Lu Ze looked at Qi Yu'an and said, "Brother Qi Wang, I really don't know Ah Ping's identity."
Qi Yu'an looked at Lu Ze with stern eyes: "Don't think that if you have Lingling in the future, I will definitely marry my sister to you."
Lu Ze said calmly, "Brother Prince Qi, this is just the Princess and I's speculation. Ping has never admitted our speculation. Forgive me..."
Qi Yu'an poured a glass of wine for Lu Ze and said, "Then tell me your guess!"
Lu Ze respectfully took the wine with both hands and said calmly, "Brother Prince Qi is very smart, he must have guessed something a long time ago..."
Qi Yu'an asked, "Is Ah Ping's identity related to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
Lu Ze took a sip of his wine and said, "Lingling said that during the Xinwei year, everyone called Ah Ping "Your Highness."
Qi Yu'an dropped the wine cup in his hand. "What?"
Lu Ze said, "In the royal family, the only one of similar age to A Ping is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Coincidentally, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was just born, he was almost exchanged for a slave. Therefore... A Ping is my grandmother's daughter!"
Qi Yu'an lowered his voice and said, "Lu Ze, do you know what nonsense you are saying? This will implicate Princess Pingrou's mansion and the entire Lu family."
Lu Ze put down his glass and said, "How could I talk nonsense with my family's lives at stake?"
Qi Yu'an frowned and said, "If Ah Ping was really a princess, why would she be willing to be my concubine before?"
"She's hiding from Qin Feng, who's willing to marry her, and prefers to be your concubine, which really speaks volumes about her status."
Lu Ze looked at Qi Yu'an and said, "If there is a family in this world that can protect her and restore her identity, it is only the Qi Palace."
Qi Yu'an took another wine cup, filled it with wine, and drank it all in one gulp. "So, the origin of Ah Ping, whom Your Majesty despised, turned out to be their two daughters? Why didn't Ah Ping speak up about this matter? Why didn't she ask for justice?"
"There's no evidence," Lu Ze said. "A Ping probably wouldn't dare to speak out easily. If she did, it would either lead to A Ping's death or chaos in the court."
"So Ping even lied to you."
Qi Yu'an frowned and said, "I understand. I will take A Ping back to North City tomorrow."
"Lu Ze asked, "Why? You're going back to Beicheng right after arriving in Shengjing City?"
Qi Yu'an said, "The Crown Prince doesn't know Ah Ping's identity now, but what if he finds out one day? Ah Ping can only be protected if she is in Beicheng."
Lu Ze said, "The climate in Beicheng isn't as good as Shengjing City after all. If you want to take care of your pregnancy, it's better to stay in Shengjing City. I don't think the Crown Prince and the Qin family will discover Aping's identity. They already thought she was dead."
Qi Yu'an said, "I can't watch Ping get into danger. North City is the safest place."
Lu Ze stopped trying to persuade her. "Before you return to North City, take Ah Ping to the palace to see His Majesty. His Majesty has been in poor health lately."
Qi Yu'an turned the wine cup in his hand and finally nodded and said, "Okay."
Qi Yu'an returned to A Ping's room. A Ping stood up to greet Qi Yu'an and said, "Your Highness."
Qi Yu'an held Ah Ping's wrist tightly, pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Are you feeling wronged?"
"Your Majesty?"
Qi Yu'an asked in a low voice, "Did you feel wronged when you met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince today?"
Ah Ping raised her eyes and met Qi Yu'an's gaze and asked, "Did Master Lu tell you?"
"If he doesn't tell me, he can't marry my sister."
Ah Ping said, "No, they misunderstood. The identities they guessed are all wrong. I am really an orphan girl from a mountain village. Really, Your Highness, I have no identity at all. They are just making it up."
Qi Yu'an put his hand on Ping's lower abdomen and said, "Pingping, you can trust me completely. I will definitely protect you and our son."
Ah Ping whispered, "I actually just found out about my identity not long ago. If it weren't for my aunt being so kind to me since I was a child, and if I didn't look a bit like Lu Ze, I wouldn't have believed it was true."
Qi Yu'an looked at Ah Ping. He couldn't believe it was true. "So, why didn't you tell me earlier, but chose to fake your death and leave?"
Ah Ping said slowly, "You didn't like me at all back then. I couldn't guarantee that you would protect me... or maybe you thought I was a nuisance. I didn't tell you later because I was afraid..."
Ah Ping raised her eyes and looked at Qi Yu'an: "I'm afraid that your Qi family has rebellious intentions and will use my identity to rebel."
"Your aunt is really worrying too much."
Qi Yu'an said, "If the Qi family had any rebellious intentions, the world would have been ruled by the Qi family forty years ago. I, Qi Yu'an, dare not compare myself to my grandfather in bravery, but I can still compare to him in loyalty."
Qi Yu'an said to A Ping, "Now that you're pregnant, your safety is more important. I plan to take you back to North City first. As for the Crown Prince's confusion of the royal bloodline, I'll seek justice for you after your child is born."
Ah Ping said repeatedly: "I don't want to seek justice, Your Majesty. My aunt experienced the war forty years ago. She said that at that time, the people could only eat dirt. Even the edible leaves and bark had been eaten up.
"The days we lived back then were truly unbearable. Old Prince Qi stabilized the country, and now I don't want to see war return to the world. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a good emperor, it doesn't matter if he is of Zhao blood or not. As long as the country is safe, that's enough."
Qi Yu'an lowered his eyes and looked at A Ping. "You are too kind, Ping Ping. The Qi family army will not allow a prince who is not of the Zhao family bloodline to ascend the throne!"
"Your Highness!" Ah Ping held Qi Yu'an's hand and said, "I just want to be safe. What's the point of revealing our identities? Just because I look like Lu Ze, who would believe I'm the princess? I'm afraid it would only accuse the Qi family of being disloyal to His Majesty."
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