Chapter 28
Leng Ying repeatedly took Leng Xue Ran's pulse, her brows furrowed, looking at her incredulously. Seeing this, Leng Xue Ran asked with concern, "Sister, do I have a serious illness?" After a long silence, Leng Ying finally asked directly, "Sister, have you lost your virginity?" Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran's face suddenly turned red and hot. Seeing this expression, Leng Ying understood, and asked worriedly, "Sister, do you know why you often nausea?" Leng Xue Ran frowned, puzzled, "I don't know, could it be due to indigestion?" Leng Ying looked at the person before her earnestly and said, "Sister, you have no illness, you're just pregnant!" Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran stood up in shock, shaking her head, "Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Leng Ying also stood up, looking at the person before her in disbelief. The woman, upon hearing this, exclaimed anxiously, "Why is it impossible? Sister has already lost her virginity, why is it impossible?" Leng Xue Ran looked at Leng Ying with disbelief and shook her head, saying, "But she is a woman!" Hearing this, Leng Ying took a step back, her heart filled with bitterness. So it was her. She gave a bitter smile, realizing that it was ultimately impossible for her. She should have thought of it sooner. Her face turned pale, and she calmly looked at Leng Xue Ran, saying, "Legend has it that there is a fruit in this world called the Fruit of Fertility. If two lovers eat it, even women can conceive." Hearing such a fantastical and bizarre story, Leng Xue Ran couldn't believe it. So she was pregnant with that man's child. Her heart felt as if a thousand-pound stone had been dropped. She slumped into her chair, half happy and half sad. Half-hearted, Leng Ying looked at the silent woman and said with a bitter smile, "Sister, you've fallen in love with Xi Yimin, haven't you?" Leng Xue Ran looked up at the person before her, unsure how to answer. Perhaps feeling a little guilty, she turned to look at the scenery outside the pavilion, remaining silent. Seeing this, Leng Ying didn't press the matter, but said dejectedly, "Indeed, there's no order of arrival in love. Even though I appeared in her eyes first, I still couldn't win her heart. Sister, you're truly lucky to have won the heart of the one Leng Ying longed for." Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran felt a pang of jealousy, seeing the romantic entanglements that man had caused, especially since he was her own sister. However, she still replied expressionlessly, "Sister, some things are perhaps destined, and neither of us can force them." "I didn't provoke that person at all." "But in the end, she still won my heart, didn't she?" Hearing this, Leng Xue Ran said worriedly, "Even if she won my heart, there's still an insurmountable hurdle between us. How can there be a good outcome?" Hearing this, Leng Ying said anxiously, "Since there's no good outcome, why were you willing to give up your body and heart, sister?" Hearing her speak so frankly, Leng Xue Ran felt a little awkward. She looked around and said, "It's getting late. I want to go back to my room to rest." Indeed, pregnant women often feel sleepy. Watching Leng Xue Ran leave, Leng Ying also stood up, filled with worries. Was everything she sought, the purpose of her trip to Fengcheng, going to come to an end? She was so unwilling, but what could she do? The Third Prince, who had observed everything from outside the pavilion, approached Leng Ying with a smile, fanning himself with a folding fan. He asked, "Your Highness, your face is so pale. Are you unwell?" Startled, Leng Ying looked at the Third Prince and sneered, "No need for your concern, Third Prince. I just caught a chill and feel slightly unwell. I won't keep you company any longer." She turned and left, heading towards her bedroom. The Third Prince watched her depart, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "So self-righteous," he said disdainfully, "you'll regret this later."
Inside the Fengcheng government office, Leng Shouqing looked at the masked man sitting opposite him and smiled, "Third Prince, how have you been?" Seeing that the man had immediately recognized him, he chuckled, removed his mask, and laughed loudly, "General, you are indeed incredibly perceptive, recognizing me so quickly!" Leng Shouqing followed with a smile, "However, Third Prince's charisma and bearing are too dazzling; anyone familiar with you can recognize you at a glance." Hearing his sarcasm, the Third Prince was not offended, and smiled, "General, you remain as proud as ever, which I admire. I truly wish to invite you to join my ranks." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing smiled, "But a general does not serve two masters; the Third Prince understands this." The Third Prince smiled mysteriously, "What do you mean by two masters? Doesn't the General serve himself? Isn't it this wealth and glory?" Hearing this, Leng Shouqing frowned, his voice turning cold, and said, "Third Prince, I am an honest and upright official who serves the country and its people. When did I become the vain person you speak of?" "Ha!" "Ha, it was my abrupt words, General, please forgive me, please forgive me. It's just that Xue Ran and the Crown Princess miss you a bit." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing's face turned cold, and he said angrily, "What does the Third Prince intend?" "Such a simple meaning, with the General's intelligence, you will surely understand." Seeing him say this, Leng Shouqing fell silent, staring intently at the smiling man before him, and after a long while asked, "What does the Third Prince want me to do?" Hearing this, the Third Prince laughed loudly, "Didn't I say it before?" Slightly stunned, Leng Shouqing said angrily, "How could I betray the Emperor?" The Third Prince sneered, "Is that so? I've heard that the General even slandered his own adopted son for a woman." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing's face turned pale, and he looked at the man before him, saying in a trembling voice, "The Third Prince cannot slander me, and do not listen to the slander of petty people." Seeing that Leng Shouqing did not admit it, the Third Prince Wang Cheng pretended to be serious and said, "Does the General know An Ye'er?" After saying this, he laughed loudly. Seeing this man's demeanor, Leng Shouqing understood that this person might indeed know some secrets he didn't want others to know. Leng Shouqing feigned composure and said coldly, "Third Prince, please be more explicit. This humble subject truly doesn't understand." The Third Prince, seeing Leng Shouqing's feigned ignorance, wasn't angry. He smiled at him and said leisurely, "General, have you perhaps forgotten Xue Ran's birth mother? Don't try to fool me with the same tricks you used to deceive Father. General, do you know why Father summoned you and Xue Ran before?" Seeing how much this man knew, Leng Shouqing felt a chill run through him. "Why?" The Third Prince approached Leng Shouqing, his smile wicked. "I had my mother secretly spread the word, deliberately letting Father know that there was someone who looked like the woman Father was looking for—your daughter, Leng Xue Ran. Hasn't the General ever wondered who Xue Ran's father is?" Leng Shouqing took a step back, looking at the Third Prince before him. His fear intensified, as if the Third Prince knew everything. He roared, "Xue Ran is my biological daughter!" The Third Prince stepped forward, staring directly at Leng Shouqing, whose face was covered in cold sweat. He laughed, "Why deceive yourself for so many years? Does the General know that he has committed the capital offense of deceiving the Emperor...? But now that I am the Emperor, it is no longer a crime of deceiving the Emperor." Leng Shouqing looked at the Third Prince in disbelief, his voice trembling as he asked, "What exactly do you know?" The Third Prince took a step back and laughed, "I know all your secrets about An Ye'er and Leng Xue Ran, and I know more than you do." Leng Shouqing looked at the Third Prince with utter disbelief. Seeing this, the Third Prince laughed, "General, don't look at me like that. Let me tell you another secret. Do you know why the Emperor has been unable to find An Ye'er all these years? You think it's because you hid her too well?" "Haha, General, don't overestimate yourself. This is all thanks to me! Are you curious why I know so much? Do you know that An Ye'er and my mother were friends before she entered the palace?" Hearing this, Leng Shouqing finally understood that all these years he had been a pawn, a tool for others. With a desperate laugh, he said, "Since that's the case, Xue Ran isn't my biological daughter, so how can you threaten me?" The Third Prince laughed, "But she's An Ye'er's daughter, haha, while Leng Ying is your biological daughter." Hearing this, Leng Shouqing felt utterly hopeless and resigned. "In that case, since I'm just a pawn, I have one more question. Could the Third Prince please answer it?" Seeing that Leng Shouqing was finally willing to submit to his command, the Third Prince smiled and said, "Since we're all on the same side, General, please speak." Leng Shouqing looked at the sky and said helplessly, "Xue Ran really is the Emperor's child..." "?" The Third Prince affirmed, "Absolutely true. My mother witnessed it herself. Even An Ye'er's escape with Leng Xue Ran was secretly facilitated by my mother. Father Emperor, however, was unaware that he had another daughter. He thought An Ye'er only gave birth to Crown Prince Wang An, not knowing that An Ye'er gave birth to twins, and Xue Ran is Wang An's younger sister." Upon receiving confirmation, Leng Shouqing felt utterly dejected, his face deathly pale. For years, he had harbored suspicions that Xue Ran was the Emperor's child. Now that it was confirmed, it seemed he should accept his fate. He could not contend with the Emperor. Perhaps the woman who did not love him loved the Emperor, and he had merely been a pawn for so many years. Yet, he could not let go of that heartless woman, no matter what she had done. Leng Shouqing said sorrowfully, "Third Prince, do you know where An Ye'er is now?" Upon hearing this, the Third Prince was also startled. Could it be that An Ye'er was no longer in the Leng residence? But the Emperor had not found that person either. Otherwise, all the steps that the Consort had laid out for him over the years would have been in vain. Looking at the Third Prince's expression, Leng Shouqing understood that even he probably did not know where that woman was now.
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