Zhong Li remembered Lan Heng had once said that Zeng Fan now belonged to Lu Wuxie.
She took the imperial order given by the Emperor to the Ministry of Punishment to see the person. As expected, Zeng Fan not only readily allowed her to see the person but also personally led the way, showing no trace of the indifference he had displayed when she was imprisoned.
"Lord Zhong, please take your time talking with the Young Master. Regarding what happened before, it was my oversight in handling things. I hope you can forgive me and set aside past grievances." Zeng Fan bowed to Zhong Li with clasped hands.
Zhong Li smiled. She was not the petty sort, and these matters were merely differences in courtly stances. Zeng Fan had not done anything heinous, so she readily agreed to put his mind at ease as he worked for Lu Wuxie. "Alright. If A Wu asks, I believe you know how to respond."
"It was Miss Hua Yao who came to see the Young Master," Zeng Fan replied.
Zhong Li was quite satisfied.
"Then I shall take my leave to attend to my duties!" Zeng Fan said, turned, and left.
Zhong Li withdrew her gaze from watching Zeng Fan, finally resting her eyes on the man lying on the stone bed within the bars.
He seemed to still be asleep, having not heard her conversation with Zeng Fan. However, only she knew that the place was cold and damp, making people prone to illness. Lu Wuxie was likely suffering from a deep-seated chill.
"Mo Cang!" Zhong Li unhooked the iron chain still hanging on the bars, pushed open the cell door, and lunged towards the man on the stone bed.
His clothes were already damp. Even with a mattress beneath him, it couldn't prevent the pervasive cold from seeping in.
"Mo Cang!" Receiving no response from Lu Wuxie, Zhong Li murmured his name again.
This time, the man on the couch seemed to hear her, letting out a mumble.
Zhong Li quickly placed her hand on his forehead, confirming his temperature was normal. She called out to him a few more times.
Lu Wuxie opened his eyes, his brow furrowed. After scrutinizing her for a moment, he tossed out, "Why is it Hua Yao?" and turned over, intending to go back to sleep.
Zhong Li wiped her face. Remembering the human-skin mask she was still wearing, she urgently tore it off and said, "Mo Cang, it's me!"
Lu Wuxie's body stiffened. After clearly seeing the woman before him, his tense expression softened slightly. Before she could react, he exerted force with his arm and pulled her into his embrace.
"Li'er, I just heard your voice and saw Hua Yao's face. I almost thought I was hallucinating."
His voice was hoarse, clearly showing symptoms of a cold.
Zhong Li's heart ached. She tightly wrapped her arms around his waist, wanting to impart some warmth to his cold body.
"Hua Yao and I have swapped identities. She is now posing as me in the villa where I reside," she said.
Hearing this, Lu Wuxie knew that Lan Heng's plan with him had begun to be implemented.
His heart tightened. He first reached out to feel Zhong Li's forehead, ensuring she had no fever, before saying, "Did Lan Heng tell you everything?"
Zhong Li nodded, recounting the entire meeting with the Emperor before her arrival.
Lu Wuxie closed his eyes. As expected, Lu Jing'an had seen the secrets he left in the Flying Kite Pavilion and had begun to act.
"Li'er, I need to tell you something." He took a deep breath, preparing to reveal the greatest secret hidden in his heart.
Zhong Li was initially bewildered, merely nodding, her eyes filled with sincerity as she looked at Lu Wuxie. It was only when he revealed the secret that her astonishment was so great she nearly dropped her jaw.
"What did you say? You said the Crown Prince..." She dared not finish, knowing that such words, if overheard, would lead to beheading.
Lu Wuxie said, "I know you've read the Emperor's daily records. Do you remember when the Empress conceived the Crown Prince?"
Zhong Li thought for a moment and said, "I remember Hua Yao once mentioned it, saying that Empress Dowager was in good health and traveled with the Emperor even while pregnant with the Crown Prince. It should have been twenty-one years ago."
"Yes, it was during the civil war in Nanyue."
"But what's the problem with that?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie smiled and said, "It's not surprising that you, having only been in court for a year, don't understand many things. Especially the matters of the Shen and Fu families."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Li inquired.
"Do you know why the Emperor married Shen Nong?"
"Isn't it because the Shen family helped the Emperor quell the Ruan family's rebellion?" Zhong Li replied.
Lu Wuxie continued, "Shen Nong had a romantic entanglement before marrying the Emperor."
"You mean..."
Lu Wuxie said, "Shen Nong was a concubine's daughter of the Shen family. She grew up in a village from childhood and was only brought back to the Shen family when she was older. Without the teachings of a noble house, Shen Nong's temperament was proud and rather ostentatious. When the late Emperor was alive, the Shen family had already been enfeoffed as Marquises, and at that time, the Shen family supported the current Prince Xian."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li raised her eyebrows. She recalled that the Shen family was now the greatest supporter of Lu Jing'an, indicating that Old Master Shen was quite skilled at adapting to circumstances and assessing the situation.
"After Emperor Jing's succession, the Shen family gradually developed other ambitions. Furthermore, Emperor Jing, in order to win over the Shen family, granted them a marriage alliance, and the Shen family ultimately became Emperor Jing's greatest supporter. By rights, this marriage should have been for the Shen family's legitimate daughter. However, due to the internal strife at the time, the Shen family's legitimate daughter fell seriously ill and did not receive timely treatment, ultimately passing away. Old Master Shen, after careful consideration, promoted Shen Nong to the status of a legitimate daughter and married her to the Emperor."
"But what does this have to do with the Crown Prince?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie said, "The Flying Kite Pavilion discovered that at that time, Shen Nong had a lover in the Shen family."
"What are you saying?" Zhong Li finally understood the basis for Lu Wuxie's statement.
"This lover's name was Bian Yuncheng."
"Bian Yuncheng?" Zhong Li thought for a moment. The name felt exceptionally familiar.
"'Nanping Tune'," Lu Wuxie reminded her.
Zhong Li now fully grasped it. "Nanping Tune" was Bian Yuncheng's work, and the bells of the Goddess Sect she had confiscated earlier were also invented by Bian Yuncheng.
"If I recall correctly, this Bian Yuncheng was a musician?"
"Yes!" Lu Wuxie nodded. "At that time, Bian Yuncheng was very famous throughout Nanyue. Of course, he was also a retainer of the Shen family."
"So, Shen Nong and Bian Yuncheng had an intimate relationship back then?" Zhong Li asked.
"Yes. According to what the Flying Kite Pavilion discovered, Shen Nong was very resistant to marrying the Emperor at that time. Although the Emperor was unaware, he possessed gentlemanly grace and tenderness. During the internal strife, the Emperor requested to delay the marriage because he did not want the Shen family's daughter to suffer with him. But do you know what the outcome was?" Lu Wuxie asked.
Zhong Li's eyebrows rose, her heart already knowing the answer. There was no need to guess; the Emperor's daily records clearly stated it. "The Shen family still married Shen Nong off?"
"Yes. Not long after the marriage, Shen Nong conceived the Crown Prince, Lu Yuanhong."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li was completely enlightened. She finally understood where Lu Wuxie's information about Lu Yuanhong's lineage came from.
Although there was no concrete evidence, it was not difficult to infer from the Shen family's eagerness to marry off their daughter that there must have been an issue with Shen Nong at the time. As for what it was, it was obvious to anyone with eyes, but no one dared to say it, no one dared to point it out. Moreover, physicians could tamper with the timing of a child's birth, making it appear to be born earlier or later.
Suddenly, Zhong Li recalled what Lan Heng had told her. Now that the Flying Kite Pavilion was in the Emperor's hands, it meant that the Emperor also knew all of this.
With this thought, Zhong Li looked up at Lu Wuxie.
Seeing his expression that seemed to say, "What you're thinking is correct," she felt her world spin.