Chapter 276: Shock — A Royal Secret
The Fifth Prince’s expression could no longer be described as mere shock. It felt as though someone had forcibly shoved a bomb into his mind—boom—blowing everything apart. He couldn’t think. He truly couldn’t think at all.
Nan Xun, equally stunned, still remembered to keep pouring tea for Gong Mo Ran.
Was it really just because the ancestors had committed too many wicked deeds that the old emperor’s sons were miscarried one after another?
Nan Xun couldn’t help glancing at Gong Mo Ran.
She didn’t believe in coincidences like that. This almost certainly had something to do with him.
Gong Mo Ran seemed completely unaware of the strange looks from the two of them and continued unhurriedly, “The mothers of the First Prince, Consort Zhao, and the Third Prince, Consort Xue, both died in childbirth. Fifth Prince, don’t you find that odd?”
He took a light sip of tea, his manner so relaxed it was as if he weren’t revealing a shocking royal secret at all.
“…They merely witnessed with their own eyes that they had given birth to stillborn infants. After that, the emperor cruelly silenced them. As for the empress, she fainted from exhaustion during the birth of the Second Prince and didn’t notice anything amiss—only then did she escape that fate.”
The Fifth Prince’s hands, which had been slightly curled on the table, had unconsciously clenched into tight fists.
He knew his father was never soft-hearted, but he never imagined his heart could be this hard. For the sake of securing his throne, he could ruthlessly kill women who had shared his bed for years, and even carry out something as absurd as switching stillborn infants!
After revealing these earth-shattering secrets, Gong Mo Ran’s expression remained as calm as ever. After a brief silence, he even spoke in the old emperor’s defense:
“Fifth Prince, your father did this for the sake of all of Southern Yun. If the people learned that the emperor’s consorts kept giving birth to stillborn children, it would easily cause national unrest.”
The Fifth Prince fell into deep confusion.
Was that really so? Could his father’s sins truly be covered up with such reasoning? Didn’t that throne he sat on feel prickly beneath him? How had he managed to sit on it so self-righteously all these years?
“Does the Fifth Prince know how this land of Southern Yun was obtained?” Gong Mo Ran suddenly asked.
The Fifth Prince was startled. “Naturally—it was won by our founding emperor through great hardship.”
Gong Mo Ran looked at him. His thin lips, moistened by tea, appeared even redder. Suddenly, the corners of his lips curved slightly, and a hint of mockery flashed through his eyes.
“Fifth Prince, three hundred years ago, the land beneath your feet belonged to the Great Zhou Dynasty. The founding emperor of Southern Yun was once a trusted subordinate of the last emperor of Great Zhou. He betrayed his lord and proclaimed himself king. Though he had supporters, his claim was ultimately illegitimate. That is why the other three powers also declared themselves kings, leading to the current stalemate among the four nations.”
Listening to the National Preceptor, the Fifth Prince felt something odd in his tone, yet couldn’t quite pinpoint what.
“They say troubled times produce heroes. Unfortunately, though the founding emperor stained his hands with much blood, he still lacked the resolve to subdue the other three powers.”
The Fifth Prince frowned slightly. “These matters are known to me. But I don’t understand why the National Preceptor is telling me this.”
Gong Mo Ran replied coolly, “Only to tell the Fifth Prince that everything has cause and effect. Your ancestor lacked the ability to unify the realm, yet committed slaughter surpassing even that. And so now, retribution has come. Your father had thousands of beauties in his harem, yet in the end only the Fourth Prince and you were successfully born—and both your mothers were of lowly status.”
The Fifth Prince’s expression changed abruptly.
Since childhood, he had hated others mentioning his birth mother. Her status truly was humble—she had been a rough servant girl who climbed into the emperor’s bed. The Fourth Prince’s mother was no better, merely a songstress.
But now it all felt deeply ironic.
Though he and the Fourth Prince were born of lowly women, why had his father neglected them? They were clearly his own flesh and blood.
In the emperor’s eyes, were his true sons really inferior to those taken in from collateral branches? Even if their mothers were lowly, they were still his biological children!
Gong Mo Ran had said nearly everything he needed to say. At last, he concluded,
“So Fifth Prince, rest assured. No matter how much your father dislikes you, the throne will ultimately pass to either you or the Fourth Prince. And the Fourth Prince is mediocre and incompetent—he cannot compare to you. In the end, the throne will certainly be yours.”
The Fifth Prince bowed deeply. “Thank you, National Preceptor, for telling me all this. If one day I ascend the throne, I will surely repay your great kindness.”
Gong Mo Ran glanced at him. “You are too polite. I have merely spoken the truth. You alone should know this matter—do not tell a second person.”
The Fifth Prince quickly agreed.
Nan Xun returned to the palace with Gong Mo Ran, remaining silent the entire way.
Only after they entered their little nest in the main hall of Mo Ran Hall did she finally gather the courage to ask,
“My lord, I don’t quite understand what you did today. Were you trying to sow discord between the Fifth Prince and the emperor?”
Gong Mo Ran flicked her on the forehead. “Everything I said was true. How is that sowing discord?”
“My lord, if everything you said is true, then there are only two legitimate heirs of Southern Yun. The Fourth Prince is utterly mediocre and can be ignored—so that leaves only the Fifth Prince. If something were to happen to him, Southern Yun would be… finished.” The more Nan Xun spoke, the more alarmed she became.
Gong Mo Ran hummed in agreement. “Given the emperor’s temperament, he will not pass the throne to collateral relatives—only to his own sons, even if he dislikes the Fifth Prince.”
Nan Xun vaguely guessed the big boss’s intention and couldn’t help thinking old fox.
He had sworn a blood oath that he would not covet Southern Yun—but he never said he couldn’t destroy it.
What he was doing now was slowly, subtly destroying Southern Yun. The direct imperial bloodline was dwindling more and more.
Gong Mo Ran lounged sideways on the chaise and suddenly crooked a finger at her.
“Come, Duo Duo. Come here.”
Nan Xun walked over and, as usual, crouched down beside him.
Gong Mo Ran reached out and stroked her hair, his expression growing lazy.
“Duo Duo, do you know how long Southern Yun’s original fate was meant to sustain this dynasty?”
Nan Xun didn’t answer, only gazed at him quietly.
She knew he only needed a silent listener.
Sure enough, Gong Mo Ran didn’t need her reply. He continued on his own,
“Seven hundred years. The Southern Yun Dynasty was meant to last seven hundred years without decline. But now, it will soon be destroyed. Perhaps ten or twenty years… or perhaps only two or three.”
Nan Xun’s heart jolted.
Damn—so soon?!
