Peach Blossom.

Without further ado, Fang Xiang hurried forward to chase Chen Ji.

Mada was confused and hurriedly followed.

There was indeed a boy about ten years old standing in the yard. He buried his head and seemed to be filled with fear of everything around him.

Behind the boy, there is an elderly woman, who is obviously the one who raised the child all these years.

When Chen Ji saw it, his heart started pounding.

"I, a commoner, kowtow to the emperor. Long live the emperor." The woman knelt on the ground and kowtowed, holding the child at the same time.

The child just knelt down and kowtowed without saying a word.

Chen Ji was so nervous that he didn't know what to say.

Fang Xiang and Mada came one after another and stood behind Chen Ji. Mada looked the child up and down with curiosity.

"Raise your head and let me see." Chen Ji finally remembered his most important purpose.

The boy trembled and raised his head slightly, but did not even dare to look at Chen Ji.

But Chen Ji was shocked by the boy's face. It was simply a smaller version of himself, making him feel as if he had gone back to more than 20 years ago and was looking in the mirror.

Mada also saw it, and his face was full of shock.

"The real person...the real person is more like the portrait." Fang Xiang said a very useless sentence.

The child buried his head again, his hands pressed tightly on his knees, and his fingers kept shaking.

Chen Ji squatted down, took the child's hands with both hands, slowly pulled them up, and asked softly: "What's your name?"

"Chen...Chen Sheng."

"How old is this year?"

"Ten years old..."

"Do you know who your parents are?"

"They...they said it was...it was...it was you..."

During the question and answer session, Chen Sheng hesitated with every sentence and always kept his head down.

Chen Ji looked at the child, his eyes becoming more complicated. His appearance was indeed extremely similar, but he was so timid, which was completely different from his childhood character.

"Do you know his background?" Chen Ji's gaze fell on the woman behind Chen Sheng again.

"I...I just found out about this yesterday..." The woman also looked nervous.

Chen Ji thought about it carefully. If he really was someone who grew up in the countryside and had never seen the world, it might be normal for him to be nervous and timid when he first entered the palace. It did not mean he was cowardly.

Fang Xiang came over and said to Chen Ji, "I asked them everything when I found them yesterday. She said that a nanny named Zheng gave the child to her ten years ago and gave their family a large sum of money, instructing them not to mistreat the child or inquire about the child's origins. After that, nanny Zheng gave them money every year until the year before last. Last year and this year, they didn't see nanny Zheng again, and no one gave them money, but they had developed feelings for the child, so they still raised him."

Chen Ji nodded. He had hoped to get some clues from the person who raised the child, and then try to get some answers from Si Yao to compare the facts in order to verify the truth.

Unexpectedly, this country woman knew nothing.

Chen Ji said to the inside: "Zhuo Jin, take them to the Temple of Virtue and settle them down."

Zhuo Jin quickly took the order and took his men there.

Ma Da looked at Chen Sheng's back, full of doubt, and couldn't help asking, "Your Majesty, is that really your prince?"

Chen Ji frowned and stared at Chen Sheng's back, looking confused. "Pregnancy and childbirth are all in women, and it has been ten years. How can I know clearly? Anyway, they look so similar and the time is right."

"But people who look similar do not necessarily have a blood relationship, and biological children do not necessarily look alike. As for the time...you know what happened between you and her, and she naturally knows it too. How could you mismatch it? Whether she was ten years old, or nine, or eleven years old, you can't tell..." Mada looked worried.

Chen Ji sighed. How could he not know this? But Queen Mother Meng was dead, and all her personal maids were dismissed even earlier. Now there was no trace of them. Apart from Si Yao's words, where could he find evidence?

Fang Xiang leaned close to Mada's ear and whispered, "I heard that people use blood tests to identify relatives..."

Ma Da shook his head and whispered back, "That method often goes wrong and is unreliable."

Chen Ji was silent for a while, then looked up at Ma Da with a tired look on his face. "You know what? I couldn't sleep these past two days. I'm already this old, and I don't have a child. It's really embarrassing..."

Having said this, Chen Ji suddenly turned his back.

Ma Da and Fang Xiang didn't dare to say anything.

"Si Yao and I were husband and wife for eight years, and this child was born during that time. It is legitimate to say it out loud. You should stop investigating where he came from. Anyway, I will not make him the crown prince." Chen Ji turned his back to them, his voice getting lower and lower.

Ma Da hesitated for a while, but had to say something else: "If you don't want to make him the crown prince, then you have to have a second prince."

Fang Xiang looked at Ma Da and asked in confusion: "How difficult is this? There must be many women who are willing to give birth to children for the emperor..."

Before Fang Xiang could finish his words, he was hit by the motor and had to shut up.

"I went to pick up Rong'er in person, but she chased me away. I sent people many times to persuade her with kind words, but she..." Chen Ji still had his back to them and spoke in a low voice.

Mada asked softly, "How about I go and persuade the princess?"

Chen Ji turned around suddenly and glanced at Mada.

Ma Da hurriedly explained: "What I meant is to ask Fang Qing to persuade the princess again. She has been visiting the princess frequently recently, and the princess is willing to talk to her more."

Chen Ji forced a smile and nodded.

Shortly afterwards, Chen Ji specially commended the merits of Chen Chong, the Right Minister of War, in the court and conferred him the title of King Ding.

In addition, Chen Ji announced to the public that his eldest son Chen Sheng, who had been lost for many years, was recently found and was the eldest prince. He conferred the title of Shufei on his biological mother Si Yao and granted her residence in Baifu Palace.

As soon as the news of this title left the palace, the entire capital was in an uproar.

A few days ago, a new noble lady named Zhang appeared in the palace, but few people outside knew who she was. However, this concubine Si Yao, the most arrogant and domineering princess in the previous dynasty, was absolutely known to everyone in the former Qi State.

There were many strange stories about Si Yao's divorce, her second marriage to Wang Jing, and her forcing her original wife to death. Especially after Tao Ye became the top singer in the capital, the emotional entanglements between these people were spread in Jiankang City in various versions, with vivid descriptions.

I've heard of women getting divorced and remarrying, but I've never heard of anyone getting back together with her ex-husband.

This explosive news reached Si Rong's ears without the need for Chen Ji or any other court official to tell her.

Then, Si Rong's carriage appeared in Jiankang Palace.

When the carriage just left the Duke of Qiao's Mansion, the news had already reached the palace. When Si Yao and Zhang Xiaowan learned about it, they hurried out to greet them.

The carriage stopped at Yunlong Gate. As soon as the curtain was lifted, Si Rong saw two concubines and their maids standing outside.

Si Yao stood at the front, looking a lot thinner than before.

It should be after the death of Queen Mother Meng that Si Yao's body shape gradually changed from being fat to normal, but he had scars on his face, arms, etc., and even if he lost weight, he would not look better than before.

Si Rong helped Xiaoying get off the carriage, and the master and servant standing beside them immediately knelt down and kowtowed in greeting.

"Aunt is an elder. Are you trying to shorten my life by kneeling like this?"

The content of this sentence should have been a polite remark, but when it came out of Si Rong's mouth, it sounded cold.

She didn't even look at her aunt, nor at anyone else. She just got out of the car and went her own way.

But Si Yao didn't dare to kneel anymore. She quickly stood up and followed Si Rong.

Zhang Xiaowan was even more embarrassed. Si Rong didn't ask her to stand up, and it seemed disrespectful for her to stand up on her own initiative. But Si Rong was walking further and further inside, so why was she still kneeling there?

In desperation, Zhang Xiaowan could only follow Si Yao's example, stand up and follow him.

Xiaoying helped Sirong walk while she kept looking back again and again.

"What are you looking at?" Si Rong asked casually.

Xiaoying whispered, "That Concubine Zhang...why does she look so familiar?"

After hearing this, Si Rong couldn't help but look back. As expected, she felt that Concubine Zhang looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen her.

Zhang Xiaowan knew that she and Si Rong had met face to face once in the Duke of Qiao's mansion, so she inevitably felt guilty. When she saw Si Rong looking back at her, she quickly lowered her head.

Si Rong had something on her mind and didn't have time to think about it, so she continued walking forward.

The direction she was heading was Xuanji Palace.

Chen Ji had always had people keeping an eye on every move in the Duke of Qiao's Mansion. Of course, he had already known about Si Rong's arrival, and this was also part of his plan.

As a monarch, Chen Ji felt it would be inappropriate for him to run to the palace gate to greet Si Rong, but it would also seem a little inappropriate for him to sit in his bedroom and wait for Si Rong to "seek an audience".

In order to show respect to his wife, Chen Ji walked out of Xuanji Palace.

In the alley, Chen Ji saw Si Rong and his group.

"Rong'er, you're finally here." Chen Ji forced a smile, walked over quickly and held Si Rong's hand.

But Si Rong immediately pulled her hand away, which was really disrespectful to Chen Ji in front of so many people.

Xiaoying couldn't help but speak up for Sirong: "The emperor has a noble lady on his left and a concubine on his right. If our princess doesn't come, I'm afraid there will be a queen in the palace in a few days!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chen Ji just interrupted Xiaoying's words as if jokingly, then smiled at Si Rong and explained: "I just used various methods to invite you to the palace. We are husband and wife, how can we live in different places all the time?"

"Husband and wife?" Si Rong smiled coldly, "You already had a son and a mistress before you married me, and I didn't even know about it?"

"Um... I just found out about it..." Chen Ji didn't know how to explain the matter clearly for a moment.

Si Rong sneered again. She obviously didn't believe what Chen Ji said.

But Chen Ji was telling the truth. He smiled bitterly and sighed softly. The two concubines came for no apparent reason. "Whether you believe it or not, I didn't do anything to let you down, let alone lie to you. They are as good as non-existent to me. I am really wronged..."

"Then Tao Ye no longer exists?" Si Rong interrupted Chen Ji. Through the Xuanji Gate, her eyes swept across the side hall of Xuanji Palace from afar.

Chen Ji was speechless for a moment, and seemed afraid to look Si Rong in the eye.

"Don't you feel wronged now?" There was still a smile in the corner of Si Rong's eyes, of course, it was a sarcastic smile.

Chen Ji lowered his head. He had not yet figured out how to deal with the problem between Tao Ye and Si Rong. In his opinion, this was more difficult than military and national affairs.

Si Rong raised her foot and prepared to walk into Xuanji Palace.

With a rapid heartbeat, Chen Ji couldn't help but stop Si Rong: "Rong'er, don't..."