Chapter 52: Your Mom Never Lies, For Real
“After this subordinate entered the study, he quickly found the hidden compartment concealed behind the painting. Inside, apart from some evidence of crimes secretly stored by the Marquis of Guangling, there was nothing else.
“However, when this subordinate opened the mechanism, he noticed that the painting on the wall was slightly askew, and the mechanism’s latch had not fully returned to its original position.
“I suspect that someone had already entered before we did.”
Inside Yangrong Zhai, the guard in charge was bowing and reporting.
At the end, he took a thick stack of documents from his bosom and handed it with both hands to Yan Bei behind the desk.
“This is that batch of hidden evidence of crimes. This subordinate originally had no intention of taking it, but thinking that someone had already come before us, I simply took it back.”
Yan Bei took the documents in hand.
Gao An stepped forward: “It seems the one who struck first must be the Princess. This stack of things would probably be very useful to her. She must not have taken it to avoid alerting the enemy.”
Yan Bei glanced at it twice, placed it on the desk, thought for a moment, then said: “She doesn’t need it.
“Since she didn’t take it, she must have another way to deal with it.”
If it were before meeting Yue Tang today, he might have, as Gao An said, immediately sent someone to investigate the background behind this batch of documents.
But today he had seen such a her—decisive and quick-witted, meticulous in every detail, making it impossible to view her with preconceptions anymore.
Nowadays, for anything concerning her, Yan Bei always gave it three more points of consideration.
“After nightfall, go summon Du Minghuan.” He added, “The Du Family will soon discover things are missing and will definitely investigate everywhere. I’ll confront him face-to-face.”
Gao An immediately understood: “Since the Prince has taken it on, the Du Family won’t suspect anyone else.”
With that said, he glanced behind the desk again: “Is the Prince no longer angry at the Princess now?”
Mentioning this, Yan Bei’s heart felt a bit gloomy again.
He did want to be angry. What reason was there for her to trick him into her bed and then trick him into being a son-in-law without even mentioning it?
But if he really dared to confront her, it was uncertain whether she would even pay him any mind.
—No, it would be better if she didn’t pay him any mind.
If she did, it would be even more terrifying. At that point, A Li might have a mother but lose his father.
He was secretly having a little tussle in his mind when Cui Xun said from outside the door: “Why did I just hear A Li say that he saw his mother at the Marquis’s Mansion today?”
With that, he walked in, looked at the expressions of the two in the room, and became alarmed: “It’s not real, is it? Is Prince Jingyang’s Mansion finally going to have a Princess Consort?”
Yan Bei’s face darkened: “If you dare leak even half a word, watch out for the heads of your entire Cui Family, hundreds of them!”
Cui Xun dropped to his knees with a thud upon hearing this: “The Prince sees clearly! Uncle, spare me! If this little one had the guts, my parents would twist off my head before you even needed to act!”
Yan Bei glanced at him: “Get out!”
Cui Xun scrambled to his feet.
Yan Bei added: “What do you want?”
Cui Xun turned and pointed toward the side gate: “Someone outside is looking for you, says his surname is Hua.”
Yan Bei and Gao An exchanged a glance, both turning their bodies at the same time.
“Quickly go welcome him in!”
After Yan Bei spoke, he paused, then instructed Gao An: “This is her person. Go to the mansion gate yourself to receive him!”
Gao An promptly went out.
Yan Bei scolded Cui Xun again: “What are you standing there for? Get out!”
Cui Xun turned and went out the door.
Then he caught up to Gao An: “Gao Gonggong! Is A Li’s mother really coming back? Am I really going to have an aunt?”
Gao An was amused yet exasperated: “Young Master Cui, you’d best forget those words. Don’t inquire or ask, otherwise you know the Prince always means what he says.”
Cui Xun hurriedly covered his mouth, then cautiously said: “Then my uncle probably won’t hold it against me, right?”
Gao An smiled: “The young master can rest assured.”
Cui Xun’s expression greatly relaxed.
“Then I’ll go back to my room and continue writing my ‘Records of Oddities in the Imperial City’!”
Gao An gave a laughing sigh.
He quickened his steps toward the mansion gate.
Cui Xun was the second son of Yan Bei’s eldest sister, the County Princess Changping.
The Cui Family was also a great clan in Mobei.
Who knew how the thunderously efficient County Princess and the strictly disciplined great son-in-law managed to raise such a gossipy son?
Two years ago, the couple sent Cui Xun to the Prince’s Mansion to serve as a records officer, originally intending for him to properly familiarize himself with court politics under Yan Bei.
In the end, Cui Xun, who had been interested in street and alley gossip since childhood, ended up in the Capital City—a place teeming with officials great and small, with ceaseless day-and-night strife—practically falling into a nest of gossip.
By now Gao An had arrived under the side gate.
He had someone open the door, and at a glance saw a refined man in his thirties standing outside the door. Though dressed in plain cloth, there was a hint of arrogance in his eyes. His demeanor was somewhat similar to the female servant by the Princess Yongjia’s side—one could tell at a glance they were both accustomed to serving before masters in high positions.
Gao An smiled first, stepped over the threshold, and cupped his hands: “I am Gao An, the head eunuch by our prince’s side. May I ask if you are surnamed Hua?”
Hua Lin sized him up and handed over the invitation he had brought, cupping his hands in return: “I was sent by the patriarch to treat our heir.”
Upon hearing him say “our heir,” Gao An paused slightly, but soon opened the invitation and then smiled while stepping aside: “Please come in, sir.”
With Cui Xun as this source of information, every household was already familiar with these public matters.
Back then, Prince Duan’s Mansion had received the former emperor’s permission for Princess Yongjia to marry a husband and give birth to a child to continue the lineage. Later, when news reached the capital city that Princess Yongjia had given birth to her eldest son in Bie Ye, the former emperor quickly issued a decree for the Imperial Clan Court to collect the child’s hand and foot prints. And at the child’s full moon, he granted the jade tablet and established him as Prince Duan’s Heir.
This heir was naturally A Li.
In the past, everyone thought Princess Yongjia had been murdered and did not know that he and A Li’s birth mother were the same person, so they naturally never thought of this.
Now, this smooth “our heir” from Hua Lin’s mouth immediately made Gao An feel a tangle sprout on top of his head.
Along the way, he remained composed and directly brought Hua Lin before Yan Bei.
A Li was already by Yan Bei’s side.
Hua Lin performed the proper ceremony toward Yan Bei according to etiquette, but then his gaze fell on A Li and could not shift away.
Yan Bei originally wanted to say a few words to show respect for this direct descendant of the Hua Family, but he had no chance to speak.
“Grandpa Hua.” A Li sat on a small stool, his little hands resting on his knees, and called out to him in a childish voice, “Mother didn’t lie to me. She said you would come, and you really did.”
Even when he was still in Yue Tang’s belly, Hua Lin had stayed by her side without leaving to protect the pregnancy.
Although they had not met many times afterward, he could still be considered someone who had witnessed his arrival into the world.
What a healthy child he had been originally, suffering such great hardship for no reason, and now so thin and small.
Hua Lin was always full of a foul temper, but at this moment he unconsciously softened his voice: “Of course, your mother never lies.”
Yan Bei immediately glanced at him from the side.
Was that true?
Didn’t his conscience hurt?
As he was secretly grumbling inside, a little eunuch came over: “Your Highness, the Marquis of Guangling has arrived.”
Yan Bei narrowed his eyes at the still bright sky: “So soon?”
