Rebirth: Making a Fortune in Ancient Times

"Wenfu has saved Luo'er from danger many times, and I have already adopted her as my goddaughter. Now she is Princess Wenfu. The imperial edict has been drafted and will be issued to the whole country immediately." The Emperor said this both to Consort Jiang and to everyone in the hall.

"Luo'er, this is the Empress, you should also call her Mother Empress." The Emperor suddenly said to Zhou Luo.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Zhou Luo knelt down and bowed to the Empress.

"Your Highness, please come quickly." The Empress had not expected the Emperor to speak to the Crown Prince about her at this moment. Seeing Zhou Luo bowing so deeply to her, she quickly rose from her armchair and helped Zhou Luo up from the ground with both hands.

"Get up, all of you, stop kneeling," the Emperor said to the concubines who were still kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty"

"Thank you, Father Emperor."

"Your Highness, after I pass away, all the concubines except the Empress and Consort Jiang will be moved to the suburban palace. Your younger sisters are not yet betrothed, so I entrust their future to you. You must cherish your sisters and find suitable husbands for them."

"Yes, Father, I will remember this."

"You will be the son of the Imperial Concubine from now on, but you must respect and love the Empress. Remember that she will always be your mother."

"Yes, Your Majesty, I remember. I will definitely be filial to Mother Empress, Consort, and all the other ladies." Zhou Luo hadn't expected that so many people would come after he hadn't had a mother before.

"Your Majesty, I wish to move to the imperial palace like my other sisters," the Empress suddenly said.

"You are the Empress... cough cough... the Crown Prince is gentle and kind. If you are in the palace, he... cough cough... he will definitely take good care of you." The Emperor felt that he had already done his best to plan for the Empress. In the future, she would be the Empress Dowager, with a noble status. Why did she not appreciate his good intentions?

"Your Majesty, I know that the Crown Prince will be filial to me, but I have been Empress in the palace for more than twenty years and have never made any requests of you. Now I have only this one request, and I beg Your Majesty to grant it." The Empress knelt down and looked at the Emperor with a pleading expression on her face.

The Emperor had never seen the Empress with such an expression before. He also thought of the hardships she had endured in the palace over the years, and his heart softened.

"Ah... since the Empress insists, then let her move out of the palace with the other concubines." The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and agreed to the Empress's request.

"Your Highness, although the Empress has moved outside the palace, you must send someone to inquire after her regularly. You must not neglect the Empress or the other concubines," the Emperor added. It was clear he was genuinely concerned for the Empress's well-being.

"Everyone, leave. Consort Jiang, stay here..." After giving his instructions, the Emperor dismissed everyone except Consort Jiang.

At the same time, the news that the emperor had found his long-lost son, brought him back to the palace, and made him the crown prince finally reached the ears of the people through an imperial edict.

Southern Province, Ding'an Prince's Mansion

Upon receiving the news from the capital, Prince Ding'an was so angry that he smashed the cup beside him.

"Your Highness, has something changed?" The advisor beside him had never seen him so agitated and asked hurriedly.

"His Majesty has appointed a Crown Prince!" Prince Ding'an said through gritted teeth.

"What? A crown prince has been appointed! Could it be that the eldest prince isn't dead?" the strategist asked in disbelief. This couldn't be. They had more than one spies in the capital, and all the reports they received said the eldest prince was dead.

"They said it was lost somewhere and has now been found." Prince Ding'an, Zhou Ji, was so angry that his eyelids twitched. After speaking, he handed the secret letter in his hand to his advisor.

The letter contained only two simple sentences.

The Emperor toured the area and appointed the princes who had been living away from home as Crown Prince. These princes had previously been raised by Shen Jingheng.

The strategist pondered for a moment after reading the last sentence on the letter, then suddenly his eyes flashed with an unusual light.

"Your Highness, I don't think this prince is necessarily of the Emperor's blood." The strategist's words immediately caught the attention of Prince Ding'an.

"Mr. Hua, what do you mean by that?" Zhou Ji hurriedly asked.

"Who is Shen Jingheng? I think he orchestrated this whole thing. He found some wild child from who-knows-where to impersonate royalty. Your Highness, as a member of the Great Huai clan, we absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of confusion of the royal bloodline!" The strategist, Mr. Hua, spoke with utmost sincerity.

"But the Emperor hasn't passed away yet, and he's already acknowledged the child, so he must have verified it. Even if he doesn't want any of us to inherit the throne, it's still better than handing the country over to a child of unknown origin!" Zhou Ji had planned that with the eldest prince dead, he would have the greatest power and the strongest army among the princes, and he wouldn't be afraid even if they turned against each other. The country would then rightfully be his. But unexpectedly, at this final hurdle, a crown prince suddenly appeared. In an instant, he lost his composure.

"Your Highness, Shen Jingheng controls the court, flattering the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine. I just feel that whether or not the royal bloodline is verified, who can say for sure? And even if it is verified, how can it be done? It's nothing more than a blood test, but that method itself isn't very accurate. Besides, there's the matter of facial features, and there are many people in this world who look alike. If someone wanted to find a child who resembled the Emperor, with Shen's power and methods, it wouldn't be difficult. Your Highness, do you think my analysis is right or wrong?"

After speaking, he stared intently at the prince before him.

At this moment, Zhou Ji's agitated and flustered heart gradually calmed down. After listening to Mr. Hua's explanation, he finally realized the key point.

“Mr. Hua is absolutely right. He says the child is the Emperor’s bloodline, but what can prove that? His appearance and blood test are unreliable. He needs to provide substantial evidence. Otherwise, I think Shen is trying to install a puppet emperor to control the other lords.”

After saying that, he suddenly looked up at the light in Mr. Hua's eyes.

"Sir, as a member of the imperial family, how can I stand by and watch treacherous villains confuse the royal bloodline and steal our great empire? I must go to the capital to rescue the Emperor, purge the court of corrupt officials, and capture the traitors!"

"I will follow Your Highness and serve you with utmost loyalty." Mr. Hua knelt on the ground, expressing his devotion to Zhou Ji.

“Mr. Hua, please rise quickly. Although we are not in the name of master and disciple, we are in reality master and disciple. You must never again perform such a grand ceremony for me.” Zhou Ji helped Mr. Hua up from the ground with both hands and said such heartfelt words, which moved Mr. Hua to tears.

"Teacher, I will never fail you." Finally, Prince Zhou Ji of Ding'an clasped his hands together and made his promise to Mr. Hua.

P.S.: Dear readers, please take a moment to click the "request for more updates" button and add this book to your bookshelf. Thank you for your support! Love you all!