Long before Sheng Yu arrived in the capital, the Crown Prince had already dispatched Qin Ge to investigate his background over the years. He knew that Sheng Yu had never married or had children, and now, with both parents deceased, he stood alone in the world. At the time, however, the Crown Prince had not paid it much mind.
The reason for recommending Sheng Yu to the capital was twofold: first, out of admiration for his talent, and second, because Sheng Yu had been a trusted general under the late emperor, having served alongside Feng Yu. Thus, he was the most suitable candidate to expose Lu Qi’s true identity.
Sheng Yu acted swiftly—unburdened by family, he brought only a few trusted subordinates to the capital. Though assassins lurked along the way, he finally arrived safely today.
Yet the Crown Prince had never imagined that Sheng Yu might share a blood connection with Yun Kui.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, the Crown Prince quickly steadied his emotions and raised a hand. "General Sheng, there’s no need for formalities."
Sheng Yu rose and expressed his gratitude.
The once-dashing martial arts champion, now past forty, bore the marks of time at his temples. Yet his piercing eyes and flawless features still revealed the striking presence of his youth.
Tempered by the years, the man stood tall and upright, exuding an aura of quiet dignity—both resolute and composed, wise and serene.
The Crown Prince said, "General Sheng, you must be weary from the long journey."
Sheng Yu clasped his hands. "Thanks to Your Highness’s covert protection, the trip was perilous but ultimately safe. I have yet to express my gratitude for Your Highness’s aid."
The Crown Prince replied, "No thanks are necessary. It was my decision to summon you back to the capital, so ensuring your safety was only natural."
Only then did Sheng Yu slowly raise his head to look at the Crown Prince seated before him.
Clad in a black dragon robe embroidered with gold, his expression was stern and commanding. His sharp, penetrating phoenix eyes seemed capable of seeing through a person’s soul, and every gesture carried the unshakable authority of a ruler.
Though Sheng Yu had spent these years in the south, he had heard of the Crown Prince’s military exploits—expanding territories and driving back even the once-invincible Northern Wei. His strategic brilliance rivaled, if not surpassed, that of the late emperor. Surely, the late emperor and empress would rest peacefully knowing this.
The Crown Prince lowered his gaze, his face unreadable.
He could not control others’ thoughts, especially those of Sheng Yu, a close aide to the late emperor who undoubtedly often reminisced about the past. The Crown Prince could only listen in silence.
Recalling the dangers of his journey, Sheng Yu sighed. "After more than twenty years, it seems there are still those who wish to keep me from returning to the capital."
The Crown Prince smiled faintly. "There are many things General Sheng may not have anticipated. Sit. Let us speak at length."
Their conversation lasted from dusk until deep into the night.
At first, Sheng Yu had believed that Emperor Chunming had reluctantly ascended the throne under public pressure. After all, when the late emperor lay grievously wounded, then-Prince Rui had devotedly attended to him at his bedside, earning universal praise. Later, when court officials urged him to take the throne, he had repeatedly declined, claiming unworthiness.
Yet once crowned, he secretly began purging the late emperor’s loyalists—demoting some, punishing others.
After leaving the capital, Sheng Yu faced relentless assassination attempts. Only then did he slowly realize that Emperor Chunming was far from the magnanimous, unambitious man he had imagined.
He had assumed this was the inevitable corruption of power—that even the most benevolent ruler, once tasting its allure, would grow ruthless and paranoid. Emperor Chunming was no exception, hence his vendetta against the late emperor’s faction.
At the time, however, the Crown Prince had been too young to oppose the emperor. Installing a new ruler would have plunged the realm into chaos. With the late emperor’s followers leaderless and the young prince’s safety at stake, they had no choice but to endure Emperor Chunming’s "impartial judgments," framed as punishment for defeats at the northern frontier.
But Sheng Yu had never expected that Emperor Chunming would go to such lengths to eliminate dissent—hunting them down without mercy.
His journey south had been fraught with assassinations, and the following years were no less perilous. Only when the Crown Prince grew older did Emperor Chunming shift his focus to consolidating power and contending with the prince, allowing the late emperor’s faction a brief respite.
The Crown Prince tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, pausing before asking, "At your age, most men would already have grandchildren. General Sheng, with your striking presence, surely countless women have admired you from afar. Having established yourself in Pengcheng, why have you never married?"
A flicker of regret passed through Sheng Yu’s eyes. He smiled wryly. "Adrift in this life, I’ve failed in my duties to family and friends, barely keeping myself afloat. Why drag another into such a fate?"
"Drag?" the Crown Prince probed. "Could it be that General Sheng once had someone in mind but missed his chance?"
Suddenly, a voice from the distant past—long faded—echoed in Sheng Yu’s mind.
"Snake venom must be sucked out, or it will quickly spread to the organs."
"General, forgive my boldness..."
"I’m sorry, I didn’t know the venom would cause delirium. Are you feeling unwell? I..."
"General, you... you’re so handsome..."
Years ago, during a bandit suppression campaign, he had been ambushed by another group of assassins. Temporarily blinded by his injuries and separated from his men, he had taken refuge in a mountain cave, where a herb-gathering healer found and treated him.
That night, venomous snakes infested the area. Unable to see, he was bitten on the abdomen. To save him, the woman had sucked the poison from his wound—only to discover too late that the venom had hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac effects.
Alone, their minds clouded, they had shared a night of recklessness.
He had intended to take responsibility, but by the time he awoke, his subordinates had already rescued him and brought him to a post station. Returning to the cave, he found no trace of the woman.
Still half-blind, he could not describe her appearance to his men. Only after his eyes healed and the bandits were subdued could he begin searching for her.
But soon, troops blockaded the eastern mountains to trap the remaining outlaws, barring civilians from entering. Meanwhile, assassins pursued him relentlessly, leaving his forces decimated. Fearing he would endanger her, he reluctantly abandoned his search.
By the time he returned to Pengcheng, his vision took half a year to fully recover. Then, his parents fell ill one after another, and he spent years in mourning. By the time the court loosened its watch on him, years had passed.
In the vast sea of people, he knew neither her name nor her face. Worse, she might have already married and borne children. And he, a perpetual target of the emperor’s suspicion, lived under constant threat—what right had he to disrupt her life? After several fruitless attempts, he gave up.
From then on, he never again entertained thoughts of marriage. Yet now, eighteen years later, when the Crown Prince asked, the first image that surfaced in his mind was still that woman from the cave...
The Crown Prince listened in silence, realizing that his probing had indeed stirred old memories.
Sheng Yu—unbeknownst to him—was Yun Kui’s biological father.
Amidst the chaos of those years, the two had missed each other by cruel fate. And Lady Qi’s pregnancy had been unforeseen by either of them.
The Crown Prince remained quiet for a long time, his emotions too tangled for words.
Sheng Yu slowly emerged from his reverie and looked at the Crown Prince with heartfelt relief. "This humble subject never imagined he would live to see Your Highness again. If I may serve you in any capacity, I would gladly give my life without hesitation."
"You honor me too much, General Sheng," the Crown Prince replied.
After a thoughtful pause, the Prince asked, "General, given the repeated assassination attempts during your journey to the capital, have you considered who might be behind them?"
Sheng Yu answered, "The attackers were highly skilled and well-trained. I initially suspected the Imperial Guards—after all, apart from His Majesty, who else would want us dead?"
The Crown Prince said, "It might not just be His Majesty. The Imperial Guards could be acting on their own."
Sheng Yu frowned. "The Imperial Guards?"
The Prince smiled faintly. "There may be an old acquaintance of yours among them. With your sharp insight, General, I trust you can uncover the truth for me."
He said no more. After all, Sheng Yu had arrived safely in the capital, and once he began working alongside Lu Qi, clues would surely surface.
As for the complicated history between Sheng Yu and Yun Kui’s mother, the Prince had no right to decide whether Yun Kui should acknowledge him as her father. He would need to sound out her feelings first.
By the time the Crown Prince returned to Chengguang Palace, it was already midnight.
A young girl lay curled up on the bed, a book clutched in her arms as she dozed off.
The Prince gently pulled the book from her grasp and glanced at its contents. The chapter title read, "A Father Seeks a Worthy Suitor for His Daughter, Three Talents Vie for Her Favor," while the next chapter was titled, "The Beauty’s Heart Wavers, Torn Between Choices."
His brow furrowed as he skimmed the pages, quickly grasping the plot.
The story followed a high-ranking official searching for a husband for his only daughter, ultimately narrowing it down to three outstanding candidates: a dashing young marquis, an elegant scholar, and a stern yet passionate general. The young noblewoman found herself unable to choose, her heart drawn to each of them—so much so that in her dreams, she invited all three into her bedchamber… The chapter even included an illustration of the four entangled in pleasure.
The Crown Prince: "…"
Suddenly, having an official for a father didn’t seem like such a good thing.
Yun Kui, still half-asleep, jolted awake when a sharp flick struck her forehead. Her bleary eyes met the Prince’s icy glare. "Y-Your Highness is back?"
Noticing the book in his hand—and the incriminating illustration—she flushed with guilt and reached out to snatch it back.
But the Prince refused to let go, his jaw tightening. "So your imagination has grown quite wild. It seems I alone am not enough—tell me, how many more do you intend to take?"
Yun Kui muttered under her breath, "I just happened to flip to that page! I’ve never actually thought about such things."
The Prince smirked. "Oh? Then why, in your heart, am I merely a ‘Consort’? Do you dream of a harem of three thousand?"
Yun Kui was at a loss for words. She knew he was petty, but she hadn’t expected him to fixate on a careless thought.
The Prince’s voice turned cold. "I’m petty?"
Realizing she was only digging herself deeper—especially since he could hear every mental grumble—she threw herself into his arms, clinging desperately. "I already said I only like Your Highness!"
The Prince tried to peel her off, but she stuck to him like glue. When he stood to leave, she fumed inwardly.
"Xiao Qi'an! Must you be so insecure? Act like the proper main wife!"
The Crown Prince finally has a name! Let’s all congratulate His Highness.
