Xiao Yan said, "This is just my guess."
"But..." Fourth Prince frowned, "The several aunts of the Lu family were not pregnant when Xie Yin was born..."
Xiao Yan replied calmly, "Who told Your Highness that Xie Yin must be the son of King Cheng?"
The Fourth Prince's mouth fell open in shock.
Xiao Yan looked at him and continued, "King Cheng has been in prison for such a long time and never once mentioned Xie Yin, nor has he cared whether Xie Yin is still alive. Just now, you said you were trying to plead for Xie Yin, even offering his only son’s safety in exchange for him to speak, yet he remained unmoved. Does that seem normal to you?"
The Fourth Prince instinctively shook his head. Of course, it wasn't normal.
Xiao Yan chuckled, "I've interrogated countless people, and no matter how fierce or evil they were, they always had a weak spot. King Cheng only has Xie Yin as his son, yet he doesn't care about Xie Yin's life or death."
"The matter of the Lu family's collusion has already been exposed, but he still refuses to admit the person he was involved with. It can't be because of some unyielding love and loyalty, can it?"
The Fourth Prince furrowed his brows, instinctively feeling that it couldn't be the case.
He himself was a member of the royal family and understood that royal people were often cold-hearted, and King Cheng had been willing to act against his wife of nearly twenty years without hesitation. There was no way he could be a sentimental person.
Xie Tianyu had fallen to such a state, but still, King Cheng wouldn't drag out the people of the Lu family. It was likely because there was something he couldn't say.
If Xie Yin was truly not King Cheng's son, then the child that King Cheng's wife had recently been pregnant with was the only legitimate bloodline, and he had abandoned it without hesitation. Such indifference could only mean one thing—he already had a bloodline of his own. But if he already had children, why let an unrelated bastard take the position of heir to the royal household for so many years?
The Fourth Prince squinted, realizing that something more important than the heir to the royal family must have been involved.
He suddenly blurted out, "King Cheng's son... raised in the Lu family?"
It was as if all the clues Xiao Yan had given him pointed directly to the Lu family.
In his mind, King Cheng was always destined to never inherit the throne. His son would only be a sideline prince. The Emperor feared King Cheng and intentionally kept him away from the court. When the new Emperor ascended the throne, King Cheng's son would only become further removed from the court, and the family title would gradually lose its influence.
But if King Cheng's son was raised by the Lu family, that would change everything.
The power of the aristocratic families had once surpassed the Emperor's power. When the Lu family was at its peak, even the Emperor had to fear them. If this son were raised by the Lu family and even became the heir of the Lu family, he would have a much greater position and status than just being a prince. And if King Cheng's son could take the Lu family heirship, the King Cheng family's influence would grow through the Lu family’s connections.
The Fourth Prince almost guessed the entire truth, but because he had been misled by Xiao Yan from the start, the "truth" had become twisted to the point where it was difficult to return to reality.
Xiao Yan’s voice was calm: "King Cheng was involved with that person before he married King Cheng's wife. If there was a child, they would likely be around twenty by now..."
The Fourth Prince’s heart skipped a beat. Lu family women, legitimate children, twenty years old...
Suddenly, a figure flashed in his mind. "Lu Zhi Nian?!"
In the next moment, he exclaimed, "Lu Da Furen?!"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly. "Your Highness is indeed brilliant."
Tang Ning: "..."
She couldn't help but feel that her brother's ability to deceive others was becoming more impressive by the day.
Looking at the Fourth Prince's expression of disbelief after discovering the truth, she widened her eyes and joined in with shock, "How could that be? Your Highness, could it be that you made a mistake? How could Lu Zhi Nian be King Cheng's son?"
Then, as if realizing something, she suddenly gasped, "No, could it really be…"
Tang Ning muttered softly, "No wonder, no wonder when I tried to break off the engagement with the Lu family, he refused no matter what, even arguing with my aunt."
The Fourth Prince looked at her. "He didn't want you to break off the engagement with the Lu family?"
Tang Ning nodded. "He kept blocking it, and had a big argument with my aunt over it. It was because of his attitude that my aunt and I realized something was off and suspected that he was covering for the Song family..."
"That explains everything!"
The Fourth Prince seemed to find a breakthrough and clapped his hands loudly. "That must be his real son! How could he bear to let you break the engagement with him and lose all the benefits the Rong family brought him!"
King Cheng had benefitted greatly from the Rong family. Even though Rong Qianan had passed away, the assets and reputation left behind were still useful to the Lu family.
How could King Cheng bear to break off the engagement?
The Fourth Prince's eyes became cold. "So that’s it, King Cheng has kept it tightly under wraps!"
Tang Ning frowned. "But Lu Zhi Nian disappeared long ago, and Lu Da Furen would probably deny everything..."
"If there was contact, there wouldn't be no trace left."
Xiao Yan spoke, "When King Cheng was imprisoned, I searched through his belongings and found many items that seemed to have been gifts from a woman. If it really was Lu Da Furen, she must have something similar."
The Fourth Prince quickly turned his mind, responding, "If it was really the Da Furen, then we should go directly to the Lu family. She wouldn't have had time to destroy the evidence, and we can catch her red-handed!"
Cheng Ping, hearing this, immediately became alarmed and turned to speak urgently, "Your Highness, please think carefully. If we go straight to the Lu family and don't find any evidence..."
The Fourth Prince hesitated.
Xiao Yan spoke calmly, "It would be best if we could catch her red-handed, but even if not, the fact remains that Lu family women had an affair with King Cheng. His Majesty has ordered the investigation into this matter, and it is only natural that the wives of the Lu family should be questioned."
"King Cheng has been in prison for so long. The news from the Imperial Jail might not be kept secret much longer. If the Lu family finds out you've met him, they will certainly be on guard..."
The Fourth Prince made up his mind with a cold expression. "You are right, speed is of the essence."
The Lu family had been ruthless to him, and he had no obligation to show them mercy.
"Please, Commander Xiao, lend me some men. I will go to the Lu family immediately!"
Xiao Yan nodded. "That can be arranged easily. Cang Lang, take the Black Armored Guards and accompany His Highness to the Lu family. Make sure to protect the Fourth Prince and ensure the Lu family does not harm him."
"Commander Xiao, won't you come with me?" the Fourth Prince asked.
"Do you wish for me to come with you?" Xiao Yan replied calmly. "I don't mind accompanying you, but you are going as His Majesty's representative. If I accompany you, others might think too much of it."
"If you don't mind, I will come with you..."
"No need!"
The Fourth Prince quickly responded, remembering Xiao Yan's many enemies in the court and his bitter feud with the aristocratic families. He had given up on the Lu family, but he hadn't given up on the others.
The Fourth Prince quickly said, "Just lend me the men, Commander Xiao."
The Fourth Prince, accompanied by Cang Lang and others, left in a hurry, a flicker of vengeance on his face. Tang Ning watched his figure disappear in front of the Imperial Jail before turning thoughtfully, "What happened to my brother? Why does he suddenly hate the Lu family so much?"
Xiao Yan smiled faintly. "It’s nothing much. I just had Lu Chongyuan send a woman into his house, planning to leave behind some heirs. He learned a thing or two about a matter concerning father and son."
Tang Ning was shocked. "Is that true?"
Xiao Yan said, "Half true, half not. The Empress sold out the Lu family last time, and Lu Chongyuan started plotting."
The woman was sent, the medicine was given, but she wasn't pregnant yet. Lu Chongyuan hadn't fully decided to abandon the Empress and her son.
Tang Ning: "…"
She couldn't help but feel disgusted. The aristocratic families really had no humanity. They would cast aside their own grandsons, abandon their adopted grandsons after years of support—no wonder the Fourth Prince had such hard feelings toward the Lu family.
"Do you want to go watch the commotion at the Lu family?" Xiao Yan asked.
Tang Ning hesitated, then whispered, "Now? Can we go?"
Xiao Yan smiled. "In this capital, there is nowhere you cannot go." He asked, "Do you want to go?"
Tang Ning nodded eagerly. This was a great spectacle! Even though Cang Lang could bring back the news, nothing was better than seeing it firsthand.
Xiao Yan's eyes glinted with amusement. He knocked on the carriage wall. "To the Lu family."
The carriage immediately headed for the Lu family. Tang Ning had been wondering how her brother would bring her to watch the spectacle. Surely, they wouldn’t just waltz in after saying they wouldn't go.
When the carriage stopped in an alley next to the Lu family, she realized just how incredible the spectacle would be. She was lifted onto the roof of the Lu family’s house by Xiao Yan, entering the Lu family like nobody’s business.
Tang Ning felt herself being lifted, and when she landed, she stood in a hidden corner of the roof.
Xiao Yan lowered his head. "How is it? Fun?"
Tang Ning clung tightly to Xiao Yan's waist, her lips trembling and her face turning red.
It was... so thrilling!
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