The carefree sixth prince, my father respectfully invites me to ascend the throne.

"Uncle, I'm back." Yang Ling bowed respectfully to Yang Wende, his attitude humble and courteous.

"Hmm." Yang Wende casually picked up a teacup from the table, took a sip, and then put it aside.

He glanced at Yang Ling indifferently, his tone calm: "I had someone notify you to come over because there are some things I need to tell you."

"Please give your instructions, Uncle," Yang Ling said.

Yang Wende put down his teacup and said, "The capital has been quite unsettled lately."

"How so?" Yang Ling asked.

"Recently, several gangs of bandits have come to the capital. They specifically target the sons of nobles, robbing them of their valuables and extorting money from them. They commit all sorts of evil deeds."

Yang Wende frowned, clearly annoyed by these bandits.

"After they finished looting, they disappeared without a trace, and ordinary people could not find any clues at all."

Yang Ling nodded thoughtfully: "I haven't encountered this situation in a long time."

He had heard of similar cases in his previous life, but they were left unresolved because the culprit was never caught.

“Now I suspect that these bandits are being instigated by someone else,” Yang Wende said in a deep voice. “The other party is deliberately allowing this situation to continue to deteriorate.”

"Does Uncle mean that this thief is very likely related to my mother?" Yang Ling asked rhetorically.

“Although I can’t be sure, I suspect that your mother is involved with this thief.” Yang Wende paused, then continued, “I hope you won’t act rashly. Regardless of whether there are any clues or not, it’s best if you don’t get involved.”

Yang Ling was slightly taken aback, not understanding the meaning of Yang Wende's words.

"Why?" He frowned, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes.

Yang Wende sighed: "I've heard your father mention your mother's story. She was sold by your grandmother."

Yang Ling's pupils contracted sharply, a dark glint flashed in her eyes, and her heart felt as if something was blocking it, causing a dull ache.

Yang Yunhai, the head of the Yang family, who is also Yang Ling's grandfather Yang Yunfeng, took wives and concubines when his mother first married into the Yang family.

Later, Yang Yunfeng took a concubine named Liu and sent Yang Linlang to a rural farmer's family for upbringing.

Lady Liu was gentle and never competed for favor. Yang Linlang grew up under her care, innocent, kind and pure, but she fell victim to Lady Liu's cruelty.

Lady Liu was jealous of Yang Linlang's unparalleled beauty, as well as her intelligence and quick wit. Coupled with her infatuation with Yang Yunhai, she plotted to murder Yang Linlang.

Later, Liu was executed by Yang Yunfeng, and Yang Linlang was buried in a mass grave at the foot of the mountain, her remains never found.

When news of Yang Linlang's death reached Yang Wende, he was furious and sent people to search for her.

After searching for months, there was still no news.

The matter was thus put on hold.

Until today, Yang Wende suddenly discovered that Yang Linlang was actually alive.

And she has regained her female identity!

Her appearance is even more beautiful than before, more captivating than ever.

Yang Wende was stunned by Yang Linlang's beauty, and at the same time, a crazy idea popped into his mind.

Yang Wende had always wanted a daughter, and now he has one!

He was overjoyed and ordered his men to rescue Yang Linlang from the mass grave.

When he sent people to rescue Yang Linlang, she was already on the verge of death.

He went to great lengths to save her, but Yang Linlang didn't recognize him and had even forgotten everything from the past.

Disheartened, Yang Wende decided to leave Yang Linlang at the Prime Minister's residence to recover from her injuries and arranged for someone to take care of her.

This has been going on for over twenty years.

Until about half a month ago, he overheard Yang Linlang's maid saying that Yang Linlang was ill and needed to take medicine to treat her, so he sent someone to get the antidote and prepared to visit Yang Linlang in person.

Little did he know that as soon as he stepped into Yang Linlang's room, he saw a group of maids surrounding Yang Linlang, chattering and making a ruckus.

Yang Linlang sat in the chair, head bowed, silent, radiating a chilling aura, like a ghost crawling out of hell, eerie and terrifying.

Yang Wende was so frightened by what he saw that he almost fainted and immediately ordered all the maids to leave.

When the maids saw the Prime Minister arrive, they hurriedly bowed.

Yang Wende waved his hand, signaling them to go down first.

After all the maids had left, only Yang Wende and Yang Ling remained in the room.

Yang Wende stepped forward, stood in front of Yang Linlang, looked her over, and said, "Lin'er, I am your father, do you remember me?"

Yang Linlang raised her head, her bright, clear eyes fixed on Yang Wende.

Yang Wende's heart skipped a beat; he felt that the girl's gaze was strange.

"Did something come to mind?" Yang Wende couldn't help but ask.

"Who are you?" Yang Linlang blinked and asked in confusion.

Yang Wende's heart sank to the bottom, as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Pain, resentment, sorrow, and hatred all surged up.

"Slap!" Yang Wende raised his hand and slapped Yang Linlang hard across the face.

Yang Linlang was stunned by the blow, clutching her burning right cheek and staring blankly at him.

This was the first time Yang Wende had ever hit her, and she was a little overwhelmed by it.

Yang Wende was so angry that his chest heaved violently.

He reached out a trembling hand and touched Yang Linlang's fair and delicate cheek, his heart filled with pity: "You are my Lin'er, how... how could you have become like this?"

His daughter shouldn't look like this!

"You've mistaken me for someone else," Yang Linlang said coldly, pushing his hand away.

Yang Wende paused for a moment, then gave a bitter smile. He shook his head and murmured, "No, it's impossible for me to be mistaken. You are my daughter, and I will never mistake you."

Yang Linlang frowned impatiently and said, "You should leave now. I don't want to see you."

She disliked Yang Wende's kindness and gentleness, and hated that Yang Wende had given her to that ugly old man.

Yang Wende's face darkened; he hadn't expected Yang Linlang to speak to him like that.

"Don't forget, I'm your adoptive father! If I hadn't saved you back then, you would be nothing but bones by now!" Yang Wende roared angrily, his chest heaving violently.

Yang Linlang gave a cold laugh: "Thank you for saving my life."

"You...! You brat!" Yang Wende was so angry that his face turned pale, his lips trembled incessantly, and he seemed to have all his strength drained away, leaving him utterly dejected.

Yang Ling looked at Yang Linlang in shock upon hearing these words.

It turns out that his mother was actually his uncle's adopted daughter, which explains why he treated her the way he did.

If he really was her father, how could he bear to abandon her and let her suffer such torment?

"What a vicious heart!" Yang Ling was furious and filled with boundless hatred.

"Calm down first." Yang Wende took a sip of water to calm himself down, and then said, "Later, I found out that your mother was actually an illegitimate daughter in the Prime Minister's mansion."

“Your mother’s aunt and maid are all dead, and now no one in the entire Prime Minister’s mansion can prove her true identity.”