Professional Ethics of a Concubine

"Your Highness, let me first explain why Madam Xue is not your biological mother. The age doesn't match."

Ye Qingzhi said,

“After knowing that Madam Xue might be your biological mother, your Highness asked the spies there to conduct an in-depth investigation into her.

Although the news sent back was not detailed enough and did not seem to contain any useful information at first glance, it had nothing to do with the emperor's existence at that time.

However, Madam Xue's birthday, the time of her marriage, the time when she gave birth to her three children, and major events related to her family, such as the time when the empress entered the palace as empress, etc., these major life events that are relatively easy to find are all available.

Judging from Your Highness's birthday, if she is your biological mother, then Madam Xue had an affair with the Emperor while she was married.

Moreover, it is within the first two years of marriage.

According to the emperor, theirs was not a one-night stand, the kind where they fell in love overnight and had no contact afterwards, but they had been together for a while.

Your Highness, do you think that a newlywed woman who has married into her husband's family, whose husband is still alive and at home, has the time to go out and have frequent trysts with men outside her family?"

Xie Jin shook his head and said affirmatively, "Impossible!"

"Yes, many brides from wealthy families have to ask their mother-in-law for her opinion before going out. If they go out too often, they will arouse suspicion. This situation is impossible." Ye Qingzhi continued.

"Besides, why do I think the Empress is your Highness' biological mother? To be more specific, I don't have any definite evidence. It's all just speculation and conjecture. It can't be confirmed. I need to verify it."

"Just tell me." Xie Jin smiled and said, "Only when you have a guess can you find a direction to verify it."

“First of all, the Empress entered the palace half a year after Your Highness was born. She had no engagement before that, so it was entirely possible that she fell in love with the Emperor and became pregnant and had a child.

Moreover, before entering the palace, the empress lived in a temple, reportedly to pray for her grandmother.

Because it lasted for a year and also demonstrated the empress's filial piety, the matter was publicized and many people knew about it, so our people also found out about it.

Your Highness, when I saw this message, I was suspicious. It is unreasonable for a girl to live in a temple for so long without giving birth to a child."

Xie Jin, "..."

What an unacceptable explanation!

However, a girl from a wealthy family would not stay in a temple for so long unless she had committed a serious crime, which inevitably makes people suspicious.

"Anything else?" Xie Jin asked her again.

"Also, the Empress loves that little girl Xue Fu. Perhaps it's because she looks like Your Highness, and the Empress has empathy for her, so she loves her especially."

After Ye Qingzhi finished speaking, she smiled and pointed out the unreasonable points.

"I am just speculating. I first assumed the result was correct and then tried to find evidence. I can't be sure."

"What you said has a prerequisite. Not only does she have to be my biological mother, but she also has to care about me and even feel guilty about me."

As Xie Jin spoke, he shook his head, not expecting such motherly love.

Because we have expectations in our hearts, we will feel particularly uncomfortable if they are not fulfilled.

So, it’s better to give up the fantasy.

"Your Highness is right. However, judging from the information provided by Chen Yuankai, the empress is indeed very good to you. She even lent you the army to help you quell the rebellion and helped you seize the throne. Only a biological mother can do this."

Ye Qingzhi said with a smile.

"Maybe it's out of consideration of interests. If Dayan destroys Dayan, Gulan will also be in danger." Xie Jin said.

Ye Qingzhi agreed with this point, so she changed her perspective.

"When the envoys from Gulan arrive, if Your Highness really looks like the Empress or Madam Xue, it will probably attract the envoy's attention. Maybe Your Highness's identity..."

Ye Qingzhi frowned slightly, paused for a moment and then said, “Whether your Highness’s biological mother is the Empress or Madam Xue, it is not a glorious thing.

However, looking at what Chen Yuankai wrote, he also said that the Empress was your aunt, and he did not blame your background, nor did he say that he could use this incident to attack you, so it should be able to be properly resolved."

Ye Qingzhi said again,

"Based on this, I have to speculate that the Empress is your biological mother. In order to protect you and herself, she has arranged your identity so that although your origin is flawed, it will not be criticized too much."

After hearing this, Xie Jin couldn't help but laugh, "Qingqing, your idea is too good, too ideal."

"What do you think, Your Highness?" Ye Qingzhi asked.

Before Xie Jin could answer, a secret guard came to report that there was a secret report from the Gulan Kingdom.

When Xie Jin took the secret report and read it, his expression became indescribable. He sighed and said to Ye Qingzhi,

"Qingqing, maybe your guess is right."

"Has it been confirmed over there? Is the Empress really your Highness' biological mother?"

Ye Qingzhi's eyes lit up and she asked excitedly.

"Take a look for yourself." Xie Jin handed the secret report to Ye Qingzhi.

The secret report was not long, but it explained the whole story.

The empress's people found their spies in Gulan and brought the spies to see the empress.

The empress directly told them that the biological mother of the Crown Prince of Great Zhao was her eleventh sister, who died without being married, and asked them not to investigate further.

The empress requested that the Great Zhao posthumously confer a title on her eleventh sister so that the two countries could conclude an alliance as a result.

She would instruct the envoy to take care of this matter after arriving in Da Zhao, hoping to see positive feedback from Da Zhao.

"As expected of a female emperor, you didn't even give you a chance to refuse. You said you were discussing this, but it was just to let you know in advance."

After reading it, Ye Qingzhi smiled and said,

"But, in this way, the empress has also solved a big problem in your life for your highness, and also made the Great Zhao and Gulan Kingdom form an alliance. It's all a good thing, right?"

"It's a good thing indeed." Xie Jin nodded and remained silent for a moment. "So, you think the Empress is my biological mother?"

"Yes, look how proactive she is in doing this. She even sent our spies over and informed you in advance so that you could be mentally prepared. Maybe she has been keeping an eye on you all along."

Ye Qingzhi spoke.

Xie Jin, ...

"Qingqing, don't be so sure. Be careful not to get slapped in the face later. Everything the empress did was based on considerations of interests, and it makes perfect sense."

"Okay, okay, Your Highness, what you said makes sense. Let's make a bet. Anyway, with Feng Yuxi here, we can do a paternity test to find out if the Empress is Your Highness' biological mother."

Ye Qingzhi didn't argue with him meaninglessly and spoke directly.

Xie Jin: "...Alright."

"What's wrong with you, Your Highness? Are you unhappy?" Ye Qingzhi asked him.

"No, I just always thought my biological mother was gone and never had any expectations."

Xie Jin said in a daze,

"To be told suddenly that my biological mother was still alive, and that she might be the empress I had always admired, was very touching.

But it’s not just that, she seems to care about me, so… I want to be happy, and I am indeed happy, but I am afraid…”

"What are you afraid of?" Ye Qingzhi asked him softly.

"I'm afraid all this is not true," Xie Jin said with a self-deprecating smile, "I'm already over thirty years old, but I still care whether my biological mother cares about me and feel uneasy about it."

"This is normal. Who doesn't want to be loved by their mother? Even if you are heartbroken by your mother and feel exhausted and heartbroken, you still can't completely let it go.

What's more, Your Highness has been without a mother since childhood, and doesn't know what it feels like to be loved by a mother, so naturally he will be looking forward to it."

Ye Qingzhi smiled and comforted him, and finally said playfully,

"Your Highness is also an ordinary person. Don't shout about me every day. You really think of yourself as a lonely person who jumped out of a crack in a stone."

Xie Jin was amused by her and held her in his arms and kissed her.

I feel really relaxed now.

-

A few days later, the envoys from Gulan arrived in the capital, while the envoys from other countries such as Chu and Dayan had not arrived yet.

At this time, there was still more than half a month left until the enthronement ceremony.

Their speed surprised the emperor. Upon hearing the news of their arrival, he said directly, "I will receive them tomorrow."

The Minister of Rites agreed and hurried to arrange for the envoys to meet the emperor tomorrow.

According to the reception procedures, the envoys from the Gulan Kingdom were arranged to rest in the newly renovated hall and the number of people was counted.

The most honorable person in the envoy group was naturally the third prince, representing the royal family of Gulan.

However, he rarely came forward to negotiate with the officials of the Great Zhao. Instead, another envoy from the diplomatic corps, Su Ting, came forward to handle all matters.

Su Ting was a confidant promoted by the empress and was loyal to her. Therefore, before leaving, the empress gave him the important task of resolving the issue of the biological mother of the Crown Prince of Zhao.

And told him the truth so that he could respond accordingly.

After Su Ting learned the truth, he was so shocked that he couldn't sleep for several days. He was worried about his Empress.

He was afraid that something unexpected would happen and mess up the matter. He didn't care whether the reputation of the Emperor of Zhao and the Crown Prince would be damaged.

However, once it was revealed that the empress had given birth to a child out of wedlock before entering the palace, and that the child was the Crown Prince of Great Zhao, the government of Gulan would immediately be in turmoil.

Those ministers who had always wanted to overthrow the empress and force her to abdicate would definitely beat her to death when they saw such a big black material about the empress.

Therefore, no matter what the Emperor and the Crown Prince of Great Zhao think, whether they doubt it or believe it, they have to accept the arrangement of the Empress and posthumously confer a title on the Empress's eleventh sister, thus confirming the fact that she is the biological mother of the Crown Prince of Great Zhao!

Su Ting learned that he would meet the Emperor of Great Zhao tomorrow, and he made up his mind to come clean and finalize the matter tomorrow.

However, in the evening, someone came to see Su Ting and said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to see him.

Su Ting knew why the Crown Prince of Zhao wanted to see him, and he couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Before leaving, he straightened his appearance.

But after leaving the room, he turned back and took another box with him before leaving.

Su Ting did not ask anyone to follow him. He left the guild hall with the eunuch who came to deliver the message, crossed two streets, and arrived at a private residence.

When Su Ting entered the yard, he saw a man and a woman sitting in front of a stone table. They were playing chess, but there was no servant serving them.

Next to the woman, in addition to the chess pieces, there was also a pile of snacks.

He was eating and playing chess at the same time, looking very relaxed.

As for the man opposite her, Su Ting set his eyes on him, and coincidentally, the other party looked up at him at this time.

When Su Ting saw his appearance, he felt his blood pressure suddenly rise and his mood index soared as well.

The empress's words, that child looks like me, are so sincere and without any exaggeration!

Of course, it’s not like they are 90% similar.

However, because I already knew that the Crown Prince of Great Zhao was the son of the empress, I had a preconceived notion that the more I looked at them, the more similar they seemed.

It's probably like this: if these two people stand together and you say they are mother and son, anyone who is not blind will nod and admit that you are right.

Su Ting sincerely felt that the Crown Prince of Great Zhao should grow his beard longer, preferably one that covers half of his face.

And the eyebrows should be thicker.

And those eyes, when nothing is happening, they are so sharp and bright, exactly the same as his empress's.

Just take a short nap and be lazy for a while.

Su Ting was staring at Xie Jin so intently that the eunuch beside him coughed lightly to remind him to come back to his senses. He collected his chaotic thoughts and knelt down to pay homage to Xie Jin.

"…Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"The person next to her is Concubine Ye, whom the Crown Prince loves very much." The eunuch who brought him here reminded Su Ting in a low voice, asking him to salute Ye Qingzhi as well.

"Greetings, Concubine Ye." Su Tingbai also knelt down and kowtowed.

In fact, he was an envoy and did not need to show such great courtesy to Ye Qingzhi, the concubine.

But at this moment Su Ting had complicated thoughts. He recognized the empress as his master, and the empress valued this son, so she was half his master, so he would kowtow to her more.

"Master Su, please stand up quickly." Xie Jin put down the chess piece, then stood up, walked to Su Ting, and said with a smile,

“Master Su, please take a seat. It may be a little presumptuous of me to invite you here privately, but I believe you should understand my feelings.

Ever since I received the news from your country's empress, I have been looking forward to the arrival of Lord Su."

"Your Highness, I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Su Ting bowed to Xie Jin again.

"Since Your Highness has received the news from His Majesty, I'm sure Your Highness has also learned about the matter of Your Highness's biological mother.

If Your Highness has no doubts, we will meet the Emperor tomorrow and make this matter clear, and the two countries will sign an alliance. What do you think?"

"Don't be anxious, Lord Su." Xie Jin said slowly, "I invited you here privately, of course I have doubts, otherwise I wouldn't have called you here."

Su Ting, ...

Both you and your son speak in the same blunt and irritating way.

"Excuse me, Lord Su, is my biological mother really Jiang Ruodie, the eleventh concubine of the Jiang family?" Xie Jin asked.

"If the emperor says yes, then that's it. I don't know more." Su Ting replied coldly, "I am acting on the emperor's orders."

After hearing this, Xie Jin knew that Su Ting was the kind of person who would not listen to others' advice, so he did not ask any more questions.

"Okay, I agree with the plan given by your empress. After all, my biological mother is this Jiang Ruodie, which is better than Madam Chen Hua."

Su Ting's eyebrows jumped, thinking that he had something in mind, but he also felt that the Crown Prince of Great Zhao would not think of bringing trouble upon the Empress.

"However, Lord Su, do you have any token to convince my father that he has special feelings for my biological mother? If you are too careless, it will really make my father sad."

Xie Jin spoke again.

Su Ting, ...

Your Majesty, you are destined to be sad.

My emperor never considered your feelings.

"Our emperor has no token of love for the emperor of Great Zhao, but he has instructed us to give this box to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Su Ting handed the box to Xie Jin.

Xie Jin took it and walked back to the stone table where the chessboard was placed.

Seeing that the two had finished their conversation, Ye Qingzhi also looked at the small box and urged curiously, "Your Highness, please open it and take a look."

Xie Jin opened the box and saw what was inside. He was stunned in shock and then his eyes turned red.

"Oh! These are all children's toys." Ye Qingzhi looked at the things in the box, then looked at Xie Jin.

"Your Highness knows these things?"

"...Yeah." Xie Jin blinked his moist eyes and cleared his clogged throat.

"I recognized some of them. They were the ones I played with when I was little. I don't know why they are in this box."