Chapter 2372: The Youth's Identity (Patreon)

Chapter 2372: The Youth's Identity

Shu Yu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Xu Zhensheng was alright.

Qi Lie smiled warmly, "This time, you've achieved great merit."

With her worries temporarily eased, Shu Yu relaxed and inquired, "So, what is the identity of that youth?"

"What do you two think?" Qi Lie asked.

Shu Yu and Meng Yun Zheng exchanged a glance, and the latter pondered, "Liu Jie is the second-in-command of the southwestern black market. He personally posed as a banished convict to protect that youth, going to great lengths, even risking his life. Besides the Second Prince, who could make him so loyal? What's the relationship between this youth and the Second Prince?"

In the past few days, they had speculated to some extent, but they hadn't heard the answer yet, and they couldn't be sure.

Qi Lie chuckled, "You're correct. He has a close relationship with the Second Prince. In fact, he's now the only son of the Second Prince."

Shu Yu and Meng Yunzheng wore expressions of confirmation.

However, they were puzzled again. Shu Yu furrowed her brow, "Where did the Second Prince get such a grown-up child?"

A grown-up child?

Qi Lie's mouth twitched, and he took a few sips of water before continuing, "To put it seriously, this child is from the Second Prince's extramarital affair. The Second Prince, much like his father, Gonh Qiu, forced Yunzheng's mother into being his mistress back then. Similarly, the Second Prince set his eyes on a girl and, disregarding her wishes, arranged for her to live outside the estate. The only difference is that while Yun Zheng sought revenge for his mother, this child... actually killed his own mother with his own hands."

Shu Yu's eyes widened in shock. "Killed his mother with his own hands?"

"Yes."

This youth was named Yuan Ye, and he was twelve years old this year. The Second Prince was three or four years older than Meng Yun Zheng, but he had hit puberty ten years earlier.

At the age of sixteen, he married the primary consort. The Second Prince's consort was rather ordinary in appearance, and his marriage to her was purely for her family's political influence.

Unlike the Third Prince, whose mother, Noble Concubine Xiao, had the support of the Xiao family, and who had been wholeheartedly planned for, the Second Prince's mother's family, the Liu family, had been significantly weakened over the past twenty years due to the assassination attempt.

To compete for the throne, the Second Prince needed support besides Gong Qiu, his father. Marrying into a prestigious family was his first step. Thus, he was married to the primary consort under the arrangements of his mother and Gong Qiu.

To make the primary consort's family completely devoted to him, he had to create an image of faithfulness and monogamy to the outside world. He made everyone believe he was devoted to a single woman. Not only did this make others think he was single-minded, but it also convinced the consort and her family that he was a reliable husband.

Little did they know that just two months after marrying the consort, the Second Prince began keeping a mistress outside the estate. This mistress soon gave birth to a son.

When the consort joined the royal family, she was pregnant within three months. However, due to the inevitable struggles within the palace, under the orchestrated actions of other princes, she miscarried and was injured. She couldn't conceive for several years.

Several years later, when the Second Prince's consort finally gave birth to a daughter, their peaceful life was short-lived. When this young princess was only four years old, Gong Qiu's conspiracy was exposed, and the entire family of the Second Prince was imprisoned in another residence.