Chapter 124: Family Reunion (5)

Chapter 124: Family Reunion (5)

In Luanfeng Palace, Jian Yunyao pressed her lips together, her eyes blazing with anger as she looked at Jian He who was kneeling before her.

Her younger brother had caused such a spectacle that he actually disguised himself as an Imperial Physician and ran over to feel her pulse!

Jian Yunyao's hand gripped the edge of the table so tightly that she wished she could break it. Her brother seemed to have matured quite a bit, but in reality, he was still an impulsive young man.

He should have been stationed at the border, yet he insisted on returning to the capital at this critical time, claiming that everything was prepared. And not only did he return to the capital, but he also entered the palace in such a manner. What if he had been discovered by someone?

Jian Yunyao's chest heaved with anger, and seeing her brother's cheerful expression made her feel even more suffocated. She was waiting for the others to disperse so she could give him a good scolding.

"Sister," Jian He waited until the others had been dismissed before speaking. His first words were, "I have found the Crown Prince."

Jian Yunyao's brows furrowed.

Her first thought was of the child of Concubine Chenxi who had passed away. That child was dead beyond revival, so how could he possibly be alive?

Seeing his sister's expression, Jian He knew she had misunderstood.

Jian He directly said, "Not someone else's child, but the child of you and His Majesty, my nephew."

Jian He opened the medical kit he had been carrying and knelt before his sister, eagerly taking her hand.

"Sister, that child from back then did not die. I have found him."

These simple words caused Jian Yunyao's mind to explode with a buzzing sound. She could barely hear what Jian He was saying.

She remembered the time when she had just given birth, and the midwife had carefully brought the child to her. "It's a little prince!" the midwife had said.

Jian Yunyao was too exhausted to even lift a finger but still turned her head to look at the small child, feeling puzzled and somewhat worried. "Why isn't he crying?"

She had been very tired but vaguely remembered that the child hadn't cried.

"He cried once; his breath has already cleared," the midwife had said with a smile. "The little prince is doing well. Look!"

Normally, after giving birth, the child should be taken out to be shown to the father. No one was waiting outside Jian Yunyao's birthing room for this child, so the soft and red child was allowed to remain by her side.

Jian Yunyao looked at the wrinkled little bundle. He had just come out of a warm environment and was trembling slightly.

Jian Yunyao placed her finger into the child's tiny hand, and he gripped it tightly, his little mouth puckering.

Before gripping her hand, the child had clearly been uneasy, but after holding her finger, he seemed much more at ease, as if recognizing her scent, and stopped fussing.

Jian Yunyao wanted to hold him, and just at that moment, the midwife said, "If you can bear it, I'll place the child close to you, and he'll be more settled."

"Alright," Jian Yunyao said.

When he was first born, he was red and wrinkled, but by the next morning, the redness had faded, revealing his fair skin. Although his eyes were still closed, his eye sockets were deep, and the midwife said he would surely have very beautiful eyes.

When the child opened his eyes, it was indeed so. His appearance was exceptionally cute, and the usually distant prince (who had not yet ascended as Emperor Chengde) would occasionally play with him. Having one's own legitimate son was undoubtedly a good thing.

The child was small and light, almost weightless when held in her arms. His personality was incredibly obedient. When he was hungry or needed a diaper change, he would only whimper a couple of times, rarely crying loudly.

Since there were no strict palace rules to follow, Jian Yunyao did not use a wet nurse and personally nurtured the child.

The child had strong legs and was not a crier. He would look around with his round eyes.

A soft, tiny bundle came to her mind, along with the memory of the bow she had drawn at that time, causing Jian Yunyao's head to spin.

She knew the Di people were using her son as a hostage, and she clearly understood that she could not accept such a threat, so she killed her own child without hesitation.

Although the distance was great, Jian Yunyao was extremely skilled with the bow. To ensure her child’s death would be painless, she aimed directly at the left side of his chest.

She vividly remembered the feeling of the fletching sliding across her index finger as she released the arrow years ago. Her eyes narrowed as she shot that crucial arrow.

The Di people were startled for a moment, then without hesitation, they threw away the child they had once treated as precious.

·

The memories were like a damp, fine rain, searching between heaven and earth, leaving those caught in it with no escape. Jian Yunyao's body began to tremble, her long lashes fluttering incessantly.

How could her dear, pitiful child, killed by his own mother, possibly be alive?

"How could it be..." Jian Yunyao murmured, her abdominal cavity churning as nausea rose within her.

Suddenly, she felt a strong hand grip her wrist, and then someone wiped her tears away with a handkerchief.

Jian He half-knelt before his sister, but she didn’t clearly hear what he said afterward.

He needed to make sure she heard him.

Jian He applied a little force, enough to cause pain but not harm her.

His strategy worked; the pain in her wrist cleared Jian Yunyao's mind somewhat.

Their eyes met.

Jian He's expression was serious. "Sister, I wouldn't joke about something so important. He is alive, truly alive. This is why I had to return to the capital to see you immediately. I have found your son, the Crown Prince! Do you remember Fu Jiaze? It is he!"

"Your child, my nephew, did not die. We still have a chance to make amends! He was saved, raised well, his character upright and unblemished. He served as an official for some time, governing a county and a prefecture effectively. Most importantly, he has a wife and has given birth to an imperial grandson!"

Now, Emperor Chengde's favorite is Concubine Chen, and he even dreams of her giving birth to a child who would be made Crown Prince. There are also several other princes vying for the position with all their might, but so what?

The successor will have to be approved by him! He holds military power in his hands—have you not seen that the grown princes show him respect?

Ever since Jian He learned that Fu Jiaze was his nephew, his mind was set on one thing: the Crown Prince must be the legitimate son of the Empress, his sister's child.

Holding significant military power, Jian He had never cared in the past about who the Crown Prince was or which Prince the kingdom would belong to. Now, he would only bow in allegiance to his sister's legitimate son.

"Let me catch my breath..." Jian Yunyao's heart was beating far too quickly, but her brother's mention of Fu Jiaze's name led her to think about Fu Jiaze.

She did have quite an impression of this young man. She had once found him rather familiar, and there was Concubine Chen's fondness for Fu Jiaze, because she thought Fu Jiaze resembled the deceased Yan Ji.

When her brother said that Fu Jiaze was her child, she imagined his appearance merging with the red and wrinkled baby she had held in her arms.

They looked so alike, truly alike.

Although Emperor Chengde's body had been drained by alcohol and women, his eyes dark and sunken with heavy bags under them, he had a pair of bright eyes in his youth, which were very much like Fu Jiaze's.

Fu Jiaze's features also resembled the Jian family's, his eyebrows more delicate, better looking than hers, somewhat like her deceased elder brother.

Tears fell like a string of beads. "Fu Jiaze looks like our elder brother, doesn't he?"

Thinking of the late elder brother, Jian He felt a pang of pain in his heart. "Yes, his eyes are somewhat similar. I should have realized it earlier!"

Jian Yunyao's fingertips had been cold, but as her heart pumped blood vigorously, her face flushed, and her fingertips burned.

She wiped her tears forcefully and tightly gripped her brother's hand.

"Tell me," she said, "how did you know he is my child, from start to finish, clearly... and the evidence..."

Jian Yunyao's voice was soft. She tried to keep her voice steady, not trembling.

Fu Jiaze had been in the capital for so long, and she had never known his background, so how did her brother find out?

"Yes," Jian He said, "I'll start from the beginning."

As Jian He spoke, Jian Yunyao listened attentively, and after hearing everything, she gently touched the head of the arrow and softly said, "Fortunately, it's not too late."

Perhaps because she was getting older, with her family not by her side, recently Jian Yunyao had grown somewhat weary of life in the imperial palace. She let Concubine Chen gain power in the palace. Perhaps thinking that one day she would die and leave it all behind, Jian Yunyao had somewhat self-deprecating emotions, coldly watching everything in the palace.

Now that she knew her child was alive, Jian Yunyao's spirit immediately rose. She couldn't die; she had to hold onto her power tightly to suppress those petty people for her child.

It was quite a coincidence that Fu Bin, who had once been the Emperor's man, though now weaker, was still a big figure despite his decline. He was also Fu Jiaze's uncle, diligently scheming for Fu Jiaze. If Fu Jiaze ascended the throne, wouldn't he know the benefits? This layer of relationship could be perfectly utilized.

Her brother, as the head of the military, and Jiaze's mentor, Pei Jin, a pillar of the upright civil officials.

With both civil and military power, and herself at the head of the palace, the Crown Prince position should belong to Jiaze!

Her brother was right; he had found his nephew, found the dynasty's Crown Prince!

Somehow, the wind had started outside, and the sound of the wind could be heard. Jian Yunyao, if she were to have a private conversation, would never close the doors and windows tightly but instead leave them open so as not to miss any approaching visitors.

At this moment, she watched the wind sway the banana trees in the courtyard, and the entire imperial city was shrouded in dark clouds; the sky was about to change.

"Go and invite Fu Gonggong," Jian Yunyao said with a smile, her voice slow and gentle, "Brother, since you have returned to the capital, you should also catch up with your old friends. I'll invite Lord Pei for a chat. Tomorrow morning, I will request the Crown Prince position for my son."