Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 30 - : Xiao Wen is the Son of the Prince of Yundian

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Xiao Wen is the Son of the Prince of Yundian

“The child you brought back, do you intend to become her godmother, or did you simply take pity on her and decide to casually raise her by your side? Have you thought this through?”

Jun Yuyan lifted his somber eyes, looking at Murong Jiu.

“Of course, it’s just to provide her a place to live.”

Her current identity was as Princess Consort Ling, even if she wanted to acknowledge the child, she had to consider Jun Yuyan’s feelings.

“Do you know her identity? Do you know who she is?”

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Murong Jiu looked at him in surprise, “Prince, do you know Xiao Wen’s identity?”

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She was not aware of the Hidden Guard issue, but at the time, two guards were present. They should have seen the Jade Pendant given by Lady Yu and reported it to Jun Yuyan.

“She is the daughter of the Prince of Yundian; this prince should even call her niece.”

“What? The Prince of Yundian?”

The surprise in Murong Jiu’s eyes grew deeper.

The Prince of Yundian was a prince of different surname. He had conquered the realm together with the late emperor years ago, and his title was hereditary. The Prince of Yundian mentioned by Jun Yuyan was the third one, making him Jun Yuyan’s contemporary.

The reason she remembered the Prince of Yundian so clearly was because in her previous life, the Prince of Yundian had rebelled, marching on the Capital, but was counter-killed by Jun Haoze.

Using his head as a merit, Jun Haoze successfully took the long-coveted seat of the Crown Prince.

By that time Jun Yuyan had already died, but the Emperor, plagued by paranoia, doubted Jun Haoze, hence never established an heir.

This act of earning merit prompted the many courtiers in the Imperial Court to raise the issue of establishing an heir again, thereby granting him the dream position of Crown Prince.

Not half a month after Jun Haoze became the Crown Prince, Murong Man couldn’t wait any longer and set a trap, allowing her to overhear a conversation between Jun Haoze and her, and then she was silenced by the Crown Prince.

The visions of her death seemed to flash before her eyes, the stifling sensation of death suddenly enveloping her. Her body staggered, just about to fall, when Jun Yuyan quickly stepped forward, scooping her up by the waist and placing her on the soft couch where he rested.

“What’s the matter with you? Should I call the Court Physician?”

“There’s no need, I’ll recover shortly.”

She had just momentarily associated her current feelings with the agony of her impending death; she would soon get past it.

Jun Yuyan poured her a cup of warm water, but seeing some resistance in her expressions, he placed the water further away.

Murong Jiu forced herself not to think about it and continued to ponder the matters concerning the Prince of Yundian.

Suddenly, she looked up at Jun Yuyan, “Prince, do you think, does the Prince of Yundian seem like a person who would plot a rebellion?”

Jun Yuyan’s brows furrowed slightly, “Why do you ask this?”

“Just tell me your impression of him.”

Jun Yuyan affirmed decisively, “He would not commit treason.”

His tone was very certain; he seemed to understand the Prince of Yundian very well.

“The Prince of Yundian doesn’t harbor such grand ambitions. If you’ve heard such a rumor from somewhere, there’s no need to believe it.”

However, in her previous life, the Prince of Yundian indeed led troops to the Capital.

Thus, there remained only one possibility.

The greatest beneficiary of the event was Jun Haoze, so it was very likely that he pressured the Prince of Yundian to rebel.

Then she thought of Xiao Wen.

Everything started to connect.

In her past life, perhaps after Lady Yu’s death, no one knew where Xiao Wen ended up; she was later discovered by Jun Haoze who found out her identity and used Xiao Wen as a threat to coerce her father into rebellion.

She remembered that the Prince of Yundian had no children; thus, Xiao Wen would have been his only child.

But this was just her speculation, unless Lady Yu held a very dear place in the Prince of Yundian’s heart. Otherwise, there was no need for the Prince of Yundian to march to the Capital and meet his death for a child he had never met.

“What are you thinking about?”

The complexity in Murong Jiu’s face grew, prompting Jun Yuyan to ask her out of concern.

“I’m wondering, how did you come to know of Xiao Wen’s identity? Was it because of this half piece of jade?”

She took out the half-piece of jade that Lady Yu had cherished from within her embrace.

Jun Yuyan looked at her fair hand, the dark green of the jade stone set off the whiteness of her palm even more, with the rosy hue on her fingertips clearly visible.

His Adam’s apple moved, “Mmm, the guards described the appearance of the jade pendant to me, and I saw the jade pendant on the waist of the Prince of Yundian in my early years. With Prince Yundian searching for a woman and a child called Lady Yu these recent years, guessing Xiao Wen’s identity was easy.”

So that was it.

If Prince Yundian had been searching for several years, that meant Lady Yu held a significant place in his heart.

Then her previous guess was perhaps very close to the truth.

Someone like Jun Haoze could do anything vile to achieve his objectives.

She hesitated for a moment but decided to disclose Xiao Wen’s gender to Jun Yuyan.

Because she had brought Xiao Wen to Prince Ling’s Mansion, it was impossible to keep him in the dark.

“Your Highness, if I can guess Xiao Wen’s identity, others surely can as well. The question I asked Your Highness earlier was not an alarmist statement.”

She was referring to the question about “treason.”

She continued, “Actually, Xiao Wen is not a girl, but Lady Yu dressed him as one. In fact, he is a boy.”

“A boy?”

Jun Yuyan was indeed somewhat surprised, but upon reflection, it made sense.

Prince Yundian had wives and concubines, yet for many years he had no offspring. The child Lady Yu bore was his only child. To protect this child from harm, dressing him as a girl was safer than as a boy.

But he did not understand why Murong Jiu would bring up the matter of treason. Did she mean that Prince Yundian would confront the Imperial Court for the sake of this child?

“Your Highness, will I bring trouble to you? If so, I…”

“It’s not troublesome. One more person is just an extra pair of chopsticks. The Prince Mansion can afford it. As for you, as you’ve said, if I could recognize him, so could others, and there’s no guarantee that some would not harbor ill intentions. I suggest that you send the child back to Prince Yundian’s side.”

“But Lady Yu, she…”

“This child is the next Prince of Yundian, but by your side, he is just an ordinary person. You should let him choose for himself.”

Murong Jiu pursed her lips, “I understand.”

If she were unaware of past events, she might have abided by Lady Yu’s last wishes.

But in her previous life, Prince Yundian met a tragic end, and Xiao Wen likely did not fare well either. Sending Xiao Wen back to his biological father might be the better choice.

“I will ask Xiao Wen. If he is willing, I would then trouble Your Highness to have this jade pendant sent to Prince Yundian first.”

Jun Yuyan nodded.

Having returned, Murong Jiu asked Xiao Wen when he awoke if he wanted to go back to his biological father.

To her surprise, Xiao Wen strongly resisted, “No! My mother said I have no father and told me never to go back! I hate him; he’s the one who caused my mother’s death!”

She opened her mouth, at a loss for words upon seeing Xiao Wen’s reaction.

If that were the case, the matter would have to be dropped for the time being; she would find an opportunity to persuade Xiao Wen later.

After the mourning period of three days, on the fourth day, Murong Jiu took Xiao Wen to his mother’s funeral for their last farewell.

Xiao Wen cried inconsolably, but isn’t that just the nature of life and death?

After crying, the living must continue with their lives.

She had the guards escort Xiao Wen back to the Prince Mansion while Murong Jiu went to see Manager Chai.

Manager Chai had taken over a shop; this was her first visit to see it and she had to admit, Manager Chai had a unique eye for business. The location was currently quite deserted, but as soon as the inner city expanded, the property would become extremely sought after.

“Princess Consort, have you arrived?”

Seeing that his complexion was good, Murong Jiu inquired, “Have you stocked up on grain?”

“Yes, with the money you provided, after expenditures for the shop, warehouse, labor, and so on, the remainder all went to stocking grain.”

She nodded, satisfied, “To accomplish what I entrusted to you in just three days, Manager Chai is certainly capable. Now then, I have an even more important task for Manager Chai.”