Hengxian County.
"Brother Huo, my wound seems to be healing very quickly."
After Gu Qingyan was injured, Gu Lin personally applied medicine every time. "This is a good thing for the Third Prince, but you must remember to keep it a secret to avoid being taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives."
Gu Qingyan grinned. "Right now, only the two of us know."
However, he still needs to tell his mother and uncle after he returns to the capital.
Looking at the wound on Gu Qingyan's right hand, the familiar sharp pain returned. Gu Lin forced himself to avoid everyone's gaze and returned to a secluded courtyard.
"My lord, it's not even the fifteenth yet, why is it already...?"
Ling Hai hurriedly started brewing medicine for Gu Lin. The moment Gu Lin lay down on the bed, he was already covered in sweat.
That year, he was sent to war on his father's dying wish. During the great battle, he was betrayed and forced to rush back to the capital to report the situation to Gu Heng. However, he was detained and forced to watch helplessly as Gu Heng married the woman he loved.
"I want you to watch me marry Jiang Yu with your own eyes. The day of the wedding will be the day you die."
Ironically, he had never harbored any ambition to seize the throne, and only now did he realize that his respected elder brother was actually a completely different person behind the scenes.
"And..." Gu Heng smiled condescendingly, "the woman you cherish will be enjoyed by the lowest death row inmate tonight, until she becomes pregnant."
At that moment, overwhelming hatred filled Gu Lin. His eyes were bloodshot, and if his hands and feet hadn't been tightly bound, he would have strangled Gu Heng to death the next moment.
"You've always wanted to know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal of the State, haven't you?"
Gu Lin swallowed the mouthful of blood. "This is something my father left me to save my life. Now I want to use it to make a deal with you."
That night, Gu Lin, who had been poisoned, stepped into Zhaoning Palace.
The next day, a great fire burned down the room where Gu Lin was imprisoned, and Daqing never had a Xiang King again.
In order to rescue him from that fire, Lingxiao Pavilion was almost completely destroyed.
"My lord, my lord..."
Ling Hai woke Gu Lin up with a bowl of medicine. The medicine tasted extremely bitter, but Gu Lin seemed completely unaware of it.
With glaring scars on his face exposed to the air, Gu Lin, who had risen to become the king of Da Ning, had almost no intact skin on his body.
Seeing the bluish-black bruises on Gu Lin's arm spread further, Ling Hai felt a bitter taste in his mouth. The Heavenly Snow Lotus, which he had painstakingly found to be an antidote, had been ordered by his master to be used on his wife during her difficult childbirth...
But how can we cure the poison in the Lord's body?
"The remaining prisoners have been interrogated. Should we reveal the informant in the county government to the young master?" Ling Hai asked softly. After Gu Lin nodded, Ling Hai quickly left the courtyard. At times like these, the master preferred to be alone.
Gu Qingyan's wounds resurfaced in Gu Lin's mind, and he felt guilty towards the child.
At that time, he was walking on the edge of a knife every day and couldn't protect Ayan at all.
He used the last of Lingxiao Pavilion's manpower to take the child away on the day Ayu gave birth. He waited until Gu Heng announced that he had died on the battlefield before sending Ling Hui, as the Princess Consort of Xiang, to take Ayan back in full view of everyone, thus making Ayan's identity public.
Ling Hui died by hitting his head against a pillar in front of the memorial tablet, confirming his "death".
Gu Heng believed that his remaining forces were only there to preserve his bloodline, and that only three or four people remained in Lingxiao Pavilion.
“Ayu…”
Gu Lin clutched his chest and murmured softly, "What if one day A-Yu knew the whole truth..."
......
In the darkness, Gu Lin's figure moved like a ghost, rapidly heading towards the border of Da Ning.
With his mask on, Gu Lin was surrounded by a chilling aura, causing everyone who had been waiting there to avoid looking up at him.
"How are things going at the Daqing Imperial Palace lately?"
"Your Majesty, Consort Rong has gone mad. The Lady already knows the true identities of Gu Qingling and the other two, and is now sending people to search for the child from back then."
After listening to Jiang Yu's complete plan, Gu Lin's lips finally curled up slightly.
"Keep an eye on them. As for Wei Sheng in the capital, let him suffer a bit first." Gu Lin lightly twirled his fingertips. "Leave the rest for A Yan to handle."
"My lord, there...there is one more thing..."
Gu Lin frowned at his subordinate's stammering. "The Prime Minister persuaded all the civil and military officials to jointly submit a memorial to you, requesting that you hold a selection of consorts next year, saying that the harem is empty and the emperor has no children, which is detrimental to Da Ning."
A gust of wind blew, and Gu Lin was already several feet away, leaving only one sentence:
“My son is far better raised than those old geezers.”
Ah Yu, the child you were looking for has already returned to your side.
......
Zhaoning Palace.
[The Lingxi Palace is now completely sealed off; even I and Gu Qingling are not allowed to enter.]
Jiang Yu was even more disgusted by Gu Heng's actions, finding him to be extremely heartless and fickle.
"Your Majesty," Wanji hurriedly returned, "This servant, following your instructions, went to find children around ten years old from ordinary families in the capital. These are the picture books of these children."
Jiang Yu quickly took the picture book, but the more she flipped through it, the more her brows furrowed.
The children in these portraits resemble neither me nor Gu Heng; they are likely not the children from back then.
Jiang Yu flipped through the pages three times, looking listless.
But Consort Rong said that the child was suffering right under my nose, so it must be in the capital.
Jiang Yu felt she had reached a dead end. Wan Ji had searched through all the children who met the requirements, but none of them made Jiang Yu think that they might be the children from back then.
"Wanji, is it possible that we overlooked something?"
Upon hearing this, Wanji bowed even more deeply. "Your Majesty, this is a picture book of all the school-aged children in the capital, but we cannot rule out the possibility that some families have lied about their children's ages."
Jiang Yu rubbed her temples. "These children are not as similar to me as Ayan."
The atmosphere seemed to freeze, and the entire Zhaoning Palace was completely silent.
"Wanji, what did I just say?" Jiang Yu's voice trembled slightly, and her whole body stiffened.
Wanji knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty just said... just said... these children are not as similar to Your Majesty as the Third Prince."
【Ayan?】
[No, Ayan is the son of King Xiang. Gu Heng would never allow his child to be registered under King Xiang's name.]
Jiang Yu pressed her rapidly beating heart. She must be crazy to think of A Yan.
“Back then, when Princess Xiang carried Ayan back to the capital, she committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar in front of Prince Xiang’s memorial tablet. I admire such a woman.” Jiang Yu ignored the strange feeling in her heart. “I was just thinking the wrong thing.”
This is unfair to Ayan and the child from back then.
"Then let's broaden the age range and find people between seven and thirteen years old."
Jiang Yu pursed her lips slightly, and she looked inexplicably tired.
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