This discovery made Qin Hao's heart skip a beat. A thought suddenly popped up in his mind, but he subconsciously dismissed it.
It was said that Shu Moyun had not given birth when she died, so this couldn't be the child of the emperor and Shu Moyun.
Could it be that the emperor trusted Cang Xuan and ignored the requests of the ministers, insisting on appointing Cang Xuan as the chief minister of the cabinet, because he thought Cang Xuan looked like Shu Moyun?
While Qin Hao was still in shock and doubt, Zhang Wentao answered Zhuo Hong's question:
"Prince Shou, Prince Shou... That's His Majesty! Lao Zhuo, how could you not recognize His Majesty?"
Zhuo Hong was also startled by Zhang Wentao. He quickly said, "Lord Zhang, you've really had too much to drink. You can't talk nonsense like this!"
Only then did Zhang Wentao realize that something seemed amiss. He shook his head hard, took a closer look, and saw Cang Xuan looking at him with a half - smile. He wasn't the "Prince Shou" at all. A shiver ran through his body, and he forced a laugh and said,
"Hehe, I tend to talk nonsense when I've had too much to drink. Your Highness, Prince Cang, please don't laugh at me."
Cang Xuan said, "Lord Zhang has a really good memory. You can remember His Majesty's appearance when he was young so clearly."
Zhang Wentao was in high spirits due to the alcohol. Flattered by this compliment, he immediately became energetic again and said, "Hey, I really do have a good memory. I won't forget a person I've seen even if they turn into ashes! With these eyes of mine, I've caught quite a few fugitives!"
After he finished speaking, Cang Xuan asked, "I wonder, Lord Zhang, do you think I look more like Prince Shou or Princess Shou?"
Zhang Wentao blurted out, "Naturally, you look more like Princess Shou. Sons usually resemble their mothers!"
As soon as the words "sons usually resemble their mothers" were out, the room fell into a deathly silence. Qin Hao put down his wine cup, got up, and knelt down in front of Cang Xuan. Although Zhuo Hong was still a bit confused, he was quick to follow suit and knelt side by side with Qin Hao.
This time, Zhang Wentao was completely sober. Meeting Cang Xuan's eyes, his blood seemed to freeze. Many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Finally, he got up, lifted his robe, and knelt down heavily.
"Your subject, Zhang Wentao, pays respects to Your Highness!" His address to Cang Xuan had changed from Prince Cang or Lord Cang to Your Highness, which meant he had already acknowledged Cang Xuan's identity.
Cang Xuan twirled the wine cup in his long and slender fingers. Looking down at the three people kneeling on the ground, he smiled and said, "Sons usually resemble their mothers. Lord Zhang has really good eyesight. I originally wanted to keep this secret in my heart forever, but I didn't expect you to see through it. Lord Zhang must have suspected my identity for a long time, right? When did you figure it out? Could you please tell me?"
At this moment, Zhang Wentao wished he could go back and slap himself hard. Why couldn't he keep his mouth shut after drinking?
Looking at Su Qing, who was sitting still on the other side, Zhang Wentao met his eyes and couldn't help but curse him in his heart for being so sly.
Su Qing must have known Cang Xuan's identity for a long time, which was why he adopted Cang Xuan as his foster son. Today, he took this opportunity to invite them over for a drink, clearly intending to drag them onto his side.
Since he had already addressed Cang Xuan as Your Highness, there was no turning back.
So, Zhang Wentao raised his head and said, "Your Highness resembles Princess Shou by about 70%. Since the first time I saw Your Highness, I've already guessed that you're Princess Shou's son. It's just that Princess Shou died so suddenly and there was no sign of pregnancy at that time, so I never dared to say anything."
Hearing this, Qin Hao's lips moved, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back. Cang Xuan said, "It seems that Lord Qin also knows a thing or two about what happened back then."
Qin Hao took a deep breath and said, "My late wife was once favored by Princess Shou. When Princess Shou died, my late wife mentioned it to me. Her words were full of doubts and regrets."
"Oh?" Cang Xuan didn't expect there to be such a connection between Qin Hao and Shu Moyun. He asked, "What did she tell you?"
Qin Hao said, "She said that with Princess Shou's character and skills, she would never have had an affair and been caught on the spot, nor would she have been unable to escape the fire and been burned to death. She thought Princess Shou was framed by villains. But since the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court investigated at that time and concluded it was an accident, she could only keep silent."
"What a pity," Cang Xuan said indifferently.
It was a pity that the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court back then hadn't found out anything, and it was also a pity that Qin Hao's late wife had already passed away.
The conversation among these people stirred up a storm in Zhuo Hong's heart.
Prince Shou was the emperor when he was young. If Cang Xuan was Princess Shou's son, didn't that mean he was the emperor's flesh and blood? But if he was the emperor's flesh and blood, why - why did he appear in the court as the chief minister?
There seemed to be something fishy about Princess Shou's death. Could this be the reason why Cang Xuan hadn't revealed his identity?
But since even Zhang Wentao and Qin Hao had noticed the connection between Cang Xuan and Shu Moyun, how could the emperor not have noticed?
Suddenly, Su Qing spoke up, breaking the somewhat heavy atmosphere in the room. He got up, walked forward, and helped Zhang Wentao and the others up from the ground. He smiled and said,
"Yunjian, don't scare the three lords. These are all rare ministers in the Great Chu who don't collude with the noble families, hold high positions, and are upright and kind - hearted. They are extremely rare talents in the Great Chu and should be well - entertained."
With such flattery, how could the three of them not understand what Su Qing meant? They had indeed been dragged onto his "ship"!
Cang Xuan said with a smile, "Father is right. Three lords, please sit down. We said we wouldn't stop drinking until we're drunk tonight. Don't go back on your words."
In the banquet hall, the people continued to drink, but the atmosphere was no longer as relaxed as before. Especially Qin Hao and the others became more cautious.
Near the Hour of the Boar, Cang Xuan left on the pretext of being unable to hold his liquor. Only Su Qing, Zhang Wentao, and the others were left. Cang Xuan didn't know what they talked about after that.
But he knew that Su Qing wouldn't let him down.
Back in the Junyi Pavilion, Cang Xuan lazily leaned on the couch, closed his eyes, and quietly waited for his little girl to come.
In the Mingzhu Garden.
They had performed a great show in perfect harmony today and successfully brought down the vicious mother - daughter pair of the Little Qin Family and Qin Wanshan. The few girls who had tasted the joy of strategizing for the first time were extremely excited and had a deep appreciation for each other.
Su Yuanyuan tightly held Qin Wanrong's hand and said, "Sister Wanrong, now you can rest assured. Lord Qin has always been on your mother's and your side."
Qin Wanrong smiled relievedly and said, "Yes, thank you, Yuanbao. If it weren't for you, I might have been killed by that poisonous woman long ago."
Then she looked at Zhang Yingxue and Zhuo Shu and said, "And Yingxue and Xiaoshu. Thanks to you, I was able to find out the truth about my mother's early death and get justice for her."
Zhang Yingxue smiled and said, "We're all good sisters. There's no need to say such polite words."
"Right," Zhuo Shu nodded. "Help when there's trouble and have a clear conscience."
After a tiring night, everyone was extremely exhausted. Without saying much, they all went to rest.
After settling the three of them down, Su Yuanyuan left the Mingzhu Garden. After leaving the courtyard gate, instead of going back to the Moyi Pavilion immediately, she took the food box filled with hangover soup from Chunxiao and walked towards the Junyi Pavilion.