Chapter 135: A Green Hat on Father’s Head

“Mother, why are you so angry?” The Third Prince was puzzled, noticing that something was off about his mother’s expression.

He had always known that his mother didn’t like Ah Bao, but he didn’t realize it had reached the point of hatred.

“But little sister… she’s not even one year old yet. What kind of threat could she pose to you? Can’t you stop targeting Ah Bao?”

“I am your mother! And what is Ah Bao? She’s someone else’s daughter! Di Li, think clearly! You’re actually standing here arguing with me over someone else’s child.” Concubine Hui was so furious she could barely speak, wanting to shout but holding back because they were still on the street, so she could only lower her voice.

Inside the Great Uncle’s mansion, the Emperor was playing with Ah Bao.

The Great Uncle couldn’t hold it in any longer and recounted everything that had just happened to the Tyrant Emperor.

“Uncle, you were foolish!” The Tyrant Emperor scolded with a cold expression.

The Great Uncle sighed, “Who could say otherwise?”

“However, in this matter, you are both at fault and in merit. Who would have thought that someone would abduct Ah Bao and sell her to the Great Uncle’s estate?” The Tyrant Emperor shuddered at the thought.

Although he knew Ah Bao was resourceful, she was still so young.

Such an oversight happening in the palace was his failure as a father.

【How should I tell Father that I went along with it on purpose?】

The Tyrant Emperor: “…”

“Why did that thief abduct Ah Bao and Xiao Jiu?” the Tyrant Emperor asked.

The Great Uncle was bewildered, “Your Majesty, although I buy children, I made it clear to those people that I only wanted boys or children around one year old. I wouldn’t dare take children from the palace.”

That would be a joke.

If he took a child from the palace, it would bring his whole family down.

“You, of course, wouldn’t instruct them that way, but what made that person decide to steal children from the palace?”

Ah Bao was sitting on the table, swinging her little feet and munching on a chicken leg.

【Father doesn’t know that the thief just grabbed me as a convenient bonus…】

【Should I tell Father that he has a giant green hat on his head that even a grassland can’t cover?】

【Father is actually quite pitiful. Whether the Third Prince is his son or not is still unknown, but the woman certainly isn’t his.】

Ah Bao met the Tyrant Emperor’s gaze.

Their eyes locked.

Ah Bao grinned at the Tyrant Emperor, showing her little teeth.

The Tyrant Emperor suddenly felt a chill over his head.

It was as if Ah Bao was looking at the top of his head…

Outrageous!

Concubine Hui had actually brought a lover into the palace.

Bringing someone in was bad enough.

Ever since learning about the Third Prince’s true parentage, the Tyrant Emperor had been suspicious of Concubine Hui.

Her infidelity was something he was well aware of.

But he never expected that Concubine Hui would go so far as to target Ah Bao.

She must have sent that thief to abduct Ah Bao!

The Great Uncle had no idea of the intricate connections and only saw that the Emperor was now very angry. “Your Majesty, I’m not sure why the thief would dare to steal children from the palace, but rest assured, I will give you a satisfactory explanation.”

“Your Majesty,” Concubine De intervened, pulling the Tyrant Emperor back to reality, “Some things need to be thoroughly investigated. We can’t let one incident disrupt the entire situation.”

Was she angry that Concubine Hui had targeted her daughter?

Undoubtedly, she was furious.

She even thought that if something happened to Ah Bao, she would risk everything, even her life, to get revenge on Concubine Hui.

The Emperor’s anger was no less than hers.

But fortunately, Ah Bao was safe.

Everything was still negotiable.

Considering the bigger picture, Concubine Hui was the mother of the Third Prince, and the Emperor had been troubled by issues regarding the Third Prince lately.

If Concubine Hui were rashly dealt with, this case would become an unsolved mystery.

The Tyrant Emperor slowly calmed down, “Concubine De is right.”

Patience in the moment would allow for a clearer understanding of the whole situation.

The Great Uncle and Concubine Xin were both puzzled by what they saw.

Concubine Xin, being naive, had no idea what the Tyrant Emperor and Concubine De were talking about.

But the Great Uncle had heard some rumors from the palace.

There were whispers about the true parentage of the Third Prince. Could it be that the disappearance of the Ninth Prince and the Tenth Princess was related to this?

“Find the thief who stole the princess!” The Emperor commanded.

The Great Uncle’s eyes lit up, “Your Majesty, I left a card up my sleeve. Bring her in!”

A skinny girl was brought in, her buttocks beaten raw, her body covered in blood.

Seeing so many people in the hall, she was genuinely frightened.

She had never witnessed such a grand scene in her life.

The strange man in the hall exuded an aura of authority that filled her with fear and submission.

“Scoundrel, this is the current Emperor! Pay your respects immediately,” the Great Uncle snapped.

The Tyrant Emperor waved his hand, “Who is your leader?”

The skinny girl, terrified and overwhelmed by the pressure, couldn’t resist and had to confess, “It’s… the big brother. We only know him as Feng Sheng, nothing more.”

“Your Majesty, this criminal is notorious for his crimes and likely uses a false name.”

The Tyrant Emperor nodded and looked at the skinny girl, “Why did you kidnap so many children?”

“Money.” The skinny girl lowered her head, “Every time we successfully sold a child, the big brother would take more than half the commission.”

The Tyrant Emperor’s gaze turned sharp, “Write down all the children you’ve trafficked in your lifetime!”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Uncle, get a portrait artist from the estate.”

The Great Uncle’s eyes gleamed with understanding.

The portrait artist quickly arrived and began sketching Feng Sheng’s features based on the skinny girl’s descriptions. Any inaccuracies were adjusted by the artist as she pointed them out.

After some careful consideration, they finalized Feng Sheng’s likeness.

“At the time, it was dark, and I only caught a glimpse of Feng Sheng, but he always wore a mask when interacting with us,” the skinny girl explained, choking back tears.

The Tyrant Emperor glanced at the drawing.

Ah Bao, curious, craned her neck to look as well.

As her eyes landed on the portrait, she froze.

【This… this person is…】

【It shouldn’t be him, it shouldn’t be him, how could it be him?】

The Tyrant Emperor looked at the unfamiliar face in the portrait, recognizing no one.

But judging by Ah Bao’s thoughts, did she know this person?

The skinny girl listed all the previous transactions, including where the children came from and who they were sold to.

The Tyrant Emperor skimmed the list and focused on the last line.

“Madam Xu?” The Great Tyrant frowned, “I ask you, who is this Madam Xu?”

The Skinny Woman was completely bewildered by now. Whatever the Great Tyrant asked, she instinctively answered without thinking, “She’s… she’s the Madam Xu from Master Wen’s household.”

[So that’s the truth, it’s Concubine Hui’s mother.]

[This last child should be the origin of the Third Prince. Who would have thought that this skinny old woman was the one who handled the matter of the Third Prince back then?]