Chapter 820 A Shocking Secret (First Update)
The king received a threatening look from Gu Jiao—no, what business is it of yours if I'm disciplining this kid?
So fierce, is it a wolf?
One by one, these things infuriated the king to the point of having a headache. Every time the king thought that nothing in the world could be more infuriating than this, these troublesome fellows would always do something even more infuriating.
Shangguan Yan goes without saying; she's been stingy since childhood.
Shangguan Qing used to seem obedient, gentle, and lovable, but after the incident of "hairy mole on his buttocks," the king realized just how dissolute this little guy really was behind the scenes.
—I wonder who he took after? Neither the Shangguan family nor the Xuanyuan family has such an improper tradition.
However, Shangguan Qing and Shangguan Yan at least knew how to appease him, but this kid was completely unyielding and his attitude was simply arrogant!
He used to call me "Grandfather" so affectionately, but now that the Han family and the Crown Prince's faction have fallen, he's too lazy to even pretend anymore!
The king gritted his teeth, turned his face away, and said coldly, "All of you, step back! I don't want to see you!"
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
Shangguan Yan: "Oh."
Xiao Heng remained expressionless.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law turned around with Xiao Heng and left without looking back.
The king's eyes widened in shock: "...?!"
That's it? That's it?!
Are you sure you don't want to struggle a bit?
After watching the spectacle unfold, King Yeonsan rubbed his nose in annoyance and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Come back!" the king roared.
One by one they left, doesn't he have any pride?
Lord Yeonsan helplessly spread his hands: "Your Majesty, I haven't seen Xiaoxue for many days and I miss her very much. Surely Your Majesty won't prevent us from seeing each other, will you?"
If you're so capable, then stop going out all day! Now you know how to be a father? What were you doing before?!
This was the most infuriating day for the king; everyone in the entire house, big and small, was eager to provoke him.
But he didn't force Yeonsan-jun to stay; he waved him away.
After Yeonsan-gun left, Zhang Dequan mustered his courage and entered the room, giving an awkward smile. He said, "Your Majesty, weren't we supposed to be rewarding those who have rendered meritorious service? Why..."
It got like this?
The king gripped the armrest tightly and coldly snorted, "They don't care at all!"
He didn't care about fame, fortune, a bright future, or the fate of the nation!
Even myself—
The king took a deep breath, suppressing his raging anger: "If you don't care, then you don't care. I don't care either!"
Zhang Dequan was completely confused.
Why does Your Majesty's statement sound like you're holding a grudge against someone?
What did the Third Princess do to His Majesty this time?
This time it wasn't the Third Princess Shangguan Yan, but Xiao Heng.
"Hmph!" The king was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table.
Zhang Dequan: "..."
At this point, it's pointless whether Xiao Heng hides his identity or not. Regardless of whether the emperor guessed it in the imperial study today, Shangguan Qi will confess in the prison a few days later.
Shangguan Qi instigated the Nangong family to launch repeated attacks on Xiao Heng. If this crime is proven, another powerful family will fall.
None of the ten great families are innocent, and all accounts will be settled. However, there are priorities in everything. If a formidable enemy is at hand, the great families must first preserve their strength.
Neither Shangguan Yan nor Xiao Heng had any objection to this.
One cannot be controlled by hatred in one's heart. It is never too late to take revenge, but it is never too late to protect.
Shangguan Yan, Xiao Heng, and Gu Jiao boarded the carriage to the Duke's mansion. Lord Yanshan, with his own carriage, followed leisurely behind.
Thinking of Yeonsan-kun's appearance, Gu Jiao voiced her doubts: "His eyes are different from ours."
People from the Central Plains rarely have that eye color.
Shangguan Yan paused for a moment and said, "Yanshan Jun is not the late emperor's biological son. His biological father is a Turk. In order to save face for the royal family and to prevent the empress dowager from being criticized and punished, the king lied to the outside world that he was the late emperor's posthumous son."
She spoke of such a shocking secret so casually that even Xiao Heng was at a loss for words.
Gu Jiao hummed in agreement: "No wonder the King of Great Yan trusts Lord Yanshan so completely. It turns out that Lord Yanshan poses no threat to his throne at all."
Shangguan Yan said, "You could say that."
Her father, the emperor, was inherently suspicious, but he doted on Yanshan Jun and Shangguan Qing without reservation. This was simply because one of them was a fake member of the royal family and the other would not live past twenty, so neither of them would pose the slightest threat to the imperial power.
Gu Jiao asked, "Does Lord Yanshan know this himself?"
Shangguan Yan said, "I know, but he doesn't care. The Empress Dowager had a son late in life, and her health deteriorated shortly after giving birth to him. He was raised by the King, who treated him like a father. The King truly loved him, and he truly respected the King. This is a rare kind of affection in the royal family."
Gu Jiao was very proud: "After all, there's no conflict of interest involved."
Shangguan Yan sighed, "Lord Yanshan is just a bit playful. He has never been willing to get married. The little princess is his daughter, whom he had a one-night stand with."
He is not mature enough and is not a responsible father.
This led the king to raise his daughter after raising him, which was quite a hardship for him.
"What bad things are you saying about me now?" Yeonsan-gun's carriage suddenly pulled up beside theirs. Yeonsan-gun used his fan to lift their curtains. "Little niece, are you asking for trouble again?"
Shangguan Yan chuckled and said, "I've fought with Uncle Qi so many times, but he doesn't seem to have won against me even once. Who's itching for a beating here?"
Despite his seniority, Yeonsan-kun was about the same age as Shangguan Yan and they had grown up together since childhood, often fighting each other when they were young.
With the excellent bloodline and teachings of the Xuanyuan family, Shangguan Yan overwhelmed Uncle Qi in strength.
Yan Shan Jun's lips twitched. The fear of being dominated by Shangguan Yan surged into his heart. He gritted his teeth. He knew he could never get this back in this lifetime.
His gaze fell on Xiao Heng's face, he smiled, and said, "Your son doesn't seem to know martial arts. He wasn't bullied when he was young, was he?"
"Your words, 'son,' contain a lot of information."
The expressions of Shangguan Yan and the other two did not change at all, as if they had not heard this sentence.
Xiao Heng said, "No, I have Long Yi."
Anyone who dares to bully him gets beaten into a punching bag by Long Yi.
Lord Yanshan, trying to regain his confidence from Xiao Heng: "..."
"Stop the car," said Lord Yanshan.
He alighted from his own carriage and boarded the Duke's carriage.
Shangguan Yan looked at her seventh uncle, whom she had beaten up since childhood, and asked with utter aloofness, "Why do you want to squeeze into a carriage with us?"
Lord Yanshan opened his folding fan, smiled, and said, "Uncle Qi was afraid you'd feel awkward. The young couple is so loving, and you're just standing here. Don't you think you're being superfluous?"
Gu Jiao opened her eyes wide and nodded seriously.
Shangguan Yan was stunned: "You... how did you figure that out?"
Yanshan Jun pointed his folding fan at Gu Jiao's throat and said with a smile as warm as a spring breeze, "Her Adam's apple didn't move when she spoke."
In the imperial study, it wasn't just Gu Jiao who was observing Yeonsan-gun; Yeonsan-gun had also been keeping an eye on Gu Jiao.
In some ways, he and Gu Jiao were both bold and meticulous. Most people would be embarrassed to stare at others, but the two of them were incredibly open about it.
"Oh, is she my nephew's wife?"
This statement is also a trap.
If Shangguan Yan said yes, it would be tantamount to admitting that Xiao Heng was his grand-nephew.
If Shangguan Yan says no, then she is only denying the marital relationship between Gu Jiao and Xiao Heng, not the mother-son relationship between Xiao Heng and Shangguan Yan.
Shangguan Yan glared at him: "Why do you always like to set traps for people?"
Lord Yeonsan laughed out loud, fanned himself with his fan, and said, "How about Seventh Uncle exchanges a secret with you?"
Shangguan Yan scoffed, "What valuable secrets could you possibly have?"
Lord Yanshan smiled mysteriously: "For example, the truth behind the destruction of the Xuanyuan family?"
All three of them pricked up their ears at the same time.
Although I shouldn't laugh when such a serious topic is mentioned, could you three please stop having such perfectly synchronized expressions?
Yanshan-jun said with a half-smile, "Since you're all so curious, I've suddenly changed my mind. It wouldn't be worth it to just tell you like this—but since you've helped take care of Xiaoxue for so long, I should tell you everything I know."
"Um."
Shangguan Yan and Gu Jiao put down the sticks in their hands with satisfaction.
The two men looked at him seriously, as if they would beat him to the ground if he didn't speak.
Yanshan Jun was speechless. Shangguan Yan, it's one thing for you to be fierce, but why did you find such a fierce daughter-in-law!
King Yeonsan finally sighed and confessed: "You should all have heard of the prophecy made by the Grand Preceptor, right? 'When the Purple Star appears, the Emperor will emerge from Xuanyuan.' But did you know that there are two more lines before it?"
Gu Jiao and Shangguan Yan asked in unison, "Which two lines?"
(End of this chapter)
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