In order to wipe out the enemy in one fell swoop, Commander Yue tracked them for many days before finally finding their lair.

They had anticipated the attack and caught the enemy off guard. Commander Yue's side didn't even lose a single person; they only suffered some injuries.

After Commander Yue finished speaking, Yuan Shen was very pleased.

"Thanks a lot."

Commander Yue clasped his hands in a salute: "This is my duty, how can it be considered hard work? However, I dare not claim the credit for killing the enemy all by myself. When my men rushed in, the traitor was already dead."

Song Xibai had been listening with great interest, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but interject with a question.

"How did he die? Could it be that there was infighting among his men?"

Commander Yue turned his head and looked at the silent Eighth Prince.

Song Xibai was shocked and looked over as well: "You did this?"

Good heavens!

That's his own father!

Song Xibai's shock was no exaggeration.

Although the fake emperor did many terrible things and harmed many people, to be fair, he really doted on this son. Even when he fled, he didn't forget to take him with him.

He probably never imagined that he would die at the hands of his own son.

Song Xibai clicked her tongue twice.

This is probably karma.

Song Xibai was surprised, but Yuan Shen showed no surprise at all. Instead, he looked at the Eighth Prince with satisfaction and nodded.

"Well done. Commander Yue, do you have anything to add?"

The Eighth Prince trembled slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes, but it quickly turned into determination.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I have been by his side for several days and have learned some information. I don't know if it will be of any use to Your Majesty... Your Majesty."

He doesn't even dare to call himself his younger brother anymore.

Yuan Shen waved his hand: "You tell me first."

The Eighth Prince pursed his lips: "It's no coincidence that he looks like the late Emperor. The village he was born in used to be a place of exile. His grandmother was from the family of the Earl of Ankang."

"Earl Ankang? I've never heard of that name before."

Song Xibai tugged at Yuan Shen's sleeve and muttered softly.

Yuan Shen didn't remember for a moment, but the Eighth Prince continued to explain, and then the two of them found out.

"The Ankang Marquis family once had a Consort Rou, who lived during the time of the Great-Grandfather. She gave birth to a prince, but her entire family was later executed for a crime..."

Yuan Shen then remembered: "Is it the Prince Li who lost the battle with the Emperor's grandfather?"

The Eighth Prince nodded.

Once you start talking, it goes much more smoothly afterward.

When King Li was executed, all his wives, concubines, and children were beheaded, and his maternal clan, the Marquis of Ankang, was also sentenced to death for treason.

Even his relatives by marriage were exiled and their property confiscated.

The great-grandmother mentioned by the Eighth Prince had already married when the incident occurred, so she escaped the death penalty, but her husband's family was also implicated and exiled to Lingnan.

During her exile, she gave birth to a son and then passed away.

But no one knew that her child was the offspring of King Li.

Even her husband's family didn't know. They thought it was their own child, so they carefully protected and raised the child until he got married and started a family.

And so, King Li's bloodline continued quietly.

After hearing this, Song Xibai had only one thought: No wonder that fake emperor looked like the late emperor! It turns out he really was a descendant of the royal family.

Even though several generations have passed, it's not impossible for people to revert to their ancestral ways.

Even the Eighth Prince standing here bears a slight resemblance to Yuan Shen and his brothers, though it's not obvious.

After the Eighth Prince finished speaking, he knelt down again with a thud.

“I know he is unforgivable. If he were just a descendant of King Li, it would be one thing, but what he did later was treasonous and against the will of Heaven… He even tried to kill my mother to silence her…”

At this point, the Eighth Prince's breathing quickened, and a hint of genuine hatred flashed in his eyes.

"So, I took him by surprise and stabbed him in the throat with a hairpin, killing him."

He gasped for breath, then collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face.

Yuan Shen just stared at him indifferently for a long time before finally letting Commander Yue help him up.

"Since you are a descendant of King Li, you are considered a member of the royal family. From today onwards, you will be registered under the name of King Li's lineage, which will restore your true identity and prevent anyone from bringing this up in the future."

The Eighth Prince froze, then heard Yuan Shen continue speaking.

"From this day forward, your name will be changed to Qian. I will have someone arrange accommodation for you and you will still be treated as a member of the royal family. However, for the rest of your life, and for the three generations after you, you shall not leave the capital without permission. Do you understand?"

愆 means sin or transgression.

Although he changed his name and was expelled from the lineage, he was still a member of the royal family, which relieved the Eighth Prince, no, Yuan Qian.

The treatment he received as a member of the ordinary royal family was enough to keep him from starving, but it was enough to keep him alive.

Yuan Qian knelt down and kowtowed again with utmost sincerity.

"Your Majesty is benevolent, and I am deeply grateful."

Okay, they've changed how they address you again.

He felt completely relaxed.

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard Song Xibai's voice.

"Your mother isn't dead. She's at Longevity Hill. Do you want to see her?"

Yuan Qian looked up in astonishment, his face full of disbelief.

"My mother isn't dead? Really not dead? She's still alive?!"