The Old Duke of Zhongyong and the Old Imperial Consort did not confer for long. Before long, Xiao Yun and Wang Qingyao were summoned into the room.
Besides the two of them, there was no one else serving them, not even Nanny Jing.
Nanny Jing was the Old Imperial Consort's confidante. Normally, no matter how significant the matter, even the incident years ago when Wang Qingyao was captured by Grand Tutor Wei and nearly killed, the Old Imperial Consort had not kept it from her.
This showed how crucial the matter of the eldest prince was.
Although they had already foreseen the truth, Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun could not help but feel nervous and excited.
This was perhaps the greatest secret of Da Sheng.
The Old Imperial Consort asked Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun to sit down. After looking at them in silence for a moment, she spoke.
"Originally, Old Fang and I intended to keep this matter buried with us forever. But I never expected you to uncover so much. Alas, it must be fate."
The Old Imperial Consort exchanged a glance with the Old Duke of Zhongyong and continued.
"Twenty-two years ago, A Lan gave birth to a baby boy for our Xiao family. While the entire Xiao family celebrated, they also felt a hint of panic and helplessness. Another Xiao family descendant who would not live past twenty-five!"
A Lan was Imperial Consort Fang, whose given name was Fang Lan.
"That night, Old Fang quietly found me and Yulou, carrying a child. The child was hidden so well, and he came in the middle of the night, so no one knew he had brought a child."
Yulou was Xiao Yun's father, Xiao Yulou.
"That child was the son of Empress Xiaoxian, the current eldest prince. Because Grand Tutor Wei's power was overwhelming at the time, this child had to be fostered elsewhere. Old Fang could not bear for his own grandson to be left out in the cold, so he wanted our Xiao family to adopt this child."
"Since our Xiao family has a curse, adopting a child is normal and not something that would attract attention."
"As I looked at this infant, who was the same age as my own grandson, an idea sprouted in my mind. If heaven truly punishes our Xiao family, not allowing our male descendants to live past twenty-five, could changing someone else perhaps fool heaven? If not, then changing the Xiao family's bloodline and ending the curse might not be a bad thing."
"So, Yulou and I put our heads together and swapped the two children. We did not keep it from Old Fang, and Old Fang agreed. Both were his grandsons, and besides, he had always scoffed at the idea of a curse."
"Thus, Empress Xiaoxian's son became a descendant of the Xiao family, and the Xiao family's original child was said to have been adopted from a collateral branch."
"Indeed, no one was suspicious. Not even A Lan, the child's birth mother, noticed anything amiss. Both were infants in swaddling clothes, and blood relatives..."
As Xiao Yun heard this, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
This was probably what it meant to be caught up in the gossip.
He swayed and stood up from his chair, looking at Wang Qingyao.
Wang Qingyao was also surprised, but not to the point of questioning her existence like Xiao Yun. After all, in the palace intrigue novels she had read, such a plot was not uncommon.
"Wow," she said, looking at Xiao Yun, "this is quite dramatic."
Xiao Yun reached out to her with trembling hands. "Yaoyao, help me, I feel a bit dizzy."
Wang Qingyao quickly stepped forward and took his hand. The warmth from her hand spread to Xiao Yun's, and he felt a little steadier. He sat back down, his mouth opening and closing, not knowing what to say.
The Old Imperial Consort looked at him with deep apology. "A Yun, I'm sorry. Please forgive your grandmother's selfishness."
Xiao Yun looked a little lost, a confusion about his own identity.
He did not blame the Old Imperial Consort.
For these twenty-two years, apart from the constant worry about his short lifespan, he had actually lived very well, extremely well, exceptionally well.
He was the youngest prince of Da Sheng, the wealthiest person.
The Xiao family had never wronged him. He could not have lived better elsewhere.
Most importantly, under the guise of the curse, he had married Wang Qingyao, the love of his life.
Compared to this, deception was truly nothing.
After the initial shock and confusion, Xiao Yun gradually accepted his identity.
"So, you're saying I'm the Emperor and Empress Xiaoxian's son? The eldest prince?"
The Old Imperial Consort, the Old Duke of Zhongyong, and Wang Qingyao all nodded solemnly.
Xiao Yun thought of the Emperor at this moment.
He had never met Empress Xiaoxian, but she and Imperial Consort Fang were sisters, so she must have resembled her in appearance. To be an Empress, she must have been a gentle, dignified empress who presided over the palace.
As for the Emperor, he had always known the Emperor to be benevolent. While he had no great achievements in governing, he had made no mistakes. Since childhood, he had treated Xiao Yun as if he were his own son.
And indeed, he was his own son.
Xiao Yun sighed. Wang Qingyao asked cautiously, "Do you... want to acknowledge the Emperor?"
"No," the Old Duke of Zhongyong quickly stopped him. "The time is not yet right. We must wait a little longer, until Grand Tutor Wei or the Wei family commits a grave error and brings about their own destruction."
Although they had no physical evidence, every witness was of great importance: Imperial Physician Lu, Consort Chen, the Old Duke of Zhongyong, the Old Imperial Consort. The Emperor had no choice but to believe them.
"Should we tell A Mo?" Xiao Yun asked. "He is, after all, the only child of the Xiao family. This Prince Ding'an should have been his."
The Old Imperial Consort coughed lightly. "That... actually, he has always known."