Chapter 137: Ah Bao Bestows a Child

Yun Ting gave birth to a sickly son. Zhao Yin often beat and scolded her. Eventually, Zhao Yin divorced Yun Ting and expelled her from the Duke’s household.

Speaking of which, Zhao Yin was truly ungrateful.

When Yun Ting married into the Duke’s household, she brought a considerable dowry, all of which was used in the Duke’s household.

When she was divorced, she left with nothing and even lost her son.

Yun Ting went to live in Jinlou Alley.”

Jinlou Alley was once famous for being a slum.

In recent years, it had improved somewhat.

“Your Majesty, do you remember the incident when Princess Changping caught Shangguan Ze and Xiao Liangliang in Jinlou Alley?”

“Of course I remember.”

“At that time, Yun Ting was at the forefront. But back then, I didn’t recognize her.”

She was only a few years older than Yun Ting, having seen her once when she was very young.

[So, it’s Mrs. Yun! Mother, I remember now. She was the first to stand up for my aunt in the street. I even praised her for her future blessings.]

[A sickly son would bring her fortune.]

[So she’s the sister of Aunt Yun.]

The Great Tyrant hadn’t expected such a complicated situation.

“Uncle, if this matter is not a big deal, why did you only bring it up now?”

“Ah, it’s because I couldn’t speak of it. I was worried it would damage Yun Ting’s reputation.”

Concubine Xin, being a woman, was more sensitive. “Old man, do you know Yun Ting?”

“No, no, I don’t know her. I only know she was an official’s wife in Zhao Yin’s era. Don’t overthink it, my dear.”

[Grandfather is lying.]

[Grandfather not only knows Yun Ting, he might even have had a secret affection for her.]

Concubine De looked thoughtful.

Yun Ting was even younger than Concubine Xin.

The Great Uncle was at least twenty years older than Yun Ting.

Concubine Xin had not been suspicious before, but after hearing this, she grew increasingly uneasy. “Earlier you said you were worried about Yun Ting’s reputation. Why are you so concerned about her reputation? Do you have a relationship with her?”

The Great Uncle panicked. “No, that’s not true. How could I possibly have a relationship with her? Yun Ting doesn’t like me at all…”

Concubine Xin picked up on the clue. “Oh, you old lecher! Twenty years ago, she was young and beautiful, the prime of her youth, and you were already over forty. You wanted to pursue her?

If she didn’t like you, it must be that you liked her, right?”

The Great Uncle was at a loss for words. “My dear, the Emperor and Concubine De are here. Can we discuss this later?”

“No! Wuwu, I truly didn’t expect that you would be hiding someone in your heart behind my back!”

She had always believed that she was the Great Uncle’s one true love, unique and irreplaceable.

She was wrong.

Completely wrong.

Years ago, when she married the Great Uncle as a concubine, it was right after the death of the Duke’s first wife.

Her family came from a scholarly background, and although the Great Uncle held a high position, none of her family approved.

But she was determined to find someone older than herself, and the Great Uncle treated her especially well.

Thus, she went against her family’s wishes and became the Duke’s concubine.

She gave birth to Zhao Huan.

Over the years, she had remained a concubine, even though the Great Uncle intended to promote her to a principal wife, which she had always refused.

She believed that as long as their hearts were connected, age and titles were secondary.

But she hadn’t expected that, in the Great Uncle’s heart, she was not his most beloved at all!

“Ultimately, it was a case of misplaced affection. I know that having multiple wives and concubines is normal for men, but I just wanted to be the one you loved most, wuwu.”

“I haven’t! I swear, ever since we had Huan’er, my heart and mind have been solely yours. As for Madam Yun, I only… only feel regret.

There’s not even a trace of old feelings.

Indeed, when I was young, I did like her. But once she married, I let go of those feelings, and later, when I married you and had Huan’er.

Over the years, I’ve never had any desire beyond that. I considered it merely a youthful infatuation. I haven’t had any contact with Madam Yun since.”

Even when he learned that Yun Ting had been expelled from the Duke’s household by Zhao Yin, he only sighed and felt sorry for such a good woman as Yun Ting.

But he never felt any lingering affection.

[Ah, Uncle’s words are the truth.]

[Who doesn’t have some emotional history from their youth?]

The Great Tyrant looked towards Concubine De.

Their eyes met.

Concubine De lowered her head.

Ah Bao seemed to notice something.

[What! Could there be such a thing happening between my parents?]

[Speaking of which, I still don’t know why Mother was sent to the Cold Palace by Father. Could it be that a new father competed with my father for Mother?]

[My mother is beautiful, kind, and smart. It wouldn’t be surprising if such things happened.]

The Great Tyrant directly took the lollipop from Ah Bao’s hand.

Ah Bao, who was enjoying it, looked puzzled: ??

[Why did Daddy take my lollipop?]

“You shouldn’t eat too much candy. It’s bad for your teeth.”

Ah Bao: “…”

“Really?” Concubine Xin, who didn’t know Ah Bao’s thoughts, just stared blankly at the Great Uncle.

The Great Uncle nodded sincerely, looking so cautious, which showed how much he loved Concubine Xin.

Concubine Xin could feel it too. “Then I’ll be relieved.”

The Great Uncle sighed in relief.

That was close.

He glanced at Ah Bao, wondering how this little kid knew everything.

It was truly uncanny!

“Ahem, so, is it possible that Old Third is the child of that deceased woman? And that the child Yun Ting took was a twin brother?”

The Great Tyrant found this matter quite perplexing.

The Great Uncle sighed, “After that day, the woman disappeared, and I only recently heard about the Third Prince’s background.

Because at that time, I didn’t see the skinny old woman take one child, I didn’t connect the Third Prince to Yun Ting’s child.”

The scene that day had a profound psychological impact on the Great Uncle.

Even though he was a big man, he had never seen a child being disemboweled in his life.

“How did you know the woman disemboweled the child?”

“While drunk, I seemed to hear painful cries. The woman at that time should still have been alive. Later, when I went to check, the woman had died. She was holding a knife, as if… she had done it herself.”

The Great Uncle had never seen such a ruthless woman in his life.

It seemed she knew she wouldn’t live long, but didn’t want her baby to die.

The only way to save the child was this method.

But he didn’t expect the Third Prince to be one of those children.

“This matter is… more complicated than I thought.” The Great Tyrant had initially thought that Concubine Hui only had a child adopted outside the palace.

“Your Majesty, the Third Prince’s background must be investigated. Because the carriage I saw back then did not look like one from an ordinary family, and the fabric the woman wore was not from the Tiansheng Dynasty but seemed to be foreign Yan Zhi brocade.

Your Majesty, Yan Zhi brocade is exclusive to the royal family of Feng Country.”

Feng Country had been destroyed.

The Great Uncle continued, “Your Majesty, based on this, if the woman was from the Feng Country’s royal family, then the Third Prince is likely of Feng Country bloodline.”

How could the bloodline of a destroyed royal family be raised as a prince in the Tiansheng Dynasty?

[Hmm, Third Prince is in danger! If the senior officials and the regent ministers find out, he might be expelled or even executed.]

[Poor Third Prince, who just wanted to be a idle prince. It seems that wish might be shattered.]

[Third Prince did not seek fame or wealth, but he cannot escape fate’s retribution. Now he’s entangled in a huge issue!]

[Wait, fate?]

Ah Bao couldn’t help but murmur to herself.

[This damn fate, could it be changing Third Prince’s destiny? In the book, the Third Prince was chosen as a puppet emperor, indoctrinated with the idea of fighting for the throne, and ended up dying a tragic death.]

The author did not mention the Third Prince’s background.

[If Third Prince is of Feng Country’s royal bloodline, and Feng Country was destroyed, someone must be manipulating him to compete for the throne, using Tiansheng Dynasty’s fortune to restore Feng Country.]

[If that’s the case, the Third Prince’s fate as a cannon fodder might be unavoidable.]

Ah Bao tugged at the Great Tyrant’s sleeve.

The Great Tyrant immediately understood, “I will investigate this matter myself. Uncle, you should consider this as something you are unaware of and absolutely do not get involved, understand?”

The Great Tyrant was referring to Yun Ting.

After all, she was someone the Great Uncle once had a secret affection for.

The Great Tyrant didn’t know that the Great Uncle had long since moved on from Yun Ting and merely offered a verbal warning.

“Old minister, I understands.”

He had always suspected that Yun Ting’s child might be of Feng Country’s royal bloodline.

He was worried that this revelation might harm Yun Ting.

Now that he had laid everything out, he felt a sense of relief.

Whether it’s life or death, it’s fate’s doing, and he can’t control it.

[It’s rare for Uncle to be so open-minded.]

Ah Bao grinned, standing in front of the Great Uncle with her hands on her hips, “…Want a baby…”

[Since Uncle revealed a long-standing secret, he deserves a reward. Hmm… I should give him a gift.]

The Great Tyrant’s eyes lit up.

What should he give?

Is there something for him?

The Great Uncle of the Great Nation felt quite comfortable at this moment, lifting Ah Bao up. “Princess Ten, you truly are a precious guest in our Great Uncle’s residence.”

Coming back, there have been gains each time.

Last time, he learned about Zhao Huan’s preference for men, which solved a major worry he had about his son not getting married.

This time, it resolved the knot in his heart and made him feel elated!

“Do you… want a baby?”

The Great Uncle’s heart skipped a beat. “Hahaha, Princess Ten, your words are like gold. Our Great Uncle’s residence would certainly like another child, but we wouldn’t dare to buy one, no, we wouldn’t.”

After the laughter, he was genuinely scared.

“Hehe, alright~” Ah Bao grinned, looking at Concubine Xin’s belly and blinking.

[The Great Uncle’s residence will soon have descendants. Uncle, quickly embrace a chubby little boy. This time, he will be a well-behaved and promising child.]

The Great Tyrant and Concubine De were deeply shocked.

Ah Bao could actually bring children to people?

After leaving the Great Uncle’s residence, the Great Tyrant handed the matter of the Third Prince over to Concubine De.

Outside the palace, whether it’s dealing with Yun Ting or others, Concubine De’s identity as a woman was much more convenient than his as Emperor.

“By the way, we need to investigate the matter of Concubine Hui and Feng Sheng.”

He remembered Ah Bao saying that Concubine Hui’s fate was already sealed.

So who is living now?

…

Inside the carriage, Ah Bao lifted the curtain and peered outside curiously, spotting the Third Prince by the roadside.

[It’s the Third Prince!]

This thought was quickly heard by the Third Prince. He turned his head and saw Concubine De holding Ah Bao as they got out of the carriage.

“Third Prince, are you heading back to the Wangfu?”

The Third Prince replied, “No, Your Majesty. I got separated from Mother, so I’m waiting for her here.”

[Poor Third Prince, waiting here for Concubine Hui, while she is deliberately avoiding him and mingling with some wild man.]

There was indeed such a subplot in the book.

Concubine Hui took the Third Prince out for a walk, during which they got separated and only found each other after an hour.

It was unknown what happened to the Third Prince during that time.

After returning to the palace, he fell seriously ill for three days, remaining silent as if he had gone mad.

Later, Concubine Hui found someone to treat him at the Wangfu, saying he had encountered something unclean at night and was possessed.

Concubine De: “…”

The Third Prince’s face was frozen.

“Third Prince, what happened to your face?”

The Third Prince snapped back to reality, “I… I’m a bit cold.”

It was indeed very cold in deep winter.

“I just remembered, I need to buy something for Mother, so I’ll be leaving first.” The Third Prince hurriedly left.

Concubine De touched Ah Bao’s little face and sighed inwardly.

The Third Prince was a good child, but he was stuck with Concubine Hui.

Concubine De tightened Ah Bao’s little rabbit hat and took her to find Yun Ci.

They had already agreed to visit Jinlou Alley and see Yun Ting.

…

In a shabby house not far from the bustling market.

After entering, Concubine Hui felt an inexplicable chill.

It wasn’t the cold of winter but a damp chill, like entering the underworld, causing fear.

A pair of long arms reached out and held her tightly.

“Finally here.”

As it got dark outside, Concubine Hui shivered and snuggled into Feng Sheng’s arms. “This place is too cold. How about we move to a different place?”

Concubine Hui was the first of the palace’s concubines to come out to steal men!

“Right here, I like it. Don’t you?”

Concubine Hui rolled her eyes. This place was decrepit, comparing it to her Qinyun Palace was like comparing heaven and earth.

“I like it, as long as it’s where you are.”

“Then let’s start. We didn’t have enough fun yesterday, and I’m afraid of making a scene. This time, you must serve me well.” Feng Sheng said with a smug smile.

Concubine Hui reluctantly agreed.

“What about the Third Prince?”

“He’s waiting for me in the market street.”

She couldn’t let the Third Prince find out.

“There’s some noise outside,” Feng Sheng said, opening a hidden compartment in the wall, revealing a small hole that perfectly viewed the alley.

At this moment, the Third Prince had arrived.

Looking lost.

He had already searched through a few alleys but found nothing.

Only this place remained unsearched.

He thought, Mother couldn’t have gone far.

This alley was full of run-down houses, mostly inhabited by elderly people.

Concubine Hui, seeing the Third Prince through the hole, was startled as Feng Sheng turned her around and they began their affair.

Concubine Hui covered her mouth in fear, not daring to make a sound.

The Third Prince’s gaze fell on the decrepit house. He stood at the door, wanting to go in but hesitated.

Then he took a deep breath and turned to leave.

“Are you crazy?” Once the Third Prince left, Concubine Hui pushed Feng Sheng away, almost slapping him.