vrcanaries Chapter 422 Never Seen the Eldest Prince
Chapter 422 Never Seen the Eldest Prince
The two entered the main courtyard and were greeted by a scene of desolation.
Qin Jiuwei's gaze fell on the blue brick path in front of her, where several new traces could be clearly seen.
Xie Yanli stood beside her.
He stared intently at the footprints. "It looks like they were left by the fake teacher."
The two entered the main house, which was dimly lit and covered in dust, with some cobwebs in the corners.
Qin Jiuwei looked around and noticed that there was a side room next to the main house.
The two rooms are connected and separated only by a door.
The door to the side room was half open, and the scene inside was not clearly visible, but a low bed could be vaguely seen.
Xie Yanli stood beside her and followed her gaze.
He recalled, “When my mother gave birth, she suffered a severe hemorrhage. The doctors who came were busy treating her, while I was taken to a side room next door and cared for by several nannies.”
Qin Jiuwei turned to look at him when she heard this.
"So, you weren't always with the others?"
"Yes, that night, I stayed in the side room the whole time, watched over by Granny Li and the wet nurses."
Xie Yanli paused as he spoke, a complex emotion appearing between his brows.
"So you suspect..."
Qin Jiuwei pursed her lips and nodded, "If you really aren't Madam Zou's child, then you must have been switched that night..."
Her gaze shifted slightly, as if piecing together the scattered truth.
"And it was only because Granny Li happened to see all of this that she went mad with fright."
Xie Yanli's face gradually darkened.
"If that's really the case, then who are my biological parents? Why did they switch the children?"
Qin Jiuwei gently shook her head.
"Whether it's for power, bloodline, or some other purpose, there will always be a reason."
"Perhaps we should ask that old servant again what he said to that fake teacher yesterday."
"At the time, our guards were some distance away and only heard something about the eldest prince, but they didn't hear anything else clearly."
Main hall.
The attendants Xie Yanli brought were efficient and quickly tidied up a clean room.
The old servant knelt on the ground, his head almost touching the ground, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He dared not raise his head, but said in a low voice, "Young Master, this old servant deserves to die. I shouldn't have let people in without permission..."
“Tell me everything you and that scholar talked about yesterday morning.”
Xie Yanli sat in the armchair, looking down at him coldly.
The old servant swallowed hard, then glanced up at Xie Yanli's expression, and seeing his sharp gaze, he trembled in fright.
“Yesterday morning, we didn’t say anything. He first asked if there were any other houses nearby, and I said no.”
"Then he stopped talking..."
Xie Yanli's gaze fixed on him. "Think again, is there anything else?"
what else……
The old servant lowered his eyes, then suddenly remembered.
"Yes! There's one more thing! It's what I told him."
"More than twenty years ago, the eldest prince and his pregnant wife fell off a cliff nearby, on the same day that you, the young master, were born."
"After hearing this, the scholar's expression turned very strange, and then he left in a hurry."
After listening, Qin Jiuwei and Xie Yanli looked up at each other almost simultaneously.
The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze.
They could both clearly see the shock in each other's eyes.
The eldest son of the emperor!
It's actually the eldest son of the emperor!
Qin Jiu opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to speak.
But he found that his throat felt like it was being tightly choked by something, and he couldn't make a sound.
She naturally knew about the accident that had happened to the eldest prince.
However, they never connected this matter with Xie Yanli.
It was on the same day!
Xie Yanli looked at her intently.
His expression revealed a complex mix of emotions, as if even he himself found it hard to believe.
The two stared at each other in silence.
Things happened too fast, too suddenly.
They were completely at a loss for how to react.
The carriage swayed gently, its wheels crunching over gravel with a low creak.
The sound of the wind outside the curtain brought a slight chill, but the carriage was very quiet.
Xie Yanli sat on the cushion, one hand gently resting on his knee, the other holding Qin Jiuwei's hand.
His palm was warm and strong, and Qin Jiuwei's heart gradually calmed down.
"What do we do now?" she asked.
Xie Yanli glanced at her sideways, his gaze as calm as a deep pool.
"The matter is not yet confirmed; let's investigate further."
He had never met the eldest prince, only knowing that his name was Gao Qiyuan.
He was intelligent from a young age and had a calm temperament. He was highly praised by ministers when he was young.
He designed the defense map of the capital, which was also arranged by the late emperor, demonstrating the late emperor's trust and affection for him.
No one expected such an accident to happen.
But Xie Yanli was not entirely clear about what exactly happened at that time.
This happened more than 20 years ago.
Perhaps we can start here.
The next day.
The poetry gathering was held in a spacious garden.
Pavilions and towers dot the landscape, with pine breezes and bamboo shadows creating a picturesque scene.
It was already noon, and many scholars and literati had gathered outside the venue. Students dressed in Confucian robes walked in twos and threes, and the humming of their conversations could be heard from time to time.
Several students from Wutong Academy walked side by side on the path, their steps light and quick.
Xu Qing walked ahead, a confident smile on her lips.
One of the students, with a long face, said excitedly, "Master Gu will be here today! What a wonderful opportunity! We must seize this chance!"
"Brother Xu, speaking of which, you are the most outstanding in terms of literary talent in our academy. If you can shine in front of Master Gu this time, it will bring great honor to our Wutong Academy!"
Xu Qing's smile deepened, and he waved his hand modestly.
"Not at all, I was just doing my best. We are all students of Wutong Academy, so there's no need to be too formal in our exchanges today. Just show what you've learned."
“Brother Xu, you’re being too modest. At our poetry gatherings, your poems are always praised by the Master on the spot. When it comes to literary talent, we all still have a lot to learn from you.”
Listening to everyone singing in unison, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Xu Qing's eyes.
But on the surface, he still maintained a humble attitude.
He waved his hand and smiled helplessly: "We're classmates, so let's not flatter each other."
"Brother Xu is too modest! With such talent, Master Gu will surely be deeply impressed!"
As Xu Qing listened to these words, his smile became even more composed, but his heart was already bursting with joy.
If only I could gain Master Gu's favor...
This will allow him to directly enroll in Jingyuan Academy...
The thought of this made Xu Qing tremble with excitement.
At that time, he will be able to completely overpower Xie Jing!
"Hey, isn't that person... Xie Jing?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing frowned slightly and looked in the direction the person was pointing.