Seeing Li Gan calmly pointing at the crown prince and calling him his brother, the two brocade-robed Cloud Riders widened their eyes in surprise, thinking: The commander is indeed no ordinary man! Just looking at his courage, he is definitely not comparable to them!

The two men tried their best to maintain a serious expression on their faces and listened to Li Gan continue to perform and talk nonsense without restraint.

The crown prince felt a little warm in his heart, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Since childhood, Li Gan always protected him and even fought with other noble children for him.

Since his father had appointed him as the heir, his friends couldn't help but become reserved around him. This restrained attitude often made him feel awkward and bored, and gradually, his old friends inevitably became distant.

Only Li Gan still protected him like his own brother as before.

Li Gan was always polite to her, never taking advantage of their close relationship to neglect her. But he could make her feel the genuine, heartfelt care.

Perhaps, he was not only thinking of the childhood friendship, but also of the affection between Concubine Yu and Princess Jingyi.

The crown prince's eyes were slightly filled with tears.

Thinking of Yupin and Jingyi, he suddenly recalled many childhood memories.

My mother and Concubine Yu were both selected into the palace as part of the same group of beauties.

At that time, Dongxiang Bo had not yet been granted the title of baron, but was just an ordinary mid-level military officer. His mother was only the daughter of a sixth-rank official. Fortunately, she had a fourth-rank cousin, otherwise she might not have been able to pass the selection.

Concubine Yu and her mother got along very well. Neither of them had the same temperament and personality, so they got along surprisingly well. Amidst the strife and violence of the harem, they loved and supported each other, finally making it through step by step.

Later, my mother and concubine Yu were favored successively.

My mother gave birth to me and was promoted to concubine; Concubine Yu gave birth to Jingyi and was promoted to Jieyushi.

When Li Gan was seven years old and Li Qiao was a little over one year old, Jingyi unfortunately died.

Concubine Yu was heartbroken over the loss of her beloved daughter and fell seriously ill.

For more than a year afterwards, Concubine Yu lost her appetite, cried all the time, and even couldn't sleep at night. She became extremely thin and haggard, and eventually became terminally ill and died.

At that time, she was just Concubine Li.

Her father posthumously conferred the title of Jade Concubine on her.

The Crown Prince was particularly fond of Jingyi because his mother and Concubine Yu were like sisters.

Li Gan has always been caring for his younger sister. Whether it is Li Qiao or Jingyi, they are both very important relatives in Li Gan's mind.

Because the crown prince had a good relationship with Jingyi and was the "sixth brother" who was best to her in Jingyi's eyes, he became Li Gan's own person whom he could not help but protect under his wing.

About half a year after Yupin passed away, Dongxiangbo was granted the title of Dongxiangbo for his bravery and repeated meritorious service in the battlefield of pacifying Southern Tang.

Less than a year after becoming the Earl of Dongxiang, Li Gan's biological mother died of illness.

Only two motherless children, Li Gan and Li Qiao, were left behind.

Dongxiang Bo soon remarried while in mourning and married Li Gan's stepmother.

The stepmother was young and beautiful, and had a harmonious relationship with Dongxiang Bo. She had two children in three years.

The eldest son Li Gan and the eldest lady Li Qiao soon became known as spoiled, willful, reckless, and unreasonable bad boys in the eyes of the servants.

“Daddy…”

A chubby little white hand tugged at the crown prince's clothes, and he instantly came back to his senses from his memories. It turned out that it was the prince who had walked over at some point, looking a little timid, and gently tugged at his clothes.

The crown prince felt a little strange and asked gently, "Hong'er, what's wrong?"

"Daddy, your face is wet..."

The crown prince then realized that he had been so absorbed in his recollections that he had shed tears without realizing it. He quickly turned his back and wiped away his tears with a handkerchief.

Turning back, he saw the little girl who had come to the old man who had been willing to show him the way and look at the portrait together. She was not at all nervous, but very familiar and chatting with Li Gan enthusiastically:

"Who are you? You don't look like anyone from Da Chu! We Da Chu people are either white, yellow, black, or even red, but none as blurry as you."

Li Gan was stunned by the question and was speechless for a moment.

This outfit of his is extremely useful when he travels around the world and investigates cases.

Who would have thought that the flaw would be pointed out by a young lady!

Xia Daohua tilted her head and blinked her big eyes, looking innocent, as if this question was just childish talk.

But in fact, she was very nervous and was carefully observing Li Gan's micro-expressions.

She wanted to confirm Li Gan's identity and whether he was worthy of her trust.

After all, if Li Gan was actually a member of that group of Hu people, then he would rather leave the defense map in his hand in the space or simply destroy it than let it fall into their hands.

But if Li Gan is one of his own, then it would be enough for him to find a way to guide him to "accidentally" encounter this defense map, "discover" it, and "find" it.

I have done my best to live up to the great Chu Dynasty.

Li Gan didn't know that the innocent and curious young lady opposite him was secretly observing his reaction. While he was thinking about how to adjust the dye of this skin color to make it more natural, he responded casually:

"Young lady, you are so good at joking. My complexion is a little unpresentable. But this is what my parents gave me, what can I do? Besides, those Hu people are very fierce. Among the Tartars, are there any with such good temper as us?"

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