Chapter 242 Recognizing the Son (First Update)
Princess Yu waited anxiously in her room, pacing back and forth, extremely nervous.
On the one hand, I felt that the child must be mine, but on the other hand, I was worried about what would happen if it wasn't?
I don't know how much time passed, but it got completely dark. Lanterns were hung on the veranda, and several oil lamps were lit inside the house.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Princess Yu hurried forward, but before she reached the door, it was pushed open and Prince Yu walked in.
Princess Yu's expectant gaze fell on his face, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke: "Well, isn't it our child?"
Prince Yu looked at him gently and did not immediately deny it.
Princess Yu's heart immediately settled: "I knew it! I knew it! Our son didn't die... He came back to life... He was saved by a kind person... I... I..."
As she spoke, she became emotional and covered her face, bursting into tears.
Ming'er was suddenly woken up by her noise. She opened her eyes and stared blankly at her: "Mother, what's wrong?"
Princess Yu wiped away her tears, but they wouldn't stop. They weren't tears of sadness, but tears of joy.
"Ming'er... Ming'er!" Princess Yu excitedly hugged Ming'er into her arms. Because of her intense emotions, she hugged her so tightly that it hurt Ming'er.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry." Princess Yu quickly let go of him.
Everything happened so fast that Princess Yu still feels like it's not real.
As for whether or not to keep it from Ming'er, Princess Yu felt it was better not to hide it. Ming'er was also her child. Even if she wasn't born from her womb, she had raised her with great care and hardship.
They are mother and child, and that will never change.
Of course, she was worried about whether Ming'er could accept it.
After all, Ming'er is not an ordinary child. He seems easy to get along with, but he is extremely competitive and cannot tolerate being inferior to others. Otherwise, he will suddenly become irritable, just like he was in the palace today.
Princess Yu was unsure whether Ming'er could accept that the child who was smarter than him becoming his younger brother.
After hesitating for a moment, she still spoke.
“Ming’er, actually you have a younger brother. Your mother gave birth to him four years ago, and your mother thought he had passed away... until a few days ago, your mother ran into him again…”
Princess Yu carefully considered her tone and word choice so that Ming'er could understand and accept this fact.
Ming'er only remembers that when she was four years old, her parents went away for a year, but she doesn't know what happened to them that year.
He has a younger brother.
This is truly... amazing.
Having been the youngest child in the family, the sudden change to becoming the older brother can be a huge psychological adjustment.
This means that from now on, he will no longer be the one being pampered; his younger brother will be.
No matter how much his older siblings indulged him, he would always join them in indulging his younger brother.
His mother's embrace was no longer just his own.
The younger brother is even smaller, so he can not only be held by his mother, but also sleep with her.
Anyway, he slept with his mother when he was four years old.
"Then...who is the younger brother?" he asked nervously.
Clearly, he already had a guess in his mind. The heartbreaking image kept flashing through his mind, and he desperately cried out in his heart, "No, no, it can't be him!"
“You’ve seen him,” Prince Yu said gently, cupping Ming’er’s face in his hands.
The string in Ming'er's heart snapped.
Of all the four-year-old children he had ever seen in Zhao Kingdom, there was none other than that wretched little dumpling.
Why him of all people?
Princess Yu did not deliberately avoid the conflict between the two. She said firmly, "Mother knows there is some misunderstanding between you, but you are a very good child. Mother believes that one day he will discover your goodness, and you will also discover his goodness."
That's a much better way to put it. If you just say, "He'll be a good younger brother, you'll understand once you spend some time together," Ming'er will definitely feel even more disgusted and jealous.
Princess Keyu spent a lot of time talking about how, after spending a long time together, the other party could perceive Ming'er's good qualities, which made Ming'er very pleased.
At least she doesn't feel that her mother doesn't love her anymore now that she has a younger brother.
However, he still couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.
How could he lose to a little kid?
angry!
On the other side, after Xu Shangshu took away his grandson who had caused trouble, he sent the servant who usually took care of his grandson to the clinic to inform Xiao Jingkong's family.
The servant boy from the Xu family didn't know where Xiao Jingkong's home was, only that the three of them often played in the clinic, and that Xiao Jingkong's older sister seemed to be a female doctor in the clinic.
The servant boy's horse was naturally not as fast as the horses of the Marquis of Xuanping's mansion, and it was intercepted by the Marquis of Xuanping halfway there.
"Alright, you can go back now," Marquis Xuanping said calmly.
The servant boy from the Xu family looked at Marquis Xuanping, then at Xiao Jingkong sitting beside him, munching on pastries with both hands. He was so astonished that he could have stuffed an egg into his mouth.
What's going on?
Yes, yes, yes... Did the Crown Princess ask Marquis Xuanping to handle this matter personally?
The servant boy from the Xu family dared not guess that Xiao Jingkong's family could be connected with the Xuanping Marquis's mansion. Rather than that, he preferred to believe that someone from the Crown Prince's palace had asked the Xuanping Marquis to go and teach the child's family a lesson.
But this kid is too carefree!
How dare you eat while standing next to Marquis Xuanping?
Xiao Jingkong not only ate, but after finishing, he habitually offered his mouth to her.
Wipe it.
Just as the servant of the Xu family thought that Marquis Xuanping would definitely slap him, he saw Marquis Xuanping casually pick up a clean white handkerchief and wipe Xiao Jingkong's mouth haphazardly.
Xu family servant: Am I stupid or blind?
After finishing his meal, Xiao Jingkong let out a small burp, and his short legs wobbled around, looking incredibly cute.
When Marquis Xuanping was young, he was often away fighting or training in the military camp, so he didn't spend much time with his son. Before he knew it, they had all grown up.
When people spend a lot of time together, they easily pick up each other's traits and even get used to them.
Xiao Jingkong naturally also adopted some of Xiao Liulang's habits, such as the way he frowns and the way he laughs when he's disgusted.
This is Xiao Liulang's habit, not Xiao Heng's.
Xiao Liulang bore no resemblance to Xiao Heng whatsoever.
This made Marquis Xuanping occasionally wonder if he was overthinking things. Xiao Liulang was his illegitimate son with Chen Yunniang, not Xiao Heng, not his legitimate son.
Marquis Xuanping was lost in thought when suddenly a small head bumped into him.
Little Jingkong is asleep.
Marquis Xuanping went directly to the Imperial Academy, where he waited for a long time before Xiao Liulang came out.
He carried the sleeping Jingkong as he stepped off the carriage.
He had already made up his mind. He would soon tell Xiao Liulang, "Your brother-in-law has good potential. I plan to take him as my disciple so that I can successfully infiltrate the enemy's... uh... son's ranks."
Whether he is a legitimate son or an illegitimate son, the truth will eventually come out over time.
But to everyone's surprise, Xiao Liulang only gave Xuanping Hou a cold look, said nothing, picked up Xiao Jingkong and left.
There wasn't even a chance for Marquis Xuanping to renege on his promise.
Marquis Xuanping was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth.
"With my temper, if I find out you're not the real deal, I'll chop you up!"
Marquis Xuanping appears refined, but like most military generals, he has a stubborn temper. If he were truly an illegitimate child, frankly, he would really care whether to acknowledge him or not!
"snort!"
Marquis Xuanping got into the carriage with a dark expression.
The following day, the Liang envoy suddenly called off the negotiations, saying that they would rest for a day and then talk again the day after.
The ministers of Zhao were surprised, but when they thought about how Prince Yu's son had been beaten up by the Seventh Prince and his classmate, they understood.
Prince Yu is angry.
The ministers had truly misunderstood Prince Yu. He knew his son's character well; it was clearly Prince Yu who started the fight, no wonder he got beaten up.
The reason Prince Yu did not go to negotiate was that he accompanied Princess Yu to the clinic.
"Be polite to her later. She adopted our son... and she also cured Ming'er's illness..." Before getting off the carriage, Princess Yu did not forget to remind Prince Yu.
Prince Yu nodded repeatedly: "I've remembered everything you said. Don't worry, I won't bully a little girl."
Princess Yu thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy, and reminded her again, "You mustn't give them a hard time either."
"Alright," Prince Yu reluctantly agreed, "but there's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Princess Yu asked, looking at her.
Prince Yu said, “If we go to their door and say that Jingkong is our son, I’m afraid they won’t believe us. After all, we don’t have any solid evidence. How about we say that we’ve adopted a son first?”
Princess Yu felt there was no need for such trouble. Her son was hers; what proof did she need? Could she, the Princess of Liang, possibly fabricate or deceive anyone?
Prince Yu said, “Listen to me, this place is not like Liang. The relationship between the two sides is already tense, and it is not easy for us to gain people’s trust.”
Seeing the seriousness in his words, Princess Yu hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Alright, I'll listen to you. Once we return to Liang..."
Prince Yu hurriedly said, "Immediately announce to the world that he is my own son, that he should be included in the family genealogy and the imperial edict! Also, take him to pay homage to the Emperor!"
Princess Yu then smiled.
The two entered the clinic.
The second master greeted Princess Yu, and seeing that she wasn't accompanied by that arrogant servant, he warmly cupped his hands in greeting: "Madam, you've arrived. And this is..."
“My husband,” Princess Yu introduced gently.
The second landlord bowed to the other party, glanced behind them, and asked, "Didn't your son come? How is he? Is he any better?"
Princess Yu nodded and said, "He's much better now, he doesn't cough much anymore. He's at home. May I ask... is Miss Gu here?"
The second boss said, "Yes, we should be done soon. Please wait a moment while I go check."
Gu Jiao was giving Jiang Shi an IV drip in his hospital room when she heard the second master say that the noble lady had arrived. Gu Jiao wondered for a moment which noble lady it was.
The second landlord said, "Her son is ten years old, the one with the bad cough. She and her husband came together, I reckon they're here to thank you again, just like before."
This kind of situation has happened before, and the second boss has remained quite calm.
Gu Jiao also thought the other party had come to express their gratitude, but upon seeing them, she realized that they had come to snatch her away.
Because Princess Yu requested a place to talk, Gu Jiao led the person into her courtyard.
The three of them sat in the flower hall of the small courtyard, the atmosphere eerily quiet.
Prince Yu had seen countless people and was not one to judge by appearances, so he didn't pay attention to Gu Jiao's looks.
But he had a vague feeling that this little girl's aura was different from that of her peers.
Princess Yu broke the awkward silence: "Miss Gu, I know this is a bit abrupt, but I really hope to meet your parents and discuss Xiao Jingkong with them. We sincerely want to adopt Xiao Jingkong as our godson."
Gu Jiao: "The kind you don't take with you?"
Princess Yu choked, "I...we want to take it back."
Gu Jiao didn't even ask where she was being taken back, and immediately replied, "Impossible."
Princess Yu's face paled: "Miss Gu..."
Gu Jiao interrupted her, "This is not negotiable. I will not send Jingkong away. If you really like him, and he likes you too, you can come and see him."
That's right, provided that Xiao Jingkong likes them.
She wouldn't wrong Xiao Jingkong.
"If there's nothing else, please return."
Gu Jiao gave them the order to leave.
Prince Yu was stunned for a moment, unable to say anything until Gu Jiao got up to leave. He then stopped and asked, "You...aren't you going to ask who we are?"
Gu Jiao looked at him coldly: "Nobody can have it!"
"Miss Gu!" Princess Consort Yu stood up abruptly, and Prince Yu couldn't stop her even if he tried. She strode forward and said to Gu Jiao, "Jingkong is our son! We are his parents!"
Gu Jiao paused, turned around and said, "Do the people who abandoned him in the temple deserve to be his parents?"
Princess Yu burst into tears: "That's not how it is... Miss Gu, please let me explain... I never intended to abandon him... We thought he had died..."
"Is that so?" Gu Jiao's gaze fell on Prince Yu's face.
The woman's demeanor didn't seem to be feigning, but the man remained remarkably calm throughout.
Prince Yu calmly met Gu Jiao's scrutiny, but Princess Yu, who was standing to the side, was so excited that she fainted from exhaustion.
Prince Yu quickly caught her.
Gu Jiao took her hand, checked her pulse, and then released her hand.
It's nothing serious, and I wasn't faking it; I really did faint from shock.
Prince Yu embraced his wife, the gentleness he usually feigned in front of her gone. He looked at Gu Jiao and said, "Name your price. Don't be stubborn. Girl, you're still young and don't know your place. If I want someone, no one in the entire capital can protect them!"
Gu Jiao: "Then you should give it a try."
Prince Yu gave Gu Jiao a cold look, then carried his wife away from the clinic.
That night, Prince Yu's confidant went to the palace to convey his prince's message to the emperor—Liang could concede on the terms of the peace talks, on the condition that the child be given up.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com