Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 489 - 430 Emperor Liang’s Doting_2

Chapter 489: Chapter 430 Emperor Liang’s Doting_2

He turned back to look toward the doorway.

Dou Qingyi nodded at him.

Lu Qi said, "Royal Grandfather, Father holds deep affection for his children. If he is truly Father’s son, I believe Father would not deny him. However, since he is the son of Father’s old acquaintance, I, Qi’er, am willing to become sworn brothers with him. For the mistake he committed today, I am willing to bear the punishment on his behalf."

On the surface, these words seemed to offer Lu Yuan a way out, but in truth, they were condemning him.

Lu Yuan wasn’t buying it. Turning his head, he retorted, "Oh, sworn brothers? The kind where one ends up with a blade stuck in their gut?"

As he finished, he broke into two dramatic coughs.

Emperor Liang frowned. "Didn’t I tell you to speak less?"

Lu Yuan looked aggrieved. "But I can’t just let people bully me... Father denies me... Uncle doesn’t want me... and now people want to beat me to death..."

Steward Jia trembled violently.

Emperor Liang said coldly, "Which uncle?"

Lu Yuan glanced outside the door. "That one."

Prince Ming, who was leisurely fanning himself and enjoying the spectacle: "...!!"

Damn it!

This fire just got directed at him!

Emperor Liang bellowed, "Get in here now!"

Prince Ming shuffled into the room, looking utterly defeated. "Father."

Emperor Liang demanded imposingly, "Do you want to talk now, or should I have someone beat you first before you speak?"

Prince Ming complained, "Why don’t you do this to Second Brother?"

Lu Zhaoyan replied calmly, "You can take it."

Prince Ming: "..."

Unlike Lu Zhaoyan, Prince Ming hadn’t mastered the art of endurance. Though Zhaoyan seemed to be the most unassuming second son in their household, he was also the only one among Emperor Liang’s six sons to escape a beating.

Who knew how Lu Zhaoyan pulled it off?

Prince Ming certainly didn’t.

And now, he confessed to how he came to know Lu Yuan, not daring to utter even one falsehood in front of his father.

By then, Steward Jia had already fallen to his knees, trembling on the ground like a sieve.

After he finished, Prince Ming glared at a gloating Lu Yuan. "Father, this brat is clearly a troublemaker. He deliberately jumped into Second Brother’s carriage, meaning he had already been tracking Second Brother’s movements."

Emperor Liang, clearly unimpressed, said, "He wants to acknowledge his father. What’s wrong with finding out where his father is?"

In Emperor Liang’s world of survival of the fittest, being able to locate the Crown Prince was a skill unto itself.

Prince Ming was stunned by his father’s logic. "Then what about the fire he started? Father, you’re insightful enough to see through everything—surely you know he set the fire on purpose? He pretended to be Mr. Zimu to lure you into saving him. Who knows what schemes this brat is plotting?"

Emperor Liang replied, "He’s just a child without a father. What schemes could he possibly hatch? If it weren’t for the fact that none of you are acknowledging him, would he have been pushed to such desperate measures, even resorting to self-inflicted harm?"

Prince Ming was on the verge of losing his mind. "Father! You have only one grandson!"

Emperor Liang glared at him. "Are you suggesting I’m not allowed to have two?"

Prince Ming nearly spat blood from frustration at his father.

Though Emperor Liang was wise most of the time, his decisions in certain unpredictable situations could drive people insane.

The painful memories of being physically disciplined over the years reminded Prince Ming to avoid provoking his father further, lest he receive another beating.

He turned to Lu Zhaoyan, pleading, "Second Brother! Say something! Is he your son or not?"

Lu Zhaoyan sighed and admitted, "He is."

Prince Ming, utterly betrayed by his older brother: "...!!"

Damn it, I stood by your side and fought Father for you, and you just let me die like this! Lu Zhaoyan, go to hell! Go to hell!

In the end, only Prince Ming’s pain colored the world.

Lu Zhaoyan patted him on the shoulder and said with meaningful solemnity, "I understand you mean well for me. The timing of his appearance was indeed suspicious. You wanted me to investigate thoroughly first before acknowledging him, to prevent any confusion in the Imperial Family’s bloodline."

Prince Ming’s entire body stiffened.

Damn you, Lu Zhaoyan—you shameless bastard! I should’ve known you were this despicable!

Now Prince Ming finally understood why Lu Zhaoyan was the only son to evade their father’s wrath. It wasn’t because he was frail and therefore spared, but because this sly fox had a heart as black as ink!

"Father, listen to me—let me explain—"

Prince Ming reached out toward Emperor Liang, his face ashen with despair, only to be dragged out by two Imperial Guards.

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Oh ho.

So this "Wild Daddy" does have some tricks up his sleeve.

The soot on Lu Yuan’s face had been completely washed off, revealing his delicate, jade-like visage.

Emperor Liang sat by the bed, staring at him intently, clearly satisfied with this grandson who had suddenly appeared.

Who said the Great Liang had no successors?

Who said the Imperial Family’s masculine legacy was dwindling?

Now there were two Imperial Grandsons!

Lu Qi, having just been recognized by the Crown Prince and spending little time with Emperor Liang, primarily understood him through hearsay.

Benevolent, magnanimous, respectful of talent, a former Military General, swift and decisive...

But no one ever mentioned he was so fond of acknowledging grandsons...

"How old are you this year?"

Emperor Liang asked Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan simply stared at him intently.

Something crossed Emperor Liang’s mind, and he said, "Oh, right, you shouldn’t talk much. Don’t worry, stay here in the manor and recover. Once you’re well, I’ll summon you into the palace."

Lu Yuan clung to Emperor Liang’s sleeve, refusing to let him leave.

Standing over eight feet tall, Emperor Liang was a towering figure, even more imposing than Lei Qianfu of Feng Shui Alley. Most people regarded him with more reverence than familiarity.

Even Lu Qi, hailed as the Guardian Qilin, always approached him with deference—first as a sovereign, then as a grandfather.

This was the first time anyone had tugged at him so unabashedly.

It felt—strange.

Having never raised a child himself, Emperor Liang found an unexpected burst of paternal affection in his twilight years. Mimicking what he’d seen older court ministers do, he reached out to pat Lu Yuan on the forehead.

However, he rubbed it so roughly that it turned red.

Lu Yuan, now sporting a nearly scraped-raw forehead, gazed at Emperor Liang with pitiful eyes.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Emperor Liang amended, "I’ll come visit you then."

At these words, everyone in the room froze in shock.

Lu Qi was especially dumbfounded.

He had been Emperor Liang’s first grandson, yet his grandfather had never said he’d visit him during his downtime.

Meanwhile, outside in the courtyard, where two Imperial Guards had dumped him, Prince Ming clung desperately to a tree. "This can’t be real... My father must be possessed... Someone, go get the State Preceptor... My father’s been taken over by a ghost..."

Though Emperor Liang was an exalted figure, he knew he couldn’t overindulge a single child.

He prepared to leave.

But as he stood at the doorway, he couldn’t resist looking back at Lu Yuan one last time.

And then, he looked again.

Once. Twice.

Ahem, this child sure was... unusually endearing.