A piece of Japanese incense

Ah Ban's explanation sounded reasonable, but the string in my heart was still tense and I didn't want to let down.

"Didn't he replace you and the Crown Prince? Isn't it profitable..."

"I was the first to find Master Zhi!" Ah Ban spoke first: "Ever since my father revealed the mystery of my origin to me, I knew that my identity would bring disaster to you sooner or later. You and Brother Nian once saved me from dire straits, so how could I harm you!"

"Aban! You think too much! As long as you hide well and are not discovered, there is no way you can bring disaster."

Before I could finish my words, Aban interrupted me and said, "Of course not! Didn't my father and the many lives in Sui Garden die because of me?"

"We haven't found out the truth yet..."

"It's Yan Xunhua!" Aban stood there, his spine straight as a fully drawn bowstring, the muscles on his face twitching slightly with rage.

"Who is Yan Xunhua?" I couldn't help feeling confused.

"It was the Crown Princess. She sent assassins to slaughter my father and me, and massacred Sui Garden. If my father hadn't known about it in advance and brought me to the secret room safely, I'm afraid I would have died long ago."

"Did someone secretly inform Butler Wang? Or did he foresee that his whereabouts would be exposed one day?"

"As early as when you were still in Sui Garden, someone secretly spied on you at night. Father has been fully prepared since then. After you left, he told me all my secrets, but I didn't know at that time that he had made up his mind and would rather die." Aban tilted his head slightly, his eyes unfocused. A gust of wind blew by, and the pages of the books on the bookshelf fluttered in the wind.

I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "Butler Wang just hopes you'll be safe."

Ah Ban analyzed: "It should be that someone in your team informed on us. Otherwise, we have been living in peace for so many years. How could I be discovered as soon as you came?"

I blinked, remembering that night, when I couldn't sleep due to insomnia, I did hear a slight noise on the roof. It was probably at that time that the spy quietly sneaked into Sui Garden and tried to find out Ah Ban's identity. So the next day, Butler Wang gave the wooden box to me for safekeeping.

I was still lost in thought when Ah Ban spoke again, "Father must have known that Yan Xunhua would not tolerate me living in this world. Only when he dies can I escape, so he told me the plan of faking my death to escape early on..."

"Parents who love their children will have profound plans for them."

"Since I am still alive, I cannot waste my life! My father and the nineteen people in Sui Garden died because of me. I must seek justice for them!"

Seeing Ah Ban's excited expression, I still reminded him weakly: "But... the Crown Princess is your biological mother, and now you are the Crown Prince..."

"Yan Xunhua is willing to sacrifice his own children to maintain his position. I will certainly not be soft-hearted towards him!"

"So what was your plan, you and my dad?" I brought the subject back on track.

“After I moved out of Yun Mansion, I originally planned to sneak into the Eastern Palace and wait for an opportunity to assassinate the Crown Princess. However, I didn’t expect that the Eastern Palace was heavily guarded, and even Dao Yexiang had to go through layers of screening to identify her.

I just realized that it would be extremely difficult to meet the Crown Princess. So I thought of Master Zhi, who might be able to provide me with a way. Sure enough, my invitation was responded to immediately, and I had the honor of meeting Master Zhi the next day. "

(It's so difficult to see the Crown Princess, but is it so easy to see the Prince Consort? With just a piece of paper, you can get a reply the next day?)

"When Lord Zhi learned that my father had passed away, he was deeply saddened. He also told me that Crown Prince Feng Zhiyu would not live long. My desire for revenge grew stronger day by day, so I secretly made up my mind to enter the palace and take his place.

I tricked Lord Zhi into letting me go to the palace to see my brothers and sisters. He felt pity for me because I was alone and helpless, so he agreed to my request.

When I first met Feng Zhiyu, he was already terminally ill. He and Tingzhu had also known about my existence.

They advised me to leave as soon as possible, but I had finally entered the East Palace, so how could I give up this opportunity so easily?

I deliberately created chaos and attracted the attention of the Crown Princess. She wanted to deal with me, but I stayed in the East Palace on the grounds that Feng Zhiyu did not have much time left and I could replace him and secure her position as Crown Princess.

When Master Zhi learned of all this, he severely reprimanded me, but since things had come to this point, he had no choice but to let it go. For my safety, he assigned Guangwei to me.

Ah He, I must find out who leaked my identity, and Yan Xunhua, she must pay the price for what she did!"

Everything Aban said confirmed that Zhi Yian was indeed involved. I really don’t understand what his real intention was?

If the dream is really confirming reality step by step, then, will the throne be handed over to the cousin in the end? In this case, wouldn't Zhi Yian's actions be - plotting to usurp the throne?!

Then Aban might die, Feng Zhixu would be imprisoned, our family might suffer a devastating disaster, and I myself would fall into an irreversible situation?

My thoughts seemed to be led by an invisible hand, involuntarily going deep into dark corners. Every imaginary possibility was like a cold blade, gently scratching my nerve endings, making me shiver involuntarily.

A chill rose from my spine and rushed to my forehead.

"Ah He! Ah He! Don't ignore me, I was wrong, I shouldn't have hidden it from you, I'm sorry, Ah He?" Aban waved his five fingers in front of me, anxiously and urgently.

I woke up from my deep thoughts and asked anxiously, "What about Xiao Ke?"

"He was recommended to the palace by Master Zhi. Master Zhi once told me that if it was inconvenient to pass on the message, I could have him convey it."

The information came like a bolt from the blue, leaving me no way to avoid it.

"Master Zhi also specifically told me that the fewer people who know about this, the better, especially you. But I really don't want to hide anything from you..."

I waved my fist lightly and landed it on his chest nonchalantly: "Aban, luckily you know the situation! You told me all these things and didn't hide anything from me."

Ah Ban scratched his head and said, "I'll be relieved if you don't blame me for acting on my own. Now that I'm the crown prince, I don't have to worry about you and Brother Nian encountering misfortune because of me."

"So, how do you plan to take revenge on the Crown Princess?"

Ah Ban's eyes flashed with an unquestionable light: "What she fears most is losing her position as the Crown Princess. I will let the Crown Prince depose her with his own hands! I will also lock her up in a dark dungeon, letting her suffer from hunger and cold, and end her remaining life alone!"