“My son, you don’t need to accept it. Your biological father is King Yun, and you are the real heir of the Yuns. Therefore, you are qualified to sit on the throne of the Yuns,” the Noble Consort stared at Crown Prince Yun and said seriously.

“What? But my father and the Prime Minister... They told me...”

“The Prime Minister was diagnosed with infertility a long time ago.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s true. When I was still a singer, I overheard the doctor telling the Prime Minister about it. After the doctor was killed, no one knew the truth.”

“Isn’t the Crown Princess his child?”

“She is the adopted child of the Prime Minister. Otherwise, after the Prime Minister thought you were his biological son, how could he make Crown Princess marry you? That would be incest!”

“What’s the Crown Princess’s identity?”

“She was an orphan adopted as a pawn. In this way, the Prime Minister can help you for a good reason.”

“But Mother, since I am my father’s son, why did you lie to him and the Prime Minister? Why did you do it?” Knowing that he was a genuine descendant of the Yuns, Crown Prince calmed down. However, he was even more puzzled about his mother’s actions.

“My child, your father has never loved us. Without the Prime Minister, we would have died in this cannibalistic royal palace long ago.”

“Mother, what happened at that time?”

“Do you remember Yun Hai’s mother?”

“Of course.”

“His mother is King Yun’s favorite woman in his life. At that time, the Princess of the Kingdom of Kong liked to bully me all day long.”

“I know.” Crown Prince Yun felt uncomfortable when he recalled it. When he was a child, he saw Yun Hai’s mother bullying his mother many times.

“I was pregnant at that time, but I didn’t dare to tell others about it. I was afraid that you would be killed because of the competition in the harem before you even came to this world. However, Yun Hai’s mother somehow knew it. She didn’t tell others, saying that she would keep the secret for me, but that was just her excuse. She had tried everything she could to make me miscarry.”

“Mother, you have never told me about it.”

“If possible, I wish you could never know about it.”

“Mother, what happened next?”

“Later on, to protect you, I found a chance to meet with the Prime Minister. I got him drunk and slept with him. Afterward, I hadn’t slept with King Yun. You did a good job at that time—you were born exactly one month later than the expected date. Because of the one month and my lie, the Prime Minister always thought you were the child he finally got.”

“No wonder the Prime Minister is so certain that I’m his son.”

“The Prime Minister should never know the truth. We can’t rely on your father anymore, but we have to rely on the Prime Minister.”

“I see, Mother. How did Yun Hai’s mother die then?” For the first time, Crown Prince Yun asked the question he had always wanted to ask for many years.

“I did it. That bitch deserved it. I thought everything was over when you were born safely. No one would know my relationship with the Prime Minister. I didn’t expect it—after many years, that bitch knew I lied to the Prime Minister and your father. She threatened me, saying that she wanted our life. At that time, I begged her, but that bitch was indifferent. She hated all the women who gave birth to your father’s children. How could I still keep her alive? At that time, either the bitch died, or we died!”

“Then why did father think I am not his son?”

“That bitch must have said something to your father, so he knew about the affair between the Prime Minister and me. He began to doubt your identity since then.”

“Mother, what happened this time?”

“It was your father who wanted to kill us first. He arranged for someone to steal the tiger-shaped tally (issued to generals as royal authorization for troop movement) from the Prime Minister’s mansion. He sent you out of Huaiyang City on purpose and then gave the order to kill you as soon as you were back. He then came to catch the Prime Minister and me. However, what he didn’t expect was that when the tiger-shaped tally was lost, we had taken a step ahead of him and started to guard against him. We imprisoned him, poisoned him, and made him unable to get up.”

“I can’t believe Father wanted to kill us.”

“This was the last royal edict from your father. You can read it yourself.”

The Noble Consort took out a royal edict and handed it to Crown Prince Yun. Crown Prince Yun had known everything now, but he was still heartbroken after reading it. It was this royal edict that turned the little white rabbit into a real big bad wolf.

This royal edict was his father’s last will to kill his mother and him. His father appointed Yun Hai as the new king and wanted his mother to be buried with him. The Prime Minister’s whole family had to be executed because he had “colluded with the enemy”. As for Crown Prince Yun, he colluded with the Prime Minister, so he also had to die. The Crown Princess and his one-year-old son Yun Su both couldn’t survive. Master Meng would become the Senior General of the Protector of the Country, in charge of the tiger-shaped tally and control armies of the Kingdom of Yun. In this way, Master Meng could control the kingdom’s affairs reasonably before Yun Hai became an adult.

“Mother, I’m sorry.” Knowing that his mother did everything to protect him, Crown Prince Yun felt guilty and grateful for his mother. At the same time, he also had grown a deep hatred for his father.

“My son, forget about it! I once wanted you to live a carefree life. But now, you must fight back, not for your mother, but for yourself.”

“Mother, what do you think I should do next?”

“Destroy the Mengs.”

“No, Mother, I truly love Xier.” Hearing the Noble Consort’s words, Crown Prince Yun thought of his beloved girl Meng Xi first. However, could his love win over everything else?

“The Mengs is your father’s greatest support. Your father even gave the tiger-shaped tally to the Mengs.”

“I know, Mother. However, I don’t want to make Xier hate me.”

“My son, have you ever thought about it? If you can’t become the new king, you will be killed. I’m afraid you can’t even die with a complete body.”

“How about Xier?”

“You can spare her life. She will become a prostitute, but others should all be killed.”

“Xier will hate me.”

“My son, you are about to be killed. Why do you still care about whether she hates you or not?”

“Mother, I...”

“If you want to love her, you have to be alive first. Only living people can be in love.”

“Mother.”

“The Mengs was different from others. If you don’t destroy the Mengs, you will be killed. Once you become the ruler of this kingdom, you don’t need to worry about winning a woman’s heart.”

“Mother, please leave me alone for a moment.”

“Okay.”

After the Noble Consort finished talking, she left the room. She knew his son needed time to think it through. She also believed her son would make the right choice. After all, nothing was more important than being alive.

Crown Prince Yun was the only one in the room. He was lost in thought. He didn’t know how to deal with the things he had experienced in the past two days. However, he must accept it as soon as possible. Since he was a child, he had lived in a lie where his biological father wanted to kill him.

Crown Prince Yun picked up the royal edict again. He read it so many times and clenched it in his hands unconsciously, almost crushing it. At that moment, kind-hearted Crown Prince Yun felt deeper and deeper hatred which had gradually buried his mind. Suddenly, he wanted that throne. He didn’t want his life to be under others’ control.

Crown Prince Yun put on his Crown Prince’s uniform again. He was no longer the innocent white rabbit. There was ambition, calculation, hatred, and killing intent in his eyes... The once gentle and harmless Crown Prince had changed into a different person with the same appearance.

He entered old King Yun’s room again. He stared at his father, who was now breathing difficultly and looked more than ten years older. His father still looked at him as if he was a plague.

Crown Prince Yun showed a smile to his father. The smile was bright but creepy, without the innocence and simplicity he used to have. Anyone who saw his smile right now could feel a shiver down their spine.

Old King Yun also noticed the change of Crown Prince Yun. However, he had no strength and couldn’t move at all. If he could, he would kill Crown Prince Yun. Unfortunately, this would never happen.

Old King Yun couldn’t move or do anything. He could only watch Crown Prince Yun slowly walking towards him, getting closer and closer to him. He bent over and whispered in his ears.

“Father, I miss you.”

“You... You...”Old King Yun had a little trouble speaking.

“Father, you must also miss me, too!” as he said, he had a bigger smile, which was scarier. “You have missed me so much that you wanted to kill me, right?”

“What do you want...”

“I just want to talk with you.”

“I do not...want to...talk to you... “

“But I want!”

“I... You...”

“How about this! I have two pieces of news to tell you!”

“You... What do you want...to say...?”

“One is good news while the other is bad news.”

“What...do you...say...? I...don’t want to...listen...”

“Should I talk about the good news or the bad news first?”

“...”

“Let’s talk about the bad news first! Your favorite son, Yun Hai, will never ascend the throne. Because I want the throne now. I will be the ruler of the Kingdom of Yun, the new king.”

“You...you...you...”

“Next, we have a piece of good news. The good news is that I am your biological son. I am the offspring of the Yuns.”

“That’s...impossible...”

“It’s true. Father, I have no reason to lie to you now!”

“Then... you...you...”

“I am your son. Therefore, I am as cruel as you.”

There was surprise and disbelief in old King Yun’a eyes when he stared at his son. Crown Prince Yun laughed. He took the quilt on old King Yun’s body to cover his mouth and nose.

“Father, do you know? Originally, I didn’t care about the throne. I just wanted to be in love with the woman I liked for a lifetime. If you talked to me nicely, I would give the throne to Hai. But you were the one who forced me to fight against you. You also taught me how important power was. With power, I can control everyone’s life.”

Crown Prince Yun finished speaking, but he still didn’t take off the quilt. Old King Yun struggled a lot under the quilt. He had no strength, but he could still struggle desperately when facing death. Crown Prince Yun released his hand until there was no more movement and resistance under the quilt. He turned around and left Old King Yun’s bedroom. There was not a trace of discomfort on his face, only ruthless coldness.

...

It was a normal night. The moon hung in the sky, but the stars were somehow a little dim. Ordinary people in Huaiyang City were still in their dreams. Suddenly, the bell rang, telling that the king of the Kingdom of Yun had died of an illness. The ringing sounds hit people’s hearts. People were awakened with a bit of anxiety.

The king of the Kingdom of Yun was still in his prime, but he was seriously ill. Not long after Crown Prince Yun returned from his trip of observing public feeling, his father passed away due to illness. Fortunately, Crown Prince Yun rushed back in time, and he met his father for the last time. It’s said that filial Crown Prince Yun stayed with his father until the end. He was such a model of filial piety and righteousness!