Wang Cheng’an and his son had just recognized each other not long ago, and now he was overflowing with fatherly love, eager to make up for the affection he had missed out on.

Although he was worried that his son might get hurt due to his infatuation, seeing his son’s pitiful pleading expression made it hard for him to let him down. In the end, he could only choose to assist in the mischief.

In this world, there are mothers like the Zou family who don’t love their own flesh and blood; yet there are also parents who would give everything for their children. Wang Cheng’an was one of those, and even the black-hearted and sinister Concubine Fang, no matter how wicked she was, could not deny her love for her daughter.

Parental love varies, but the intention to protect is the same.

So, after making up his mind, Wang Cheng’an reluctantly chatted with Qiao Yujing for a little while before hastily taking his leave, rushing to find Xie Wenyuan, wanting to see what kind of person he really was.

He was the emperor’s personal eunuch and couldn’t often leave the palace, so things needed to be done quickly.

As for Xie Wenyuan’s whereabouts, they were easy to track. Every day, he either studied at the private school, discussed strategies and made friends at the teahouse with his classmates, or strolled around the streets during dinner time, observing and understanding the people’s sentiments.

It was a sure thing to find him.

Since Wang Cheng’an wanted to observe Xie Wenyuan, he certainly couldn’t leave it all to his subordinates. He had to see it with his own eyes to make the most accurate judgment, right?

However, although Wang Cheng’an had some skills, he wasn’t a professional when it came to tracking and investigating.

On the other hand, Xie Wenyuan, in his previous life, had held a high position and had experienced many assassination attempts, honing his senses to be extremely sharp.

So, he quickly noticed that he was being followed and discreetly discovered Wang Cheng’an’s presence.

Then, Xie Wenyuan smiled!

Of course, he recognized Wang Cheng’an, the emperor’s trusted eunuch. In his previous life, while serving in the court, if he didn’t know the chief eunuch by the emperor’s side, what kind of official was he?

Although he didn’t know why the other party suddenly had his eyes on him, it was likely due to the recent issues he had caused with the “shadow money,” which had caught the attention of those above.

Originally, it was just a test, but he didn’t expect it to actually draw someone out.

Indeed, the shadow money involved a wide range of issues. Xie Wenyuan not only chose to touch upon it but also exposed himself. Was he too eager for quick success, or had he become foolish after being reborn?

Of course not. If he could easily make such mistakes, he wouldn’t have reached such heights in his previous life.

The reason Xie Wenyuan acted this way was twofold. First, just as Qiao Yujing had guessed, he could appear grand and unrestrained in his behavior, but he couldn’t be too perfect and cunning in his schemes. Second, it was to fish for bigger targets.

Besides the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he had another target in mind: the current old emperor.

The reason was simple. Xie Wenyuan planned to impersonate a prince who had been lost among the common people!

It was a crazy and risky plan, but it wasn’t without feasibility.

Because a palace maid who had once been favored by the old emperor had indeed fled the palace while pregnant due to palace intrigue and had gone missing.

And coincidentally, her remains were discovered in the back mountain of Tongshu Village in his previous life.

What delighted Xie Wenyuan even more was that his birth date coincided almost perfectly with the time the maid had given birth.

With such a coincidence, Xie Wenyuan felt he had to make use of it; otherwise, he would be letting himself down!

If the plan succeeded and the old emperor was willing to let him “acknowledge his roots,” he could scheme even more; if the old emperor, for the sake of the royal family’s reputation, was unwilling to grant him the title of prince, he would still look out for him due to their father-son relationship, helping him rise to prominence.

With such enormous benefits at stake, how could he let it slip away easily?

Thus, Xie Wenyuan had, right after being reborn, informed his father and mother about the events of his previous life through dreams, as this plan required the cooperation of his family.

His parents were bold enough; for the sake of living a life of luxury and wealth, they could casually mention rebellion, so they naturally didn’t care about the crime of deceiving the emperor!

Regarding the shadow money issue, Xie Wenyuan didn’t dare to guarantee that the old emperor would definitely notice him. He was just trying it out; if it didn’t work, he would find an opportunity to “coincidentally meet” the other party when Wang Cheng’an took a break from the palace.

He was confident enough to make Wang Cheng’an suspect his identity as a prince when he saw him.

Because, for the sake of this prince identity, he had started planning and taking action right after being reborn.

It didn’t matter that he didn’t look like the old emperor; in this world, two people could share similarities beyond just appearance. There were plenty of father-son pairs with different facial features.

In his previous life, he had seen the old emperor and had even studied his various habits and preferences to please him.

He could easily imitate the old emperor’s habits, change his own preferences, and use similar habits and actions to add weight to his false identity as a prince.

So what if he deceived the emperor? Fortune favors the bold, and the timid starve!

As long as the benefits were substantial enough, Xie Wenyuan had never feared anything.

…

Catching a glimpse of Wang Cheng’an in his peripheral vision, Xie Wenyuan suppressed the smile in his heart.

Then he continued to stroll casually down the street as if he were just wandering around as usual.

When he passed by a fabric shop, he went in to pick up a deep blue scholar’s robe he had ordered a few days ago;

When he passed by the Treasure Pavilion, he went in and chatted with the shopkeeper about porcelain for a while, leaving with a reluctant expression that showed his fondness for porcelain;

When he passed by a wonton stall, he sat down to eat a bowl of wontons, adding several spoonfuls of chili at the vendor’s teasing, indicating his preference for spicy food.

After this round, Xie Wenyuan finally returned to the private school.

Meanwhile, Wang Cheng’an, who had been observing and following for half a day, indeed showed the surprised and suspicious expression that Xie Wenyuan had anticipated.

The reason was simple.

Xie Wenyuan looked too much like the current emperor!

It wasn’t just that their facial features were similar, but the aura that radiated from him and various unconscious gestures were strikingly reminiscent of the young emperor.

Most people would find it hard to notice, but only someone like him, who had been closely following the emperor and was familiar with all aspects of him, could easily detect it.

Thinking back to a secret story of palace intrigue from many years ago…

Wang Cheng’an’s heart raced.

He hurried to inquire at the shops Xie Wenyuan had just visited.

At the wonton stall, the vendor said, “You mean that young master Xie from earlier? Yes, he often comes here to eat wontons. He loves spicy food and always adds several spoonfuls of chili to enjoy it.”

At the Treasure Pavilion, the shopkeeper said, “You mean Scholar Xie? Oh, he’s a regular at our shop, the kind who looks but doesn’t buy. That’s not surprising; antique porcelain is so expensive, he can’t afford it as a poor scholar.”

“However, even though he can’t buy anything, Scholar Xie has a great eye for things and possesses a talent for identifying antique porcelain. He’s impressive!”

“But! Scholar Xie has one flaw: his taste is rather vulgar. He doesn’t like elegant and unique porcelain; he prefers the flashy kind.”

At the fabric shop, the shopkeeper said, “You mean Scholar Xie? He often comes to our shop to make clothes and loves deep blue the most, saying it’s the color of blue and orchid, symbolizing the purity of orchids. I don’t understand much, but it’s just one of those scholarly things…”

After asking around, Wang Cheng’an’s suspicions grew stronger.

The similar aura to the young emperor, similar small actions, similar tastes, similar preferences, and the age that coincided perfectly with the time the maid had left the palace while pregnant.

All these coincidences were hard to ignore!

If, if Xie Wenyuan really was the prince born to that maid, then if Jing’er married him and everything was planned well, wouldn’t the future be…

Wang Cheng’an couldn’t think any further, his heart filled with overwhelming joy.

His son had suffered so many grievances over the years and had such a handsome appearance; he deserved to enjoy the best things in the world.

If there was no opportunity, that was fine.

But if there was an opportunity, he would risk his life to make it happen!

With these thoughts in mind, Wang Cheng’an immediately returned to the palace to report this matter to the old emperor.

To avoid suspicion, he had to let the emperor investigate this guess himself; he couldn’t get involved even a little bit.

However, he was very confident that his guess was correct.

After all, how could there be such a striking resemblance and the right age without reason?

Even if he guessed wrong, he would make it true.

This immense wealth and fortune, besides his son, no one else could take it!

…

On the other side, Xie Wenyuan was unaware of Wang Cheng’an’s thoughts.

After returning to the private school, he first went to the kitchen to brew a pot of sour plum soup to soothe the fiery feeling in his stomach.

He didn’t like spicy food, didn’t enjoy playing with antique porcelain, and certainly didn’t prefer wearing deep blue robes.

But the old emperor liked spicy food, loved antiques, enjoyed flashy porcelain, and favored deep blue clothing.

So these preferences became Xie Wenyuan’s preferences.

Even if he couldn’t handle spicy food, he would eat until his body adapted and learned to like it!

To ensure the success of his plan and that his lies wouldn’t be exposed, the best way was to turn these disguised habits and preferences into instincts ingrained in his bones.

Whatever he wanted to do, he had to do it to the extreme.

If the heavens didn’t give him what he wanted, that was fine; he could fight for it himself.

Xie Wenyuan silently reminded himself of this every day.

Then he brewed a pot of tea before returning to his dormitory, spreading paper and grinding ink, copying books and practicing calligraphy while memorizing and reviewing the content of his studies.

He was serious and meticulous.

His dorm mates, seeing his unwavering effort every day, were left in awe!

One of his classmates couldn’t help but complain, “Xie brother, it’s getting late. While studies are important, you should also balance work and rest. You sleep so late every day; it’s not good for your health.”

“It’s fine, I’m in good health. Ice doesn’t freeze three feet in a day, and a mountain doesn’t form from a pile of dirt in an instant. I’m not very talented, so I can only make up for my shortcomings with hard work to catch up with everyone.”

Xie Wenyuan turned with a shy and warm smile, “Zhou brother, you should sleep first. I’ll practice my calligraphy for a while longer.”

After saying that, he continued to bury himself in his studies.

His classmate wanted to say something but ended up just rolling over and covering his head to sleep.

As for when Xie Wenyuan went to sleep, he didn’t know.

He only knew that he hadn’t woken up yet, and in a daze, he heard the sound of clothes rustling.

His classmate, rubbing his sleepy eyes, opened them to see that it was Xie Wenyuan getting up to prepare for exercise.

Realizing he seemed to have disturbed him, Xie Wenyuan felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Sorry, Zhou brother, did I wake you? But it’s still early; you can sleep a bit longer. I’ll bring you breakfast after I finish my workout.”

After saying that, he energetically stepped out, starting a new day.

His classmate looked at his back and then at the slightly brightening sky outside, feeling a sense of despair about life.

Ever since sharing a dorm with Xie brother, he felt guilty every day when going to sleep!