Chapter 275

"Sister Xueyan is right; it was Mother and I whose reactions were a bit too extreme."

"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!"

Changle also nodded hurriedly, fully agreeing with Li Xueyan's point of view.

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 Brother.

"Rest assured, Changle. I will definitely cherish him without reservation, even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate."

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

I want to make up for all the maternal love that Qin Mu has missed out on for so many years!

"By the way!"

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

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

"Mother, what is it?"

Changle asked curiously.

"This matter concerning Qin Mu is currently known only to the three of us; do not tell your father for the time being. Qin Mu and your father are already at daggers drawn, and I fear that if the Emperor knows about this, he might react too intensely, which would be counterproductive."

"Also! The last time the Emperor disguised himself as a Great Tang envoy, you must absolutely not let Qin Mu know. Perhaps this layer of identity will be an opportunity for father and son to cultivate their relationship in the future!"

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

No matter what.

One's own flesh and blood must be acknowledged!

Qin Mu has no choice but to accept it!

Can the bond of flesh and blood really be changed just because one refuses 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?"

Changle voiced the question she had been harboring in her heart.

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

Among the many imperial brothers, perhaps only Crown Prince Li Chengqian is 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..."

Zhangsun Wugou recounted the story of the two infants being swapped.

The room was extremely quiet.

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

"This is simply incredible! I never expected things to be like this."

Li Xueyan let out a long sigh, her whole body soaked 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 Chengqian, Li Xueyan suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

No wonder!

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

No wonder the Crown Prince looked so crude and vulgar, not like a member of the imperial family, but rather like a farmhand from a peasant household!

So the truth was actually like this!

"Hmph! That peasant woman was simply too much. Just because my brother was handsome, she had selfish motives and wanted to keep him for herself, and even stole Mother's heirloom jade pendant." Changle was so angry her pretty face turned red and she gritted her teeth.

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

Anyone who bullied her would certainly be repaid a hundredfold.

"Sigh! It was also my fault for being too trusting, thinking that they had kindly taken me in and helped me with the delivery, and that it would be ungentlemanly of me to judge them with a petty mind, so I didn't pursue it further."

"Besides, Cheng'er was my first child, and we had also been through the fires of war, so I cherished him and couldn't bear to put him down; how could I have considered whether he was my own flesh and blood?"

Zhangsun Wugou sighed, feeling some regret in her heart as well.

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 be like this.

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

And Great Tang would have had a crown prince no less capable than the emperors of Qin and Han!

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

What a fortunate thing that would have been!

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

Li Xueyan asked a crucial question.

Since Li Chengqian is not the son of Li Er and Zhangsun Wugou, he has no right to inherit the throne, nor even 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 removal or appointment of a crown prince was never something decided by the Emperor alone.

Behind it often lay a long string of factions and interests.

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 Chengqian had been established as Crown Prince when Li Er ascended the throne and had been groomed as the heir for so many years; he already had deep roots and numerous factions around him.

Not to mention anything else.

Wasn't Zhangsun Wuji, Zhangsun Wugou's own brother and the head of the officials, Li Chengqian's most trusted confidant?