Chapter 96 "Brother, I was wrong, please don't..."

When he came to his senses again, Yan Xiao nodded and looked at him, saying, "Since you are sure, then I am relieved."

"Have you found a candidate? To clear your name of the bloodline controversy, you can't be the Consort's son, but with your appearance... I'm afraid it will be hard to find a suitable candidate."

Xiao Che gave a half-smile: "Don't worry, thanks to my father, the candidate is already ready."

"How so?"

"Ji Le told me some old news—in the early years, because of the assassination in the Imperial Garden, the remaining Lanling people were all exiled. They contracted serious illnesses on the way and none of them survived. Logically speaking, the Lanling people are different from ordinary people and cannot die easily. Even if they were exiled, it would be difficult for them all to die on the way due to illness. But this is exactly what happened."

"Anyone with eyes can see what's going on. It's nothing more than Xiao Yuangan verbally agreeing to spare the lives of her clansmen for my mother's sake, but behind the scenes he couldn't withstand the pressure from the powerful families, or he wanted to eliminate them completely, or he tacitly allowed them to take action on the road."

"After this incident, my mother was depressed for a long time and found it difficult to maintain her composure and continue to feign politeness with Xiao Yuangan."

"It was during this time that Xiao Yuangan drank heavily every day. Later, he met a woman in the palace who looked somewhat like his mother. In his drunken state, he mistook her for his mother and slept with her. That woman was Jiang Yan."

"After that night, he had a prince, but the child died shortly after birth, and he went insane."

"After that, she was banished to the Cold Palace by Xiao Yuangan. He has always been like this. Apart from my mother, he is extremely ruthless to other women... Oh, no," Xiao Che suddenly paused strangely, slowly narrowing his eyes: "He was the most ruthless to my mother."

"As for Jiang Yan, although she has lived in the Cold Palace for many years and has long since gone mad, I have seen her before, and her appearance is still unchanged. She does indeed have some of my mother's charm."

"Although she was a slave before, she was born into a noble family. She only became a government slave because her family was confiscated after she committed a crime. She was recently exonerated, so she is not the descendant of a criminal."

“A noblewoman born into an aristocratic family, of high social standing, will ensure that her descendants will not be ostracized by powerful clans.”

"She looks just like my mother, so naturally she resembles me somewhat. She had given birth to a prince before, around the same time as my mother. However, the prince died mysteriously, and she went mad, constantly chanting that her son was still alive. When she saw me that day, she acted as if she had gone crazy, saying that I was her son. She looked quite frightening."

"The words of a madman are indeed unreliable, but they are also the most reliable."

"With all these conditions combined, isn't this the best candidate?"

Yan Xiao nodded: "Indeed. Her existence seems tailor-made for you."

"But how do you convince everyone that she is your biological mother? Have you made all the necessary plans?"

Xiao Che said, "We have found the two midwives who delivered my mother and Jiang Yan. When they confront each other in court, the people sent by the aristocratic families will find the gold-embroidered brocade that was a tribute from Persia twenty years ago in the room of the midwife who delivered Jiang Yan. That was the brocade that wrapped me when I was born. Xiao Yuangan only bestowed this kind of brocade upon my mother. Now, on the surface, there is no more left in the palace, but they do not know that Xiao Yuangan still has a piece and bestowed it upon me a few days ago."

"As for why he kept a piece of brocade for twenty years, I think it's because he kept one of everything my mother liked with him, as if keeping one would keep my mother's affection a little longer—how ridiculous is that?"

“Under imperial power, witnesses can be coerced and physical evidence can be fabricated, leaving no room for disbelief.”

"The final truth is that my mother gave birth to a stillborn child. Xiao Yuangan was afraid that she would be heartbroken, so he ordered the midwife to secretly switch her child with Jiang Yan's child. To be honest, this is something that Xiao Yuangan would do."

"Xiao Yuangan will personally testify to the truth behind my design. Just wait and see, there will be a good show then."

"Hiss, speaking of good shows, I have an even more interesting one to tell you."

At this point, he suddenly chuckled very softly.

The candlelight swept across his face, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

"Isn't blood-drop kinship testing interesting? I'll show them whatever they want to see."

"Unfortunately, they'll be disappointed. My blood and Jiang Yan's blood are bound to mix, not for any other reason than that the blood of a Lanling man is naturally compatible with any woman's. What a pity," he sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "the people of Lanling have been slaughtered by them, and they will never have the chance to know this secret again."

Yan Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he gently patted Xiao Che's shoulder: "Alright, Xiao Che, you've done so much, your mother's spirit in heaven will feel comforted."

He glanced at him: "Now that everything has been planned, when do you plan to clear up the bloodline controversy?"

Xiao Che lowered his eyelashes, casting a faint shadow: "No rush, now is not the best time."

His pale fingers curled slightly, tapping lightly on the table. He said, "Judging by the days, the Cui family should be making a move soon. The carcass of that snow-white horse from Lishan is still frozen, and the tampered hay inside its belly is still perfectly preserved. With the evidence there, it's time to put it to use."

"Isn't the Crown Prince investigating the horse-falling case? I'll lend them a hand and lead them to that snow-white horse. Xiao Yan used the same drug on the fodder both times, and the method was exactly the same. If the people in the Crown Prince cut open the belly, they will naturally know that the two horse-falling incidents were not accidental and were both done by the same person."

"Xiao Yan used to follow my instructions in everything, but he didn't know that the subordinate he placed in the Shayuan Supervisory Office was one of my men. Did he really think that by having Xiao Jue personally select the person, he wouldn't be able to trace it back to him?"

"This was just a story I told him to deceive him. Once the people from the Eastern Palace find that snow-white horse, the court will know that the fall from the horse at Mount Li was a man-made disaster. Since it was a man-made disaster, the real culprit will inevitably be investigated. At that time, it would be only natural that the servant who put the cold-proof incense in the fodder heard the news and fled in fear of punishment."

"Since the person has escaped, the room should naturally be thoroughly searched. So it's not surprising that several letters, the remaining incense for warding off the cold, and other physical evidence were found in the room, pointing the finger at Xiao Yan."

Yan Xiao nodded upon hearing this and said, "That's right. You laid these moves early and very deep, with each move linked to the next. It wasn't deliberate, so others probably wouldn't be able to see the clues."

"Xiao Jue has become a cripple, and after purging Xiao Yan, there is no one left to succeed him. It is inevitable that everyone will turn their attention to you. However, due to the controversy surrounding your bloodline, the court officials will not give in. There is no suitable candidate for the time being, and they are in a state of great distress. If you can clear your name of the controversy over your bloodline and make them believe that you are not only not a remnant of the previous dynasty's royal family, but also a descendant of a noble family, they will naturally not be as wary of you as before."

"That way, you'll have a chance."

Xiao Che hummed in agreement: "There is one more thing. Although Jiang Yan is from a noble family and has a close relationship with the Cui family, she is not a member of the Cui family after all. That old fox Cui Shoujie will not easily give in and agree to make me the crown prince until he fully trusts me. At this time, I need a court official to stand up and argue with him on reason."

Yan Xiao frowned upon hearing this and said, "Stand up for you? But the entire court of officials all follow Cui Shoujie's lead, so why would they speak up for you?"

Xiao Che tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and said, "Therefore, we must find a court official born into a poor family."

"You have someone in mind?"

Xiao Che hummed in agreement and said a name.

— Jia Wei.

"Jia Wei was born into a poor family, but he was very ambitious and eager to climb the ranks. He was not an incompetent person; on the contrary, he was quite talented and resourceful. However, the officialdom of the Great Wei Dynasty had already taken shape. The Xuanlong clan, led by Cui Shoujie, controlled the government. Only the sons of aristocratic families could rise through the ranks. Those officials born into poor families, who had studied hard for many years and finally managed to enter the officialdom, were still not tolerated by the aristocratic clans. Most of them lived mediocre lives and never had a chance to rise in the ranks."

“If Jia Wei wants to climb the social ladder, he can only cooperate with me to fight against the aristocratic clans. Once we succeed, I will succeed to the throne, and he will have made a contribution to the succession. He is a smart man, and he will not refuse this opportunity.”

"Although the court is controlled by the aristocratic families, there are quite a few officials from humble backgrounds. Once someone steps forward and is won over, he will surely form a considerable force that can be used for our purposes."

Yan Xiao nodded: "That's right. Recruit this person first, and use him as a weapon to cut open the gates of the aristocratic clans for you."

...

——

Xiao Che had previously predicted that Yan Jiarou would obediently come to beg him within three days.

But as it turned out, he had overestimated her.

The day after their argument, she made a scene at the entrance of Hanguang Palace, demanding to see him.

Xiao Che intended to ignore her for a few days to temper her temper, so he naturally refused to see her.

Yan Jiarou, being the temperamental person she was, naturally refused and threw a tantrum like a princess. After calming down, she bit her finger, slowly turned her not-so-bright head, and carefully recalled how she had made up with him last time.

Oh, right. That time it rained heavily, and she listened to Yingxue's advice and deliberately stood in the rain to get soaked, which forced Xiao Che to come out and see her.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly looked up. Unfortunately, the weather was too kind today; the sky was clear and cloudless, and it didn't look like it was going to rain at all.

The self-inflicted injury ploy failed, and the little princess's face fell again.

Finally, unwilling to give up, he lingered at the palace gate for half an hour before angrily returning home.

After returning home, he inevitably lost his temper again, throwing things all over the room, but he was still not satisfied.

After throwing a tantrum, she started crying again, and a moment later she began to regret it through sobs: "Brother, I was wrong, please don't ignore me..."

She grew angrier the more she thought about it and yelled, "Xiao Wenqi has always been the most detestable person in the world, and he always has been!"

"He only bullies me, I never want to see him again!"

When she cried so hard, she refused to eat and lay on the bed crying, her shoulders and back heaving.

Yingxue felt sorry for her and advised her, "Your Highness, you didn't cry in Hanguang Palace just now, so why are you crying here now? The Third Prince can't see you, so you're just wasting all these tears."

"I won't cry in the Hanguang Hall! I'll let them all laugh at me! I'm going to hide away and cry by myself, boohoo..."

Yingxue sighed: "Master, this isn't a solution."

"If you really want to see His Highness the Third Prince, I do have a way."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiarou gradually stopped crying, lifted her head from the pillow, and glanced at Yingxue through teary eyes: "Wh...what method?"

Yingxue smiled and sat down next to her, leaning in to whisper something in her ear.

Yan Jiarou listened carefully to Yingxue's words, her red lips slightly parted, and she blinked, saying, "You mean... go to Grandmother for help?"

"That's right. The Empress Dowager has always doted on you, so she won't refuse. As for the Third Prince, he is aloof and not close to anyone in the palace, but he is very close to the Empress Dowager. If she invites him over for a chat, he will certainly not refuse her."

Yan Jiarou's eyes lit up, and thinking that this made sense, she immediately said happily, "Then I'll go find Grandmother right now!"

After saying that, she stopped crying, hastily wiped away her tears, and hurriedly got out of bed.

Yingxue looked at her and saw that her thick eyelashes were wet with tears, her small face was covered with white spots and tear tracks, and her eyes were red. She looked so pitiful.

She was originally born with a lovely and charming appearance, and now, with tears streaming down her face and her eyes brimming with tears, she was truly a sight to behold. Anyone who saw her would feel a pang of pity, let alone the Empress Dowager who had always doted on her.

Yingxue felt that Yan Jiarou had at least a 90% chance of success on her trip.