Chapter 726 Collaboration - Illegitimate Child
"Are you sure?" Yun Yichen pressed.
Upon hearing this, Shadow glanced at the scroll again and then said with absolute certainty, "I'm sure this person is the Seventh Prince."
It's inevitable that some of the late emperor's sons would look alike, but Shadow was certain that this was the portrait of the seventh prince.
"If I remember correctly, the Seventh Prince was the last of the brothers to be eliminated by the Emperor. It seems he was disfigured and torn apart by five horses."
Yun Yichen recalled the palace secrets he had heard, but he did not remember any connection between Lu Hexuan and the Seventh Prince.
"It seems we'll have to ask the Wise Prince about this."
As Gu Shuyan spoke, her gaze fell on the portrait again. Although she really didn't want to make wild guesses, Gu Renjie and this person looked so alike, plus the shadow repeating Lu Hexuan's words.
Based on what Lu Hexuan said when he came to find Yun Yichen, Gu Shuyan couldn't help but think in that direction.
Hearing Gu Shuyan's words, Yun Yichen couldn't help but retort, "That's not necessarily true. Perhaps there is another person who can answer our questions. And I believe he definitely knows more than my unreliable uncle."
"Oh? Who is that?" Gu Shuyan couldn't help but ask curiously.
Yun Yichen kept her in suspense, saying he would take her to see him in the evening.
After dinner, Yun Yichen indeed took Gu Shuyan out.
However, the place they went to was the residence of Marquis Yi'an.
Looking at Yun Yichen's smiling lips and recalling what he had said that morning, Gu Shuyan suddenly realized who he was talking about.
Do you think your father could know about those things from back then?
Gu Shuyan looked at Yun Yichen suspiciously. Although Gu Jin did witness the struggle for the throne among the nine princes, he could recognize people, but could he explain those things?
Seeing Gu Shuyan's concerns, Yun Yichen reached out and patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry! My father-in-law definitely knows."
With a skeptical attitude, Gu Shuyan and Yun Yichen met Gu Jin together. When the painting was placed in front of Gu Jin, Gu Jin's expression clearly turned ugly.
"Where did you get this painting from?" Gu Jin asked as soon as he opened his mouth.
Yun Yichen didn't hide anything and directly told Lu Hexuan that he had stolen the painting from him.
Gu Shuyan thought Gu Jin would scold the two of them after hearing this, but to her surprise, Gu Jin sighed, glanced at the painting, and didn't say anything to blame them.
"Have someone go and call your eldest brother over here too!"
Gu Shuyan's heart skipped a beat when Gu Jin spoke. They had come to inquire about the person in the painting, but Gu Jin insisted on sending Gu Renjie. Could it be, as she suspected, that Gu Renjie really had some connection with this person?
With a mix of trepidation and excitement, Gu Renjie was summoned.
Gu Jin first showed the painting to Gu Renjie, and then slowly said under Gu Renjie's puzzled gaze, "You should have already guessed that the person in the painting is Renjie's biological father."
Back then, when Princess Baiyun came to the Great Zhou for a political marriage, the first person she took a liking to was the Seventh Prince. The two were in love and had already confessed their feelings to the late emperor. But at this moment, the current emperor interfered and plotted to make Princess Baiyun lose her virginity to him.
Princess Baiyun felt she had betrayed her relationship with the Seventh Prince and attempted suicide, but was ultimately saved and did not succeed in her wish.
In order to prevent Princess Baiyun from doing anything foolish, the Seventh Prince secretly persuaded her, which finally dispelled her thoughts of suicide.
To avoid suspicion, the two treated each other with courtesy whenever they met again, and never overstepped their bounds.
I thought life would continue peacefully like this, but as long as there is an emperor, there is no truly peaceful day.
In order to scheme against the seventh prince, the emperor deliberately lured him out in the name of Princess Baiyun, intending to bring the seventh prince down by accusing him of having an affair with his sister-in-law.
However, the two men saw through his plan at the crucial moment, and the emperor ultimately failed to succeed.
Whether out of revenge against the emperor or not, the two rekindled their old flame and began to meet secretly. It was during these meetings that Gu Renjie became pregnant.
"I thought I was born out of wedlock, but I never imagined I was an illegitimate child."
Hearing this, Gu Renjie was no longer moved. He simply felt that the affairs of this world were truly utterly ridiculous.
"Renjie, you must not underestimate yourself! Of the late emperor's sons, the seventh prince was the most suitable candidate for the position of crown prince. If he had not been plotted against and killed, the throne might not be in anyone's hands now."
Gu Jin knew that what he was saying was outrageous, but it was absolutely the truth.
The emperor had already issued the edict to designate the crown prince, but before the summons could be made, the emperor of another country withheld it and accused the seventh prince of treason.
"Even so, it doesn't change the fact that I am an illegitimate child."
Gu Renjie spoke stubbornly, and just when Gu Jin didn't know how to comfort him, Gu Shuyan stepped forward.
"In my opinion, it would be better if my brother wasn't the emperor's son."
Sure enough, as soon as Gu Shuyan finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to her.
"Think about it! The emperor is so ruthless. If he were his son, wouldn't we have to pay off his debts? Besides, patricide is a serious crime. Now that my brother is no longer his son, even if we kill him, it won't matter, right?"
Gu Shuyan is pregnant, yet she keeps talking about murder and killing people!
The three of them shouted in unison, "Don't talk nonsense!"
It was quite obvious that Gu Shuyan's words eased the atmosphere considerably.
"Father-in-law, do you know what the relationship is between this Prince Xian and my uncle?"
Upon learning of the relationship between the Seventh Prince and Consort Yun, Yun Yichen immediately changed how he addressed him.
Gu Renjie was surprised by Yun Yichen's words and couldn't help but give him a grateful look.
He knew that Yun Yichen could have called the Seventh Prince his uncle, but he insisted on using the term "uncle-in-law" because he was telling him that the Bai family only recognized this one son-in-law.
Gu Jin thought for a moment after hearing this, then shook his head and said, "When the Seventh Prince died, the Prince Xian was only five years old. The two should not have had much interaction."
But looking at the painting, if there really was no connection, why would the wise king hide it?
Gu Jin fell into deep thought, and the three of them did not urge him, but simply waited quietly for Gu Jin to recall.
Finally, Gu Jin clapped his hands and exclaimed in surprise, "I remember now! Although the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Prince are not born of the same mother, the mother of the Prince Xian and the mother of the Seventh Prince are cousins."
The late emperor did not have many concubines, and almost all of them had a child with them.
So even though they are cousins, they don't act close to each other in public, to the point that everyone forgets that they are blood relatives.
"I see. No wonder Lu Hexuan kept this painting and was talking to himself while holding it."
Gu Shuyan understood, and immediately felt a great sense of relief. But Yun Yichen still had a question in his mind.
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