Chapter 127 Half True, Half False: The Aftermath
"Actually, it was something she said casually that reminded me."
Shen Cong continued, "On the day my brother was ordered to confiscate the property of the Marquis of Anping, Li Nanke cried and begged me, saying that her father was innocent."
Your Majesty, I then sent people to investigate further, and that's when we discovered that Li Mu hadn't been on duty at the Ministry of Revenue. I had already mentioned this to Your Majesty before.
"Later, the Marquis of Anping's family went to the Prince's Mansion to express their gratitude. My brother used a snow eagle to scare Li Nanke, asking the snow eagle to pick her up and throw her into the deep mountains."
But Li Nanke said she remembered where her home was, remembered who she was, and that as long as she was alive, she would always find her way home.
Shen Cong fabricated a story that was half true and half false, but his face showed no sign of anything unusual.
She continued, "It was her words that suddenly woke me up. My brother, Changsheng was already six years old when he disappeared."
He remembered his identity and knew who he was, so our investigation over the past few years has always focused on either the leader of a rebel group or a bandit.
We believe the rebel leader has seized control of Changsheng and is waiting for the right opportunity to rebel, at which point he will use Changsheng to blackmail us.
The emperor frowned deeply.
Empress Xue wept uncontrollably.
For the past few years, they have believed that Changsheng is controlled by the rebels. Whenever she thinks about the various kinds of suffering and torment her son might suffer, Empress Xue cannot sleep day and night.
Shen Cong continued, "Li Nanke also said that unless she doesn't remember who she is or where her home is."
That sentence made me suddenly realize something we've been overlooking all along.
"If Changsheng wasn't controlled by the rebels, but was injured and didn't remember who he was, where would he most likely be?"
The emperor's expression changed slightly.
"Taizhou?"
They lost their immortality in the chaos when they fled to the vicinity of Taizhou.
Shen Cong nodded.
"With this idea in mind, I immediately changed direction and sent people to Taizhou again, specifically to find places where poor people or beggars gather."
Sure enough, we found a child in Taizhou who looked remarkably like Chang.
The Emperor and Empress Xue sat up straight with excitement.
Shen Cong: "But the child doesn't remember anything, not even his own name. My brother's men are preparing to take him back to the capital."
Unexpectedly, another group of people suddenly appeared and tried to snatch the child away. In the chaos, the child ran off again. My brother's men chased after him and found that the child had been last seen in Xuzhou.
"Upon receiving the news, your younger brother immediately went to the palace to report to the Emperor and his wife."
Empress Xue straightened up in a hurry and tightly gripped Shen Cong's hand.
"A-Cong, who is trying to steal immortality? Is it a remnant of the traitors from back then?"
Shen Cong shook his head.
“I wasn’t sure who the other party was either. I wasn’t sure it was Changsheng at first, but as soon as we found it, someone came to snatch it, and that’s when I realized it was Changsheng.”
Empress Xue looked at the emperor with tears in her eyes.
"Your Majesty, quickly send more men to Xuzhou! We must find Changsheng before the rebels do. Changsheng has suffered so much these past years."
The emperor nodded and gave Ding Wang a series of instructions.
"Summon Qin Fei to the palace immediately. Ah, no, there's no need to send him to the palace. Go and convey my decree immediately, instructing him to take the Imperial City Guards to Xuzhou overnight to meet with Prince Xuan's men."
"Be quick. Make him find the Crown Prince before the rebels, no matter what method he uses."
Ding Wang left in a hurry.
Shen Cong took out a portrait from his pocket and handed it over.
"This is a portrait brought back by the person my brother sent. It shows what Changsheng looks like now."
Empress Xue disregarded etiquette and snatched the portrait away.
She hurriedly wiped away her tears, but when she saw the person in the portrait clearly, the tears fell even more rapidly.
"Double eyelids, phoenix eyes, a full forehead... This is Changsheng, Your Majesty, this must be our Changsheng."
She said this while crying.
The emperor stared intently at the portrait for a long time, his eyes reddening.
After a long while, he closed his eyes briefly, his voice trembling slightly.
"This is good news. After so many years, there is finally news of immortality."
"Thank you, Acong."
Shen Cong lowered his eyes, his emotions unreadable, and spoke softly.
“This is what I should do. If it weren’t for waiting for me back then, I wouldn’t have lost my life.”
The emperor sighed deeply, and after a moment, raised his hand and gently patted Shen Cong.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You were only six or seven years old back then, and your sister-in-law and I have never blamed you."
Shen Cong nodded, looked up at the emperor, and smiled.
“I know, that’s why I’m even more determined to find Changsheng. Changsheng will definitely come back safely.”
Empress Xue held the portrait and looked at it for a long time with great reluctance. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Only then did she reluctantly put the portrait away and place it close to her heart.
Zhao Ning cautiously leaned closer, tilting her little face up to ask, "Mother, is my brother coming back?"
Empress Xue nodded excitedly.
"Yes, your brother is coming back soon."
"Great! My brother is coming back! My brother is coming back!"
Zhao Ning clapped her little hands and jumped up laughing.
The children's innocent smiles dispelled the tense atmosphere in the hall.
Empress Xue wiped away her tears, straightened up, and said, "It's getting late. A-Cong, please have dinner with your brother here."
The emperor stood up. "Acong can keep you company while you eat. I have some official business to attend to back at the Daqing Palace."
Empress Xue was somewhat disappointed and rose to see the emperor off.
The emperor walked to the door, then suddenly stopped and called over a eunuch.
"Go to the Censorate and issue an imperial edict to release Li Mu."
When Li Nanke mentioned that the Marquis's residence would be distributing porridge, he had already decided to release Li Mu.
However, the thought that Li Nanke might pretend to be stupid and fool him made him unhappy, so he didn't mention it for the time being.
Now that they know there's news about the eldest prince, Li Nanke's unintentional remark can be considered a contribution.
The emperor, who believed he was always fair in his rewards and punishments, simply issued an edict to release Li Mu.
"but......"
He turned to Empress Xue and said, "Let's reselect Zhao Ning's study companion after the disaster relief is over. It's about time to select the fourth princess, Zhao Kang."
When the time comes, let the Xue family send two girls to the palace to see for themselves. Oh, and Li Nanke too, let her participate in the selection as well.
The queen should be chosen fairly and impartially.
Ha, that little girl Li Nanke can be rejected, but she can't pretend to be stupid and refuse the royal reward!
The emperor left with his hands behind his back, in a pleasant mood.
Empress Xue was taken aback for a moment, but when she understood the meaning behind the emperor's words, she was overjoyed.
Today is a wonderful day!
Not only was there news of her immortality, but the Xue family's daughter was also able to enter the palace as a companion to the emperor.
Even the slight annoyance that Li Nanke had felt earlier when the emperor asked Zhao Ning to go with him to distribute porridge had completely vanished.
Empress Xue was in a good mood, and she kept serving food to Shen Cong during dinner.
"Ah Cong, you need to eat more. You've had a fever for two days, and I see you've lost weight again."
"My sister-in-law knows that I've never had a big appetite."
Shen Cong smiled, but did not refuse the food that Empress Xue put into his bowl.
After the meal, Empress Xue chatted with Shen Cong about his recent studies.
"...Although your elder brother put you in charge of the Imperial Guards, you are in poor health, so you only need to go and report for duty."
But don't fall behind on your studies with Master Chen.
Shen Cong agreed to everything and did not leave until the palace gates were about to be locked.
After leaving the palace, Shen Cong did not get into the sedan chair.
"I want to take a walk."
Erfeng understood and instructed the sedan chair to wait at the front.
Shen Cong slowly walked forward along the foot of the imperial city wall.
The lanterns on the palace walls flickered, casting an unpredictable light on Shen Cong's face.
Erfeng whispered, "The prince is really something. He scolds Miss Ke'er, but he still takes the initiative to clean up her mess."
Shen Cong gave a soft hum.
"You're overthinking it. I'm not cleaning up her mess, it's just..."
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