...
Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.
Back then, Song Lingxi was pregnant with twins. After giving birth safely, they are now both four years old, and each one is more lively than the last.
The birth of twins in the royal family was considered unlucky, but fortunately they did not look alike. Master Hongyi only glanced at the two brothers before he spoke.
“Amitabha Buddha, the first son is a general, the second son is destined by heaven, and we should follow the will of heaven.”
Therefore, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor did not understand, but they still followed the master's advice and made their second son, Xiao Junlin, the crown prince, and even referred to him as their eldest son in public.
Strangely enough, one of them, Xiao Junlin, who originally resembled Xiao Jin, started to look more and more like Xiao Jin. It was obvious at a glance that the two were related.
Another one was like Song Lingxi, whom the emperor named Xiao Beizhan. Because of his appearance, the emperor was more fond of him and would hold him in his arms and tease him all day long.
But as time went on, Xiao Beizhan's appearance became more and more like a person.
Xie Changling!
Xiao Jin wasn't the only one who realized this problem; even the Empress Dowager noticed it. Only Song Lingxi remained oblivious.
...
The Imperial Palace.
Shou Kang Palace.
After the emperor finished court, the Empress Dowager sent someone to invite him. Now, the mother and son faced each other in silence, and neither of them spoke for a moment.
The Empress Dowager looked displeased. She never imagined that such a bizarre thing could happen in the world: brothers born of the same mother did not have the same father!
In the end, it was the Empress Dowager who couldn't hold back and spoke first.
"Send the child back to the Prime Minister's residence and announce to the public that he unfortunately fell into the water—"
"Mother! Bei Zhan is my son, and he always will be. Never mention this again!"
Xiao Jin's feelings were also very complicated, but he still rejected the Empress Dowager's suggestion outright, even though he knew that the Empress Dowager was right.
"emperor!"
"This is also for Bei Zhan's good. When he grows up, he will one day meet the Prime Minister, the people in the Prime Minister's mansion, and even his biological father, General Xie!"
The "General Xie" mentioned by the Empress Dowager was Xie Changling. No one would have imagined that the sickly Xie Changling could survive in the harsh climate and difficult conditions of the frontier!
Not only did he survive, but he also developed a strong physique, standing out among many soldiers when the northern country came to fight.
He gained the appreciation of the veteran Lianjiang, who took him under his wing for training. With Xie Changling's sharp mind, he surpassed his master.
When foreign enemies invade, Xie Changling always manages to use his military genius, delivering a fatal blow to the enemy in unexpected places!
Xiao Jin had known for a long time that Xie Changling was intelligent, but he did not know that Xie Changling could also lead troops into battle. He wanted to keep it from being promoted to general.
General Lian, however, developed a fondness for talent and sent one battle report after another, filled with praise for Xie Changling, as if to say, "If you won't appoint him, I'll keep sending him."
In the end, Xiao Jin had no choice but to lose to him. He was just too annoying, so he gave him the title of "General of the Cavalry" and sent him away.
Now, Xiao Jin wished he could retract his order. He should have just stayed obediently on the frontier, serving as a lowly soldier for life. Why was he thanking General Xie?
The myth of 20,000 men defeating an enemy army of 100,000, the myth of a few thousand men defending a city and still tenaciously resisting a surprise attack by tens of thousands of troops...
Just as Xiao Jin was lost in thought, the Empress Dowager grew impatient. She was doing this for the children's own good and didn't want their origins to be questioned in the future.
"The Emperor, the Emperor?"
"Mother, please allow me to think about it some more."
Xiao Jin ultimately did not deny it outright. He was unsure whether Xiao Beizhan could withstand the doubts of the crowd and accept his own background.
...
After leaving Shou Kang Palace, Xiao Jin wanted to stroll around the Imperial Garden.
Since the harem was already empty, he specially expanded the Imperial Garden, creating a ten-mile-long peach grove. It was early summer, and the peach blossoms were in full bloom.
As soon as Xiao Jin entered the peach grove, she heard the noisy chatter of children, interspersed with a soft female voice.
"Mother, Mother, Hua Hua smells just like you."
"Silly little brother, that's Mother's natural fragrance. Look at you, you're covered in dirt again. Mother doesn't like dirty babies!"
"I'm not dirty, I'm my mother's favorite good baby."
“I am the one who belongs to the Emperor, you belong to the Father, and I belong to the Empress Dowager.”
Their innocent and playful remarks brought laughter to everyone. The two brothers often quarreled over who would be the emperor's favorite, but they would quickly make up. With them around, the palace was always filled with joy and laughter.
"You are all the people I love most. Alright, didn't you say you were going to help me pick flowers? Go ahead."
"Kiss me, Mother."
"I want one too! I want one too!"
Just by listening to their voices, Xiao Jin could imagine the expressions on their faces—they must be cheering and jumping for joy. If they were separated…
He lowered his eyes, making it impossible to see the expression on his face. Suddenly, a small figure rushed towards him like a cannonball and hugged his leg.
"Father, Father, I've found Father!"
Xiao Beizhan raised his chubby little hands and hugged Xiao Jin's leg. He was used to playing around with Xiao Jin, so he rushed over without thinking.
Eunuch Li glanced furtively at Xiao Jin's expression, but unfortunately, he couldn't see anything from his angle. He was worried that the Emperor might harbor resentment and harm the young prince.
But clearly, his worries were unnecessary, because Xiao Jin still picked up the Second Prince in one go, his movements were skillful and still very affectionate.
"Let me see, how did you become such a dirty little monkey? Did you even listen to your mother? What are you holding in your hand?"
Xiao Beizhan happily handed over his little hand: "Replying to Father, it is a flower, a flower that tastes just like Mother. It's for Father, all of it is for Father."
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