The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Upon entering the palace, he found it completely silent. He called out softly, "He'er, I've come to see you and our son."

However, the only response he received was dead silence.

An ominous premonition welled up in Chu Shi's heart. He quickly walked into the inner room and saw He'er lying quietly on the bed, her face as pale as paper.

His heart sank, and he trembled as he reached out to check her breath; it was icy cold and lifeless.

"Crane! No, it can't be."

He frantically cradled her growing cold body in his arms, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. "I was wrong! I was wrong! Wake up!"

Each sound was like a sob, a heart-wrenching lament.

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of a corner of a letter peeking out from under his pillow, and pulled it out with trembling hands.

He picked up the letter and read it word by word, each word like a pinch of salt sprinkled on his bleeding wound.

"Your Majesty, please accept my condolences." Eunuch Ma said from the side, his voice filled with fear and worry.

Chu Shi did not respond, but suddenly turned around and rushed towards the crib where the baby was placed.

When he saw the lifeless baby in the swaddling clothes, his eyes sharpened instantly, and he stared intently at the baby's face.

Although he didn't see it clearly this morning because he was in a hurry, he always has a photographic memory, and this is definitely not his and He'er's child.

In her letter, He'er had already instructed that the baby would be entrusted to a loyal person, so there would be no stillborn infant placed in this crib...

"Consort Ming!"

After a moment's thought, Chu Shi squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth.

"Eunuch Ma!" Chu Shi roared, "Go find him immediately! You must find my son! Live or dead!"

Grandpa Ma nodded repeatedly, and as he turned to leave...

But Chu Shi called out to him, "Wait!"

Eunuch Ma turned around with a puzzled look in his eyes, only to see Chu Shi's face full of pain as he clutched the letter tightly.

After a long while, he finally trembled as he took the gold lock from He'er's neck and handed it to Eunuch Ma. "That's enough. If you find it, hang this on him. There's no need to bring it back..."

Grandpa Ma nodded, then quickly tucked the golden lock into his pocket and disappeared into the night.

Chu Shi turned around, knelt down beside the bed with a thud, gently stroked her eyebrows and eyes, and murmured softly:

"He'er...how could you be so heartless..."

……

Outside the palace, Qin the wet nurse closely followed Lin the midwife.

Midwife Lin walked unsteadily, panting heavily, and occasionally looked back in fear.

She clutched the baby tightly in her arms and hurriedly turned into the wild forest, the withered branches and leaves under her feet crunching loudly.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness..." Midwife Lin gritted her teeth and muttered to herself, her voice quickly swallowed up by the howling wind.

She stopped in her tracks, her gaze sweeping quickly across the dim woods, before she abruptly threw the baby in her arms to the ground.

The baby let out a sharp cry, which sounded particularly mournful in the silent forest.

As the midwife listened to the faint howls of wolves coming from all around, her body trembled uncontrollably.

She dared not look any longer, thinking that the child would probably be devoured by wolves tonight. So she hurriedly turned around, stumbled and fled, and her figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the night.

Qin, the wet nurse, watched this scene with cold eyes, her eyes reddening and burning with rage, wishing she could rush out immediately and tear Lin, the midwife, to pieces.

However, reason told her that the most important thing at this moment was to save the prince.

Just as Qin, the wet nurse, was about to appear, she caught a glimpse of a figure rapidly approaching the child from behind a dense thicket of bushes not far away.

Qin the wet nurse's expression hardened instantly, and she became alert. Her hand quickly pressed down on the sword at her waist, and the sword trembled slightly, as if it could also sense its owner's tension and vigilance.

Qin the wet nurse stared intently at the figure, ready to intervene at any moment.

The person who came was none other than Eunuch Ma. He walked hurriedly and had a solemn expression. He picked up the crying baby from the ground and shook him to comfort him.

His narrow eyes paused for a moment, and he glanced casually at the swaying branches in the shadows, clearly aware that someone was hiding there.

But he didn't expose him. He simply walked quickly to the child's side and carefully hung the gold lock around the child's neck.

Then he turned around and walked away with unhurried steps.

Only after he had walked away did Qin's tense nerves relax slightly. She carefully emerged from the shadows, quickly ran to the child's side, and gently picked him up.

Looking at the familiar gold lock around the child's neck, Qin, the wet nurse, thought of the princess she had raised since childhood who had now passed away, and tears streamed down her face.

Qin, the wet nurse, murmured softly, her voice trembling with tears, yet filled with unwavering determination, "Young Master, don't be afraid, your wet nurse is here. Your wet nurse will protect you..."

In the days that followed, Qin the wet nurse wandered around with the child, living in anonymity.

She found a remote mountain village and settled there. Qin, the wet nurse, poured all her heart and soul into the child, teaching him to read and write, and instructing him in the ways of the world.

As the child grew, she named him Jiali when he turned one year old, sharing the same surname as the princess.

Despite her attempts to evade them, the Invincible Pavilion still managed to find her when she was nearly two years old.

Yin Qinian stood in front of her and handed her the letter in his arms, his face cold. "I have specially prepared the letter in the style of the Princess. After you and that child return to the Invincible Pavilion, give this letter to the elder."

Qin, the wet nurse, took the letter with trembling hands. The handwriting on the letter was exactly the same as that of the eldest princess.

It was written to the Crown Prince from the perspective of the Eldest Princess. The gist of it was that he was born with the bloodline of the Crown Prince and that if he were to ascend the throne in the future, he would have hope of restoring the country. He also told A Li to listen to Physician Yin's advice and rebuild Fengchi.

“No, this can’t be.” Qin’s wet nurse murmured softly, her lips trembling slightly. “Dr. Yin, the princess’s last wish was for this child to be kept away from troubles. The contents of this letter are not what the princess wanted.”

Yin Qinian stared at her for a long time before coldly saying, "Now the elders all know that the eldest princess's orphan is still alive. If you still protect that child, do you know how the history books will fabricate the story of the eldest princess?"

Qin, the wet nurse, knew that for Princess Fengchi to have a son with the Crown Prince was a heinous crime. Even if the princess was unaware of it at first, she had no way to defend herself.

The eldest princess had already paid the price with her life, but in the end, she couldn't even preserve her good name after death, which was something she couldn't accept no matter what.

The wet nurse's voice choked with emotion as she looked up and asked, "Does this child really have to be sacrificed?"

"This is the only way to protect the Princess's reputation. That child carries the future of Fengchi Kingdom on his shoulders. The Invincible Pavilion will do everything in its power to protect him. You should consider this carefully."

After Yin Qinian finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving Qin the wet nurse standing there, her eyes filled with sorrow.

……

The memory ends.

"Ha...why not tell him the truth..."

Chu Shi's eyes churned with a mixture of emotions, but he ultimately closed them.

"He'er hates me, but she doesn't know that I hate her too."

"She was so heartless, just like that, she abandoned me."

"If Ali learns the truth when he ascends the throne, he will probably feel a thousand times more pain than I do."

After speaking, Chu Shi smiled wildly, his eyes welling up with a heart-stopping crimson.

"The pain she inflicted on me, I will make the person I cherish most taste as well."

……