Chapter 265: The Mystery of His Origins Revealed

Chapter 265: The Secret of His Lineage Revealed

Seeing Xiao Lingchuan's expression shift dramatically, Jiang Tianze couldn't help looking smug: "Well? Does the prince still wish to take my life?"

"Of course not. You carry the Nanyue Emperor's blood, and you are of great use to me. How could I bear to kill you?"

Xiao Lingchuan snorted coldly, his voice low and icy, though an unfathomable glimmer flickered in his eyes.

He tilted his head slightly, giving Ling Feng a signal with his eyes.

Ling Feng understood immediately and turned to walk toward the adjacent room. Moments later, he brought Jiang Shuning back.

The moment Jiang Shuning appeared, Jiang Tianze's expression changed drastically, his earlier pride and provocation replaced by panic.

He whirled around, shouting at Xiao Lingchuan in a heart-wrenching roar: "Xiao Lingchuan, you despicable scoundrel!"

A sinister smile curled at the corners of Xiao Lingchuan's lips. He parted them slightly, his tone oozing mockery: "What's the matter? You've been playing the role of her cousin so convincingly that you've actually grown addicted? If I hadn't used this method to expose your true face, were you planning to keep up the act forever?"

Jiang Tianze looked frantically toward Jiang Shuning: "Big sister, I didn't mean to deceive you. I only just learned the truth about my lineage..."

"Tianze, don't say anymore."

Jiang Shuning's voice was low and weak, clearly still reeling from the shocking revelation.

She took a deep breath and pleaded, "Please, don't let Father and Mother find out about this, alright?"

Her elder brother was already dead, and Chancellor Jiang and Madam Jiang had pinned all their hopes on Jiang Tianze.

If they were to learn that he wasn't of the Jiang bloodline, their world would surely collapse.

She had already sensed more than once that there was a certain resemblance between Jiang Tianze and Xiao Lingchuan around the eyes and brows; now it turned out that they were both Nanyue descendants.

"I will, big sister. You can rest assured," Jiang Tianze promised quietly, his gaze sweeping over her face with a complex mix of resentment and guilt.

Now that she knew they shared no blood ties, would she still treat him with the same closeness and without any reservation?

And those hidden, unspeakable feelings he harbored for her deep in his heart—would they inevitably come to light sooner or later?

At the thought of this, Jiang Tianze felt as though a sharp knife had cut through his heart, his emotions surging like a violent tide that he could hardly contain.

Jiang Shuning turned to Xiao Lingchuan and implored, "Your Highness, though Tianze is not of the Jiang bloodline, I beg you not to make things difficult for him, and please keep this matter private to protect the reputation of Third Uncle and our Jiang family. Shuning thanks you for your kindness."

With that, she gave him a respectful bow.

Xiao Lingchuan stepped forward and reached out to support her arm. His movements appeared gentle, yet carried an undeniable firmness as he steadily pulled her upright.

A faint, meaningful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his voice was low, tinged with a hint of teasing: "Fool, we are husband and wife. Why speak such distant words? I'll grant your wish."

His hand still gripped her arm firmly, whether intentionally or not, showing no sign of letting go.

Jiang Shuning tried several times to free herself but failed, so she could only let him hold her.

This intimate scene, witnessed by Jiang Tianze, pierced his heart like knives.

He clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, a fire of envy and hatred blazing in his eyes. Yet he dared not show even the slightest hint, and could only lower his head, forcing down the violent surge of anger.

After Jiang Shuning left, Xiao Lingchuan's expression turned instantly cold, as if he had put on a different mask, so sinister it sent chills down one's spine.

He slowly walked over to Jiang Tianze, towering over him, his voice as piercing as ice: "Speak. Have you been in contact with the Nanyue Emperor all these years? What is the true purpose of you and your mother, the Poison Master, staying in Daye? And what other hidden secrets do you harbor?"

Jiang Tianze lifted his head, let out a cold laugh, and met his gaze with a provocative look: "Shouldn't the prince be treating me with more courtesy, so that I can help you gain my father's support and seize the throne of Daye sooner?"

The moment the words left his mouth, murderous intent flashed in Xiao Lingchuan's eyes. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Jiang Tianze by the throat.

His fingers tightened like iron pincers, his gaze savage as a wolf's: "Do you think I care about that? If you don't come clean right now, I'll make your life a living hell!"

Jiang Tianze struggled desperately, his face turning red, his throat making hoarse, strangled sounds as he forced out a few broken words: "You... you promised... big sister..."

"So what?" Xiao Lingchuan's expression twisted into a cruel smile curving his lips with ruthlessness. "You share no blood ties with her. If you die, you die. I can always have a child with her and give the Jiang family an heir!"

"You..." Jiang Tianze saw the naked intent to kill in his eyes, and a chill ran through him, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

This man, Xiao Lingchuan, was vicious and merciless—he was not one to make empty threats.

He struggled for a moment longer, then finally, unable to hold out any longer, he managed to gasp out the words: "Fine, I'll talk!"

Xiao Lingchuan loosened his grip slightly but still didn't let go, his gaze slicing into Jiang Tianze like a blade: "Spit it out! My patience is wearing thin!"

Gritting his teeth, his eyes filled with humiliation, Jiang Tianze confessed in a broken voice: "My father... came to find my mother many years ago, ordering her to poison the then Daye Emperor—your father. After my mother failed, he left us, mother and son, to fend for ourselves in Daye, and never came looking for us again... That jade token was stolen by my mother from him... I, I have never even met him!"

"So, he has no idea you exist, does he?" Xiao Lingchuan asked coldly, a flicker of deep thought in his eyes.

Jiang Tianze nodded weakly, bitterness choking his throat: "Yes... he has no idea that he has a son in Daye."

Xiao Lingchuan let out a cold laugh. He finally released Jiang Tianze's neck.

Jiang Tianze burst into a fit of coughing, collapsing to the ground, gasping for air, his face as pale as paper, though his eyes still held a flicker of resentment.

"You useless waste!" Xiao Lingchuan looked down at him disdainfully, his tone full of scorn. "Even your own father doesn't know you exist, and yet you dare to act so arrogantly in front of me? If the Nanyue Emperor truly cared about you and your mother, would he have let you eke out a living in Daye for all these years? In the end, you're nothing but an abandoned pawn!"

Jiang Tianze clenched his teeth so hard they ground together, his fists cracking, but he didn't dare retort.

What Xiao Lingchuan said was true—in Hua Liancheng's eyes, there was no place for him or his mother.

"If I help you ascend to the Nanyue Crown Prince position, would you be willing to cooperate with me?" Xiao Lingchuan's tone abruptly shifted, his voice low, a chilling glint in his eyes.

Jiang Tianze was stunned, his face full of disbelief: "This... how is this possible? My father... the Nanyue Emperor despises my mother from the bottom of his heart. He would never acknowledge my status! Besides, he has many sons, all of noble birth and pure bloodline. How could it ever fall to an unwanted illegitimate son like me to contend for the position of crown prince?"

A cold smirk twisted the corner of Xiao Lingchuan's mouth, his expression turning even more sinister, his gaze as sharp as a blade: "What if those princes were to die one after another, in succession?"

Jiang Tianze's pupils contracted sharply: "You... you want to kill them?"

"It won't be me who does it—it will be you." Xiao Lingchuan stared straight into his eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised ruthlessness and murderous intent, each word like ice piercing to the bone. "It's time for you to show the true prowess of a descendant of the Nanyue Poison Master!"