It had been a month since the couple had parted ways with Situ Sheng. Old Master Liao, consumed by longing for an old friend, wished to travel to Boshui to pay his respects at the grave.

Madam Liao had wanted to accompany him, but Old Master Liao refused, saying he wished to meet his old friend alone.

Madam Liao waited and waited, yet Old Master Liao never returned. Growing frantic with worry, she went to seek help from Old General Li.

As it turned out, Old Master Liao had been rescued by Shang Min, the leader of the righteous army. According to him, Situ Sheng had entrusted someone to secretly protect Old Master Liao all along.

No one knew what Old Master Liao had gone through, but not only had he been injured, he seemed utterly disheartened, his spirits deeply low. He kept crying out that at his advanced age, he wished to see his son Liao Jingxuan one more time before he died.

And so, escorted by men dispatched by Old General Li, the couple made their way to the capital.

Yet upon arriving in the capital, the two of them had still not managed to see Liao Jingxuan.

Madam Liao had been able to find this place entirely because someone had left a note for Liao Jingxuan’s manservant, saying that Liao Jingxuan could be found at Chu Linlang’s residence. So Madam Liao had come alone by carriage to this place, hoping Liao Jingxuan would return to visit his injured father.

When Madam Liao asked whether her son Liao Jingxuan was here, Chu Linlang deflected, saying there was no hurry, and had someone bring fragrant tea and refreshments to entertain the elderly madam.

As she poured the tea, Chu Linlang asked Madam Liao how long it had been since she had last visited the capital.

Madam Liao thought for a moment, a wistfulness crossing her face. “About thirty-some years, I suppose…”

Chu Linlang probed further. “So you left the capital not long after giving birth to Master Liao?”

Madam Liao pressed her lips together with a trace of unease and said softly, “Yes…”

Chu Linlang thought of the contents of Situ Sheng’s letter and decided to speak plainly. “Madam Liao, I’ve heard that when the current Emperor was still Crown Prince, Lady Fang of the Eastern Palace was your dearest friend. When her child went missing back then, you must have been sick with worry as well?”

Madam Liao had never expected that such a young woman as Chu Linlang would open her mouth and immediately bring up affairs from the Eastern Palace more than thirty years ago.

She immediately straightened with alertness and said calmly, “Where did Niangzi Chu hear this old news?”

There was no point hedging any further, so Chu Linlang simply laid everything out openly. “Lord Situ was tasked with investigating the whereabouts of the missing Third Prince. In the course of his investigation, he discovered that the infant had actually been sold away by someone. The couple who purchased the child had been childless throughout their marriage. And Master Liao bears the brand of a trafficker — identical to the one on my mother, who was abducted when she was young. When Lord Situ questioned Master Liao about it, the answer he received was unsatisfying, so he was curious enough to look into the people who had been around you in those days. He discovered that you, Madam Liao, had once suffered from a condition of infertility, yet returned from a single trip out of the capital carrying an infant… And after Lady Fang lost her child, her already frail body deteriorated further. But in her final days, she dragged her ailing body to your home and personally presided over your son’s first-year ceremony, giving him the name Jingxuan…”

“Enough! Niangzi Chu, what is the meaning of all this?” Madam Liao could no longer remain seated and leapt to her feet.

Chu Linlang also rose and said softly, “Master Liao is not your biological son — he is the child that your dear friend Lady Fang lost, isn’t he?”

Madam Liao had never been one for deception and lies, and she had been entirely unprepared for Chu Linlang to suddenly strike with such a question.

In her panic, she had no thought of denial — she only wanted to turn and leave.

But Chu Linlang could not let her go so easily. She caught the elderly madam by the arm and said, “Madam Liao, please don’t be angry. Whether it is I or Lord Situ, we are not outsiders to you. My asking this today is not intended to expose Master Liao’s true origins. But his identity is a sensitive matter, and it is now entangled with too many complications — it may well endanger your lives. Were it not absolutely necessary, Lord Situ would never wish to damage the bond between you and your son. But you must also speak truthfully with me, so that we can arrange the proper course of action.”

Madam Liao had met Chu Linlang back in the north and had taken a great liking to this pleasant young woman. The fact that she could stand by Situ Sheng’s side spoke to her sterling character.

Now, though she had pierced through the truth of Jingxuan’s identity, her manner made it clear she had no intention of reporting it for credit.

Since it had come to this, there was no point in denying anything further. It was better to simply tell everything.

As Chu Linlang had said, Situ Sheng was not the sort of person with wicked intentions.

From what Chu Linlang implied, Situ Sheng must have uncovered the clues about Jingxuan long ago, yet had concealed it all this time.

This debt of gratitude — she had to acknowledge it.

With that thought, she allowed Chu Linlang to help her back into her seat, let out a long sigh, and recounted the secret that had been kept all these years.

It turned out that Lady Fang, through the machinations of someone with sinister designs, had lost her child, and had been thrown into desperate confusion.

The entire city had been under lockdown with searches conducted everywhere, yet no trace of the child was found.

It was Liao Zhongchang, with his extensive connections, who had enlisted the help of friends from the jianghu world to finally obtain a lead. He had personally led those friends to intercept the traffickers’ boat.

Unfortunately, the mission had been hastily undertaken, and they were on the traffickers’ own territory. He had brought too few men, and a direct confrontation risked harm to the child.

So he had simply paid a steep price — a great sum of money — and brought the child back unharmed.

At the time, Liao Zhongchang had intended to return the child to Lady Fang safe and sound.

But when Lady Fang received word and had thought long and hard about it, she begged the couple not to bring the child back.

By then, her condition of coughing blood had worsened, and she clearly understood that her own life was drawing to a close.

If the child’s father had been an ordinary landed official, it might have been a different matter. But he happened to be the realm’s Crown Prince — the future supreme sovereign.

The situation within the Eastern Palace was complicated. The Crown Prince was convinced that the Crown Princess had been behind the attack on the child, but Lady Fang did not believe it — the one who had harmed her son was still lurking in the shadows.

The Crown Prince’s love for her had been lavished upon their child as well, but that very favor could draw deadly calamity down upon the boy.

While she was alive, she had been so thoroughly schemed against, nearly losing her son. After her death, who would be left to look after the child?

She did not ask that her child become a king or a marquis in the future — she only hoped he could grow up in contentment and ease.

And so, in that moment, Lady Fang made an extraordinarily bold decision: she entrusted the child to the care of Liao Zhongchang and his wife.

The couple was devoted to each other and their household was reasonably comfortable, yet they had remained childless since their marriage. They would surely care for this child with great tenderness, allowing him to live the leisurely, carefree life she had always wished for him…

And so the Liao couple raised the child as their own son, naming him Liao Jingxuan. After Lady Fang fell gravely ill and passed away, they quietly took the child and left the capital.

At this point, Madam Liao said in a low voice, “His father and I never wanted him to enter official life. But this child — as though it were in his very blood — was simply passionate about the welfare of the country and its people, and loved discussing state affairs with scholars. Even after we advised him against it several times, he still secretly made his way to the capital to sit for the imperial examinations. His father cleverly made him swear an oath to grow a beard, to conceal his true appearance. When we heard that he had appeared before the Emperor at the palace examination, it truly filled us with a melancholy and helpless feeling — not knowing whether we should honor the trust our old friend had placed in us, or allow him to reunite with his true father…”

Chu Linlang understood Madam Liao’s anguish. After all, concealing an imperial scion — once exposed — would constitute a grave crime of the highest order.

That must have also been why Situ Sheng had known all along yet kept it secret.

But right now, the most pressing concern was not the bond between Liao Jingxuan and the Liao family. The problem was that Liao Jingxuan’s true identity was not known only to these few people.

Chu Linlang asked gravely, “When Old Master Liao traveled to Boshui in the north… he went to meet Yang Yi, didn’t he?”

Madam Liao was startled once again, at a loss as to how Linlang could know this.

Chu Linlang continued, “He must have inadvertently let slip Liao Jingxuan’s identity while being drawn out by Yang Yi. So what was meant to be a reunion of old friends suddenly changed course — Yang Yi had an abrupt change of heart and formed a scheme to hold Old Master Liao captive, to use him as leverage over Master Liao!”

Madam Liao had herself been utterly baffled by this.

Liao Zhongchang had once served under Old General Yang Xun, and had been close friends with Yang Yi besides.

This was also the reason he had been willing to take care of Situ Sheng back then, entrusting him to his adoptive mother, Li Shi.

The world cursed Yang Yi for treachery and treason. But in Liao Zhongchang’s heart, he had always remembered that bold, high-spirited, supremely skilled general of former days.

What people did not know was that Yang Yi’s defeat and defection to the enemy had in fact been a deliberate fabrication spread by villainous people within the Jin kingdom to frame him.

But Emperor Jinren, in his fury, had issued an imperial decree to wipe out the entire Yang family.

It was this devastating outcome that had transformed Yang Yi’s character entirely, causing him to defect to the enemy and marry the daughter of a foreign tribal chief.

Liao Zhongchang had always sympathized with Yang Yi’s injustice, and even as the world cursed him, had continued to regard him as a friend, never guarding his words around him.

Yang Yi had known only that Jingxuan was an adopted child — he had not known his true identity.

It was when the two men sat before the nameless memorial mound of General Yang Xun at Boshui and drank themselves into a stupor that Liao Zhongchang, in his drunkenness, had let the secret slip.

But Yang Yi had suddenly turned on him and moved to detain him.

Had Situ Sheng not quietly arranged for guards and protectors to watch over Liao Zhongchang in advance, the old man might now still be held captive in the enemy territory of the Jin kingdom.

“I simply cannot fathom how General Yang could become like this! Zhongchang has no grievance or enmity with him, and has neither power nor influence — why would he wish to detain Zhongchang?”

As for this point, Chu Linlang grasped it with perfect clarity. “There is simply too much that could be exploited here. Master Liao is the most devoted of sons — what would he refuse to do for his father’s sake? If Yang Yi used this to coerce him into revealing himself before the Emperor, or perhaps seize the opportunity to commit an assassination, the result would be the human tragedy of a father and son destroying each other. Whether the son kills his own true father, or the father issues the order to execute the very son he has been longing for day and night — to someone as consumed by hatred as Yang Yi is, that must seem like something deeply satisfying…”

Chu Linlang felt her conjecture was not in the least exaggerated.

Judging alone by the trap Yang Yi had set in her shop to frame General Li Chengyi, one could see just how low that once-great general was willing to sink.

Had he successfully taken Liao Zhongchang captive, what he intended to do would likely have been a hundred times more vicious than anything she had imagined.

Hearing Linlang’s words, Madam Liao drew in a sharp breath.

All the way back, she had been occupied only with comforting her husband, who had been utterly devastated by the betrayal of an old friend. She had never stopped to consider the terrifying consequences of Jingxuan being placed under someone’s control because Yang Yi had learned of his identity.

But now, listening to Linlang’s careful analysis, she felt a cold sweat break out along her spine.

At this point in the conversation, Linlang glanced with deliberate nonchalance at the side curtain nearby. She was ostensibly still addressing Madam Liao, but her words carried a deeper meaning. “It is said that a dragon’s nine offspring are each different in kind. In their youth, they may be a tortoise, a beast, a bird — but when they reach maturity, they must shed their original form and transform into a soaring dragon. Whether Master Liao chooses to honor his mother’s wish and live the pastoral, idyllic life in these turbulent times, or to follow the dragon’s blood within him and forge a great legacy — that is not a decision you can make for him. Is that not so?”

At that moment, behind that side curtain stood a tall and imposing figure of a man, who heard every word between Chu Linlang and his mother with perfect clarity.

After Chu Linlang had seen Madam Liao out, she turned and walked back behind the curtain, where she found Liao Jingxuan standing with a dazed expression, as though he could not quite collect himself, and said to him, “You heard every word just now. And I trust you now understand why Situ Sheng arranged for you to come here?”

To discover in a single night that one’s identity had undergone an earth-shattering change — that even one’s parents were not one’s biological parents — was something no person could easily accept.

The setbacks Liao Jingxuan had suffered in recent days had arrived one after another, truly bearing out the saying: “When Heaven is about to place a great burden upon a man, it first tries his will and spirit.”

Hearing from his mother’s own lips that he was in fact the Third Prince whom the Emperor had long been searching for, he stood speechless for quite some time.

Finally he said, “Ten days ago, Situ Sheng had someone leave me a note arranging to meet me, then sent me out of the capital — it was to prevent my father and mother from coming to find me, wasn’t it?”

Knowing their temperament, and given that Yang Yi had learned of his origins, they would certainly have taken him and fled to somewhere far away.

With that thought, he asked further, “And where is Situ Sheng? I refuse to believe that prison could truly hold him — why didn’t he come to see me in person and tell me of my true origins?”

Chu Linlang thought for a moment, then answered with complete candor and no embellishment whatsoever. “My guess is that he was afraid you’d beat him.”

Setting everything else aside, merely the fact that he had known Gu Youjin was a fraud yet said nothing — allowing Tao Yashu and Liao Jingxuan to go through that agonizing false parting — was more than enough to earn Master Liao a thorough thrashing.

But Chu Linlang knew that Situ Sheng, even fully aware that it would enrage Liao Jingxuan, would have done it anyway.

A man who was by nature easygoing and indifferent to fame and fortune — if he had not been pressed by the weight of power, if he had not tasted the bitterness of yearning for what he could not have — how could he ever develop the drive to pursue influence and ascend to the heights of power?

These trials had not been deliberately engineered by Situ Sheng, yet Situ Sheng had intentionally allowed Liao Jingxuan to experience every last drop of their bitterness.

Clever as Master Liao was, he must by now have understood this point as well.

So Situ Sheng had made himself scarce to avoid the worst of the storm, leaving the task of delivering the truth to the masterful peacemaker, Chu Linlang.

And Chu Linlang, speaking with righteous conviction at that moment, made clear that it was not only the Master who wished to give Situ Sheng a good beating — she rather wanted to give that deeply calculating man a beating herself as well.

After all, he had kept things hidden from her just as thoroughly.

But before settling scores, there was a reality that could not be avoided: if Master Liao refused to acknowledge the Emperor as his father, what would become of Tao Yashu, who was keeping solitary vigil in the Third Prince’s manor, watching the flowers bloom and wither alone?

When the Lord Situ, who had been enjoying the peace and quiet of the prison, finally made his way to Chu Linlang’s courtyard, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and look him up and down. “And what swindler is this? Coming to cadge off my household again?”

Situ Sheng stretched out his arms and embraced her. “What’s this — still angry?”

Chu Linlang was of course angry. Though she also understood Situ Sheng’s reasoning — by not telling her, she had not been forced to struggle between keeping his secret and watching her dear friend Tao Yashu suffer.

But how could one feel anything but irritation at such manipulation?

Situ Sheng knew perfectly well why Chu Linlang was annoyed, and yet were he to do it all over again, he would have done the same.

The Emperor was aging, and the sons he had at hand were none of them worth anything. If someone like the Crown Prince — petty-minded and narrow-spirited — were to ascend the throne, it would be a catastrophe both for him and for the people under heaven.

But if Liao Jingxuan could return to his rightful place, it would add one more possibility to the succession.

Yet given Liao Jingxuan’s nature — open, free-spirited, and indifferent to advantage — without being pushed, it would be very difficult to kindle any ambition in him.

Now everything was ready, save for the east wind — the only question was whether Liao Jingxuan was willing to face his true identity and step forward.

Chu Linlang let out a soft sigh. This decision could only be made by Master Liao himself; no one could compel him.

And at this time, all manner of rumors were spreading through the capital. Some were saying that the man who had caused such an uproar in the palace was in fact the Emperor’s long-lost son. Yet this individual was said to be unruly and difficult, and the Emperor was somewhat reluctant to acknowledge him.

Others were saying that Situ Sheng had bungled his mission and, though the Emperor had pardoned him from imprisonment, he would surely fall permanently out of imperial favor.

What they did not know was that even as the rumors swirled, the Emperor had left without any of his consorts, taking only his personal guards, and had gone once again to the detached palace.

There at the detached palace, the Emperor came face to face once more with Liao Jingxuan — the same man he had disdained at the palace examination for his unkempt appearance.

Gazing at the thick, dense beard covering his face, the aging Emperor remained silent for a long moment, then turned to Situ Sheng and asked, “You… did not get things wrong this time? Can it be that the man I have been seeking all along has stood right before my very eyes?”

Situ Sheng — handsome-featured yet sporting a distinctly swollen and bruised cheek for reasons that were unclear — replied with composure, “There should be no mistake. But whether he is truly the Third Prince is still for Your Majesty to verify with your own discernment.”

The aged Emperor rose and came to stand before the kneeling Liao Jingxuan. Bending his head, he examined him carefully — first looking behind his ear.

If this was truly his Little Third, there should be an inconspicuous mole in that spot, identical to the one the Emperor himself bore. This was a detail the Emperor had never recorded in any official records — it was a precaution he had kept in reserve against forgery, to prevent anyone from passing off a false imperial heir.

And behind Liao Jingxuan’s ear, sure enough, there was a clearly visible dark mole.

The Emperor’s heart instantly surged with agitation. His voice trembling, he said, “Can you shave off the beard — let me have a proper look at you?”

By now Liao Jingxuan also understood the true reason his adoptive father had made him swear to grow the beard all those years ago, and nodded without hesitation, allowing the attendant eunuch at his side to assist him in shaving off the full beard from his face.

As the beard fell away, Liao Jingxuan’s true appearance was finally revealed.

Standing nearby, Situ Sheng finally understood why Liao Zhongchang had made him grow the beard — the man before him bore a striking resemblance to the Emperor of Great Jin. Even the old eunuch at the Emperor’s side was struck speechless with astonishment, murmuring to the Emperor in a low voice, “He truly resembles how Your Majesty looked in your younger years!”

The aged Emperor could no longer contain the overwhelming emotion that surged within him. He stepped forward and pulled his long-lost beloved son into a fierce embrace.

He had his own features and bearing, yet in the lines of his eyes and brows, the unmistakable grace of Lady Fang was clearly present.

This was undeniably the child he and his beloved woman had brought into the world together.

Watching the Emperor clutch Liao Jingxuan and weep without restraint, Situ Sheng tactfully withdrew, leaving father and son to enjoy their reunion in private.

But as he stepped out, he couldn’t help touching his face — there was still a dull, throbbing ache.

Liao Jingxuan had truly put every ounce of his strength into those blows, hitting him that hard.

Chu Linlang had also been present at the time, and had shouted at Liao Jingxuan with great concern, “Hit somewhere else — please, not the face! Oh my — Lord Situ, aren’t you going to fight back? If you don’t fight back now, he’ll be someone you can’t afford to lay a hand on later!”

By every measure, she had looked like someone who could not have been more delighted by the spectacle.

Regardless, now that Liao Jingxuan was willing to face his true identity, the beating he had taken had not been in vain.

Before the acknowledgment, Liao Jingxuan had already sent his adoptive parents away, to protect them from any potential resentment on the Emperor’s part. But how to persuade the Emperor not to hold it against them — that would depend on Liao Jingxuan’s own abilities.

Situ Sheng could not help but look up at the sky, and noticed that old eunuch Sheng Hai, who had also come out from inside, was equally gazing skyward. Catching his eye, the old eunuch let out a small, knowing chuckle and murmured to himself, “This weather… it seems like it’s about to change…”

—

The Third Prince returned to the manor as evening was falling.

The manor, which had been silent for so long, had never known such lively activity at its gates. Everyone was busy welcoming the Third Prince back to the residence.

Yet the mistress of the manor, Tao Yashu, remained pale as white paper from beginning to end.

She knew of the upheaval at the palace, and knew all too well what a contemptible figure that so-called “Third Prince” who had been paraded through the palace was. What she could not fathom was why the Emperor would restore the Third Prince to his position — was he truly planning to present him to the world?

When the sound of footsteps approached and someone seemed to enter her chamber, Tao Yashu knelt with a blank, numb expression, her gaze fixed on the pair of boots embroidered with coiling sea-dragons before her.

She had told no one that hidden in her sleeve was a pair of scissors.

If this man attempted to force her into his bed, she would rather spill her blood then and there than allow him to defile her.

Just then, the man seemed to bend forward and reach out to help her to her feet, but Tao Yashu, overwhelmed by revulsion, suddenly flung out her hand and shrank away from his touch.

And in that very moment of panic, she snatched out the scissors — only to freeze when she raised her head.

The man standing before her was nothing like the repulsive, middle-aged man she had seen in the palace that day.

Before her stood a man of tall and imposing stature, with deep-set, striking features — thick brows and broad, expressive eyes. He was clearly a man of distinguished and commanding appearance, with a resemblance to the Emperor of seven or eight parts…

Tao Yashu stared, almost unable to look away, unable to comprehend why someone so uncannily like a young Emperor would appear before her.

But taking advantage of her dazed state, the man had already taken the scissors from her hand. Deliberately lowering his voice slightly, he asked, “What’s this — does the Princess Consort not welcome her husband’s return to the manor?”

That voice was faintly familiar. Could it truly be that someone else in this world spoke so like him? Tao Yashu shook herself out of her momentary daze, let out a desolate smile, and knelt again before this Third Prince who had seemingly appeared from nowhere. “This consort suffers from an ailment,” she said, “and cannot permit any man to come near her. I beg the Third Highness to pardon me.”

The Third Highness, upon hearing that his Princess Consort suffered from such a peculiar malady, couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh. “Even if this prince could provide the Princess Consort with silks and fine food, and spare you the hardships of living a poor life with a minor official of the Ministry of Works — you still wouldn’t be willing? As I recall, you didn’t used to have this condition. It seems not every man was kept at a distance in quite the same way.”

At those words, Tao Yashu’s head snapped up sharply, and she stared at the tall, upright, magnificent figure before her with an expression of utter disbelief. Finally, in the lines of his eyes and brows, she found the traces she knew.

She drew in a sharp breath, unable to understand how Master Liao — the tutor who had shaved off his beard — could possibly appear here, in this place.

—