felt a chill and couldn't help but feel ashamed.Just as the young man was feeling confused and lost in thought, something stabbed him in the groin.Although separated by a layer of fabric, Ning Shu st...October, Chang'an.

Six months ago, the Emperor returned to the palace with a baby boy and bestowed upon him the title of prince. This caused a stir in the court. Rumors spread that the baby's mother was a commoner who died from complications during childbirth.

Besides, what changed the court situation even more was that although the Regent King captured twelve cities, he died on the battlefield.

Some rejoice, while others mourn in the court.

And at this moment, within the Emperor's palace.

Ning Shu asked Liu An outside the door, "Still no news from the Regent King"

He stared intently at Liu An before him, as if he wanted to hear the message he longed for from his lips.

Liu An couldn't help but say, "... General's body hasn't been found yet." He took a deep breath and said with some difficulty, "My subordinate has sent people to search many times, I'm afraid..."

Ning Shu's face was pale.

Without a word from the other party, he understood the unspoken words. Helin Yu fell from his horse. If this had happened on the battlefield, they could have retrieved the body. But this was a ravine, and the body had rolled straight down the cliff. After so long, there was no sign of it, likely eaten by wolves.

But he still refused to believe that this person was just dead.

Ning Shu was stunned for a long time, after a while, her throat felt a little dry and she said, "Continue searching... If you can't find it, don't come to see me..."

Liu An, seeing the young man like this, also knew that he was thinking about the general in his heart.

"He persuaded, "When the general was alive, he often instructed his subordinates to take good care of the Emperor. Now that the Emperor is like this, the general... the general knows in his heart and must not feel well."

Ning Shu closed her eyes and let him leave.

And within the palace, a nanny cradling an eight-month-old child whispered, "The prince is crying again to see the emperor."

Ning Shu's eyes were blurry with tears, and he looked up.

A pretty child cried and reached out for a hug.

He looked at the child, his brow and eyes were still remarkably similar to Helian Yu's.

The emperor remained silent for a long time.

***The nanny had no choice but to coax the little prince, fearing that she would displease the emperor.***

Give him to me.

Ning Shudao.

The nanny handed the young prince over.

As soon as she reached the Emperor's hands, she stopped crying. She looked up at her father with wide eyes.

Then bit her finger.

Her little hand reached out and hugged him tightly, her arms encircling his neck.

Ning Shu's heart felt a bit sour.

Thinking of Liu An's words: "Although the general might blame his subordinates... but his subordinates still want to say a word... Actually, that day, someone in the army shouted, saying... it was said that the young master in the mansion had difficulty giving birth.... That's why the general...."

"... It wasn't until after the autumn that I questioned my subordinates and found out it was a spy sent by the enemy..."

Ning Shu knew what he wanted to say. Helian Yu’s carelessness stemmed from the anxious anticipation gnawing at him.

Liu An said with a nervous tremor, "I wouldn't dare to blame Your Majesty. I merely wish to convey that the General holds your wellbeing in high regard."

Her face was gently tugged.

Ning Shucai came back to his senses, he looked at the little prince in his arms, and inexplicably tears welled up in his eyes.

The little prince widened his eyes, a little unsure. He reached out a small hand to touch his face.

Ning Shu murmured to herself, "Is it my fault Is it"

He blushed, hugging the little prince tightly in his arms.

When the Empress Dowager arrived.

Ning Shu was holding the well-fed little prince, who was a bit restless, crawling on her and moving around.

When the Empress Dowager entered, she was met with such a heartwarming scene.

A flicker of complexity crossed her eyes.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

The slaves bowed.

The little prince bit his finger and looked over with wide eyes. When he saw the Empress Dowager, he became much more well-behaved.

The Empress Dowager's expression softened a bit: "Let me hold you."

Ning Shu hesitated a little, but still handed the young prince over to her. However, her eyes never left this side.

The Empress Dowager, seeing this, calmly said, “Your Majesty needn’t fear, if this old woman wished to harm him, she would have done so long ago.”

Ning Shu said, "I dare not."

The Empress Dowager was amusing the little prince in her arms. She had once hated him with all her being and even contemplated killing him. After all, he was the child of the Duke Regent.

But the emperor's ostentatious return to the palace, proclaiming it to the world.

And will not take a concubine.

How can she do that

She still remembered how, back then, she had seized the opportunity to try and bring the Regent King's military power back under her control. How had the Emperor threatened her

"On that day, I made the decision not to stand idly by and watch my mother act this way."

"If Mother wants it, she can just take it."

“It seems that I, as emperor, will fail to meet my mother’s expectations for this empire.”

The emperor even threatened her with his life, disregarding the safety of the little prince.

The Empress Dowager was furious.

She only has one son. If she had another son, there would be no need to endure this. This empire, if the emperor doesn't sit on the throne, would simply change its name.

The Southern King was eyeing the opportunity greedily. He had been suppressed by Helan Yu before, but now that he was dead...

The Southern King couldn't wait to rebel immediately.

The Empress Dowager finally conceded, holding the young prince and saying softly, "Your Majesty, are you still suspecting that the Regent King is dead"

Ning Shu's eyelashes trembled, and her face paled even further.

“This old empress advises your majesty not to waste your efforts,” the Empress Dowager said coldly. “The Prince Regent is already dead. Even if we find him, he would only be a skeleton.”

The little prince in her arms seemed to be very familiar with the name, and he couldn't help but raise his little face and look over.

But seeing the Empress's expression, she was also a little scared.

Ning Shu couldn't help but hold the little prince over, and said aloud: "Even if I die, I must see the body."

.....

When it rains.

Several servants in the palace carefully attended to the two-year-old young prince. After all, he was the future Crown Prince.

As soon as he woke up, Ning Shu noticed a little bean sprout clinging to his thigh: “Father.”

He bent down and picked up the little prince, his eyes weary as he said, "Baby."

The little prince seemed a bit shy about the title, twisting his body. Yet he was reluctant to leave Ning Shu's embrace, clinging to his neck and saying in a milky voice, "Father Emperor, I heard that we can set off sky lanterns today."

Ning Shu pinched his little face and said, "Baby, do you want to set off fireworks"

The little prince nodded.

Her eyes looked longingly at her father. "Can I, Father"

Ning Shu nodded.

"May I... go out of the palace"

The little prince hesitated for a moment, kissed his cheek and coquettishly said: "Can I Father Emperor."

Ning Shu stared at his eyebrows and eyes with a dazed expression.

He's becoming more and more like that person.

The little prince hugged his father's neck and whispered, "Father, are you thinking of Mother again"

Ning Shu came back to her senses and shook her head.

The little prince pouted, every time he talked about his mother, the emperor looked very sad.

That's all I have to say.

Ning Shu couldn't bear to see the little prince sad and disappointed, so she sent a carriage out of the palace.

And there were still some guards.

They left the palace very secretly, and few people knew about it. It was a last-minute decision, so they just wore plain clothes and left.

Many people were setting off fireworks today.

Ning Shu bought two lanterns with the little prince, and they went to the river together.

The little prince held the firefly, carefully placing it down.

Ning Shu looked at him, her eyes soft as she asked, "What wish did baby make"

The little prince pouted and said in a milky voice, "I want to see my mother."

Ning Shu wanted to speak but stopped herself.

His expression was unusually awkward.

But the little prince didn't notice, he just looked at the falling flower lights with big eyes and then innocently asked, "Is my mother beautiful"

Ning Shu pursed her lips, remaining silent.

He didn't know how to explain, that he was the one who brought him into being.

I could only awkwardly steer the conversation away, saying "...Hmm."

The little prince wasn't satisfied with the answer, and pouted. But he still lowered his head and looked seriously at the floating lanterns.

Ning Shu couldn't help but pull him: "Be careful, don't get your shoes wet."

That's when it happened.

Someone bumped into him from behind.

Ning Shu's hand slipped, only feeling that a few people blocked his line of sight. When he anxiously looked for the little prince's figure, he was gone.

He turned ashen, calling out to the guards.

Those guards also hurriedly went to look for the little prince.

Ning Shu's mind was blank, she stumbled around, looking everywhere while calling out the little prince's nickname.

....

Yinzhaigou.

Two years ago, the bandits in the mountains were desperate and robbed everyone who passed by. Almost no one dared to travel this official road anymore. Later, government troops came to suppress them.

I was supposed to win in one fell swoop, but for some reason, I ended up retreating.

Since then, the bandit den has been a different place.

Still pulling the same racket, but this bandit is unpredictable. The person they target is very discerning.

...but its reputation is far-reaching. ...

Many martial arts practitioners came out of curiosity, but they all ended up covered in dust. It was rumored that the bandit leader was incredibly powerful, but no one knew his name or surname. All they knew was that he was the boss.

...and at this moment. ...

A tall man sat in the seat, holding a pot of wine in his hand. His stern and handsome face looked very masculine. His dark eyes stared down and spoke, "Say it, why did you take action without authorization Do you know they have relations with the court"

Those below know, it's not that the leader fears the imperial court. He simply doesn't want to be involved with them.

Because the imperial court is complex.

If the imperial court really gets involved with them.

The leader, of course, would not be afraid.

“My lord, at first I didn't know this had anything to do with the court.” One hesitated and said, “After all, they were dressed plainly. We just happened to meet them halfway, and we didn't want to bother. We only looked because we heard a noise from the carriage, who knew they wanted to silence us...”

The whole story was told.

The man narrowed his eyes slightly: "Child"

The subordinate nodded: "This child's clothes are expensive, he must be the son of no ordinary family."

"Bring him up here."

A man drank a glass of wine and spoke.

Men, after all, are rather crude. An elderly slave, past fifty years of age, from the village, brought up the child.

The man above looked down at the child who was tightly held by the maid, crying non-stop, and said in a low voice: "Bring him over here, let me have a look."s eyes.After a while.Lu Ze folded the script in his hand and walked to the bedside. After looking at the young man's fair face for a while, he lowered his head slightly: "Xiaoshu"The person in bed had...