Xue Yonghuai knelt on one knee, but held his sword horizontally in front of him: "Your Majesty, Xue Yonghuai, and I, along with my son, come to see you."
Li Longze suddenly started coughing violently, the black blood on his handkerchief gleaming with fear. He struggled and pointed at Xue Jiyan: "Come closer... let me... take a good look..."
Xue Jiyan walked forward slowly, stopping three steps in front of the dragon couch. The morning light filtered through the window lattice, gilding his features.
Li Longze seemed to see himself twenty years ago, standing in front of the late emperor's bed with ulterior motives.
"Your Majesty, are you looking for this?" Xue Jiyan took out a red gold token from his arms. The phoenix pattern on it matched perfectly with the other half of the tiger talisman in the secret compartment of the dragon bed.
Suddenly, the sound of orderly footsteps could be heard outside the palace. Ding Dayong's deep voice pierced through the palace walls: "One hundred thousand northern border troops have taken control of the nine gates. Your Majesty, please rest and recuperate!"
Li Longze burst into laughter upon hearing this, his laughter filled with relief: "Good... very good!" He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing the poisonous lines spreading across his heart. "I don't have much time left... this kingdom..."
Before she finished speaking, Concubine Shoukang's phoenix sedan had arrived outside the palace.
Li Longze slumped back onto the pillow, muttering, "Father... you won in the end..." He turned to Xue Jiyan, tears welling in his eyes, "Your mother... Concubine Mei..."
Xue Jiyan's entire body trembled as fragments of his dreams from years past suddenly connected. The beautiful woman in palace attire chasing butterflies in the imperial garden turned out to be...
Supported by a palace maid, Concubine Shoukang slowly walked into the inner hall, holding a roll of yellowed silk in her hands. The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated her aged yet majestic face.
"Your Majesty." The Dowager bowed slightly, her voice soft but every word clear. "I have come here today to fulfill a long-cherished wish entrusted to me by the late Emperor."
Li Longze struggled to stand up, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes: "Tiffany...what do you mean?"
The concubine did not answer directly, but turned to Xue Jiyan: "Child, come here."
Xue Jiyan looked at Xue Yonghuai hesitantly, then, after receiving his father's affirmative look, he slowly stepped forward. The concubine gently stroked his face with trembling fingers, tears welling in her cloudy eyes. "Looks like... so much like..."
She slowly unfolded the silk in her hands. Against the bright yellow background, the late emperor's imperial calligraphy remained as vivid as ever. Everyone in the hall held their breath.
"This is the secret decree left by the late emperor before his death." The Dowager's voice echoed in the silent hall. "The prince born to Concubine Mei did not die in infancy, but was secretly sent out of the palace. The late emperor ordered me and Eunuch Xia to secretly watch over him and bring him back to the royal family when the time is right."
Eunuch Xia stepped forward at the right moment and pulled out a faded bright yellow swaddling cloth from his bosom. "This is what I used to wrap the young master when I was ordered to escort her out of the palace. The young master has a crescent-shaped birthmark under her right shoulder, the mark of Concubine Mei's family."
Upon hearing this, Xue Yonghuai immediately stepped forward and unbuttoned Xue Jiyan's collar. Under the gaze of everyone, the crescent-shaped birthmark was clearly revealed in the candlelight.
Li Longze's face instantly turned pale as paper, and a gurgling sound came from his throat. He struggled to get up, but fell back onto the dragon bed powerlessly.
The Concubine continued, "The late Emperor had foreseen the possibility that the Prince would be murdered in the palace, so he specifically ordered Eunuch Xia to seek out the family of a loyal and virtuous general for foster care. It was fate that Marquis Xue encountered Eunuch Xia at the border that year."
She turned to Xue Yonghuai, her eyes piercing: "Lord Xue, do you still remember the jade pendant that Eunuch Xia gave you?"
Xue Yonghuai took out a piece of warm white jade from his bosom, on which was carved an exquisite coiled dragon pattern. He said, "For the past twenty years, I have kept it close to my heart."
The concubine nodded and pulled out an almost identical jade pendant from her sleeve: "This is a token of love given by the late emperor to Concubine Mei. They were originally a pair."
When the two jade pendants were placed side by side on the table, there was a sound of gasps in the hall - they fit together perfectly to form a complete picture of a dragon and a phoenix.
"That's not enough." Li Longze suddenly hissed, his eyes flickering with a final struggle. "How can we prove..."
The Concubine Dowager had been prepared, and signaled Eunuch Xia to bring out a red sandalwood box. The moment the box's lid opened, a golden light shone through the hall—within it lay a longevity lock made of pure gold, with the five small characters "Seventh Prince Li Longheng" prominently engraved on the lock.
"This is the longevity lock that the late emperor personally crafted for the prince." The concubine's voice was choked with sobs. "When I sent him out of the palace, I specially left this as a token of my loyalty."
Xue Jiyan's body trembled slightly. He reached out to touch the cold golden lock, and a strange sense of familiarity came from his fingertips.
In a trance, broken memories came flooding back like a tide - the vermilion palace walls, the distant sound of bells, and a pair of hands gently caressing his cheek...
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze. Li Longze's face was ashen, his chest heaving violently. "So... all these years... my throne..."
"The late emperor said this before he died." The concubine straightened her hunched back and her voice suddenly became louder. "If Li Longze can treat the people well, then let this secret be buried forever. If he acts evilly..." She looked directly at the emperor on the dragon bed, "then welcome back the true heir!"
As if to confirm her words, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly echoed outside the palace. Ding Dayong, dressed in military uniform, strode in and knelt on one knee. "One hundred thousand northern border troops have taken control of the four gates of the imperial city. Please give your instructions, Concubine Dowager!"
Li Longze's pupils suddenly contracted, and he pointed a trembling finger at Xue Jiyan: "You...you...you are plotting rebellion..."
"That's not true," the concubine said sternly, "What I'm doing today is to follow the late emperor's will and restore order!"
She turned to Xue Jiyan and suddenly knelt down in respect: "I pay my respects to His Highness the Seventh Prince!"
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