also took action.

After a bloody battle, the third prince, who was not favored by anyone at the time, ascended the throne.

The daughter of the Crown Prince's Tutor did become the Queen as everyone had guessed, but the person who ascended the throne was different from what everyone had imagined.

When the new emperor first ascended the throne, he was not accepted by the people. There was a rumor among the people that the current emperor had poisoned Crown Prince Kangwen and even Emperor Shun. Many upright literati wrote poems and lyrics, secretly cursing the new emperor for his illegitimate access to the throne.

When the Queen gave birth to the child, the scolding continued. It was not until the Queen passed away when Pei Xi was two years old that the Emperor showed all kinds of affection. In addition, the Crown Prince Pei Xi was very smart since he was a child and was loved by people inside and outside the court. Only then did his reputation gradually turn around.

As more people praised him, the aftermath of the controversy surrounding Prince Kangwen gradually subsided.

Zhong Yansheng knew very little about the situation of the former crown prince Pei Xi, and even less about the past generation. He vaguely remembered that there was such a crown prince Kangwen. After listening to Wei Ling's story, he felt a little tired of standing, so he sat on Taxue's back: "I... Is the matter of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince related to that Crown Prince Kangwen?"

Even though Wei Ling had prepared him, he was still so shocked that he found it difficult to utter the word "father" for a while.

Wei Ling said in a deep voice: "It has a lot to do with it."

Outsiders only know that the empress and the old emperor were childhood sweethearts and had a deep relationship. The old emperor remained deeply in love with the empress even after her death and has not had a successor to date.

But no one knew that Prince Kangwen was always like a mountain weighing on the old emperor's heart. His true colors towards the queen were gradually revealed, from doubting whether the queen had any attachment to Prince Kangwen, to doubting the queen's chastity, and even doubting whether his eldest son Pei Xi was his own blood.

——That is ridiculous. In the last days of Prince Kangwen's life, he was so sick that even his breathing was like a candle in the wind, which would be extinguished by a slight blow. Even if the Queen really had some lingering feelings for Prince Kangwen, it was impossible for them to have an affair.

But the old emperor was suspicious. He was hot and cold towards the queen and often stared at her for a long time after she fell asleep.

The queen's health was not good to begin with, and she finally died of depression under such pressure.

After the queen passed away, the old emperor continued to reward and appease her mother's family, and raised his eldest son Pei Xi by his side. He made him the crown prince at the age of twelve, doted on him endlessly, and gave him whatever he wanted. The censors even wrote to the emperor, worried that the prince would be raised to be spoiled.

However, as Crown Prince Pei Xi grew up, he not only did not grow crooked, but instead became like a beautiful jade tree in the jade forest, a modest gentleman with a bright and clear mind.

Zhong Yansheng finally realized how horrible this was: "Your Majesty is actually very dissatisfied... Does your highness know?"

"…Your Highness doesn't know either." Wei Ling lowered her head. "When Your Highness was young, he always felt that His Majesty doted on him, and he also had a feeling of admiration for His Majesty. It was not until His Highness came of age that he found some letters written by the Queen before her death among her old belongings."

Those letters told the story of Prince Kangwen and the emperor's suspicion of her. The empress was trapped in the deep palace, and if she wanted to send any letters, they had to pass the emperor's review. In the end, no one could send them, so some were burned and some were kept, but from the letters she left behind, one can get a general idea by piecing together the letters.

That was the first time Pei Xi felt the horror and strangeness of his father.

At the same time, he also discovered that except for the secret guards left to him by his mother, which absolutely belonged to him, everything he had, was given to him by the old emperor. The guards of the East Palace and every palace servant would report his whereabouts to the old emperor, and the old emperor knew everything about him.

He had also felt uncomfortable, but the old emperor was always kind to him, so he thought it was the love his father had for his son. It was only when he saw the letter that he understood what made him uncomfortable.

It's suspicion, surveillance, and a hint of disgust.

Even though Pei Xi was very well-behaved and obedient, and did not look like Prince Kangwen, some of the similarities between him and Prince Kangwen made the old emperor extremely dissatisfied.

The unconditional love given to Pei Xi when he was a child was a kind of polishing. The old emperor was polishing Pei Xi, trying to grind away his peculiarities and cultivate the "perfect crown prince" in his mind.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, who is infinitely honored and favored in the eyes of outsiders, can only have a confused conversation with the leader of his secret guards.

Recalling those things, Wei Ling still shuddered: "Your Highness didn't want to be manipulated like this for the rest of his life, so he began to rebel against His Majesty."

The first rebellion was in the selection of the Crown Princess.

The old emperor had been in no hurry to choose a crown princess for Pei Xi until he came of age. Only then did he select portraits and let the crown prince choose from them. However, the crown prince rejected the old emperor's offer and only wanted his childhood sweetheart.

In the end, he succeeded in his struggle and married his sweetheart, but the rebellion undoubtedly increased the old emperor's dissatisfaction. Not long after, Pei Xi's grandfather was imprisoned for corruption.

Those charges were actually half true and half false - since the death of the queen, the old emperor had been generous and lenient towards her mother's family, constantly rewarding and conferring titles, and finally turned some of them into rats. The old tutor and many clansmen were implicated.

The evidence was clear. Even though Pei Xi ran back and forth, he was unable to protect his mother's family.

The once prominent Langya family was uprooted bit by bit.

This was the old emperor's warning to him.

The empress's mother's family was not uprooted all at once. From time to time, the old emperor would suddenly send someone out of the prison and drag them in front of the prince. He asked lovingly, "Xi'er, a wise king should not be partial. Do you understand now that they have made a mistake?"

From the prince’s familiar cousins, uncles and aunts, to the old tutor who was so thin that only a bag of bones was left.

Pei Xi must personally tell the old emperor about their crimes and how to deal with them before he will order their execution. Otherwise, they will return to prison and suffer endless torture.

The prince looked at those familiar faces, speechless.

Those people cried, and first begged, "My cousin the Crown Prince, save me," and then begged, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, please let His Majesty give me some quick death."

Pei Xi had no choice but to speak. Every time he opened his mouth to condemn, it felt like his hands were stained with the blood of his relatives.

It was a distorted kind of control, not a normal relationship between father and son, nor an ordinary relationship between a monarch and his subjects. The old emperor loved the prince immensely, yet he hated him immensely.

The prince finally became like his mother, forced into depression, becoming more and more repressed and miserable.

He was being driven crazy.

At that time, the crown prince had just come of age and still looked weak in front of the old emperor. He held on with great difficulty and gradually gained power of his own, turning the East Palace into his own territory. However, the heavy weight of the old emperor's inquiring eyes always weighed heavily on his head.

The diagnosis that the Crown Princess was pregnant was the best news in those years, as if it had dispersed the gloomy dark clouds overhead.

The entire Eastern Palace was filled with joy, looking forward to the birth of the little prince.

The prince rarely smiled and took good care of his wife, but he was also worried about the old emperor's reaction.

Fortunately, since the Crown Princess became pregnant, the old Emperor has not shown any reaction and even sent people to reward her several times, seeming to have no objection.

Until that summer, the prince intercepted a secret letter about the Xiao family and was immediately summoned to the palace by the old emperor.

"That secret letter was about the Xiao family," Wei Ling lowered her voice, "The secret letter was written in Tatar, but the prince had practiced it and understood it... It was a letter from the palace, targeting the Xiao family."

The prince couldn't believe it.

Regardless of whether the Xiao family had any rebellious intentions, the king of a country actually wanted to collude with foreign races to deal with his own subjects!

The lineage of Prince Ding is stationed in Mobei, where they exist almost like a city wall. Once something happens to the Xiao family, the entire Mobei will be lost immediately. Who knows how many people will die, and it may even lead to a wolf entering the house, causing Dayong to fall into war and the people to become homeless!

The old emperor is the father and the monarch. Even though they have long been estranged from each other, the emperor is still the monarch. However, after intercepting this letter, the image of the monarch and father, which was already shaky in the prince's heart, completely collapsed.

He was so angry that he rushed to the Yangxin Palace and met the old emperor. Before he could even open his mouth, the old emperor casually ordered him to replace the Crown Princess.

Now the child in the Crown Princess's belly does not need to be born.

The old emperor had always been dissatisfied with the princess chosen by the prince.

He wanted a crown prince who suited his own wishes, and the crown prince was the most suitable candidate. However, his own qualities were not perfect in the eyes of the old emperor, and the existence of the crown princess further proved his imperfections.

At that time, the Crown Princess was almost eight months pregnant. The birth of the child was the only comfort for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess. However, the old emperor chose this time to let the Crown Prince make a choice. Either the Crown Prince would do it, or he would do it - with full malice, deliberately trying to shatter their hopes.

Pei Xi went from extreme anger to a strange calm.

Zhong Yansheng felt uncomfortable and asked in a low voice: "...Has he finally lost his patience?"

Wei Ling nodded slowly: "Your Highness has finally lost his patience."

After being closely monitored by the old emperor for many years, the prince had difficulty breathing, his mother was forced to die of depression, his maternal ancestors were dragged before him one by one to be interrogated, the Xiao family, who were on good terms with him and guarding the border for Dayong, were secretly plotted against, and now even his childhood sweetheart, his wife and unborn child were not spared.

There was no time for Pei Xi to prepare, and he had to make a decision immediately in a hurry.

So he chose to force the emperor to abdicate.

Rather than saying that the prince forced the emperor to abdicate, it would be more accurate to say that the prince was forced into a desperate situation and had no choice but to resist.

Only by immediately dethroning the old emperor can he save his wife and children, the Xiao family, and maintain temporary peace on the border.

"Your Highness has ordered your subordinates to meet us outside the city. If the mission is successful, they will bring the Crown Princess back. If it fails, they will take the Queen far south and never return to the capital."

Wei Ling closed his eyes, with a look of guilt and pain on his face: "We waited outside the city for a long time, but no one came to escort the queen. We sent someone to the capital to pass on the message, and then we learned that the queen was frightened and gave birth prematurely. We decided to return to the East Palace immediately. That night was too chaotic. When we rushed back to the East Palace, it was already on fire. The queen... is gone, everyone is dead, and His Highness is also..."

Wei Ling couldn't go on.

Zhong Yansheng knew what happened to the prince.

He was shot dead outside the East Corner Gate. After several bloody purges in the court, the prince became a taboo and no one dared to mention him again.

"We followed His Highness's last order and headed south, hiding under a false name. A few years later, I contacted the last remaining undercover agent in the capital and learned that several guards around His Highness had escaped from the capital and kidnapped the wife of Marquis Huai'an... After His Highness gradually lost power, the Marquis Huai'an's Mansion severed ties with His Highness."

Wei Ling calmed down, took a breath and said, "We didn't expect that they exchanged their own children for you and raised you as their own."

It was not difficult for Zhong Yansheng to guess what happened back then.

The situation was so urgent that even Wei Ling didn't know whether he was still alive, and the prince had no time to explain anything to the Huai'an Marquisate.

It was the choice of Huai'an Marquis' Mansion itself.

Only the Marquis' wife was there at the time. When the prince's remnants held her hostage, it must have been her who made the decision to let the prince's remnants take Zhong Sidu away first and keep Zhong Yansheng by her side to ensure his safety.

But the old emperor's troops were chasing them, so something must have happened. The secret guards who took Zhong Sidu away were most likely killed on the way. They only had time to hide Zhong Sidu in the mountains, where he was picked up by a farmer.

When the Huai'an Marquis' Mansion was almost in danger of being exterminated, it was the prince who saved them. The Marquis' wife wanted to repay the favor, but... but she did owe Zhong Sidu a lot.

Zhong Yansheng felt a lump in his throat, and after a long while he asked, "Then how did you know... that I have a birthmark?"

Wei Ling shook his head and said, "It was His Highness who said that after you were born, there would be a petal on the back of your neck."

Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but reach out and touch the back of his neck, staring blankly at the blank spirit tablets in the middle of the hall. His face felt cold, and he realized that his eyes were filled with tears.

When he found out that Zhong Yansheng was crying, Taxue let out a vague low howl from his throat and glared at Wei Ling with bared teeth, thinking that he was the one who made Zhong Yansheng cry.

Zhong Yansheng was actually still a little confused, such as what was going on with Huo Shuang, but he was in no mood to ask, nor did he have time to comfort Taxue. He lowered his head and tried hard to hold back his tears. He wiped his eyes vigorously, and his voice was a little tearful: "Can I, can I go out and see His Royal Highness Prince Ding?"

He had never been so sad before and didn't want to cry in front of other people.

Maybe it would be better in front of Xiao Nong.

Wei Ling keenly noticed Zhong Yansheng's reliance on Xiao Nong. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, may I ask what is your relationship with Prince Ding?"

Zhong Yansheng was stunned for a moment.

He had never thought about what his relationship with Xiao Nong was.

He calls Xiao Nong "Uncle" in front of outsiders, but Xiao Nong is not his uncle Wang. He calls Xiao Nong "Brother" in private, but Xiao Nong is not actually his brother either.

No brother would be like Xiao Nong, kissing him, touching him, and wishing to sleep with him.

He also didn't know what Xiao Nong thought their relationship was.

Is it a little bird that can be teased at will, or something else?

There was still a crystal teardrop hanging on Zhong Yansheng's long eyelashes, and his lips moved: "He is mine..."

Before he could think of how to answer, Wei Ling fell to the ground without a sound.

Zhong Yansheng then remembered that Wei Ling had taken the poison given by Zhan Rong before he came in. It should be time now. He didn't care about too much at the moment and quickly got up and ran out: "Zhan Rong, Zhan Rong, antidote!"

Before he ran out of the door, he ran into Xiao Nong's arms.

Zhan Rong calculated the time well, walked past the two of them without looking away, grabbed Wei Ling's legs and dragged him outside to detoxify. Zhong Yansheng was held in Xiao Nong's arms, and his calloused fingers wiped the corners of his tearful eyes. Xiao Nong frowned, looking a little fierce: "Why are you crying?"

He was fine when he entered the room, but his eyes were filled with tears when he came out.

It would be best if this bandit leader gives an explanation when he wakes up.

A familiar scent enveloped his body, and Zhong Yansheng's nose felt sore. When he thought of the empress who died of depression, the prince who was shot in front of the palace gate, and the princess who was drowned in the fire, he couldn't stop crying. He buried his head in the crook of his neck, and the tears that he had just tried so hard to hold back burst out, dripping in big drops, burning Xiao Nong's skin.

Taxue didn't know why he suddenly started crying so hard. He was so anxious that he turned around on the ground and rubbed his head against his legs.

Xiao Nong's arms around Zhong Yansheng stiffened, and then he hugged him tightly again. One hand fell on the back of his head, gently stroking his soft hair, and his low voice became gentle: "What's wrong?"

Zhong Yansheng was speechless and just cried silently at first. But when Xiao Nong gently comforted him, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

He had never hated someone so much.

Xiao Nong's chest was wet from his crying. He held up his tear-stained face and kissed away the tears from the corners of his eyes tenderly. Seeing that his nose was red from crying, he lowered his voice and said, "Whoever bullied you, I'll help you kill him, okay?"

Zhong Yansheng sobbed and looked at him with red eyes: "What if it is the emperor?"

"Kill the emperor too." Xiao Nong's tone was very calm, "Be good, don't cry."

What he said was horrifying, but his tone was so nonchalant that it made it even more creepy.

Zhong Yansheng's emotions were calmed down a little bit. With tears in his eyes, he reached out to touch the bump on the back of his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Have you recovered?"

Xiao Nong's smiling expression paused, and his expression became calmer: "I don't understand."

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