Chapter 127: Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou's Plan

"Princess Changle, Mother, let's calm down first. Don't you think Husband is acting a bit strange?" Li Li Xueyan said with a solemn expression, lost in thought.

"Strange? How is he strange? Isn't Brother always acting Wu Li Ke he's asking for a beating?" Princess Changle wiped her tears and said, sobbing.

This matter must absolutely not be known by the Emperor! (Please subscribe!)

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou glanced at Princess Changle, feeling somewhat speechless.

This child!

How could she be so impolite to her own brother?

"Husband has always been upright in everything he does; he has never reacted so intensely before."

"Let's think about it: if a normal person discovered a truth they couldn't accept, what would their reaction be?" Li Li Xueyan analyzed carefully.

"Li Xueyan, you mean that Qin Mu actually knew in his heart all along, but just didn't want to accept the fact."

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou nodded as if suddenly enlightened.

That's right!

Even in ordinary families, when a lost child is found, the reactions between them are bound to be unusual.

Not to mention that Qin Mu himself was extremely unique!

He had not only become the number one rebel of Great Tang but had also become the sworn enemy of the Emperor.

Just as he was doing everything in his power to seek revenge, he discovered that his enemy was actually his own father!

This was truly too dramatic!

It was perfectly normal for Qin Mu to be unable to accept it.

"Mother is right! So let's all calm down first. This happened too suddenly. Husband can't accept it for the moment, and we should understand that."

"No matter when he accepts this, we must be fully prepared. But for now, we should give him some time."

Li Li Xueyan said earnestly.

This matter was too great a blow to her husband.

We cannot keep forcing him.

Otherwise, the pressure will be too great!

"Sister Li Xueyan is right; Mother and I were a bit too extreme in our reactions."

"Brother has been wandering outside alone, suffering so much, and always facing the risk of being hunted down; he must feel very aggrieved in his heart."

"Mother, we must properly compensate Brother!"

Princess Changle also nodded hurriedly, fully agreeing with Li Li Xueyan's viewpoint.

She also felt some regret.

Why was she so impatient?

If she had handled it more maturely, perhaps she wouldn't have made things so awkward with her brother.

"Rest assured, Princess Changle. I will love and protect him without reservation, even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate."

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou clenched her fists slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with determination.

I will make up for all the maternal love that Qin Mu has missed out on all these years!

"By the way!"

"Li Xueyan, Princess Changle, there is one more thing you must keep firmly in mind."

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou suddenly thought of something and turned back to look at Li Li Xueyan and Princess Changle very seriously.

"Mother, what is it?"

Princess Changle asked curiously.

"This matter concerning Qin Mu is currently known only to the three of us; do not tell your father for now. Qin Mu and your father are already at odds Wu Li Ke fire and water; I fear the Emperor might react too intensely if he finds out, and if that happens, it would be counterproductive."

"Also! The matter of the Emperor pretending to be a Great Tang envoy last time must never be known by Qin Mu. Perhaps this identity will become an opportunity for the father and son to cultivate their relationship in the future!"

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou had already paved the way for Qin Mu's future.

No matter what.

The bond of flesh and blood must be acknowledged!

Qin Mu would not be allowed to refuse!

Could the bond of flesh and blood really be changed just because he refused it?

"Mother, there is something I have always wanted to ask you. How did this happen? Why do I have a brother who was lost among the common people? Why have I never known about these things?"

Princess Changle voiced the question she had held in her heart for a long time.

Qin Mu was not old, at most only a few years older than her.

Among the many Imperial Princes, perhaps only Crown Prince Li Li Chengqian was of a similar age to Qin Mu.

But Mother was only pregnant with one child at that time, so where did Qin Mu pop out from?

"Sigh! Perhaps this is fate..."

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou recounted the story of the two babies being swapped.

The room was extremely quiet.

After hearing the story, Princess Changle and Li Li Xueyan were shocked beyond measure.

"This is truly incredible! I never expected things to be Wu Li Ke this."

Li Li Xueyan let out a long sigh, her whole body drenched as if she had just experienced a fierce battle.

The twists and turns of this story were something she had never heard of in all the books she had read in her life.

However, thinking of Li Li Chengqian, Li Li Xueyan suddenly felt a sense of realization.

No wonder!

No wonder everyone said the Crown Prince didn't look Wu Li Ke the Emperor or the Empress at all.

No wonder the Crown Prince looked so crude and vulgar, not Wu Li Ke an imperial descendant, but Wu Li Ke a farmhand from a peasant family!

So the truth was actually Wu Li Ke this!

"Hmph! That peasant woman was truly too much. Just because my brother looked fair and handsome, she had selfish motives and wanted to keep him for herself, and even stole the heirloom jade pendant of Mother's family." Princess Changle's pretty face turned red with anger, her silver teeth clenched.

Although she was mischievous and willful, she was not someone to be trifled with.

Anyone who bullied her would surely be repaid a hundredfold.

"Sigh! It was also my fault for being too kind-hearted, thinking that since they kindly took me in and helped me give birth, it would not be the act of a noble person to judge them with a small mind, so I didn't pursue it further."

"Plus, Qian'er was my first child, and we had gone through the fires of war, so I cherished him and couldn't bear to let him go; how could I have considered whether he was my own flesh and blood?"

Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou sighed, feeling some regret in her heart.

Why wasn't she more suspicious back then?

Those peasant women were short-sighted and money-grubbing; these were facts!

At the very least, she should have had a little bit of defensive awareness.

If that had been the case, perhaps things wouldn't have turned out Wu Li Ke this.

Qin Mu wouldn't have had to suffer for so many years.

And Great Tang would have had a successor not inferior to Qin Shi Huang or Han Han Wudi!

For Great Tang, for the people, and for the officials.

What a fortunate thing that would have been!

"Alright, Princess Changle, now that the truth is out, it can be considered a happy event. But Mother, since Husband is the true legitimate eldest son of you and the Emperor, how should the Crown Prince be dealt with?"

Li Li Xueyan asked a crucial question.

Since Li Li Chengqian was not the son of Li Er and Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou, he had no right to inherit the throne, nor did he have the right to enjoy all the treatment and prestige of the royal family.

But the implications of this were simply too great!

Throughout the dynasties, the deposition and establishment of a crown prince were never decided by the Emperor alone.

It often involved a long string of factions and interests behind the scenes.

If handled lightly, it would often cause turmoil and unrest in the imperial court.

Moreover.

The mystery of Qin Mu's background was simply too bizarre and convoluted.

Whether many people would be willing to believe it was another matter!

Furthermore, Li Li Chengqian had been established as the Crown Prince when Li Er ascended the throne and had been cultivated as the successor for so many years; he already had deep roots and numerous factions by his side.

Not to mention anything else.

Wasn't Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wugou's own brother, the head of all officials, Empress Zhangsun Zhangsun Wuji, the confidant Li Li Chengqian relied on the most?