The sky cleared up after the rain, and the capital city was shrouded in golden morning light.

A luxurious carriage slowly drove into the palace and stopped in front of Taihe Gate.

The guard looked at the distinguished man who got off the carriage and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "Third Prince!"

Xiao Chonghua raised his hand lightly, and the guards were flattered.

The princes are of noble status and are usually ignored. Only the Third Prince is so approachable.

Xiao Chonghua smiled and asked, "I should be the first one to pay my respects to my father, the emperor, and my mother, the empress, right?"

The guard hurriedly said, "The Queen has been ill recently, and the First and Second Princes have also entered the palace."

In Qixiang Palace, Concubine Xian had just finished washing and was sitting in front of the dressing table choosing earrings when she heard the palace maid report that the Third Prince had come.

Empress Xian's eyes lit up, she picked up a pair of jade earrings and put them on, then went to the warm room to see her son whom she had not seen for several months.

Empress Xian was so excited that she choked up. She sat on the chaise longue, holding her son's face with both hands, and said distressedly, "You have lost weight... Was it very hard on the journey?"

Xiao Chonghua smiled slightly: "It's not too hard. I'm sorry to make mother worry about it."

"Have you been to the Queen's place?" asked Concubine Xian.

“Yes.”

The Queen was the Empress, so even though Xiao Chonghua was Concubine Xian's biological son, he had to pay his respects to the Queen first.

This is courtesy.

"Is my third brother back?"

Accompanied by a delicate voice, Princess Hui'an gently pulled her wide-sleeved fairy skirt and walked briskly into the warm room.

"Third brother! It's really you!"

She ran over with a smile on her face and sat between Concubine Xian and Xiao Chonghua.

She grew up being pampered. The emperor doted on her, Empress Xian doted on her, not to mention her brother Xiao Chonghua.

Before Empress Xian could get enough intimacy with her son, her daughter pushed her away with her butt.

What can she say?

I'm used to it.

"Hehe, mother." Princess Hui'an did not forget to say hello to her mother.

Concubine Xian rolled her eyes at her and said, "You are so old, but you don't act like a princess."

Princess Hui'an took Xiao Chonghua's arm and said coquettishly, "No matter how old I am, I am also mother's daughter and brother's sister, right, third brother?"

Xiao Chonghua smiled dotingly: "Why did you get up so early today? Did you come all the way here to wait for Third Brother?"

"Hmm..." Princess Hui'an's eyes flashed.

Concubine Xian chuckled and said, "I think you want to sneak out of the palace to find Wei Ting again?"

Princess Hui'an said stubbornly, "Who said that? I'm just here to wait for my third brother!"

Concubine Xian continued to tease her daughter: "Your third brother didn't say he would enter the palace today!"

Princess Hui'an used all her life's wisdom: "I...we are brother and sister, we understand each other very well!"

Xiao Chonghua laughed softly.

Princess Hui'an said, "Third brother, you were away for so long this time. Did the emperor give you a particularly important mission? It doesn't matter if you don't tell me. I can guess it anyway!"

Xiao Chonghua laughed: "What did you guess?"

Princess Hui'an said delicately, "I don't care. Anyway, you are the prince that my father values ​​the most! In the future, when you become the crown prince, I will be the eldest princess!"

Concubine Xian glared at her daughter and said, "Stop talking nonsense. What if someone hears it?"

Princess Hui'an snorted, "Who will spread it? You? You? Or you?"

The young palace maids and eunuchs who were pointed at by her turned pale with fright.

"You." Empress Xian tapped her forehead.

Xiao Chonghua gently rubbed her head and said, "Brother brought you a gift and had it delivered to your bedroom."

Princess Hui'an stood up quickly: "Really? I want to go and see!"

The chirping little sparrow finally left, and the hall became quiet.

Concubine Xian dismissed the palace maids, took her son's hand, and said lovingly, "Let me take a good look at you. I heard that you were very ill in Qingzhou before the New Year."

Xiao Chonghua said: "I was indeed ill, and it was fortunate that I met a great doctor."

Empress Xian was still frightened.

Xiao Chonghua comforted her: "My son is fine now, mother, don't worry."

"Just because you said you're not worried, can I not worry?" Empress Xian felt pain in her heart. Suddenly, she noticed her son's slightly stiff left arm. "What's wrong with your arm?"

She reached out to touch it and accidentally touched the wound. Xiao Chonghua took a breath weakly.

Concubine Xian's expression changed: "What's going on? Let me take a look!"

"It's just a minor injury." Xiao Chonghua held Empress Xian's hand, smiled, and said, "It's really not a big deal."

Empress Xian asked angrily, "Who did it?"

Xiao Chonghua smiled nonchalantly: "Mother, I'm really fine. I will take care of it. Don't worry about it anymore."

Empress Xian understood her son's character. If he really didn't want to talk, she wouldn't be able to get the answer from him no matter what.

Her son was different from other princes since he was young. No matter what happened or even if he was bullied, he would never come back to complain to her.

Concubine Xian had no idea what to do with her son, so she had to focus her energy elsewhere: "How did Jing Yi protect you?"

Xiao Chonghua smiled gently and said, "Jing Yi has done his best. If he hadn't blocked the knife for me, I might have returned dead."

Concubine Xian exclaimed, "Then... is he okay?"

Xiao Chonghua said: "It's not a big deal."

Concubine Xian's expression eased a little. She took her son's hand and said earnestly, "When you went out, I was worried every day, because I was afraid that you would encounter an accident... Tell me the truth, what did you do in Qingzhou?"

Xiao Chonghua lowered his head and smiled: "To understand the people's sentiments, mother, my father sent me."

Empress Xian snorted, "It was you who volunteered!"

Xiao Chonghua sighed helplessly: "Son... is going to look for the military token left by Wu Anjun."

Empress Xian freed one hand and stroked her temples, thinking, "Did Wu'an Jun leave his military token behind? Didn't he hand it over to the court this morning?"

Xiao Chonghua said: "It's not the imperial army's military token, it's an army that was secretly trained for the King of Nanyang."

Empress Xian asked curiously, "Wu Anjun still has this trick up his sleeve? What does the Wei family want to do? Rebellion?"

The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

"No, you have to report this to your father immediately!"

Xiao Chonghua dissuaded him, "Mother, I don't have the military token, and I don't know where the army is. I have no evidence, and if the Wei family bites back at me, it will be disadvantageous to me."

Concubine Xian said, "You are your father's biological son. Your father will not disbelieve you."

Xiao Chonghua pondered for a moment and analyzed, "In order to fight against Northern Yan, the Wei family had eight generals who all died in battle. Their loyalty is known to all officials and common people. If the emperor becomes suspicious of the Wei family just because of his son's one-sided statement, he will be criticized by the censors and cursed by the people of the Great Zhou."

Concubine Xian sighed slightly: "It's my fault that I didn't think it through."

Xiao Chonghua smiled: "Mother is also doing this for the country and people of the Great Zhou."

Empress Xian waved her hand and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Now that you are back, you should prepare for your marriage with Miss Qin. There is not much time left."

The wedding was scheduled for May, but it is already late March.

"You must firmly grasp the military power of the Duke of the Guardian's Mansion."

She didn't know before that Wu'an Jun had a backup plan, but now that she knows, Empress Xian feels more and more that she should join forces with the Duke of Huguo's Mansion.

Xiao Chonghua didn't say anything.

Concubine Xian said to the outside of the door: "Feng Sheng."

A eunuch in his early thirties bowed and entered: "Your servant is here."

Concubine Xian ordered calmly: "Send the pair of red gold hairpins in my storeroom to Miss Qin and tell her that they are gifts prepared by the Third Prince for her."

Feng Sheng responded: "Yes."

…

After leaving the palace, Xiao Chonghua took a carriage back to his residence.

When passing by an embroidery building, he inadvertently lifted the curtain and unexpectedly saw a familiar figure.

"Is it her?"

"She came to the capital?"

Su Xiaoxiao took the clothes that were custom-made for her family, paid the money, and got into Su Mo's carriage holding the clothes.

Xiao Chonghua's eyes narrowed slightly: "Zhenbei Marquis Mansion?"

"Where are we going next?" Su Mo asked Su Xiaoxiao in the carriage.

Su Xiaoxiao said: "Go see your grandfather, his dosage should be adjusted."

…

study.

Qin Canglan looked at Qin Che, the "son" he had raised for twenty years, with his sharp eyes.

He secretly took away everything that belonged to Su Cheng, lived a life of luxury with a clear conscience, and was even granted the title of Duke Protector of the Country.

"Who are you? Why did you come to my house and pretend to be my son, holding Huayin's jade pendant?"

"Father, where did you hear these rumors that you think I'm an imposter? How could I be an imposter? I am Qin Che! I'm your own flesh and blood!"

Qin Canglan took off the jade pendant from his waist and said, "This jade pendant... was handed to me by you personally when you returned to Beijing. You said you lost the other one, and this one is the only one you have kept with you. Even when life was tough, you were reluctant to sell it."

Qin Che said seriously: "Father, I am telling the truth!"

Qin Canglan was furious and said, "You are lying! This jade pendant was clearly sold thirty years ago! Tell the truth! Who gave it to you?"

Qin Che looked wronged: "Father, what are you talking about? Your son doesn't understand!"

Qin Canglan's eyes were cold: "The Su family has already investigated everything clearly. You don't need to force yourself to argue. The Su family will not harm me, nor will they wrongly accuse Huayin's flesh and blood!"

Qin Che was heartbroken: "My son, I don't know what the Su family is planning... or... the Su family was deceived by someone..."

Qin Canglan said coldly: "I am not here to listen to your explanation today, I just come to tell you that I know."

These words left no room for maneuver and almost sentenced Qin Che to death on the spot.

Those who achieve great things always possess a decisiveness that ordinary people cannot understand.

It was clear that the father and son who were very affectionate the day before could completely sever the twenty years of nurturing in the blink of an eye.

Qin Che found it ironic.

Qin Canglan stared at him intently: "You were only sixteen back then. I don't underestimate you, but you don't have the courage or the ability to set up this trap alone. You also know some things about the Duke of Huguo's Mansion and understand Che'er's habits and habits. There must be someone behind you. Who is that person? You'd better tell the truth."

Qin Che clenched his fists.

Qin Canglan continued, "You may not know that Huayin and I once had a fierce quarrel over some trivial matters. Huayin was angry and threatened to take the child away. From then on, I took her last name and gave her a name."

Qin Che lowered his eyes: "Things before I was six years old... I only remember part of it."

Qin Canglan completely ignored what he said: "I should have asked you at the beginning, do you still remember the name your mother gave you?"

Hearing this, Qin Che suddenly laughed.

"Father... just because of a name... you think I'm a fake? I remember so many things, but I just forgot a name that was never used at all!"

Qin Canglan said angrily: "Only the three of us know this name!"

Qin Che sneered: "So that person said this name? Who can guarantee that there are no ears behind the wall? It's possible that it was spread by a servant!"

Qin Canglan frowned: "That person? From the time I entered the room until now, I haven't mentioned the real Qin Che appearing at all."

Qin Che was startled! Qin Canglan's eyes became colder: "You have seen him? You know? You...you deliberately sent me away yesterday?"

Qin Che panicked: "Father..."

Qin Canglan stood up and walked towards him step by step: "What do you want to do?"

Qin Che stepped back: "Father, please listen to my explanation. I...ah——"

Qin Canglan grabbed his neck.

At this time, Qin Canglan was already feeling something was wrong.

Or to be more precise, from the moment he learned the truth, he was on the brink of collapse.

Now, the string that maintained sanity was broken.

Qin Che felt the breath of death.

He couldn't believe that his father, with whom he had lived for twenty years, would actually be so cruel to him.

The rumors were true, Qin Canglan was indeed the coldest-blooded and most ruthless Yama in the Great Zhou.

"Father...you can't kill me..."

"I... I am also your... biological son..." - The streets are a little congested today.

The carriage stopped and started, and was often stuck on the road.

Su Mo lifted the car curtain and took a look, then said to Su Xiaoxiao, "Do you want to go to the teahouse?"

"No need." Su Xiaoxiao said.

Su Mo lowered the curtain.

The carriage was quietly stuck in the middle of the road. There was a lot of noise all around, but inside the carriage it was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Perhaps to break this strange silence, Su Mo spoke softly: "I told you before that my great aunt and great uncle had a very good relationship."

"What's wrong?" Su Xiaoxiao asked.

Su Mo hesitated and said, "Actually, there is something I have never told you. I overheard it by accident, and I'm not sure how much is true or false."

Su Xiaoxiao said: "You say."

"When my great-uncle was young, he once..."

Having said this, Su Mo paused.

Su Xiaoxiao spoke for him: "Have you had other women?"

It was really embarrassing and hard for him, a grown man, to criticize a girl about such things.

Su Mo said stiffly, "She is my great-uncle's distant cousin. Her family fell into poverty and she came to the capital to seek refuge with the Qin family. The old lady at that time, my great-uncle's mother, kindly took her in."

Su Xiaoxiao said, "And then they got together?"

Su Mo neither admitted nor denied: "I don't know the specific details, but I heard that my great-uncle's cousin suddenly fell ill and was sent to the farm by the old lady to recuperate. She never returned to the capital."

This paragraph was a bit difficult to write. I suffered from insomnia for two days and finally deleted 5,000 words of the manuscript with great reluctance.

I need to sort out the subsequent plot, so I will update a big chapter of 4,000 words today.

Will I be beaten if I ask for votes today?

If you have money, please support Fang Fangzai. Fang Fangzai really needs some motivation!

(End of this chapter)