The legitimate daughter returns to the capital and embarks on a splendid life, tearing apart the fak

Yun Jin immediately became interested: "Oh? Why was His Majesty reprimanding the Prince?"

Dongxue then recounted the whole story in detail.

It turned out that after the morning court session ended today, the emperor kept Xiao Jingyan behind alone.

After the officials dispersed, only the uncle and nephew remained in the imperial study.

The emperor leaned back in his chair, looking at Xiao Jingyan and asking unhurriedly, "Haven't you issued the imperial edict posthumously conferring titles on that girl from the Yun family yet?"

Xiao Jingyan stood at the lower end, his eyes lowered, and remained silent for a moment before speaking: "Uncle, Yun Jin must be alive. I will not be satisfied until we find her. Now that she is gone, I do not want the Yun family to have benefited from this for nothing."

The emperor tapped his fingers on the table, scrutinizing him before finally saying, "Are you so certain she's still alive?"

Xiao Jingyan nodded and said without hesitation, "Yes!"

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Is there something you're hiding from me?"

Xiao Jingyan quickly shook his head and said sincerely, "No, your nephew wouldn't dare."

The emperor stared at him for a long while before speaking, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Why are you so sure she's still alive?"

Xiao Jingyan raised his head, his gaze frank, his tone resolute: "Uncle, I don't know if you'll believe me. I feel a connection with her, and I think she's waiting for me somewhere."

The emperor looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

The imperial study was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; even the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire seemed exceptionally clear.

After a long while, the emperor sighed and waved his hand, "Very well. Since you insist, so be it. I'll wait and see if you bring her back."

Xiao Jingyan felt relieved and said with a firm gaze, "Uncle, rest assured, your nephew will definitely find her."

After Dongxue finished recounting what had happened, she couldn't help but ask Yunjin, "Miss, when exactly do you plan to go back?"

"Let's wait a few more days, until the marriage between the Fifth Prince and Yunxiu is settled." Yun Jin leaned back in her chair, and after speaking, she lightly tapped her fingers on the table. After a moment of thought, she suddenly asked, "His Majesty seems to trust the Prince quite a bit?"

Dongxue paused for a moment before slowly speaking, "No, it's not that. Actually... there was some estrangement between His Majesty and the old prince in the past."

Yun Jin raised an eyebrow and sat up straight: "The Old Prince? Is he the Prince's father?"

Seeing Dongxue nod, she continued, "Could you tell me about the old prince?"

Dongxue thought for a moment and decided that it wasn't a very important matter, so she nodded and said, "Alright, but I don't know much about it either."

Yun Jin pointed to the chair opposite her: "Sit down and talk."

Dongxue initially hesitated, waving her hands repeatedly: "This servant will just stand."

Yun Jin insisted, "Sit down, we're not outsiders."

She even poured Dongxue a glass of water herself, and seeing Dongxue's favorability rating increase by 5%, she couldn't help but smile to herself.

Dongxue carefully sat down opposite her, took a sip of water from her cup, and then asked, "Miss, do you know why the old prince and princess are not in the capital?"

Yun Jin shook her head, puzzled, and asked, "Isn't it because they like to travel?"

Dongxue shook her head and said softly, "Enjoying travel is one aspect, but the deeper reason... is to put His Majesty at ease."

Yun Jin's gaze sharpened slightly: "What do you mean?"

Dongxue sighed and said, "The old prince and His Majesty are brothers. They grew up together and had a very good relationship when they were young. But the old prince is exceptionally intelligent and is better than His Majesty in both academics and martial arts."

The retired emperor had intended for him to inherit the throne, and many in the court even thought that the retired emperor would let the old prince inherit the throne. But he refused, saying, "Being an emperor is too tiring; it's better to be a carefree prince." The retired emperor scolded him many times for this.

She paused, then continued, "His Majesty doesn't say it, but in his heart... a rift has slowly formed."

Yun Jin understood that a brother could be stronger than others, but not so strong as to threaten the emperor's position. The emperor could understand this as well.

"But the old prince is actually a very sentimental person, and his ambitions lie not in the court; he never thought of vying for that position. But His Majesty doesn't believe him, and the old prince has no way to explain."

Later, the old prince met the old princess, a woman of the martial arts world, highly skilled in martial arts and with a straightforward personality. The old prince almost fell out with the retired emperor over marrying her. The retired emperor said she was a woman of the martial arts world and unworthy of the royal family. The old prince said, "Then I will not be a member of the royal family," and directly removed the signboard of the prince's residence. The retired emperor was furious, but in the end, he had no choice but to agree.

After their marriage, the old prince took his wife on numerous travels, traversing almost the entire country. Even the prince was born during one of these travels.

Yun Jin couldn't help but ask, "Then how did the Prince end up returning to the capital?"

"Later, after His Majesty ascended the throne, the old prince continued to wander outside with his princess, returning to the capital only a few times a year. His Majesty's wariness gradually subsided."

Dongxue paused for a moment, then said, "But what truly made His Majesty lower his guard was something else entirely."

Yun Jin asked curiously, "What is it?"

Dongxue's expression grew more serious: "Once, His Majesty encountered trouble. I don't know the specifics, but I heard that someone attempted to assassinate him, and the situation was extremely critical. Upon receiving the news, the old prince rushed back to the capital overnight. On that occasion, the old prince took a sword for His Majesty and was seriously injured, taking three months to recover."

After the old prince recovered from his injuries, he knelt before His Majesty and pleaded with him, saying that he was used to wandering outside and was always in danger, but he did not want the prince to take the same risks as him. He begged His Majesty to keep the prince in the capital and look after him.

His Majesty eventually agreed. From then on, the Prince remained in the capital.

Yun Jin recalled the nonchalant tone in Xiao Jingyan's voice when he spoke of his father and mother. Beneath that nonchalantness lay countless secrets she knew nothing about.

After a moment of silence, she asked, "How old was Your Highness when you returned to the capital?"

"At twelve, he was still a child. The prince's days were not easy when he first returned to the capital. His Majesty did not even dare to let him study or practice martial arts, nor did he dare to let him come into contact with the court."

To lower His Majesty's guard, he deliberately acted like a playboy. He kept many women in his household and spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun, neglecting his duties. Outsiders shook their heads, saying that Prince Yu was a hopeless case.

Actually, most of those women were our bodyguards; they were just a cover.

Later, the war in the south intensified, and foreign enemies invaded from the north. The military generals in the court were either dead or too old, leaving no one capable of fighting.

Dongxue's voice carried a hint of pride, "Back then, the prince was forced to go to the battlefield. His Majesty said that the prince should go and train, but only he himself knows what his true intentions were."