In the darkness, Yan Cheng stared at the ceiling of the tent, his eyes straight.
He remembered what Concubine Xian had said to him when he was in the capital. She said that if he wanted, he could call her aunt.
I didn't know at the time that there was such a profound meaning behind this sentence.
Ever since I can remember, my father has been both strict and loving, and my mother has been very caring. Even if she had a younger brother, she would not go beyond him.
He is the eldest son of Duke Zhao, the eldest son of the Duke's mansion, and the eldest son of the Yan family. He will inherit the title of Duke Zhao and this huge family business in the future.
He had never doubted all this, but now someone suddenly told him that this was not true, because the lady in the house was not his mother?
How is this possible?
But there seems to be no way to escape the so-called truth.
"A Cheng, if you think about it carefully, does Yan Er resemble both his father and his mother? But you only resemble your father, not your mother at all."
Yes, many people said this when he was growing up.
"Think about it again, is your mother very close to Yan Er and separated from you by one layer?"
No, his mother is also close to him, but not as good as the second child. But this is not without reason. He is the eldest son who wants to establish a family, and the elders will inevitably pamper their younger sons...
"Closeness and distance are based on comparison. Don't you ever feel that you are inferior to Yan Er?"
Indeed...some...
The mother unconditionally indulged the mistress, such as the Xu family's marriage. The father was not very happy with it at first, but it was not because of the mother's persuasion that he finally let go.
But that wasn't enough to convince him.
"If I was not born to my mother, why would she let me take the title of my eldest son? My Majesty, please stop talking nonsense. Considering how caring you were in the past, I will pretend that I have never heard these words today."
"No, Acheng!" Concubine Liu Xian grabbed him, wiped the ash from her face, and exposed her own face, "Look at me, look at my aunt, do we look alike? Xi'er, you
Come and talk!”
Liu Xi'er was pushed over, looked at their facial features carefully, and said, "Yes, the ears and mouth are the most similar..."
Yan Cheng was stunned for a moment and stared at the two parts of Concubine Liu Xian carefully. Sure enough, they felt familiar.
"There is one more thing that can be used as evidence." Liu Xianfei lowered her gaze and looked at his feet, "There is a mole at the bottom of the little toe of your right foot."
Yan Cheng suddenly clenched his palms.
He does have a mole there, but because the place is so remote, even his father doesn't know about it.
"you……"
"I told you, I am your aunt, and I have seen you when you were just born." Liu Xianfei's eyes were filled with tears. Even though she was wearing a jingchai dress, her demeanor that she had practiced for many years made her even more pitiable.
She stretched out her hand and gestured: "Your mother was only seven months old at the time. You were only this big when you were born, just like a kitten. We were afraid that we wouldn't be able to keep you alive. But at that time, we had no choice but to send you away.
So you are very weak, otherwise the Yan family has many famous generals, why wouldn't you be allowed to practice martial arts?"
valley collision
Yan Cheng moved the corners of his mouth but said nothing.
He is indeed not as strong as his younger brother. He was often sick when he was a child and almost grew up in a medicine jar. He didn't get better until he was in his teens. At that time, he had missed the best period of martial arts training, and now he can only show off.
I once heard the old men in the army talking secretly, saying that it would be great if the second son's ability to lead the army was given to the prince. After all, the Yan family's greatest power is in the army. How can the next Duke of Zhao not be good at martial arts?
Because of this, he studied military books diligently, but he could barely manage to talk about military affairs on paper...
"A Cheng, do you believe my aunt? I came all the way to Tongyang and endured countless hardships just to tell these lies?"
Yan Cheng's face turned pale, but he still shook his head: "No, if I hadn't been born to my mother, how could she be willing to give up her position as the crown prince?"
Yes, this is the most important thing. He is the eldest son of Zhaoguo. From now on, everything about the Yan family will belong to him. No matter how powerful he is in leading the army, he must obey him. Which mother is willing to suffer this disadvantage and let herself
The child is inferior to others?
"That's because you were supposed to be the eldest son!" Liu Xianfei shouted, her voice filled with sadness.
Yan Cheng looked at her blankly, not understanding what she meant.
Concubine Liu Xian looked at him with a pitiful expression: "Your biological mother is my eldest sister!"
Liu Xianfei’s eldest sister...that is Liu...
Yan Cheng's eyes widened.
Concubine Liu Xian nodded with a weeping voice: "Yes, she is one of the three concubines that the late emperor took into the East Palace when he was the crown prince. The concubine Xian who entered the palace at the same time as Empress Wen, Concubine Shu, and Concubine De."
As a virtuous concubine, she actually took the place of her elder sister, so the late emperor always treated her mediocrely.
On the contrary, the first Concubine Liu Xian was deeply loved by the late emperor. Later it was said that Concubine Shu was the best. In fact, when Concubine Xian was there, she was the most favored.
"It's impossible..." Yan Cheng couldn't believe it, "Don't be kidding me, the late emperor's beloved concubine, how could she possibly give birth to me? She..."
"That was forced!" Liu Xianfei cried, "Didn't your father say that? He lived in the capital when he was young, and our family was a neighbor. It was the friendship we forged at that time. He and his sister were childhood sweethearts.
They were in love, and they were about to get married, but they were beaten. The imperial edict for marriage had already been issued, so my sister had no choice but to enter the East Palace for the sake of the life of the whole family."
Yan Cheng stood blankly, not knowing what to say.
His father did say that he lived next to the Liu family when he was a child. He still remembered his father's sad expression when talking about these past events. He always thought that his father just lamented the change of things and people. Could it be that he was...
"Your father and my sister were originally lovers. We never expected that such a change would happen. When the imperial edict came down, they were already deeply married. My sister is unwilling to abort you, but there is really no time. If you commit deception,
Because of your sin, our whole family will be doomed. After you were seven months old, my sister finally had fetal motility and gave birth to you prematurely. We had no choice but to send you away. My sister only raised you for two months before she hurriedly
Entered the East Palace..."
Yan Cheng's mind was in turmoil, and he murmured: "How is it possible? How can the Tian family choose a concubine..."
"Not long after the Green Forest Rebellion ended, the inner court was not well-equipped, and many of the inner court servants were temporarily recruited. If not, how could there be any loopholes to exploit? Fortunately, this is how I saved your life and called my sister to take risks.
If we narrowly pass the test, our family will not be confiscated and exterminated."
This... makes sense.
Yan Cheng sat down and held his painful head.
But he still doesn't want to believe, why has his life become so complicated? He was born as the eldest son of the Yan family, his parents are loving, his family is harmonious, his brothers are in love with each other... Why does it become like this? His mother cares for him so much
, how could it not be her biological child? Wasn't she forced to admit that she had an eldest son as soon as she entered the family? This is so sorry for her...
"Mother..." he murmured, tears coming to his eyes.
At some point, Concubine Liu Xian stopped crying: "Mr. Dong, do you dare to deny you? She grew up with my sister, and she thought the sisters had a deep love. But... if it weren't for her, how could your mother be forced into the palace?"