"That Consort Jia is indeed your birth mother, but that prince is not you. He is another prince who should have been drowned more than 20 years ago."
Liancheng's birth mother was considered unlucky for giving birth to twins. After drowning one of the twins, although the eldest son was able to return to the palace, she did not go back with him. Instead, she asked to leave, citing her unlucky status as an excuse that it was inconvenient for her to serve the emperor.
She came from a humble background, and the emperor of Southern Yan didn't particularly like her. Furthermore, she gave birth to twins with ominous signs, so he let her go without trying to stop her.
The few people who knew the truth thought she was heartbroken because the emperor had ordered the drowning of one of her children, which was why she didn't return to the palace. But in reality, she chose not to return to take care of her other child.
The child that was drowned was not actually hers. She had chosen a poor farmer whose due date was close to her own, paid her some money, and then had the farmer drink a labor-inducing medicine when she was about to give birth. The farmer gave birth to her child shortly after her own, and the farmer's child took her place.
Newborn babies are usually difficult to identify by their appearance, and it's impossible to tell if they are a biological child. Even twins don't necessarily look exactly alike.
Those sent to follow her thought it was a tough job and didn't care about her and her two children's lives. They didn't stay by her side to keep a close watch on her all day. After the children were born, they drowned one of them and returned to the palace to report back. They didn't take it to heart.
The child who should have died many years ago survived and was raised by Consort Jia, who was once just a noblewoman.
Liancheng was sent to the palace, and from a young age he heard people in the palace say that his birth mother died of postpartum hemorrhage shortly after giving birth to him and his younger brother, and he had no idea that she was still alive.
"We all thought you had found out that the Empress was still alive, and that you brought her back because you felt sorry for her, and even asked His Majesty to make her a concubine."
"I never imagined... I never imagined that this wasn't your intention at all, but rather that His Majesty and several princes conspired to replace you with that fake Third Prince and take control of everything you have left in Southern Yan!"
"It's all my fault for not looking carefully enough. I believed it was you just because I saw that face, and that's why I made such a big mistake!"
As he spoke, he kowtowed heavily on the ground several more times, and his forehead turned blue and red in the blink of an eye.
“If they look exactly alike, it is indeed difficult to tell them apart. You don’t need to do that. Hurry up.”
Liancheng Road.
Zhao Wu did not rise, but continued to kowtow on the ground, filled with remorse and tears streaming down his face.
Liancheng sighed and reached out to help him up. Zhao Wu then choked back tears as he stood up. Just as he was about to raise his other hand, he suddenly opened his eyes wide and bent over, looking at him in disbelief.
"Your Highness, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, he fell backward as another sharp pain shot through his lower back and abdomen.
Blood gushed from his abdomen, where a dagger was embedded, with only the hilt protruding.
At the same time, another dagger fell from his sleeve and landed with a clatter beside him.
Liancheng looked at him coldly, her expression no longer as friendly and approachable as before, and took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands.
"Even the King of Qin knows I wouldn't do something so foolish. You've been with me for so many years, how could you not know?"
“Even if my brother looks exactly like me, it’s impossible for him to behave exactly the same way in such a short time. If you can’t tell the difference, you’re really stupid and deserve to die. If you can tell the difference but still obey orders, it means you’re no longer loyal to me and deserve to die even more.”
After saying this, he summoned the servants outside the door and said in a deep voice, "Take them out, cut off their heads to report to the King of Qin, and chop up the rest of their bodies to feed the dogs."
Zhao Wu lay on the ground, eyes wide and gasping for breath. He was not yet fully dead when he heard Zhao Wu explain how his body was disposed of. He could no longer utter a word and was dragged away, leaving only a glaring trail of blood.
The bloodstains were quickly cleaned up, as if nothing had ever happened there and Zhao Wu had never been there.
After everything was tidied up, Liancheng sat in the room for a long time.
He never thought his mother and brother were still alive, because the palace servants had told him since he was a child that they were dead, and he had never doubted it.
Now, not only are these two alive, they have also been brought back to the palace.
Liancheng chuckled and muttered to himself, "I have a mother and a younger brother now."
Since he was old enough to understand, he knew that he had nothing. His mother and younger brother had both passed away, and the other brothers and sisters in the palace could not be considered his real brothers and sisters. His father, the emperor, did not exist for him because the emperor did not like him at all. The longest time he went without seeing his father was three or four years. Even at the palace banquet where the whole family was reunited, he would not think of him, or if he did, he would pretend not to.
It was precisely because of this that he survived with difficulty and tenacity.
Because he poses no threat to others, he can occasionally be used as a source of amusement, and people might even insult or kick him while he's down.
He was like a toy used to amuse those people, growing up amidst humiliation and insults.
Although the servants did not want to disturb him, they couldn't help but speak up after hearing this.
“Young Master, Consort Jia and that…that prince, they have replaced you.”
While the reunion of mother, son, and brothers is certainly cause for celebration, more than twenty years of separation has made their kinship as fragile as paper, unable to withstand even the slightest test.
Consort Jia once chose to send her eldest son to the palace while she stayed by her second son's side to raise him.
Consort Jia has now chosen to bring her second son back to the palace, replacing the eldest son's position.
Was she being misled and unaware of what this would bring to her eldest son? Or was she fully aware but still doing it anyway?
Liancheng's smile froze slightly, but quickly returned to normal.
“They must have had a very hard life before, I forgive them this time.”
No matter the reason, he forgave them once.
Upon hearing this, the servant fell silent, lowered his eyes, sighed softly, and remained quiet.
Chapter 85 Fine Wine
Wei Hong thought Lian Cheng wouldn't appear before him for a long time, but before he even reached Cangcheng, this shameless guy followed him again, asking him to meet at a brothel in the town where they were resting, saying he had something for him.
"Get him out of here!" Wei Hong said. "Leave his things, and get him as far away as possible!"
Last time, he shouted in the courtyard that he should go to a brothel, and then immediately ran away, making the whole inn know that this prince was a person who frequented brothels and liked to visit prostitutes.
Luckily, Ning'er believed him and didn't take it seriously, otherwise he would have chased him for two miles and beaten him to death!
The servant stammered, "I told him, but he said it's something very important and he must deliver it to you personally. If you don't go... he'll leave with it in half an hour."
Wei Hong frowned, and as he hesitated, Yao Youqing advised from the side, "If it is really something important, Your Highness, you should go. It's alright, I don't mind."
Wei Hong didn't know what important thing Liancheng had to give him. Although he disliked Liancheng's habit of always talking nonsense in front of Yao Youqing, he still decided to go. Before leaving, he said to Yao Youqing, "I'll be back as soon as I get the things. I won't delay."
Yao Youqing chuckled: "Okay, then I'll wait for you here."
Wei Hong kissed her forehead before leaving. However, he stopped at the gate, stood there for a moment, turned to the servant beside him and whispered something to him before turning back.
"Why is Your Highness back again? Is there something you forgot to take?"
Seeing Wei Hong suddenly turn back, Yao Youqing asked in confusion.
Wei Hong shook his head, walked over, and took her hand.
"Ning'er, come with me."
Yao Youqing was startled and quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no, I can't go. Father hates it when my brothers go to brothels to drink and have fun. He always scolds them when he finds out. If he finds out I went too, then... then he'll definitely be unhappy."
"He's not here, how would he know?"
Wei Hong said.
"Besides, it's only called 'flower wine' if you hire prostitutes to accompany you. We don't hire prostitutes; it's just a regular banquet."
"Those famous brothels are just ordinary restaurants during the day. Many of the prostitutes there are virgins; they just play a few instruments, sing a few songs, and pour a few drinks at banquets. Many officials often entertain guests at brothels. Your father is one of them..."
He swallowed the word "pedantic" back in time, paused, and said, "Anyway, you'll know once you come with me. I really never hire prostitutes to accompany me."
“I trust Your Highness. You don’t need to take me with you. Besides… it’s not convenient for a woman like me to go in and out of such places. It would be bad if someone saw me.”
"It's alright, I've had someone prepare a set of clothes for you."
Wei Hong then instructed a servant to bring her the prepared clothes. It was a set of men's clothing for a teenager, and judging from the size, it should fit Yao Youqing perfectly.
He picked it up and held it against her, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Let me see it on."
Yao Youqing was initially unwilling, but Wei Hong whispered in her ear, "Then I'll change it for you."
As he spoke, he reached out to unbutton her clothes.
Yao Youqing quickly shook her head: "No, no, I can do it myself!"
So, without really thinking, I put on that men's clothing, and to my surprise, it fit me perfectly.
The men's clothing was her favorite sky blue color. Because it was winter clothing, the collar was trimmed with frayed edges, which made her fair face look even more adorable.
Wei Hong stared at her for a moment, then reached out and gently stroked her cheek.
"My Ning'er looks good in anything."
Yao Youqing blushed slightly and awkwardly straightened her clothes.
"Your Highness, do you really want me to go with you? Actually..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wei Hong silenced him with a kiss.
He kissed her for a long time before letting go, saying, "When we get there, stay by my side. Don't go anywhere else, and don't look around. Understand?"
With Ning'er's looks, not to mention those who lust after women, even those with a penchant for sharing peaches would be attracted to her. He didn't want those people's eyes to be constantly fixed on her.
Yao Youqing nodded in agreement: "Understood."
The two then took a carriage to the brothel that Liancheng had mentioned, and went directly to a private room on the second floor after entering.
When Liancheng saw that Wei Hong had brought Yao Youqing along, he almost spat out his drink.
He wanted to say something sarcastic, but then he remembered that he had offended Wei Hong before, and Wei Hong was probably still angry, so he didn't dare to go too far. He just greeted Yao Youqing and then said to Wei Hong, "Your Highness, the things I brought... are not convenient for the Princess to see."
Wei Hong thought he was going to stir up trouble again, and his expression darkened.
"What I can see, my queen can see too. You either take it out directly, or leave immediately and never set foot in Shuozhou again!"
Liancheng clicked his tongue twice: "You said it yourself."
Then he turned to the person next to him and said, "Go and bring me Zhao Wu's head."
Upon hearing this, Yao Youqing instinctively leaned closer to Wei Hong and gripped his sleeve tightly.
Wei Hong gritted his teeth, patting and comforting Yao Youqing while saying to Lian Cheng, "Is this all you're going to give me?"
"Yes, he was the culprit who kidnapped the princess. The prince specifically instructed me to hand over his body to you after I captured him. But it's really inconvenient to carry such a big body, and it would be troublesome if it rotted and smelled bad, so I only brought you his head."
"The weather's been cool lately, so this head is still fresh. If Your Highness doesn't mind, you can soak it in wine!"
He went further and further, scaring Yao Youqing so much that she huddled next to Wei Hong, trembling, her eyes reddening.
"Shut up!"
Wei Hong angrily told Cui Hao to take Yao Youqing to another room next door first, while he stayed here.