"No need!" Xiao Zhen wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, waved his hand, and said in a desolate voice, "I'm fine." Then, with a hint of self-mockery, he added, "To think that I've lived to this age and only now do I find out I have a daughter..."
This is a direct admission that Rong Qingqing is his daughter.
Emperor Zhaojing understood his feelings at that moment and sighed, "It's not too late to know now."
Xiao Zhen suddenly looked as if he had aged more than ten years, his face full of vicissitudes.
First, Lan Yin passed away many years ago, and then he only learned now that Lan Yin had given birth to a daughter for him.
These two pieces of news suddenly hit him, dealing him a huge blow.
He was filled with regret, realizing he shouldn't have let Lan Yin leave him back then.
But what's done is done, and there's no going back.
He said in a deep voice, "Prime Minister, there's no need to hide anything from me. Please tell me the whole story in detail." Now that he knew he had another daughter, he realized that he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father before, but from now on, he would do everything he could to make it up to her.
He could tell that Shangguan Boyan had only touched on some minor issues and avoided discussing many other matters.
Xie Tianlin was a few years older than him, and he married her daughter when he was on his deathbed.
He cannot let this matter end peacefully, no matter what.
Why would his perfectly fine daughter marry such a lousy old man?
There must be more to this than meets the eye.
Thinking of his daughter, all alone and helpless, being bullied, he felt both pain and anger, wishing he could kill those people immediately to avenge her.
Seeing the reaction on his face, Shangguan Boyan knew that his words had worked. Naturally, he did his best to make things develop in the direction he wanted, so he subtly steered the matter toward Situ Jin.
"...After the incident at Chunyan Tower, the deposed empress arranged for the Third Prince to break off his engagement with her. Not long after, she became engaged to the Second Miss Rong. Minister Rong then married the eldest Miss Rong to the Marquis of Weiyuan's mansion to bring good luck."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen understood what was going on.
He naturally understood the meaning behind Shangguan Boyan's words.
After breaking off his engagement with his daughter, Feng Mo quickly got engaged to the second daughter of the Rong family. The reasons behind this are indeed thought-provoking.
His daughter, in particular, went to Chunyanlou without any reason. No matter how you look at it, she must have been framed by someone else.
However, he will have someone investigate the whole story.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Shangguan Boyan.
It is said that civil officials are cunning, and Shangguan Boyan is indeed quite shrewd.
What was his purpose in deliberately steering the conversation toward Situ Jin?
He put the matter aside and looked at Emperor Zhaojing. "Your Majesty, what is the reason for this urgent summons of me back to the capital?"
By this time, Emperor Zhaojing had understood the purpose behind Shangguan Boyan's elaborate scheme and groundwork, and he revealed his intention to reveal Xie Jingrun's identity.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen glanced at Xie Jingrun with some surprise.
Unexpectedly, Xie Tianlin had raised someone else's son.
This "other person" was none other than the Emperor.
He frowned as he recalled what the kid had just said.
Is there something between him and Qingqing?
Otherwise, how could he have said something so certain?
Emperor Zhaojing also thought of this and felt very sorry for Rong Qingqing's status as a widow. Otherwise, he really wanted to marry Rong Qingqing as his daughter-in-law. In that case, Xiao Zhen would be more on Xingxiu's side, which would be a great help to Xingxiu when he ascended the throne in the future.
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