Chapter 0175: Xie Chengze’s Malicious Smile, The Wet Nurse’s Sudden Betrayal
Therefore, Xie Chengze had no choice but to rely on himself.
But it wasn’t enough.
Sheng Shihai could keenly sense that Xie Chengze’s desire to contend for the throne hadn’t reached its peak. In fact, this Second Prince didn’t even know the proper procedures for competing for succession, like an infant shouting about wanting to run while still not knowing how to crawl.
But it didn’t matter – he could teach him step by step.
Starting with… letting him first realize he wasn’t of royal bloodline, how about that?
“Your Highness, there’s a secret letter.”
That day, when Xie Chengze was on break, Hu Lai hurriedly delivered a letter. Xie Chengze opened it and scanned it briefly, his expression immediately turning solemn.
“It’s from my wet nurse.” Xie Chengze gripped the letter tightly, glancing at Hu Lai with a profound gaze. “She says it’s related to my origins.”
That glance was truly meaningful, and coupled with the taboo subject of origins, Hu Li felt a chill in his heart. He quickly bowed his head and retreated several steps. “What did Your Highness say? This humble official has caught a cold recently and my hearing isn’t very good!”
But Xie Chengze just gave a malicious smile, walking to Hu Lai’s side and deliberately speaking heavily into his ear, “About my origins… Minister Hu, tell me, what kind of secret origins could I possibly have?”
Hu Lai: …
Your Highness! You’re determined to drag me into this!
Xie Chengze indeed had this intention. After all, in the original work, Hu Lai had the ability to read bones and recognize people. Early when he pledged allegiance to the Second Prince, he had already discerned that this Second Prince wasn’t actually Emperor Jian’s bloodline, but rather the descendant of that Junior Minister.
It’s just that the Second Prince didn’t know about this, and Hu Lai hadn’t revealed it either.
What Hu Lai didn’t know was that the Second Prince had actually known this secret for a long time. In the complete memories Xie Chengze had gradually inherited, someone had already secretly told the Second Prince the truth and continuously threatened him, saying that as the emperor’s son, he only had the path of contending for the throne. If he couldn’t defeat the Crown Prince, when the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he would purge all these brothers.
The Fourth Prince had the Jiang family’s protection and might avoid disaster, but the Second Prince had no maternal clan to shelter him – when the time came, he would only meet a tragic end.
It was precisely because the Second Prince believed these claims that he had been targeting the Crown Prince all these years, wanting to seize the Crown Prince’s position.
In the original work, Sheng Shihai’s reminder only made the Second Prince more determined in his rebellious intentions and forced him to cooperate with Sheng Shihai.
“Let’s go, Hu Lai.” Xie Chengze grabbed the collar of Hu Lai who wanted to escape, his lips curling in a wicked smile. “Going through the plot alone is quite boring. Accompany me.”
Hu Lai: ???
Going through the plot? What plot? The rebellious plot you’re planning?
…
The meeting place specified in the letter was the restaurant where Consort Hua often took the Second Prince to eat.
It was also the same restaurant where the Second Prince first met Wuhen and Wuji.
Ascending the stairs, Xie Chengze slowly entered that private room. The moment he opened the door, those memories about Wuhen and Wuji came flooding back like tidal waves.
He could clearly perceive every moment of emotional transition that gentle, cheerful child experienced back then. Though they were childhood memories that should have gradually blurred with age, they now appeared as clear as watching a movie.
It was as if these memories had been repeatedly recalled and chewed over by the original host and the Second Prince, which prevented them from fading with time. Instead, they remained vivid and exceptionally clear.
He could also recall the maternal and nostalgic gaze in Consort Hua’s eyes as she served him food, mingled with intense affection for him and that person.
“Your Highness!”
Just as Xie Chengze was immersed in these emotions, a middle-aged woman’s voice abruptly interrupted his thoughts. Turning his head, Xie Chengze met the gaze of a woman who matched the image of his wet nurse from his memories.
After Consort Hua’s death from illness, she had vanished without a trace. Many assumed she was dead, but that was not the case—she had faked her death to escape the palace.
Over the years, she had lived under an assumed name, never daring to approach Jingcheng. This time, she had taken on Sheng Shihai’s task because her son’s gambling debts left her with no choice but to agree to his conditions and return to inform the Second Prince of his true origins.
This was also the first time the Second Prince committed murder in the original story, to prevent the secret from leaking.
“Second Prince, is it you?”
The middle-aged woman rose from the wooden chair, watching Xie Chengze from a distance. Her gaze was cautious as she scrutinized him, as if testing something.
Xie Chengze pondered briefly before nodding gently. “Mm.”
“Your Highness, Young Highness…”
The middle-aged woman rushed over excitedly, her eyes fixed intently on Xie Chengze’s face. Her hands trembled with the urge to touch him, but restrained by her lowly status, she could only hover timidly around him, searching in his every feature for traces of the gentle child she once knew.
“It really is you… You’ve returned…”
“Her Ladyship was right—you would surely return, surely return!”
Unlike that person, whose eyes always held vigilance and hatred, no matter how well concealed, she who had nursed the young prince for years could see it clearly.
But the young prince before her now was completely unguarded, his eyes as clear and pure as they had been back then.
The wet nurse’s hands trembled with emotion. “Your Highness, do you still remember Her Ladyship?”
Xie Chengze nodded, though inwardly puzzled. This plot development was different from what he had expected. In the original story, the wet nurse’s meeting with the Second Prince was cold and detached, as if she were merely fulfilling a duty when she revealed his origins, after which the Second Prince had her killed.
Why was she acting so differently toward him?
Could it be because he appeared kind and benevolent, like a good person?
“Young Highness! This servant has urgent matters to discuss with you!” The wet nurse glanced at Hu Lai, her expression suddenly turning serious. “Please dismiss the outsider.”
Xie Chengze looked back at Hu Lai. “Wet Nurse, it’s fine. He is trustworthy.”
“Well… alright. This servant trusts Young Highness.” The wet nurse nodded, pulling Xie Chengze to sit down before continuing, “Young Highness, this servant should have been dead long ago. I have clung to life only to fulfill Her Ladyship’s dying wish—to witness your return…”
“Until recently, someone found me and said that if I told you your true origins, he would give me a large sum of money.”
“This person has ill intentions. Does Your Highness know who it might be?” The wet nurse asked with deep concern.
“Uh…”
Xie Chengze fell into a subtle silence.
The plot seemed to have truly deviated. Why had the wet nurse suddenly switched sides?
In the original story, she never said any of this!
“You need not worry about this matter.” Xie Chengze didn’t answer her question, for after all, the less she knew, the safer she would be. “As for this humble prince’s origins, please recount them in detail.”
The wet nurse fell silent then, pressing her lips tightly as if pondering something. Only after a long while did her brow relax, and she offered Xie Chengze a gentle smile. She stared intently at him, as if trying to imprint his features in her heart. “Young master, what true origins are there to speak of? They’re merely some rumors from back then. That person wishes to turn rumors into reality – their intentions are condemnable. You must be on guard against them, young master.”
Xie Chengze was taken aback, an indescribable feeling flashing through his heart.
She had lied.
To protect her “young master.”