Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
The cub moved from the side hall to the backyard. As soon as he appeared in the backyard, the old Taoist nun who had been lecturing people in a harsh voice immediately shut up. Another Taoist nun looked at him with excitement on her face. She opened her mouth as if she had a thousand words to say, but she remained silent. Gradually, her eyes reddened.
Lu Huan could also tell that the Taoist nun had something to say to him. Could it be that the ghosts and gods had dragged him here so that he could hear what the Taoist nun had to say?
He then said to the old Taoist nun, “Taoist Master Huijing, may I have a few words with her alone?”
Master Huijing left sheepishly.
In the backyard, only the little boy and the middle-aged Taoist nun remained.
The boy looked at the Taoist nun and said, “Do you have something to say to me? Please make it short, I have someone important to see.”
The nun knew in her heart that this was probably her only chance to tell him that matter; if she didn’t speak up tonight, she might never be able to again. So, she composed herself and began to tell a story.
On Su Xi’s screen, the whole story of the cub’s background finally popped up— or rather, the story of the cub’s background as told by the Taoist nun.
All the eunuchs, guards, palace maids, and even the princes knew that there was a taboo in the palace: never mention the Ninth Prince, who had died in the womb of Consort Qing before his birth, in front of the Emperor. More than twenty years ago, the Emperor had a most favored concubine, the daughter of the Prefect of Yunzhou. He fell in love with her at first sight, brought her into the palace, and from then on devoted himself to her, no longer paying attention to any other concubines.
However, this left Consort Qing with countless enemies. Her family was not particularly powerful and could not provide her with any real support. In the palace, she could only rely on the Emperor’s favor to survive. Yet, even the Emperor could not protect the one he loved most. Consort Qing, more than eight months pregnant, fell into a pond— whether by accident or coincidence— and after being rescued, both she and her unborn child perished.
The Emperor was overcome with grief, holding Consort Qing’s body in a daze for three whole days before finally being forced to give her a grand burial in the imperial mausoleum. He had eagerly anticipated the birth of the Ninth Prince, unborn in Consort Qing’s womb, but after this incident, no one in the palace dared mention Consort Qing’s deceased son before the Emperor. To do so would result in the execution of the entire family. Consort Qing’s family originally consisted only of her widowed father, the Prefect of Yunzhou. Upon learning of this, he felt utterly hopeless and hanged himself at home, thus extinguishing the bloodline of Consort Qing’s family.
[But what no one knew was that long before she fell into the pond, Consort Qing had given birth prematurely one rainy night. However, knowing that she was confined to the palace and unable to protect the child, and that the child might not survive, Consort Qing entrusted a twenty-five-year-old palace maid, whom she had previously helped and who was about to leave the palace, to find a way to take the child out in the dead of night.]
The nun standing before the protagonist was the palace maid from that time. She knew she couldn’t raise the child herself, and besides, her sudden pregnancy after leaving the palace would inevitably arouse suspicion from those who had murdered Consort Qing. She had to find a way to send the child to a safe place.
Just then, a concubine in the Ning Wang’s mansion was about to give birth, but unexpectedly, she gave birth to a stillborn child. Fearing that the Ning Wang’s mansion would consider her stillborn a bad omen and expel her, the concubine begged her wet nurse to find her a baby to deceive everyone.
And so, through this nun and the wet nurse from years ago, the protagonist entered the Ning Wang’s mansion, becoming an illegitimate son born to a concubine. The concubine died shortly after giving birth in the dead of winter, and the wet nurse, barely managing to raise the protagonist to a slightly older age, also passed away. The only person in the world who knew the truth was the former palace maid standing before the protagonist.
….
During the narration, Su Xi kept a close eye on the entrance of the temple. When the Minister of War appeared urgently, she used some light noises to lead him to the backyard.
….
After the nun finished recounting these events in a low voice, tears streamed down her face. To her, Consort Qing was her benefactor, and the Ninth Prince, born to Consort Qing, was naturally also her benefactor.
She had originally intended to keep this matter to herself until she died, but recently she heard that the newly appointed cavalry captain was actually the child she had brought from the palace years ago.
Although she didn’t know who killed Consort Qing back then, she was afraid that the future emperor Lu Huan would serve was related to Consort Qing’s death. That’s why she tried every means to find the Cavalry Commandant and tell him the truth.
….
Although Su Xi had long suspected that her son’s background might be similar— after all, in the deep palace, it was almost impossible for a concubine to live a long and healthy life— she still felt a pang of sorrow seeing the nun’s tear-streaked face.
But the little boy’s face showed suspicion, and he coldly interrupted the weeping nun, quite inappropriately, and asked, “Do you know that what you’ve been spouting tonight is a capital offense? What evidence do you have to prove what you’ve said?”
Su Xi: …
The nun then described in detail the physical characteristics of the wet nurse in the Ning Wang’s mansion who raised the child and also mentioned that there were keepsakes left by the wet nurse.
The child examined the keepsake and confirmed that it indeed belonged to the nanny. However, the child still did not believe it: “These things don’t prove anything. Maybe you just found the nanny’s things and made up this story.”
The nun never expected that the cavalry captain would not believe her. In the end, she had no choice but to take out a jade pendant and hand it to the boy, saying, “This is something that Consort Qing used to carry with her. She brought it from her maiden home. It should only have been seen by His Majesty and a few officials in the palace who attended the banquet when the Consort entered the palace that night. If Your Highness gives it to His Majesty, he will surely be able to restore your status!”
The little one glanced at the jade pendant, seemingly considering whether what she said was true or false.
Su Xi was anxious, wishing she could take the jade pendant for her son, as it was a token proving the Ninth Prince’s identity! “My son, don’t you want to regain your princely status?”
The cub accepted the jade pendant and put it in his pocket, but his face remained calm. He said to the Taoist nun, “I will investigate this matter myself. If you have done me a favor, I will repay it. But no one else should know about what happened tonight.”
The Taoist nun nodded excitedly.
After the cub accepted the token, a message popped up on Su Xi’s screen indicating that Mission Nine was complete.
[Congratulations on completing Mission Nine: Learn about the protagonist’s background from the cleaning nun at Changchun Temple! Reward points +12.]
Su Xi was still immersed in the past stories told by the nun and couldn’t get out of her emotions. She subconsciously opened the current status in the upper right corner and saw that the points had reached 90. In the character introduction, the Ninth Prince’s avatar finally appeared in the column – wait.
Su Xi’s thoughts immediately jumped elsewhere; the profile picture was actually the original artwork. She hadn’t spent any money to see the original artwork for her character in almost half a year, and when she suddenly saw it, she was momentarily stunned by its handsomeness.
….
Meanwhile, the Minister of War, who had overheard everything while standing in the corner, looked grave.
He was one of the officials who had seen Consort Qing’s jade pendant at the banquet twenty years ago. The jade pendant was unique, and the necklace hanging below it was also embroidered by Consort Qing herself. Lu Huan might not believe what the Taoist nun said, but having overheard this matter by chance, he believed it to a large extent.
No wonder the imperial physician who diagnosed the fetus as dead in the womb after Consort Qing was rescued from the pond resigned and returned to his hometown not long afterward. It turns out he was also concealing the truth that Consort Qing had been born prematurely…
The Minister of War and General Zhenyuan did not fully align themselves with any of the princes in court. Both were wholeheartedly concerned for the people, rarely considering their own self-interest. Previously, General Zhenyuan believed that among the princes, the Crown Prince was too mediocre, the Third Prince too dissolute, and the Fifth Prince too ambitious and eager for glory; none of them were suitable to be a wise ruler. Only the Second Prince was low-key, sincere, and receptive to advice. If he were mentored in the future, he could become a good emperor who would benefit the country and its people.
However, the previous rebellion in the north revealed some of the second prince’s selfish and self-serving flaws. Knowing full well that the people were suffering terribly, he feigned illness and deliberately avoided going to the northern border, fearing a shift in power in the capital after his departure. At that time, General Zhenyuan was extremely disappointed in the second prince!
And now, if he and General Zhenyuan both believe that this outstanding young man is indeed the Ninth Prince who died young, then…
In an instant, a number of thoughts flashed through the Minister of War’s mind.
….
The cub turned and left the backyard, quickly returning to the side hall. Su Xi also saw the Minister of War leave the place quickly, carrying his found little daughter along with the quilt, and carrying her down the mountain with a headache. She knew that the Minister of War had heard everything, and the chain mission ten of mission nine should also be completed.
As expected, a message popped up on the screen: [Congratulations on completing Mission Ten: Get an official of rank two or higher to side with the protagonist! Mission reward +8!]
The points in the upper right corner jumped to 98!
This might be a case of accumulating strength before unleashing it. The cub managed the farm for a year, put in countless efforts to obtain 30,000 shi of grain, and gained the appreciation of the Minister of War and General Zhenyuan. Therefore, he was able to quickly complete several main quests one after another.
Su Xi still remembered what the system said about being able to communicate with the cub and receive a big gift pack when she reached 100 points. She was a little excited, wondering what the gift pack would contain. She thought that if she worked hard to complete a side quest, she could quickly unlock the new map after reaching 100 points!
The cub returned to the side hall, took out the jade pendant again, examined it carefully, and asked Su Xi in a low voice, “Do you believe what the Taoist nun said tonight?”
He looked very puzzled.
He didn’t believe it; everything the Taoist nun said was utterly absurd.
He believed in the ghost around him. If she pulled him to the backyard, she must want him to know all this. So, could it be…
Su Xi tugged at his sleeve to show that she believed him.
The cub smiled, put the jade pendant back into his pocket, shook his head, and said, “These tokens can be completely fabricated. I don’t believe them at the moment. However, no matter what, the truth will eventually come out.”
Su Xi originally thought that the cub would be happy to know his true identity as the Ninth Prince. Anyone would be happy to go from being a concubine’s son of the Ning Wang’s Mansion to becoming the Ninth Prince in the palace, right?
Moreover, in addition to that, the child finally learned about the situation of his biological mother and father.
However, the little one didn’t seem to show any change in expression.
Su Xi couldn’t help but tug at her hand.
He gazed into the void, pondered for a moment, and said to Su Xi, “As for me, I certainly want to know who my biological father and mother are, but I also don’t know whether I should know.”
“Serving as an official for life, benefiting the people of the region, and doing something meaningful is my wish, but as for anything else, I have not thought about it.”
The baby’s dark eyes were very clear.
He gazed into the void, seemingly wanting to say something, but opened his mouth and then closed it again, simply watching quietly as he imagined Su Xi to be.
Su Xi understood what he meant. Although he had stepped into the power vortex of the capital, he had never actually thought of becoming a prince or even an emperor. Or rather, he had ambition and aspirations, but his ambition and aspirations were not about power or fame and fortune.
Su Xi was unsure whether her son’s thoughts were good or bad.
The higher one climbed, the colder it got. The child may not want to do it, but sometimes, a person’s fate was already decided at birth.
This was the first time she had heard her son say these things to her, and she was a little flustered for a moment.
But before Su Xi could think any further, two Taoist priests’ voices came from the other side: “Cavalry Commandant, the Wandering Taoist has arrived.”
…This…it’s here already?!
The little one excitedly walked quickly towards the door to greet the visitors.
Su Xi’s heart jumped into her throat!
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron and access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next
