This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

"Stop, stop! Fourth Prince, are you mistaken? I have a name and surname, and I have nothing to do with the late Empress. I was paying respects on behalf of a friend back then."

He quickly tried to curb the Fourth Prince's enthusiasm. Good heavens, he had never expected to receive such treatment since entering the house; the enthusiasm made him somewhat embarrassed. However, he could tell that this Fourth Prince seemed to genuinely have a special affection for the late Empress.

But he couldn't admit it. Although admitting it would immediately earn him the Fourth Prince's friendship, one couldn't be so shameless.

"I know, I know. You're here on behalf of a friend to pay respects to your family. Don't worry, I won't go around saying anything. After all, I have to think about your safety. That's one of the reasons I asked you to come here. It seems my father has already discovered that you are an illegitimate child, so he set up a trap at the city gate to kill you."

"Holy crap, so that's how it is?"

Xiao Xingchen felt truly wronged. He had pondered for a long time why the Martial Emperor would choose such a method to eliminate him, and now he understood.

This is damn much revenge for being cuckolded! And these kinds of ethical tragedies are common on TV. Emperor Wu had to consider the late empress's feelings, so he couldn't act himself and thus used someone else to do the dirty work. Thinking about it this way, everything seems to make sense.

But I'm really not like that.

"Don't worry, that's why I rushed to find you to think of a solution. Don't fret, with me protecting you, Father shouldn't be so blatant. Besides, you're still a young sword immortal; perhaps Father will value your talent."

"No, you've misunderstood. I'm really not the late Empress's illegitimate son. Try to explain to His Majesty. This misunderstanding is huge; it could cost me my head."

Xiao Xingchen was anxious. He already had a shadow over Emperor Wu and had been trying to get away from Emperor Wu's sight. But if a misunderstanding really occurred, how could Emperor Wu not avenge the cuckoldry?

This thwarted all his plans, and he even had to face the Emperor Wu's assassins.

Judging from the current situation, it seems many people have begun to accept their relationship with the late Empress. This won't do; we need to explain quickly. Otherwise, things will really get messy, like mud falling into your pants—even if it's not excrement, it still looks like excrement.

How could he not be anxious? The relationship problem stemmed from this very aspect, something he genuinely hadn't considered.

"Alright, I've already told you. You don't need to hide anything from me. I'm on your side. I've already thought of a few solutions for you. I specifically asked you to come here to discuss this matter. Don't deny it. There are plenty of smart people in Yong'an, and many have guessed your identity. So what we need most right now is time. We need to resolve your troubles before everyone else does."

The fourth prince's words were firm and resolute, seemingly determined to acknowledge this brother, leaving Xiao Xingchen feeling utterly helpless and on the verge of tears.

"Don't get agitated. After all, I'm your fourth brother, and this is the least I can do. Old Zheng outside is a reliable person. I want you and your sister-in-law to stay at the Zheng family's place for a while. They're wealthy and have a wide network of connections. Even if Father were to take action against you, he would have to think twice. What do you think?"

"When the opportunity arises, I will send you to the palace to see your mother, and then we can hear what she has to say,"

Xiao Xingchen was helpless. Although he knew it was all absurd, there seemed to be no other way at the moment. Explaining it wouldn't work; saving his life was the priority.

"Alright, let's go to the Zheng family's place then."

“That’s right, that’s right. Your fourth brother would never harm you. With Lao Zheng around, he’ll protect you. As for other troubles, we’ll deal with them one by one. I also need to ask my eldest sister. After all, you share the same mother, so she might be able to help.”

"No, don't go!" Xiao Xingchen quickly stopped him. This matter couldn't be allowed to escalate any further. They were already in a difficult situation; if it spread, he would truly become an illegitimate child, and one that was impossible to explain.

"What, do you have concerns?" the Fourth Prince asked.

"No, I think if you go and tell her, she might be the first person to kill me. Do you know the Princess?"

"How could that be? After all, you are half-siblings, how could she possibly kill you?"

The fourth prince exclaimed in surprise, his face full of disbelief.

Seeing this, Xiao Xingchen felt he really had to do something, otherwise who knew how outrageous things would get. Therefore, disregarding everything else, his priority was to calm the Fourth Prince down. He hurriedly explained...

"You probably don't know, do you? The Eldest Princess is a sword immortal; you mustn't underestimate her,"

"What, a sword immortal?"

This time, it was the fourth prince's turn to stand up abruptly, his eyes filled with undisguised shock.

"Calm down, calm down, sit down and let me explain."

"Okay, okay, tell me quickly. I'm really surprised. If my older sister is also a sword immortal, when did sword immortals become so worthless?"

"It's like this, the eldest princess is not only a sword immortal, but also a triple ghost sword immortal. This is her greatest secret, and you must not reveal it, or it will harm her."

"Don't worry, I absolutely won't reveal it, just like your identity. I won't mention it to anyone. And what else? What else do you know?"

The Fourth Prince was shocked once again. A triple ghost sword technique! How old was his elder sister? If this were to be exposed, the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty would be sealed.

Others might not know what the Triple Sword Immortal realm meant, but he knew it all too well. The Martial Emperor had even said in a drunken stupor that if any of his sons embarked on the path of a sword immortal, the future of the Great Qian Dynasty would be entrusted to him.

Therefore, over the years, the princes have tried countless methods, but have still been unable to enter the realm of sword immortals. Becoming a sword immortal is truly extremely difficult; otherwise, there wouldn't be so few renowned young sword immortals in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Now, with one right in front of him, and the Eldest Princess as well, how could the Fourth Prince not be shocked?

"The reason I'm telling you this is so you know that the Eldest Princess has her own plans, and she's very cunning. So don't go looking for trouble with her. If she finds out I exist, she really will draw her sword and kill me. I'm a stain on her reputation, you understand? You must never acknowledge my existence to anyone."

The fourth prince was shocked and pondered, feeling that what he said made some sense. The existence of illegitimate children must not be publicized. If the whole country knew, where would Emperor Wu's face be?

Thinking of this, he immediately nodded.

"Okay, let's keep it a secret for now, and take it slow."

Xiao Xingchen sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He never imagined that he would become Emperor Wu's son so soon after entering Yong'an City. Being a son like this was going to be tough.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing,"

"Go ahead and tell me, what other terrible things have happened?"

"It's that Wu Xie. He's a very strange person. You have to be careful no matter where you are in the future. Being targeted by him is very troublesome. And Zhan Shuai... uh..."

The fourth prince suddenly stopped speaking, staring intently at Xiao Xingchen, as if he had discovered something surprising.

"Brother, you're something else! I just realized that you've offended all the powerful figures in Daqian as soon as you arrived in Yong'an, including the Crown Prince and the Consort Xian. You've offended everyone you can. I want to ask you, were you always this good at causing trouble before?"

Xiao Xingchen's lips twitched. What kind of look is that? Did I cause trouble? I've been very low-key, okay?