From the very beginning, Cheng Yujin felt that the way Marquis Cheng and Cheng Yuanjing interacted was very strange. Today, when Marquis Cheng sent people out, his eyes were clearly looking for someone. Of all the people from the Cheng Family present, only Cheng Yuanjing was not present. He had gone to send the imperial physician away.
Needless to say, Marquis Cheng was looking for Cheng Yuanjing.
Marquis Cheng was seriously ill and on the verge of death. The arrangement of his assets and the inheritance of his title were all important matters. At this time, he was not in a hurry to make arrangements for his will. Instead, he sent people away to talk to Cheng Yuanjing. The deep meaning behind this was hard for people to not think deeply about.
Cheng Yujin felt that there was a problem. She deliberately took a detour to avoid everyone's eyes and ears. She ran back and secretly hid in Marquis Cheng's room. She wanted to hear what Marquis Cheng wanted to talk to Cheng Yuanjing alone while avoiding everyone.
Who would have thought that she would hear such terrible news!
Cheng Yujin was caught off guard and almost screamed on the spot. She tightly covered her mouth. Because she was using too much force, her fingers were bitten until there were small teeth marks. For the first time, Cheng Yujin regretted her actions. She wished she could cover her ears and not listen at all.
However, things did not go as she wished. The sound outside was weakened by a layer of wood and intermittently transmitted into the room.
Marquis Cheng was already sick to the point of death. He wanted to support his body, but after using all his strength, he could only raise his head. Marquis Cheng's eyes could no longer see clearly. He could only see a vague figure.
Even though he had fallen from the clouds, even though he had experienced so many setbacks, he was still as elegant as before. His entire body carried the dignity of an imperial prince.
Cheng Yuanjing sighed softly. He sat beside Marquis Cheng's bed and said, "Marquis, I'm here. If you have any unfulfilled wishes, you can speak freely. "
In the long and narrow cupboard surrounded by the heavy wooden door, Cheng Yujin's fingers clenched even tighter. He did not deny it. He tacitly agreed with Marquis Cheng's way of addressing him.
He was actually not a member of the Cheng Family, but the crown prince who had been missing for fifteen years?
Many past events suddenly exploded in Cheng Yujin's mind with a bang. No wonder she had previously felt that the way Marquis Cheng and Cheng Yuanjing got along was strange. When Marquis Cheng made a decision, he would look at Cheng Yuanjing with a hint of pleading. After Cheng Yuanjing nodded, he would give the order as if relieved of a heavy burden. No wonder Marquis Cheng had let Cheng Yuanjing write the words to congratulate the Emperor on his birthday. No wonder he was very protective of Cheng Yuanjing and was blatantly biased. No wonder Old Lady Cheng's attitude towards Cheng Yuanjing was suspicious. Xiao Xue and Marquis Cheng had been separated for twenty years. When she came back, she suddenly brought a six-year-old son. Old Lady Cheng had always felt that Cheng Yuanjing was not a member of the Cheng Family. It was Xiao Xue who deliberately schemed against the Cheng Family.
So it really wasn't.
It was just that this child's true background was so big that people didn't even dare to think about it.
Cheng Yujin's thoughts were chaotic. The more chaotic her mind was, the softer her breathing became. She knew that she had caused a big disaster today. The disappearance of the crown prince was such a big matter that the entire court had searched for him for fifteen years. However, the crown prince had been openly raised in the capital all this time. Cheng Yujin didn't dare to think about whether the Emperor knew about this matter, but she was sure that the Empress and Yang Shoufu didn't know.
Marquis Cheng had kept it a secret for more than ten years. He didn't even trust his own son and wife. Now that Cheng Yujin had found out, would Marquis Cheng let her off easily? Even if Marquis Cheng was willing, this crown prince probably wouldn't allow it.
Cheng Yujin covered her mouth and nose even harder. She lowered her breathing to the minimum and almost stopped breathing. At this time, the room was filled with incense. The sunlight shone in through the window, slow and heavy.
Marquis Cheng's voice was old and hoarse: "Your Highness, this old official knows that his days are numbered. This old official doesn't have to work in the fields or run around for a living. When I was young, I was frivolous. When I was old, I had many children and grandchildren. Even though I didn't contribute to the country, I have lived a smooth life and have no regrets. Xue Lan has waited underground for so long and is probably tired of waiting. This old official has nothing to worry about. There are only two things that I can't let go of. One is the incompetence of the Cheng Family's children and grandchildren. The other is Your Highness. "
"Your Highness has been wandering among the common people for fifteen years. This old official was fortunate to have met Your Highness. However, I wasn't able to see Your Highness take over the Eastern Palace and ascend to the throne. This is truly my life's regret. "
Old Marquis Cheng's speech was intermittent. He had to stop and take a break before he could continue speaking. Cheng Yuanjing waited patiently from beginning to end. He listened to Marquis Cheng speak and his eyes seemed to sweep over the Golden Bi beast incense burner.
This cumbersome copper and gilded incense burner was placed next to a window. At this moment, the green smoke on top of it was trembling. There was no wind in the room, so why was the smoke shaking?
Cheng Yuanjing's gaze lightly fell on the cabinet and then inadvertently swept over it. Marquis Cheng was oblivious to all this. He seemed to be immersed in his memories, slowly repeating the case of the Crown Prince's disappearance in the eighth year of Jianwu.
"Your Highness is the legitimate son of the Middle Palace. However, you were born with misfortune and were framed by scoundrels. The Yang Family was always unwilling to let His Majesty make the original Princess Consort Empress. His Majesty dragged it out for half a year. When he was about to resign and return to his vassal state, the Yang Family finally gave in and honored the Princess Consort as Empress. I didn't expect the Yang Family to be so bold. They refused to give up even when the Empress was pregnant. They almost caused the Empress to have a miscarriage and caused Your Highness to be born prematurely. Your Highness has always been weak. The Empress Dowager used the reason that Your Highness was born in the fifth month and was destined not to be able to survive. His Majesty didn't agree. After Empress Zhong passed away, he took you by his side and personally took care of you for three years. Your Highness's health was getting better and better. However, when you were five years old, you suddenly fell ill. The imperial physicians were helpless. His Majesty had no choice but to reluctantly send you to the Taoist temple. "
"His Majesty originally wanted to send Your Highness to the mountains to recuperate and avoid the Yang Family. He didn't expect that not long after, news came from outside the city that Qingxuan Temple had been destroyed by a mountain flood. His Majesty lost his composure on the spot and hurriedly sent the Imperial Guards to search the mountain. However, after searching for three months, they found nothing. "
"In the Taoist temple, no one was lucky enough to escape. This case shocked the entire court. His Majesty even suspended court for half a month, wholeheartedly searching for news of Your Highness. Seeing His Majesty's attitude, no one inside or outside the capital dared to say that Your Highness had met with misfortune. They could only slowly search for Your Highness under the guise of being missing. " Marquis Cheng recalled this and couldn't help but shake his head and smile. "At that time, when this subject heard the news, I was very shocked. I also sent servants to support the court and felt very sorry for Your Highness. I didn't expect the fate of the world to be so ingenious. Your Highness was inadvertently picked up by Xuelan. "
When he mentioned his former adoptive mother, Cheng Yuanjing's expression also eased. He had been disappointed by others all his life. Only Xiao Xue gave him a place of peace, taught him to read and write, and taught him to start anew. Marquis Cheng's significance to Cheng Yuanjing was far less than Xiao Xue. Cheng Yuanjing's respect for Marquis Cheng now was also largely because of Xiao Xue's face.
Xiao Xue had been exiled to the barren mountains and turbulent rivers for more than ten years because of her family's injustice. Although her family's status was no longer there, she still strictly adhered to her family's rules and never went on blind dates with outside men. But as she grew older, she knew that she had no hope of having children, so she especially desired to raise a child. She inadvertently picked up the injured Cheng Yuanjing. Moved by compassion, she brought him home and took care of him until he woke up.
When she asked the child's name, the five year old boy was silent for a long time. He said that his parents had both died and he had been swept here by a mountain flood. He didn't know where he came from. Xiao Xue then asked his name. He only said that his name was Jing.
Jing, jade light, the virtue of a gentleman, the color of Mount Kun.
It was an excellent name.
Xiao Xue didn't ask much. She took good care of him and raised him as her own son. Xue family was a scholarly family. Xiao Xue was also proficient in the classics and histories. She was known for her talent even before she was married. She saw that this child was intelligent, so she tried to teach him how to read and write. She didn't expect that Cheng Yuanjing's talent was even greater than she had imagined. Xiao Xue was a criminal. She didn't have much contact with the outside world, so having a child by her side didn't attract much attention.
She settled down with the child. Not long after, the imperial court began a large-scale search of the mountains. The commotion even spread to the land of exile where she lived. Xiao Xue's residence became more and more unsafe. She gradually realized that this child wasn't a lost child from an ordinary family.
This was most likely the Crown Prince.
She didn't dare to say anything. She came from a scholarly family and understood the situation in the imperial court. She knew that if this child was discovered by the imperial court, she and the child wouldn't be able to survive. Just as Xiao Xue didn't know what to do, Marquis Cheng used the opportunity of helping search for the Crown Prince to secretly visit Xiao Xue. Marquis Cheng was Xiao Xue's former fiancé, but that was only in the past. After so many years, Xiao Xue and Marquis Cheng didn't have any contact. In the past, Marquis Cheng had given her money, but she had rejected it. However, this time, Xiao Xue gritted her teeth and met Marquis Cheng. She had him take her and her son back to the capital.
The more dangerous a place was, the safer it was. Whether it was the Emperor or Yang Shoufu, they wouldn't pay special attention to what was beneath their feet. Going to the capital would give Cheng Yuanjing a better environment to grow up in.
Marquis Cheng didn't know that Cheng Yuanjing wasn't Xiao Xue's son. He thought that an outsider had humiliated Xiao Xue, forced her to give birth to a son, and then abandoned them. Marquis Cheng couldn't bear for the white moonlight in his heart to be humiliated like this. After returning to the capital, he said that this was his hidden son and that he was bringing him back to acknowledge his ancestors.
Before the Emperor could react, Cheng Yuanjing had entered someone else's family tree. Cheng Yuanjing didn't care about this. Now that things had come to this, he had to make plans for himself. No matter how deep the father-son relationship was, it wasn't as important as his own survival.
Xiao Xue saw that Cheng Yuanjing didn't object, so she nervously acquiesced. What happened next was the version that everyone in the Cheng Family knew. Old Lady Cheng strongly objected, so Marquis Cheng raised Xiao Xue and Cheng Yuanjing outside and went to visit them every month.
The Emperor sent two people to search for the Crown Prince's whereabouts. One was in the open, wantonly searching the mountains, and the other was in the dark, following clues to investigate the people. Later, they actually followed the clues to the capital. The Emperor was shocked. At this time, he discovered that his son had changed his surname and became a mistress of the Cheng Family.
Alright, under the name of the Cheng Family, it was easy to do things.
When Cheng Yuanjing returned to the Cheng Family, he met the secret agent that the Emperor secretly sent. The Emperor secretly observed Marquis Cheng for almost a year before revealing that he wanted to protect the Crown Prince.
Marquis Cheng was as if he had been struck by lightning on a sunny day. On the other hand, Xiao Xue's guess was confirmed. She put down a big burden and did what she had to do. The Emperor and Marquis Cheng originally planned to raise Cheng Yuanjing safely outside the palace. When the time was right, they would let Cheng Yuanjing come back. Cheng Yuanjing, of course, believed that the Emperor's intentions when he said these words were true. However, he also knew that if he really lived the life of a noble child, he would probably never be able to recover his identity.
The Emperor said that the time was right. At the very least, he would have to wait until Empress Dowager Yang and Yang Shoufu died of old age. At that time, Yang Miao's son would also have grown up. He had no status, no status, and no one to rely on. What right did he have to take the position of Crown Prince?
Without destruction, there can be no construction. Cheng Yuanjing simply cut off his own path of retreat and wholeheartedly prepared for the imperial examinations. Of everyone, probably only Xiao Xue truly supported him. The Emperor and Marquis Cheng had never thought that Cheng Yuanjing would be able to pass the imperial examinations. The provincial examinations were one in a hundred, and the Jinshi were even rarer. In three years, there were only 100 Jinshi in the country. Cheng Yuanjing had become a Jinshi midway. How could he compare to a scholar who had prepared for more than a decade or even a lifetime?
The provincial examinations and the metropolitan examinations were both name-only examinations, and Yang Shoufu was in charge. The Emperor could not make things easy for Cheng Yuanjing. At the time, the Emperor did not want to dampen the spirit of the young people. Li Seung-kyung was going to inherit the throne in the future. There was no harm in letting him try the difficulties of the imperial examinations and experience the hardships of the people.
Who knew that the Emperor would actually see his son on the list sent by the Ministry of Rites. He managed to control his expression. In the court examinations, this was the first time in many years that he had seen his eldest son's face.
The father and son had not seen each other for many years. If not for the special circumstances, they probably would not have met. The Emperor did not want his son to be ranked too high, so he suppressed it. Later, when he appointed him, the Emperor secretly sent a eunuch to ask for Cheng Yuanjing's opinion. When the Emperor heard the answer, he sighed. Later, he arranged for him to go out of the country to see the real Yan Dynasty.
In return, the Xue family case that had accumulated for many years was settled. Xiao Xue learned from her sickbed that her adopted son had passed the imperial examinations, and her family had been rehabilitated. She passed away with a smile.
In the past few years, the conflicts in the imperial court had become more and more frequent. In addition, Marquis Cheng was seriously ill. Cheng Yuanjing requested to return to the capital. When the Emperor saw it, of course, he allowed it.
Cheng Yuanjin said that Huo Changyuan owed it to the Crown Prince. It was not a lie. Cheng Yuanjing was grateful to Xiao Xue. Seeing that Xiao Xue had saved Cheng Yuanjing's life, the Emperor ordered people to reopen the Xue family case. After the Xue family case was rehabilitated, the Huxue Clan sensed some movement. They tried to send people to request for the title of Marquis. The Emperor remembered that the Huxue Clan also had the surname Xue, so he asked Huo Changyuan a few questions during the banquet and helped them resolve the issue of the title of Marquis.
Marquis Cheng had enjoyed everything in his life. To be able to protect the Crown Prince in his old age, he could die without regrets. There were two things that he could not let go of. One was the Cheng Family, and the other was the Crown Prince. With the Crown Prince around, he would take care of the Cheng Family. The Cheng Family did not ask for glory, and their children and grandchildren would be safe and sound for the rest of their lives. Marquis Cheng did not doubt this. What he was really worried about was Cheng Yuanjing.
Marquis Cheng said, "Xuelan is dead, and I don't have much time left. The only people left who know the truth are His Majesty and Your Highness. The Yang Family is very powerful. Yang Shoufu controls the court, and Empress Dowager Yang controls the internal court. The Yang Family's daughter also gave birth to the Second Prince. Your Highness, you have to think for yourself. If all the people who know the truth are dead, once His Majesty wavers, no one will be able to prove your identity! "
Marquis Cheng said these words to remind Cheng Yuanjing of the danger of nine familial exterminations. Just these words alone were enough to strip the Cheng Family of their title and confiscate their property. Marquis Cheng stared at Cheng Yuanjing eagerly. He knew that this would drive a wedge between them, but he still took the risk to say it. Marquis Cheng was sincerely thinking for the good of Cheng Yuanjing.
Cheng Yuanjing did not respond. His gaze seemed to drift away, but it quickly returned to normal. Cheng Yuanjing looked at Marquis Cheng's earnest gaze. After a long time, he said, "Marquis, don't worry. I understand your concerns. I know what to do. In the future, as long as I am alive, I will not let the Cheng Family be implicated. "
But that was all.
Marquis Cheng was relieved. He knew that His Highness the Crown Prince, whom he had high hopes for, was not blinded by familial affection. The Cheng Family's descendants would also be able to enjoy wealth and prosperity. Marquis Cheng had done his best to reach this point. If he could not protect his descendants, then the Cheng Family's fate would be over. In the future, when he saw his ancestors, Marquis Cheng could be calm.
Marquis Cheng smiled and closed his eyes. He was too tired and fell into a deep sleep as soon as he closed his eyes. Cheng Yuanjing watched for a while. When he saw that Marquis Cheng had fallen asleep, he slowly stood up.
Marquis Cheng's room was dimly lit and heavy with medicine. When he walked in the room, there was no sound of footsteps at all. Cheng Yuanjin was forced to hear a secret of the palace. Now, she did not even dare to breathe. Through the gap, she saw Cheng Yuanjing stand up. Her hands clenched even tighter, and she used all her strength to hold her breath.
Cheng Yuanjing seemed to be going out. He walked past the mahogany closet and inexplicably stopped for a while. Cheng Yuanjin was so nervous that her heart was about to jump out. She almost thought that she had been discovered. However, Cheng Yuanjing acted as if nothing had happened and walked past.
Cheng Yuanjin quietly let out a sigh of relief. She moved her body slightly. After being tense for so long, her legs were numb.
However, just as Cheng Yuanjin put her legs down, she suddenly heard someone say, "Still not coming out?"
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