the truth
Several days passed, and Xiao Qi looked to have grown quite a bit.
That day, Xiao Zhuzi was playing with Xiao Qi in Yan Shu's courtyard again, and he didn't want to leave even when it was time to eat. Yan Shu wanted him to stay for dinner, so she got up to tell Aunt Yu.
Xiao Zhuzi quickly replied, "Madam Lin, my mother isn't home. She went to the east of the city to help Aunt Li give birth."
Yan Shu was somewhat surprised: "Your mother can deliver babies?"
"Yes," Xiao Zhuzi said proudly, "My mother delivered many babies in the city. I heard that when she was in the capital, she also delivered babies for many high-ranking officials and nobles."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Yuan paused slightly in his hand as he turned the pages of the book. He looked up at Xiao Zhuzi, his expression unchanged, but the fingers gripping the spine of the book tightened unconsciously.
Yan Shu smiled and patted Xiao Zhuzi's head: "Your mother is really amazing."
"My dad is very powerful too. He has a treasured sword, which he said was a reward he received when he served in the palace." Xiao Zhuzi puffed out his chest, his face full of pride.
Yan Shuxin suddenly realized—no wonder Aunt Yu and her husband were so flustered when they saw Lingyuan that day. They must have seen young Lingyuan in the palace and thought their features resembled his. However, Lingyuan was still young then, so they probably only thought they looked alike.
After Xiaozhuzi finished eating, Lingying escorted him home. Yan Shu couldn't help but ask Lingyuan, "Does Your Highness recognize them?"
Ling Yuan shook his head: "I don't know them. Perhaps I was too young when they left the palace."
Yan Shu became interested and asked, "Speaking of which, the Emperor is much older than the Prince, yet their brotherly relationship is so good; that's quite rare."
"Yes," Ling Yuan's gaze softened, "My elder brother is fifteen years older than me. My mother and the late Empress were like sisters, confidantes in the deep palace. As the youngest prince, I was naturally pampered by my older brothers and sisters."
Yan Shu suddenly remembered Xiao Zhuzi's words and asked in confusion, "However, Aunt Yu delivers babies for high-ranking officials in the capital, and Brother Yu is a palace guard. Why would they come to this remote place? It doesn't make sense."
Ling Yuan was silent for a moment: "I don't know."
Yan Shu thought about it and agreed; life was the same no matter where you were. After she fell asleep, Ling Yuan quietly got up and went to the small house next door.
Ling Ying was already waiting there: "Your Highness, we've investigated. Madam Yu's original surname was Huang, and her name was Huang Anniang. Yu Shan's original surname was Wu, and his name was Wu Zhong. Wu Zhong was originally a palace guard. Huang Anniang was a midwife in the palace. They left the palace right after the passing of the Imperial Concubine Tai."
Ling Yuan asked, "Was the person who delivered my mother's baby surnamed Huang?"
"Indeed." Ling Ying handed over a document. "This is a record from the palace; General Lin has also found evidence."
Ling Yuan took the document, examined it carefully by candlelight, and then burned the pages. He gave Ling Ying a wink, and the two left one after the other.
The lights were still on at Xiaozhuzi's house. When Lingying pushed the door open, Wu Zhong was clearing away the dishes, and Huang Anniang was mending clothes.
"Brother Lingying?" Wu Zhong looked at the knife in his hand with surprise.
Huang Anniang also felt uneasy. Xiao Zhuzi ran out from the inner room and was stunned when he saw this scene.
"Uncle Lingying, what are you doing?"
Ling Ying said coldly, "You know perfectly well what you've done. Kneel down!"
The three didn't understand, but faced with Ling Ying holding a knife, they had no choice but to slowly kneel down.
At this moment, Ling Yuan slowly walked in, calmly sat down in the main seat, looked down at the three kneeling on the ground, and coldly said, "Am I asking you, or will you answer yourselves?"
Huang Anniang forced herself to remain calm: "Young Master Lin, we don't understand..."
"Huang Anniang, Wu Zhong," Ling Yuan called out their real names.
Upon hearing this, the two collapsed to the ground. Xiao Zhuzi rushed to help his parents, asking, "Dad, Mom! Uncle Lin, what happened?"
Ling Yuan seemed not to hear him and continued, "I must know about what happened to Consort Lin eighteen years ago."
Huang Anniang and Wu Zhong exchanged a glance, their faces turning deathly pale. The secret they had kept for eighteen years could no longer be concealed.
"Tell me, and I'll spare Xiaozhu's life, send him to the army, and guarantee him a worry-free life." Ling Yuan's voice was devoid of warmth. "If you don't tell me, none of you will survive tonight."
Looking at her nine-year-old son, Huang Anniang closed her eyes and sighed deeply, "Your Highness, when we saw you that day, we felt something was wrong. You looked too much like the Imperial Concubine... and indeed you did." She kowtowed heavily, "Please, spare Xiaozhuzi. We will bear all the blame."
Ling Yuan slightly raised her head, "Speak."
Huang Anniang began, her voice trembling, "Back when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he was choosing a Crown Princess. The Imperial Concubine Tai recommended her niece to the late Emperor, who is now Imperial Concubine Lin. Both the Crown Prince and the late Emperor thought she was suitable. But..." She choked up, "Prime Minister Cui and the current Empress came to me. Because Wu Zhong was a gambler, he had accumulated huge debts, and the creditors threatened to sue him. If they did, he would not only lose his job but might also face imprisonment. Later, the Empress said she could help us pay off our debts, but she wanted me to do something for her."
"At that time, Consort Lin was about to give birth, and the Empress instructed me to add a labor-inducing agent to her pregnancy-stabilizing medicine. That very night, Consort Lin went into labor. During the delivery, I lied and claimed that the baby was breech, deliberately changing the baby's position... To prevent anyone from discovering the dregs of the medicine, I had Wu Zhong help me smuggle them out of the palace for disposal. Later, Consort Lin died from postpartum hemorrhage, and the Imperial Astronomical Bureau declared that Consort Lin's birth chart clashed with the Crown Prince's, making her unsuitable to be the primary consort."
Huang Anniang sobbed uncontrollably, "Your Highness, this is the whole truth. Please, please spare Xiaozhuzi..."
Wu Zhong kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Highness, I beg you!"
Little Zhu cried out, "Father! Mother! Uncle Lin, please!"
Lingyuan watched them quietly, the jade pendant in her hand almost embedded in her palm. The mystery of eighteen years had finally been solved, but the truth was so heavy.
Ling Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Yan Shu's face flashed through his mind—the image of her nestled in his arms calling him "husband," the image of her silently weeping on his shoulder after her miscarriage. His chest felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer—so this was the deep-seated hatred between them. Her own father and elder sister had murdered his mother. And he had fallen in love with the daughter of his enemy.
How ironic.
The excruciating pain in his chest felt like it was tearing him apart. "Ugh! Cough!" He suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Your Highness!" Ling Ying hurriedly stepped forward.
Ling Yuan raised his hand to indicate that it was alright, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. Huang Anniang cried out, "Your Highness, we were forced into this! If we didn't comply, we would either be driven to death by our creditors or silenced by Prime Minister Cui and the Empress! We had no choice but to come here incognito, hoping to get away from the capital."
Wu Zhong also kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy, "Yes, Your Highness!"
As Lingyuan listened to their cries, he seemed to see that bloody night again, and his mother's shrill screams echoed in his ears.
Ling Yuan suddenly grabbed Huang Anniang's neck, the force so strong that she was thrown backward. Huang Anniang's eyes widened in shock at first, then she made a hoarse struggling sound in her throat, her face turning from red to green as she contorted in pain.
"Mother!" Little Zhu was terrified and rushed forward to pull Ling Yuan's hand away.
Wu Zhong quickly stepped forward: "Your Highness! You mustn't!"
Ling Yuan suddenly turned his head and glared at them, his eyes burning with fury that seemed to spit out fire, freezing the two of them in place.
"Does my mother deserve to die?" His voice was as cold as ice as he looked at them.
Ling Yuan's fingers suddenly loosened, and Huang Anniang collapsed to the ground like a rag doll. She greedily inhaled, her throat hissing, before she could even catch her breath—
Ling Yuan said softly, "Take care of it."
Ling Ying swiftly brought her knife down, and before Huang An's mother and Wu Zhong could react, they were already on the ground. Xiao Zhuzi froze, then threw himself on his parents, wailing, "Father! Mother!"
Ling Yuan turned and walked towards the door: "Clean it up, and don't let the Princess know."
The flickering candlelight cast the shadow of a child as he fell.
Back in the room, Yan Shu was fast asleep. Ling Yuan stood by the bed, gazing at her profile, his heart aching so much he could barely stand. Why did such deep hatred have to separate them? He reached out to touch her hair, but his fingertips abruptly withdrew just before brushing against her cheek.
"Your Highness..."
It turned out she was just talking in her sleep.
A tear slid down Ling Yuan's cheek. He hurriedly raised his hand to wipe it away, only to find that his face was already covered in tears.
He desperately wanted to shake her awake and demand to know what her family had done.
But he couldn't. He couldn't say anything. Given Yan Shu's personality, if she knew the truth, she wouldn't know how to face herself and would probably leave him. He couldn't lose her. Even if this love was built on a blood feud, even if he was suffering from the torment of his conscience every second, he couldn't let go.
"Shu'er..." He knelt by the bed, burying his face in her disheveled hair, his voice broken and incoherent, "What should I do..."
The next morning, Yan Shu woke up and saw that Ling Yuan was pale. She asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
Ling Yuan forced a smile: "I had a nightmare last night, I dreamt that you didn't want to be alone anymore."
Yan Shu chuckled and hugged him, "How could that be?"
But she didn't see the sadness in Ling Yuan's eyes.
A few days later, Yan Shu still hadn't seen Xiao Zhuzi and found it strange, so she decided to go to Aunt Yu's house to check. The gate wasn't locked, so she pushed it open and went inside, only to find the house empty.
When she got home, she told Lingyuan about it. Lingyuan replied calmly, "I heard from Xiaozhuzi a few days ago that they were moving away. They may have already moved."
"Oh," Yan Shu responded, but something still felt off.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
