In Another World, Everyone Want to Kill Me!-Chapter 340: The Price of Truth

At the mention of the family estate, the emperor’s expression darkened once more.

He could not reveal these truths publicly.

Rumors had always been a mix of truth and falsehood, but if he suddenly claimed an additional son, no one would believe him.

When a consort in the palace was discovered to have committed adultery, the punishment was usually severe. Yet the child of a palace maid was innocent, meaning Rong Zishen was entirely innocent.

In truth, Shang Qinghua was the real Second Prince, while Rong Zishen had been swapped at birth.

However, these matters could never be made public, unless the emperor was willing to forsake the reputation of the Beirong royal family entirely.

The deaths of Xie Lianhua, Rong Qinglei, and Yue Mingxuan had already left the Beirong royal family with a mountain of scandal.

If Shang Qinghua’s true identity were to be announced now, it would be as if the family no longer deserved the title of royalty.

Thus, revealing the truth outright was impossible.

They had to find another way to restore Shang Qinghua’s rightful status. Yet what that method should be... was a question that left everyone stumped.

"Most of Beirong’s financial power is in your hands now, isn’t it?" the emperor suddenly asked.

Shang Qinghua gave an embarrassed smile. "Yes, it is indeed in my hands."

"I never expected you to be so capable. It’s just a pity... Qing’er can no longer acknowledge you as his brother..." Among all his sons, the emperor had always favored Rong Qinglei the most.

Of course, that was not counting Shang Qinghua.

"Some things truly cannot be controlled. When Rong Qinglei chose to save Yue Mingxuan back then, he had probably already anticipated this outcome," Shang Qinghua said. "So, Father Emperor, there is no need to grieve too deeply."

"That child... I owed him far too much while he was alive. He had no mother, and his days were never easy. That’s why he developed such a temperament..." The emperor sighed. "Forget it. There’s no point in dwelling on it."

"Father Emperor, when you asked about the financial authority just now, did you already know?"

"Foolish boy! I am still the emperor of Beirong. If I didn’t even know who holds my nation’s financial power, then I might as well not be emperor at all." The emperor sighed again. "I thought you were coveting Beirong’s wealth, but it turns out you were only trying to reclaim what was originally yours."

"Father Emperor, I’m sorry. But Rong Tieshan is still my younger brother. I will not harm him."

This was both a promise to the emperor and a way of protecting what remained of his original family.

Although he did not particularly like Rong Tieshan, the young man had never committed any grave wrongdoing. And if Rong Tieshan had not treated Yue Mingxuan with such indifference, how would he have ever discovered someone as remarkable as Yue Mingxuan?

From that perspective, he almost felt he should thank Rong Tieshan for his lack of judgment.

"Now that you father and son have recognized each other, I’ll leave the rest to you," Yue Mingxuan said, letting out a yawn. "I’m going back to rest. Spending half the night here has made me terribly sleepy."

Shang Qinghua smiled. "Now that Father Emperor knows my identity, the rest will be much easier. Father Emperor, I only ask that you do not interfere when my forces engage Rong Zishen."

The emperor said nothing.

He simply stood there watching as Shang Qinghua took Yue Mingxuan’s hand and led him away.

The scene felt strangely familiar.

For a fleeting moment, it was as though he had returned to that night long ago when he had taken her hand just after she had learned lightness skills.

The two of them had run far from the palace, carefree, chasing each other beneath the open sky.

"Yin’er..." he sighed softly. "In the end, you are truly gone. Look at me now, without you, I’ve become so powerless that I couldn’t even protect our son..."

When he finished speaking, a long sigh escaped him.

The moon hung high and the stars were sparse; he stood there alone, with no one to hear his words.

"Consort Keshun, you will pay the price for what you’ve done."

After saying this, the emperor summoned his shadow guards and ordered them to escort Consort Keshun back to the palace.

Although he could not punish her openly for now, he would remember everything.

He did not even want to touch her, nor did he wish to see her ever again.

"I didn’t expect him to believe your identity so easily," Yue Mingxuan remarked.

Even he found the success of their plan almost unbelievable.

Still, it was a good outcome.

"Perhaps it’s because he still longs deeply for my mother," Shang Qinghua replied.

After all, he came from The Black Archon and understood certain rules of that place all too well just as he now chose to defy those rules.

Instead of seeking out some so-called ’Imperator Jin,’ he had chosen to fall in love with Yue Mingxuan.

Back then, his mother must have been unwilling to abide by the rules of The Black Archon, which was why she fell in love with his father, the emperor of Beirong.

He understood how difficult that path must have been, yet he did not know how he himself should resist it.

His mother had died shortly after giving birth to him... was he supposed to let Yue Mingxuan suffer the same fate?

Or should he be the one to leave Yue Mingxuan first? 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He did not know what would happen. But no matter which outcome it was, it was something he could not bear to see.

So for now, he could only take things one step at a time.

"Why do you look so unhappy?" Yue Mingxuan quickly noticed something was off about Shang Qinghua and asked.

Shang Qinghua merely shook his head, unwilling to explain what was troubling him.