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“I will see you later,” Xiaoming said and left for his mother’s manor.

Xiaoming told Sun Fuguo not to follow him. When he reached his mother’s manor, the court lady informed Zhu Liling about it. She turned happy and stood up from the broad mahogany chair.

Xiaoming entered soon and bowed to see his mother. “I would like to request my mother to withdraw all the servants who are present around her chamber,” Xiaoming said. Zhu Liling was a little confused to hear that, but she did not question him. She gestured to the court lady, who bowed and left the chamber first.

“Please take the seat, Crown Prince,” Zhu Liling told him.

“After mother,” Xiaoming answered.

Zhu Liling smiled and sat on the chair first. She asked him if he had his breakfast.

“Yes, Mother. Is Mother taking her meals properly?” He queried.

“I am,” Zhu Liling replied. “What is it that the Crown Prince wants to talk about? I heard that the King left for someplace early in the morning. Is the Crown Prince here to talk about it?” She then asked.

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Xiaoming shook his head. “Mother, do you remember the time when we used to live in the eastern province? I was going to turn five years old,” Xiaoming asserted.

“I do remember that time. How could I forget those childhood years of my son?” She muttered and a smile emerged on her lips. “But why did the Prince ask about those times out of the blue?” Zhu Liling was inquisitive to know.

“Because Father is worried these days because of his elder brother. It is said that he has returned. He was behind the murder of my uncle, Ye Yujin,” Xiaoming stated.

“His Majesty did not share his worries with me,” Zhu Liling said and deep lines of frown appeared on her forehead.

“Father has not told anyone. Brother Mu and Brother Lóng Wei have been given the task to find out about Uncle Qizhen. I want my mother to tell me what happened twenty years ago. I want to know why father has to take the throne from his brother,” Xiaoming stated.

Zhu Liling was feeling a little uneasy to speak about it.

“Mother, I want to help my father. I will help my two brothers in catching Uncle Qizhen. However, before that, I need to know the past. I tried asking Royal Father many times, but he told me only a few things which are not helpful at all. If Mother tells me, then I can help my father in a better way along with my two brothers.” Xiaoming tried to convince his mother to talk about the past.

“Mother, if I solve my father’s problem, then he will be proud of me. Does mother not want that?” Xiaoming inquired.

“I want the good for the Crown Prince,” Zhu Liling asserted.

“Those times were stressful for us. Your father was the great general of the Qiu Kingdom. However, your father’s brother was not ready to give him the eastern province’s governorship. Also, most of the officials in the kingdom were not happy with Qiu Qizhen. He was not ready to marry any woman either and it broke the trusts of many nobles in him. The people were not either in a good state and the Kingdom was not growing at all. The foreign intrusions were very frequent at that time and then, it was decided that Qiu Qizhen should not stay as the King.”

Before Zhu Liling could speak more, Xiaoming said, “Then, Father usurped the throne. Am I right, Mother?”

Zhu Liling nodded her head.

“I heard in the imperial court a few days ago that General Hei Chengxi was one of the loyal of Uncle Qizhen. Kang Xi wanted General Hei to be dead. I wonder, why?” Xiaoming looked puzzled.

“That time your father had to kill those nobles, who could become a threat in the future to us. Qiu Qizhen had fallen from such a tall cliff that it was impossible for him to be alive. I pray that my son catches Qizhen and kills him. He killed my dear elder brother,” Zhu Liling said as tears filled her eyes.

“Uncle Qizhen fell from a cliff?” Xiaoming arched his eyebrow.

“Yes. Qizhen ran away for his life. Hei Chengxi had proven his loyalty to your father by telling him about the location where Qiu Qizhen was hiding. Then, the two brothers fiercely fought. Your father came out victorious,” Zhu Liling smiled after telling the last statement.

“I also heard that Uncle Qizhen had a wife, but he did not expose her to the world because of some reason,” Xiaoming stated.

“No one knows. Qiu Qizhen could have brought his wife to the palace, but he never did because he had none,” Zhu Liling replied.

“How many nobles were killed that time?” Xiaoming asked.

“Why does the Crown Prince want to know about that?” Zhu Liling asked.

“Because if I know the entire truth, then that will help me better, Mother,” Xiaoming affirmed.

“I do not know the exact count, but there were more than a hundred noble families which are needed to be annihilated,” Zhu Liling asserted. “They all were not helping the kingdom at all,” she stated.

Xiaoming was taken aback to hear that. The Xu and the Shui families were also among those noble families, which had to lose their lives except the three people from those families: Li Hua, Xu Zifan, and Feng Lao.

“Mother, is there anything more?” Xiaoming asked.

“Umm…after your father had taken the throne, we all came to the palace and started our lives. I remember that your father then gave his heart to Concubine Yu Jun. Son, you should stay away from Lóng Wei. I never liked his mother. Lóng Wei is still a threat to you because of the prophecy. Find out Qiu Qizhen by yourself and do not share it with Prince Mu or Prince Lóng Wei,” Zhu Liling stated. She had again turned selfish, and Xiaoming hated this side of his mother.

“I heard that the Father forced Brother Lóng Wei’s mother to be his concubine. If his mother had not entered the palace, he would have never become that prophecy child which mother is feared of,” Xiaoming stated.

“That is what also bothered me. I had stopped His Majesty at that time not to bring a woman from such a low-class noble family. She did not either contribute anything toward His Majesty’s strength. She did not even raise her own child well,” Zhu Liling muttered with an annoyed look.

“Mother should not talk this way about a dead person,” Xiaoming asserted.

“Son, Prince Lóng Wei gave the idea to Prince Mu to become the prime minister. What if he tries to snatch away the throne from you? That is why you should not blindly trust Prince Lóng Wei. Monk Yuze had always told him to be the next King,” Zhu Liling said while feeling insecure.

Xiaoming did not find it the right time to argue with his mother. “I will be careful. Mother, thank you for telling me the truth about the past. I will help my father in a better way now. I would like to request my mother not to tell Father that I know about the past,” he said in the end.

“Why?” Zhu Liling knitted her brows.

“I want to give a surprise to my father,” Xiaoming stated. Zhu Liling smiled and acknowledged his request readily.