The Emperor’s words, though spoken at length, failed to stir any emotion within Song Chaoyu’s heart.
When Mu Changxi was sent away previously, the Emperor should have foreseen this day when he made his decision.
Now… what was the use of saying these things?
Song Chaoyu lowered her gaze, not wanting the Emperor to see the disdain in her eyes.
“Your Majesty!”
To her surprise, Ao Yong, the elder of the two princes among the Southern envoys, stepped forward.
He approached and cupped his fists towards the Emperor, saying, “Actually, Your Majesty, it is still not too late to make amends to Prince Chang. Prince Chang is doing well in the Southern Kingdom, only occasionally missing home and feeling lonely. However, there has always been someone by Prince Chang’s side. This person has accompanied Prince Chang for many years, and today we have brought her here. Would Your Majesty care to meet her?”
So there was still something waiting for them?
Song Chaoyu’s gaze deepened. She glanced back at Mu Changxi, who was still in his “slumber.”
Under normal circumstances, the Emperor might not have insisted on meeting the person who had served Prince Chang.
But today, feeling guilty towards Prince Chang and having had too much to drink, the Emperor naturally had other thoughts in mind.
Even though the Empress beside him pulled at him, he still nodded at Ao Yong, “Oh? Back then in the Southern Kingdom, there was someone who served Prince Chang in such a manner? Bring her up, let me have a look!”
Song Chaoyu closed her eyes, already knowing that this person was no “easy sort.”
Ao Yong clapped his hands, and a woman walked out from outside the hall.
“Hiss—”
Song Chaoyu distinctly heard someone gasp as the woman entered the hall, followed by a long sigh of admiration: “What a beautiful woman!”
Indeed.
The woman walking slowly from the front appeared to be a woman from the exotic Southern Kingdom.
Women of the Southern Kingdom were often gentle and charming, and this woman embodied the word “charming” to its fullest extent.
Although she wore only a simple Southern maid’s attire, her every glance, every smile, exuded a captivating allure.
Especially the moment her eyes were slightly raised, making Song Chaoyu feel that the phrase “eyes like silken threads” was created precisely for this woman.
Placing such a woman by Mu Changxi’s side, regardless of who sent her there back then, likely had malicious intent.
As the woman knelt in the imperial court, her waist twisted with a captivating fluidity, like a water snake.
She bowed gracefully, her voice imbued with a seductive charm, “This servant, Hai Sha, greets the Emperor. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand, ten thousand years!”
It seemed that a mere gentle smile from her was enough to captivate everyone present.
“Hai Sha?”
Even the Emperor seemed to develop a flicker of interest, “Such a beautiful woman, and she was a maid serving Prince Chang?”
Many must have thought the words “a waste of talent.”
The woman, however, kept her head bowed, appearing humble, “Although the Southern Kingdom is by the sea, Hai Sha is merely a slave of the Southern Kingdom. Serving His Highness Prince Chang is Hai Sha’s honor, and I would never harbor any improper thoughts.”
Ao Yong stepped forward to explain, “Your Majesty, please listen. The name Hai Sha means ‘sand in the sea.’ As grains of sand in the sea, there are countless numbers, insignificant. Our slaves in the Southern Kingdom, once a slave, remain so for life. Hai Sha’s status is truly lowly. To be able to serve Prince Chang is a blessing she has cultivated over several lifetimes! Since she is Prince Chang’s slave, she naturally must follow Prince Chang for her entire life.”
On the day “Prince Chang” left the Southern Kingdom, he did not take many slaves with him.
Song Chaoyu had not expected Ao Yong and his companions to bring Hai Sha here!
The implication… was obvious!
As expected, after Ao Yong finished speaking, Hai Sha knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the Emperor, “I beg Your Majesty to grant Hai Sha the opportunity to serve His Highness by his side! Hai Sha wishes to serve His Highness for all eternity. Hai Sha is His Highness’s servant, and this life she is His Highness’s servant, and cannot change!”
Not only that, Ao Yong glanced at Mu Changxi with a half-smile before saying to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, perhaps Prince Chang did not tell you?”
“What?”
The Emperor frowned, looking puzzled.
Ao Yong cleared his throat, appearing slightly embarrassed, and gave Hai Sha a look, “Tell His Majesty yourself.”
Hai Sha lowered her head and said softly, “His Highness Prince Chang and I have a son in the Southern Kingdom. He is just two years old this year.”
“Boom—”
This statement was like a firework exploding in the hall, leaving everyone in a state of utter confusion!
For a moment, Song Chaoyu also felt the meaning of the world spinning.
But the next instant, she became certain of one thing: this was impossible.
At the very least… even if such a child existed, it would not be Mu Changxi’s, but rather the doing of the person who went to the Southern Kingdom in Mu Changxi’s stead.
This matter alone made Song Chaoyu lean more towards the people of the Southern Kingdom lying!
All eyes turned towards Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi.
Song Chaoyu felt a pang of fear, hoping Mu Changxi would not open his eyes under such pressure.
As for her—
Everyone believed she was bearing immense pressure at this moment.
Only Song Chaoyu knew how calm she was.
Using this method to sow discord between them as a couple, and even to confuse the lineage of Prince Chang’s estate, was impossible.
Song Chaoyu firmly believed this, and thus, she looked at Hai Sha with a hint of a smile.
No one expected Song Chaoyu to still be able to smile at this moment.
The Emperor also suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with a series of emotions: joy, worry, suspicion… they flickered like a revolving lantern.
Finally, he glanced at Song Chaoyu before frowning and asking Hai Sha, “Are you telling the truth? This is not your Southern Kingdom, and words should not be spoken carelessly. Especially since Prince Chang is my son. If you ruin his reputation for this, even if you are from the Southern Kingdom, I will not let you go. Do you understand?”
“This servant understands.”
Hai Sha appeared timid and pitiable, “If I did not know that His Highness might not wake up, this servant would have kept this matter buried in her heart and hidden it for a lifetime! But His Highness and this servant truly have a child, a son. His Highness named him Qifeng, with ‘feng’ meaning abundance, saying he hoped that the days of the Great Yue Dynasty and the Southern Kingdom would become increasingly prosperous.”
The character ‘Qi’ could not be used casually in the Great Yue Dynasty.
It was a generation name for the children in the ancestral genealogy.
For example, after the Crown Prince’s sons and Prince Ning’s sons were born, they belonged to the ‘Qi’ generation.
Just as Mu Hansu and the Crown Prince both belonged to the ‘Han’ generation, Mu Hansu later changed his name to ‘Han’ to avoid the Crown Prince’s title.
Mu Changxi did not have a generation name because the Noble Consort at the time felt the character ‘Han’ was inauspicious, so she pleaded with the Emperor and Empress Dowager to name Mu Changxi herself.