Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince consort has attempted suicide again!

Led by the young novice monk, Zhang Xiaomeng and his two companions arrived without any hindrance at a secluded room.

The air was filled with a faint scent of sandalwood. A middle-aged monk, dressed in a kasaya, sat cross-legged on a prayer mat with his eyes closed. He kept turning the prayer beads in his hands and chanting incantations. He looked solemn and dignified, with the demeanor of a high-ranking monk.

"Master, the three benefactors have arrived," the young novice said respectfully.

Master Duming's hand, which was holding the prayer beads, trembled slightly, but he showed no outward sign of distress and said softly, "You may leave now."

"Yes."

The young novice monk tactfully closed the door and left.

Master Duming then opened his eyes, his gaze calm as he glanced at the three of them.

"What brings you here, gentlemen?"

Zhang Xiaomeng sneered inwardly.

That bald monk is quite composed.

He gave the coachman a wink, and the latter swallowed hard, stepped forward, and called out, "Father..."

Master Duming looked surprised and asked, "What did you call me?"

The coachman exclaimed excitedly, "Father, Mother sent me to find you. I am your own flesh and blood!"

Master Duming was stunned. His usually calm eyes widened in shock as he asked incredulously, "You... are my child?"

The coachman nodded slightly. "Back then, my mother was forced to marry the Marquis of Yongwu, but she discovered that she was already pregnant. She secretly gave birth to me, settled me away from home, and named me Shen Nian'an."

Master Duming's real name was Shen Lin'an. Liu Ru mentioned in her letter that Zhang Xiaomeng specially gave the groom this name.

Since we're going to act, we naturally have to pay attention to details.

"Nian'an, Nian'an, she always remembers me." Zen Master Duming murmured to himself, his face showing a look of reminiscence, yet also a hint of pain.

"What proof do you have?" he pressed, trying to control his emotions.

The coachman took a letter from his pocket. "This is what my mother asked me to give you."

Master Duming quickly took it and opened it to take a look.

It is indeed Liu Ru's handwriting.

Their past is written on it, known only to the two of them, and cannot be faked.

Zhang Xiaomeng changed Zhang Ling to Shen Nian'an and also added some scenes of the stable boy enduring humiliation. Master Duming did not notice anything amiss.

After reading the letter, he believed it without a doubt. His eyes were already wet with tears. He clutched the letter tightly, showing no trace of the demeanor of a virtuous monk, and murmured, choking back tears, "Ru'er, you are so foolish. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Do you know that I have never forgotten you all these years?"

After a long while, he composed himself, looked up at the coachman again, and his eyes were filled with the joy of a loving father.

"My child, my child, you have suffered all these years."

"Father, I finally have a father."

The coachman knelt on the ground, pretending to cry tears of joy.

But he had never acted before, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't squeeze out any tears. He could only lower his head to hide his emotions.

At this moment, Zen Master Duming was filled with guilt towards his son and had long lost his usual composure, completely failing to see through the clumsy acting.

"My child, I'm so sorry for letting you suffer so much alone. I promise you, I will make it up to you in the future and will never let you suffer again."

Zen Master Duming got up, went over and helped the coachman up, tears streaming down his face, unable to contain his emotions.

The groom wiped away tears that hadn't even formed, then raised his head and, as Zhang Xiaomeng had instructed, said, "Father, I'm already very happy that you acknowledge me. I came to find you this time out of necessity, please help me, Father."

"Has something happened to your mother?" Zen Master Duming asked hurriedly.

"My mother has been framed by thieves and will soon be exiled three thousand miles away."

"What did you say?!"

Master Duming was greatly alarmed, "What's going on? Quickly tell your father!"

The coachman couldn't help but look at Zhang Xiaomeng.

The latter stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Zen Master, let me explain this matter."

Zen Master Duming asked, "Who are you?"

"My name is Zhang Xiaomeng, the heir of the Marquis of Yongwu's mansion. Liu Ru is my stepmother."

"You're Zhang Xiaomeng!"

Master Duming frowned. Although he didn't know about the feud between him and Liu Ru, he had heard that this young man was a spoiled brat.

"I never expected that even the Zen Master knew me. It is my honor," Zhang Xiaomeng said with a smile.

"Why are you with my son?" Zen Master Duming became wary.

"It's a long story. I've known Brother Shen for a long time, but I didn't know his identity at first. Later, I accidentally discovered that someone was trying to harm him, so I helped him. Only then did I learn about his background from Brother Shen. It turned out that my wicked younger brother wanted to kill him to silence him!"

Zhang Xiaomeng's face showed anger and righteous indignation; his acting skills were far superior to the groom's.

"Why would he kill someone?" Zen Master Duming asked calmly, not immediately believing Zhang Xiaomeng's words.

"Zhang Ling discovered that Aunt Liu had a secret past, namely that she had a child outside the marriage. Now that he is the eldest son of the Marquis of Wu, he fears that this matter will be exposed and ruin his future and reputation, so he ruthlessly decided to kill Brother Shen to silence him and eliminate any future trouble."

"But Aunt Liu stopped them, and the two got into an argument. That Zhang Ling is heartless and treacherous. He actually attacked his own mother and used me to frame Aunt Liu."

"I have tried my best to explain to the Emperor, but the evidence is conclusive, and there is nothing I can do."

Zhang Xiaomeng sighed helplessly, seeing that Zen Master Duming remained silent, but his face was becoming increasingly gloomy.

He continued his deception, saying, "With Aunt Liu no longer interfering, Zhang Ling has no more scruples and has sent men to hunt down Brother Shen. Fortunately, Aunt Liu informed Brother Shen of his background beforehand, which is why we rushed to Faye Temple overnight, hoping that the abbot can protect Brother Shen."

Zhang Xiaomeng bowed deeply, his attitude extremely sincere.

The coachman chimed in, "Father, if it weren't for Prince Zhang's escort, I would have certainly fallen victim to Zhang Ling's cruelty."

Master Duming had no more doubts. His eyes were filled with anger as he gritted his teeth and said, "How dare you poison my child! I will never let this go!"

Become!

A barely perceptible smile appeared on Zhang Xiaomeng's lips.

Just then, a noise came from outside the door.

A monk knocked on the door and reported: "Master, someone has broken into the temple, claiming to be Zhang Ling from the Marquis of Yongwu's mansion, and insists on seeing you."

Master Duming's gaze turned cold. "I was just about to settle accounts with him, and he's delivered himself right to my doorstep."

As he spoke, he went out to meet Zhang Ling.

"Wait a moment, Zen Master," Zhang Xiaomeng called out to him.

"What is it?"

"Master, I've heard that he already knows about your relationship with Aunt Liu. He's definitely not here with good intentions. If you go to see him rashly, he might expose this, which would not only jeopardize your reputation but also put Brother Shen in danger," Zhang Xiaomeng advised.

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Duming frowned slightly.

He was a highly virtuous monk, and if people found out that he had an illegitimate child and was having an affair with the mistress of the Marquis of Yongwu's mansion, it would indeed be difficult to resolve the situation.

Therefore, he asked, "What do you think should be done?"

Zhang Xiaomeng replied, "You should meet him alone first and try to get his opinion. But remember, my brother is malicious and a liar; you can't believe a word he says."

Master Duming thought this made sense, so he told Zhang Xiaomeng and the other two to hide behind the screen.

He then said to the monk outside the door, "Bring him here."