The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1489

Chapter 1489: 727 Second Watch

After leaving the Qilin Hall, the monarch went to find the Little Princess, while the Crown Prince said goodbye to the monarch and boarded the carriage to return to his residence.

The carriage had traveled far from the National Master Hall before he changed his impulsive and irritable expression, becoming solemn and restrained.

The carriage moved along the spacious street.

He spoke in a deep voice, "Do you know whom I saw just now in the National Master Hall?"

Seated beside him on the bench was a man dressed in the official uniform of the Duwei Prefecture, surnamed Shao, named Xueyi, holding the position of Fengche Duwei, in charge of all the carriages and ceremonial guards of the Dayan Imperial Palace.

The powers of the various Duwei were not set in stone and sometimes permeated each other’s domains.

Shao Xueyi had previously been responsible for investigating an assassination attempt on the Crown Prince’s residence.

Everyone thought he was a confidant of the Wang Family, but little did they know that he had long been serving the Crown Prince, and had even accompanied the Crown Prince in disguise to Tianqiong Academy to watch a cuju match.

"Who did Your Highness see?" Shao Xueyi asked.

The Crown Prince said, "I saw the Imperial Grandson."

"The Imperial Grandson has returned to Shengdu?" Shao Xueyi exclaimed in surprise.

The Crown Prince smiled faintly, "Surprised, aren’t you? I didn’t receive the slightest bit of news. I suspect he isn’t the real Shangguan Qing; he is Xiao Hen."

Shao Xueyi asked, "That... Xiao Liulang?"

The Crown Prince nodded, "Yes, him."

As a confidant of the Crown Prince, Shao Xueyi naturally knew about Xiao Hen’s arrival in Shengdu; he asked, "Did he reveal his true identity, or is he pretending to be Shangguan Qing?"

"Pretending to be Shangguan Qing," the Crown Prince said, frowning slightly, "I’m not certain either."

Shao Xueyi looked puzzledly at the Crown Prince, "What is Your Highness uncertain about?"

The Crown Prince sighed, "Uncertain whether that person is actually Xiao Hen or Shangguan Qing. Their appearances are too similar, almost identical; I can’t tell them apart."

The Crown Prince had not seen Shangguan Qing for more than ten years. He only sneaked a peek near the National Master Hall when Shangguan Qing returned to Shengdu, or he looked at portraits. He didn’t understand the grown-up Shangguan Qing and couldn’t differentiate between the two based on their behavior, demeanor, or voice.

The Crown Prince said, "Even the Emperor can’t recognize him, let alone me."

Shao Xueyi said, "This is the brilliance of deposing the Princess; she kept Shangguan Qing away from Shengdu, making no contact with anyone, thus greatly reducing the identifying traits beyond appearance. Once Shangguan Qing passed away, she could bring Xiao Hen back to her side, and no one would know that a switch had occurred."

The Crown Prince paused, then said, "Although the commoners all speculate that the Emperor’s affection for Shangguan Qing is merely due to his limited lifespan, what if the Imperial Grandson’s ’illness’ were to improve, and the Emperor continued to love him so? I can’t bet on that possibility."

Shao Xueyi said, "That’s true. The monarch is getting older and has lost the ruthless decisiveness of his youth. He killed the entire Xuanyuan Empress’s family, and it’s hard to ensure that he won’t compensate in his later years for the guilt he feels towards the descendants of the Xuanyuan Empress."

The Crown Prince’s eyes sharpened, "Therefore, Xiao Hen must die!"

If Xiao Hen were to die, Shangguan Yan would inevitably not survive either.

Shao Xueyi pondered for a moment, then said, "Actually, it’s not difficult to identify whether the person is Xiao Hen, there are two people who must have had dealings with Shangguan Qing."

The Crown Prince thought for a while, "You mean the National Master? He might not help me. That guy is impervious, not swayed by any power."

Shao Xueyi thought to himself that this was because no power could surpass the Ling Family in the National Master Hall; simply put, no one was qualified to recruit him.

The Crown Prince shook his head, "Moreover, he only meets Shangguan Qing once every two years; they are not particularly familiar with one another. As for subtle differences in voice, it can easily be claimed his voice has changed."

Xiao Hen is a man; could his voice as a youth remain the same as it is now?

Shao Xueyi hinted, "Isn’t there another person Your Highness is forgetting?"

The Crown Prince, "Who?"

Shao Xueyi, "Wang Xu."

The Crown Prince was slightly taken aback, "Him?"

"He was stationed at the Imperial Mausoleum for several years and personally taught Shangguan Qing martial arts. If anyone can recognize the real Shangguan Qing, he is the one!" Shao Xueyi said, "The Emperor despises being deceived the most. If the person Your Highness saw today is indeed Xiao Hen, then Xiao Hen has committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign."

"You are right," the Crown Prince agreed wholeheartedly, "But there is one thing I can’t figure out, why didn’t Xiao Hen simply recognize the monarch directly, instead of using Shangguan Qing’s identity?"

Shao Xueyi said, "Because using Shangguan Qing’s identity is much simpler."

Given the monarch’s suspicious nature, he would only assume that the mother and son were scheming something behind his back. _{freёweɓnovel.com}

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