Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"I can't think of any other possibility besides that."

After a moment of silence, Lu Wei also sighed with a wry smile.

"Judging from Mother's tone, that Lady Wang must have been quite beautiful back then. As Mother's maid, she certainly had the opportunity to meet Prince Xing and the Crown Prince."

It is entirely possible that she would be favored and visited by His Highness Prince Xing.

This was originally a perfectly normal thing, but since His Highness Prince Xing has taken a liking to Wang, Father should send her to Prince Xing's residence to serve His Highness!

If the father took a fancy to the maidservant Wang, it was only natural for the mother to be angry.

But it was Prince Xing who took a liking to Wang Shi. How could Mother dare to bestow Wang Shi upon Steward Lu Kun as a concubine?

"Because Mother knew nothing about this!"

Lu Bing thought for a moment,

"Second brother, when Mother brought up this matter that day, she even harbored resentment towards Wang, believing that she had seduced Father."

In other words, the father kept the fact that Prince Xing had slept with Lady Wang a secret.

Even after his mother, in a fit of anger, gave Wang Shi to Lu Kun as a concubine, his father never revealed the truth.

"What is our father thinking?!"

Lu Wei plopped down on the stool.

"Can this kind of thing be kept secret?"

Isn't he afraid of bringing disaster upon the Lu family?!

"We must find out exactly what happened back then as soon as possible!"

Lu Bing turned to look at Lu Chen.

"Although we now know that you are the son of the late Emperor Xian, until you officially acknowledge your lineage, we will still call you 'Lu Chen' for now."

"That's only natural."

Lu Chen cupped his hands in greeting.

"Since I can remember, I have always been called Lu Chen."

It's not the "dust" of dust, but the "star" of stars.

Of course, these two characters are pronounced exactly the same, and there's no difference in how they're called.

"Dust is unworthy of royal blood; it should naturally be the stars."

Lu Bing nodded slightly.

"You just said that you didn't grow up in the Chengtianfu manor. So, the person who lived there with your birth mother, Wang, was always a substitute."

That stand-in was actually named "Lu Chen," the "Chen" in "dust."

Your name and this stand-in's name were probably given by your father.

Just now you were worried that we would make a commotion because we were surprised when we saw your face, which means you already know that you look a lot like the current emperor.

Now, Father, Lu Kun, and your birth mother, Wang Shi, have all passed away, and those who know the truth of what happened back then can no longer be found.

We can only piece together the truth of what happened back then based on the clues we already know.

You came to me because you wanted to find out what was going on. We have the same goal. If you know anything, please don't hide it from me.

After I find out the truth about what happened back then, I will take you to see His Majesty.

With that face alone, His Majesty will surely accept you as his younger brother.

It is a foregone conclusion that you will be granted the title of Prince. As the son of the late Emperor Xian and His Majesty's only younger brother, I believe His Majesty will bestow upon you a title far exceeding that of an ordinary Prince.

However, since the son of the late Emperor Xian was raised among commoners, Your Majesty must surely order an investigation to find out the truth.

If it were anything else, it would likely be handed over to our Embroidered Uniform Guard.

But this is different. You grew up as a member of the Lu family, and even became a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard under the name "Lu Chen".

I must avoid any appearance of impropriety in this matter, and His Majesty would never entrust me with the investigation.

I estimate that His Majesty will likely order the Eastern Depot to investigate this matter.

The position of Director of the Eastern Depot was concurrently held by Mai Fu, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who was not a former official of the Prince of Xing's Mansion.

To avoid suspicion, my father and I have never had any private dealings with him over the years.

The investigation by the Eastern Depot will likely not be handled lightly just because of my father's and my reputation.

If they find out something they shouldn't know, it could be detrimental to the Lu family.

Although you are a descendant of the late Emperor Xian, you also have intricate connections with my Lu family.

If anything happens to my Lu family, it will definitely not be good for you either.

"Brother, please rest assured."

Lu Chen quickly expressed his opinion.

"I have always believed since I was a descendant of the Lu family."

Although I don't know why my father secretly raised me outside, he must have had his reasons.

Judging from the reactions of my two elder brothers today, my father has never told me about my true origins.

Even so, my elder brother still arranged a lucrative position for me, his illegitimate half-brother, as the commander of the Linqing Imperial Guard, which shows how much he cared for me.

"The safety of the Lu family is naturally my responsibility, and I will stand with my two elder brothers through thick and thin."

Passing the difficult problem to Lu Bing was indeed the right move.

With the safety of the entire Lu family at stake, even Lu Bing couldn't remain completely rational and ended up being led astray by his own actions.

In Lu Bing's mind now, the events of that year were all orchestrated by Lu Song.

The people involved are all dead, and the truth has been buried forever.

However, concealing royal blood is, after all, a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.

He must find a reasonable excuse to completely absolve the Lu family of any responsibility.

To accomplish this, the cooperation of the person involved is essential.

From this moment on, it was no longer a matter of needing to prove anything to Lu Bing.

On the contrary, Lu Bing begged him to cooperate in covering up his lie.

No matter how many loopholes there are in the information he provides, he will find a way to fill them in.

If I had found Lu Bing before going to Linqing, this guy might have gone all the way and chosen to kill me to cover it up completely.

But now, it's too late.

After serving as the head of the Imperial Guard in Linqing for six months, many people already knew him.

Moreover, how did I know that I looked like the Jiajing Emperor?

Of course someone recognized him!

Lu Bing had no idea who exactly it was or how many there were.

Even if she came to Weihui to see him, someone might already know.

Since secrecy cannot be maintained, silencing them is also impossible.

"Since you are not the 'Lu Chen' who grew up on the Chengtian Prefecture estate as Lu Kun's illegitimate son, where have you been living all these years?"

After Lu Chen expressed his willingness to stand with the Lu family through thick and thin, Lu Bing asked.

"To be honest, brother, I have been living in a village deep in the mountains of Yunyang Prefecture all these years."

Lu Chen looked sincere.

"In that village, there were servants who took care of my daily life, and there were also people who taught me to read and write."

I can't say exactly where it is.

My servant led me through the mountains for three days before we arrived at a small town on the banks of the South River.

From there, one can travel by boat down the South River and reach Gucheng County in Xiangyang Prefecture in just one day.

What Lu Chen was referring to was the path he had taken when he first transmigrated to this world.

To deceive someone, the best approach is to mix a little falsehood into the truth.

Based on this information, we can only find that small town by the South River.

That area is the Dabashan Mountains and Shennongjia, where there are undeveloped primeval forests everywhere.

Does anyone know where that mysterious village, which is three days' walk up the mountain from the town, is?