"Mother?"

Gu Qingyan looked at Jiang Yu, who was in tears, and called out to her softly, feeling somewhat helpless.

[Is Ayan...my child?]

Instantly, Gu Qingyan's heart clenched, and he looked at Jiang Yu in disbelief: Was Mother saying just now that he was Mother's child?

The bloodline of the Jiang family heals much faster than that of ordinary people. Ayan... Ayan is of the Jiang family bloodline.

Jiang Yu suddenly hugged Gu Qingyan tightly and burst into tears.

[In the capital... around ten years old... suffering under my very nose. So Consort Rong was referring to Ayan!]

Jiang Yu's emotions completely collapsed. She held Gu Qingyan tightly, as if he would disappear from her sight at any moment.

[There were obvious clues; Ayan's features resembled mine, yet Gu Heng registered my child under the name of the Prince of Xiang.]

As she cried, Jiang Yu felt Gu Qingyan in her arms stir.

"Mother, don't cry, your son will wipe your tears."

Gu Qingyan's hands also began to tremble. Had his prayers day and night finally been heard by heaven?

Because he was so envious, he had been avoiding the child who shared a blood bond with his mother, only to find out that it was himself.

Jiang Yu was exhausted from crying, and her eyes were swollen. "Ayan, it's your mother who has wronged you."

[We haven't been able to find you all these years, and you've suffered so much.]

Gu Qingyan sniffed. "Mother has not wronged me. If it weren't for you, I would be like a drifting duckweed now."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu's tears flowed even more freely. She shook her head helplessly. No, Ayan didn't know he was her child...

If Ayan knew that I had lost him and made him suffer so much for nothing, would he resent me?

Her Ayan should have been born into a noble family, receiving instruction from renowned teachers and the support of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion.

The position of Crown Prince... should have belonged to her, Ayan!

Gu Qingyan's lips moved slightly, but he swallowed them back a few seconds later. His mother was unaware that he could hear her thoughts.

He didn't complain; he only felt fortunate and grateful.

......

On the training ground, Gu Qingyan tirelessly sparred with the training poles, large drops of sweat falling from his eyes.

He needed to vent in this way, to release the indescribable joy in his heart.

“You are just the child of a deceased prince. It’s already a favor that my father left you a bite to eat.” When he was five years old, the frail boy was cornered by Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao on the way back to the palace.

"That's right! Your appearance is a disgrace to our royal family." Gu Qingyao put her hands on her hips. "Why don't you call me 'Master' and I'll let you go."

"Didn't you hear what the princess said? If you don't call out, I'll have my elder brother seal off the Prince Xiang's residence."

At that moment, his blood was screaming to rebel, but he dared not, dared not gamble with the entire Prince Xiang's mansion.

Just as he was about to give up struggling, a weak female voice rang out:

"Do not be rude."

He looked up and saw a woman with a pale face but exceptionally beautiful features.

"Why do you bully your brother like this?" The woman coughed for a long time after each sentence. Gu Qingfeng and Gu Qingyao pursed their lips and turned away as if they were extremely disgusted by the woman.

Then, he watched as the woman squatted down, her eyes filled with a tenderness he had never seen before.

"You are the son of the King of Xiang?"

He nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Guards, escort the young master back to the palace. Convey my order: the young master must not be mistreated in the future." He was somewhat stunned, and subconsciously reached out to grab the woman's sleeve.

Realizing this, he quickly let go, expecting to be scolded, but instead the woman reached out and rubbed his head: "How can you be so thin? You need to take good care of yourself."

In just a few words, his life changed dramatically, and no palace servant dared to bully him anymore.

He later learned that it was the Empress.

Under the scorching sun, Gu Qingyan threw punch after punch.

He was extremely fortunate that the Empress, whom he had once thought was as distant and unattainable as a goddess, was his mother.

"Third Prince," Qin Wei couldn't help but say, "It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. You've injured your right arm by being so careful."

Gu Qingyan took a breath before stopping. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll reward you with a year's salary."

The sky was exceptionally blue, and Gu Qingyan's chest swelled with emotion.

That year, his mother was willing to squat down in front of him and look him in the eye, so he was also willing to squat down and look Gu Qingfeng in the eye.

"Thank you for the reward, Third Prince." Qin Wei vaguely sensed that Gu Qingyan was being overly happy.

Gu Qingyan suddenly burst into loud laughter. At this moment, he finally reconciled with his past self.

He was born from his mother's womb, a child connected to her by blood.

......

Jiang He rushed to Zhaoning Palace and only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Jiang Yu was unharmed.

"Your Majesty summoned me urgently; I thought something had happened to her." Jiang He calmed her breathing and looked around before realizing that she didn't see Gu Qingyan.

“Brother, Ayan is that child from back then.”

Jiang He froze on the spot, unable to recover for a long time.

"Does Your Majesty mean that Ayan is your biological child?" Jiang He closed his eyes. What about the Prince of Xiang? Isn't Ayan the Prince of Xiang's child?

Jiang Yu then told Jiang He that Gu Qingyan's wounds were also healing faster than those of ordinary people. Jiang He pursed his lips and said, "So, the Emperor has been keeping the child under his nose all along, keeping it a secret from all of us."

Let them watch helplessly as that child suffers.

"What are Your Majesty's plans after this?"

Jiang Yu's face was frosty, her eyes sharp and piercing. "My child is the legitimate son of the Empress. Everything that belongs to Ayan, I will give to him."

She felt indebted to Ayan for so many years, and was determined to give him the best.

For the first time, Jiang Yu openly expressed her desire to seize the throne.

"The Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion will always be the support for Your Highness and the Third Prince." Jiang He bowed to Jiang Yu. "Your Highness, please feel free to fight for it."

With the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion guarding it, why can't the Third Prince compete?

After an incense stick had burned, Jiang Yu helped Jiang He up and let out a very soft sigh, "Brother, if you have time, bring him a pot of good wine."

I had assumed Ayan was his child, but it seems his death back then was also suspicious.

"King Xiang..." Jiang He's tone became heavier. He quickly realized that the brilliant young man, as radiant as the sun, had ultimately died due to the schemes of those in power.

“Brother, he said that it is the highest honor for a general to die on the battlefield.”

Jiang Yu clenched her fists. "But if he hadn't died on the battlefield, my father would have been disappointed if he knew."

Gu Lin...

Her child was registered under his name...

Jiang Yu's heart trembled slightly; she had an indescribable feeling.