"Mother, please don't say such foolish things. My father is Feng Yuanping, the Prime Minister of Eastern Chu. He can only be him."
From childhood to adulthood, her greatest pride had been her status as the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister. Her father could only be Feng Yuanping, and her identity as the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter was her most powerful stepping stone to becoming Empress. This was also her pride in surpassing Liu Meng Han.
"Yan'er, Mother is a spy from Western Liang!"
Sun Shi gritted her teeth and finally revealed what she had hidden in her heart for so long. She had intended to never tell Feng Ruo Yan these things, but given the current situation, she could no longer conceal them.
It was time for Feng Ruo Yan to know these matters. She was no longer young, and this was the destiny she would have to bear next.
"No... no... Mother, are you lying to me? How can you be from Western Liang? You are the Prime Minister's wife, my mother..."
Feng Ruo Yan felt as if the sky and earth had collapsed. How could everything change so quickly? The father she had called out to for so many years was not her biological father, and her mother was actually from Western Liang.
It was well known that Eastern Chu and Western Liang had been in constant conflict for many years. The people of Eastern Chu hated Western Liang to the bone. She had once hated Western Liang people the most for invading Eastern Chu's land and for their plundering and killing. She never expected that in the end, it was Western Liang blood that flowed within her.
After a long silence, Feng Ruo Yan's emotions gradually stabilized, and she silently accepted the matter...
"Who is my biological father?"
Sun Shi's eyelids drooped, and she dared not meet Feng Ruo Yan's gaze. She lowered her voice and said, "Your biological father is Baili Kun, the Marquis of Wu'an of Western Liang. I was a spy trained by the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion and had long ago pledged myself to the Marquis of Wu'an. After I was sent to Eastern Chu and met Feng Yuanping, I discovered I was pregnant with you."
"I lied, claiming you were Feng Yuanping's child, and used that to enter the Feng mansion. At your birth, I faked an accidental premature birth and blamed it on He Miao Qing. Fortunately, Feng Yuanping was easily deceived and didn't suspect anything. We lived peacefully for over a decade. I thought Western Liang had forgotten me long ago..."
"I originally intended to never tell you this, but I never expected Baili Xi to find me and threaten me with you to do his bidding. I was forced to do it, Yan'er. Now Baili Xi wants... wants..."
Feng Ruo Yan vaguely understood what was happening, but she still couldn't accept it. "Why are you telling me these things? You could have kept it from me forever, without telling me. Why tell me now, making me like you..."
"Yan'er... Yan'er, Mother doesn't want this either, but we both have Western Liang blood flowing in us. To serve Western Liang faithfully our whole lives, this is our fate!"
Feng Ruo Yan violently shook off Sun Shi's hand and said angrily, "This is your fate, not mine! I am the daughter of Eastern Chu's Prime Minister, the future Empress of Eastern Chu. This is my destiny. I will never be a spy for Western Liang like you, to be at the mercy of others!"
Her destiny was to be the Empress, above all in Eastern Chu. She would never be a spy for Western Liang, never!
"Today, I will pretend Mother never came and that I never heard these words. I don't care what Mother does, but don't drag me down. I am going to be Empress in the future... I am going to be Empress!"
Feng Ruo Yan cried out with all her might, her eyes filled with obsession. From the first time she entered the palace, she had set her sights on the throne of Empress. It was what she had pursued her entire life, and now she was only one step away from that position.
And now, she was being told that she didn't even have the right to sit on that throne, that everything she possessed was fake.
She was merely the daughter of a Western Liang spy. How could she accept this?
"Yan'er... I... I am your biological mother! Have you no recognition of your mother anymore?"
Sun Shi tentatively probed, not even daring to speak loudly for fear of angering Feng Ruo Yan.
"From now on, I have nothing to do with you. Go... you go..."
"Alright... I'm going... I'm going. Don't get agitated, you might hurt the child in your belly..."
Sun Shi knew Feng Ruo Yan's current condition, and any slight misstep could cost both mother and child their lives. After calming Feng Ruo Yan, she hurried away.
As soon as Sun Shi stepped out of the Third Prince's manor, she was struck unconscious and stuffed into a sack before being carried away.
...
"Young Madam, this servant just saw Lord Lu carrying a woman into the Young General's study in a secretive manner. Shall we go and take a look?"
As Chu Qing entered the room, she hesitated, clearly hesitant to speak. It turned out she was worried about this matter.
Seeing Feng Jin remain silent, Chu Qing cautiously reminded her, "Young Madam, shouldn't we go and take a look?"
"Are you suggesting I should go and see, or are you hoping I'll catch them in the act?"
Feng Jin put down the brush in her hand and glanced at the slightly crooked characters on the paper, her disdain evident.
Indeed, she still lacked talent. After practicing for so long, her handwriting remained unsightly.
"Young Madam, this servant believes you should go and take a look. You are the legitimate wife. Even if the Young General wants to take a concubine, he must first obtain your consent. Bringing someone in so secretly is disrespectful to you. This servant feels it is extremely unfair to you, which is why I am displeased."
It wasn't that she was trying to sow discord. She simply felt that Feng Jin was so good to the Young General, yet he secretly met with other women behind her back. It was too unfair to Feng Jin.
After careful consideration, she decided to inform Feng Jin. She felt a sense of injustice.
"Alright, then we'll go and see as you wish."
Feng Jin tidied her clothes and stood up to walk out. She believed that Ling Mo Han would not do such a thing, but to prove Ling Mo Han's innocence, she had no choice but to go with Chu Qing herself.
"Young Madam, it's so late, where are you going?"
Cai Qing, carrying a basin of hot water, encountered the two as they were about to leave and asked.
"Sister Cai Qing, it's..."
Chu Qing recounted the entire incident to Cai Qing: "Sister Cai Qing, why don't you come with us? Perhaps Lord Lu was helping the Young General with this matter, and you should go and clarify it."
"I... would it be inappropriate for me to go..."
After all, they had not yet officially confirmed their relationship. Would it be too presumptuous of her to go and question this matter?
"Let's go together, there's nothing inappropriate about it."
Feng Jin spoke, inviting Cai Qing to join them. She was indeed curious to know who the woman being brought in was.
Lu Shi, after seeing the person in, had been guarding outside the study. When he saw Feng Jin and the two others approaching, he was startled and hurried forward to greet them, "Your subordinate greets the Young Madam."