Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 513 - 447: Recognition

Chapter 513: Chapter 447: Recognition

Out of the courtyard, Liu Qingyun was just about to shake off Lu Zhaoyan’s hand when Lu Zhaoyan released it first.

"In the future..."

"Hmph!"

Liu Qingyun stormed off in a huff.

Cui Hu silently approached Lu Zhaoyan, watching Liu Qingyun’s cold and unfeeling retreating figure, and couldn’t help but comment, "Your Highness, you see, you came all this way for nothing. She didn’t appreciate it one bit."

Lu Zhaoyan coldly replied, "Nothing better to do?"

Cui Hu opened his mouth, hesitating: "...I’ll go look for Ji Feng."

Still uneasy, Lu Zhaoyan summoned a maid and instructed her to check on Liu Qingyun at the main courtyard.

Shortly after, the maid returned with her report.

Lu Zhaoyan frowned, "That quickly? Did something urgent happen?"

The maid replied, "She fell asleep."

Lu Zhaoyan: "..."

-

Tan’er had Shang Wuyou investigate the jade pendant, and unexpectedly, Shang Wuyou tracked down the information rather quickly.

By noon the next day, she brought her findings to Elder Yan’s courtyard.

Tan’er was sitting on a swing, chewing grass.

Yes, grass.

She’d eaten too many candied hawthorns, and Meng Qianqian had made her chew a type of herb that protects the teeth, lest her little teeth decay.

Meng Qianqian was still drying herbs.

Shang Wuyou couldn’t help but ask, "Elder Yan has you drying herbs every day and tasks you with nothing else? For instance, teaching you martial arts?"

What kind of master behaves like this?

Meng Qianqian’s lips curved slightly: "Wuyou is concerned about me?"

Shang Wuyou turned away: "I’m not!"

Tan’er, soaring on the swing, whizzed past Shang Wuyou’s head: "Young Master, have you found anything?"

Shang Wuyou straightened her back: "I’ve found it."

"Oh!"

Tan’er lightly tapped the ground with her toes to stop the swing, "Hurry up! Spill it!"

Shang Wuyou cleared her throat, "I’m thirsty."

Tan’er immediately poured him a cup of cool tea.

He took a sip, "Feeling a bit hungry now."

Tan’er pulled out her secret stash of candied hawthorns, reluctantly sharing a stick with him.

Holding the candied hawthorns, Shang Wuyou said, "The sun today is a bit—"

Before he could even finish the sentence, Tan’er punched him, knocking him over.

Shang Wuyou painfully crawled back up, casting a resentful look at Tan’er.

Tan’er blew on her small fist: "A bit what?"

"Nothing."

He decided not to argue with a little girl.

Sitting back on the stone bench, he began recounting what he had discovered.

"This jade pendant belongs to the Prince Qin Mansion. Each of His Majesty’s sons received one, but a year before Lu Yuan was born, only two people left the Imperial City. One was the two-year-old Prince Ming, and the other was the eighteen-year-old Prince Jin—His Majesty’s eldest son."

Meng Qianqian smiled slightly and asked, "Wuyou, you know I’m investigating Lu Yuan’s parentage?"

Shang Wuyou snorted, "I’m not stupid."

Meng Qianqian chuckled softly.

Wuyou was slowly getting closer to her, though perhaps he hadn’t realized it himself.

"Is Prince Jin a good man? Impressive? Skilled in martial arts?"

Tan’er fired off three rapid questions.

Fortunately, Shang Wuyou’s investigation was thorough: "Prince Jin, as the eldest son, is skilled in both literature and combat—a son most resembling His Majesty. However, he’s overly domineering. If not for the sudden emergence of the Imperial Grandson, he would likely have been His Majesty’s heir."

Tan’er sat down, propping her cheeks up with her hands: "Sounds pretty decent!"

Meng Qianqian pondered for a moment, deciding to share the gathered information with Liu Qingyun first.

Liu Qingyun slept until she naturally woke up.

The Hunting Eagle perched on the windowsill, nearly turning into a statue as it waited.

People talk about training falcons, but this was on another level.

For the sake of three strips of dried meat, the Hunting Eagle endured.

The beleaguered Hunting Eagle reluctantly extended its claw.

Liu Qingyun retrieved the note tied to its leg, read it, and thoughtfully muttered, "Prince Jin?"

What a coincidence.

Prince Jin happened to be entering the mansion today for a small gathering with his brothers.

Upon hearing this news, Liu Qingyun hesitated but eventually decided to go check it out.

If the man she spent that night with really was Prince Jin, her son would have strong backing in Great Liang.

The maid currently attending her, Xi’er, was a simple-minded girl; otherwise, Liu Qingyun wouldn’t have been able to worm information out of her.

"Take me there."

"Yes, Madam."

Xi’er led Liu Qingyun to the pavilion where the three brothers were gathering.

She sneakily hid behind a rock garden: "Which one is Prince Jin?"

Xi’er pointed to the man seated across from Lu Zhaoyan: "That one. Next to him is Prince Ming. But Madam, why are we sneaking around?"

"Because..."

Liu Qingyun’s gaze flickered, "Because your master mustn’t know I’m spying on him."

"I see now. Madam is shy."

"Think whatever you like."

Liu Qingyun craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the man she had spent a night with, but Lu Zhaoyan inconveniently blocked her line of sight.

She thought for a moment, took the long way around, and surreptitiously climbed up a large tree.

Just as she brushed aside some branches—

Snap!

The branch broke!

She fell flat on her face, sprawled on the ground in the pavilion, completely undignified.

The three men: "..."

Prince Jin was the first to react, raising his blade hand defensively.

Lu Zhaoyan hurriedly intervened: "Eldest Brother, she’s one of ours."

Prince Jin withdrew his stance.

Liu Qingyun cleared her throat and hastily donned a veil before standing up.

That windy, moonless night, he probably hadn’t seen her face clearly, but she still felt guilty.

Lu Zhaoyan signaled the servants in the pavilion with his eyes.

A servant poured Liu Qingyun a cup of tea.

Liu Qingyun sat down beside Lu Zhaoyan, directly facing Prince Jin.

Prince Ming, already aware of the new woman in the mansion and her status as the mother of that brat, was highly amused by the situation.

He opened his folding fan, grinning broadly: "This must be my other sister-in-law. Sister-in-law, so you enjoy tree climbing?"

Liu Qingyun retorted boldly, "What? I’m not allowed to climb trees?"

Prince Jin frowned.

It wasn’t the tree climbing or eavesdropping that bothered him; it was her unabashedly direct gaze on him that set him on edge.

Liu Qingyun raised a hand, obscuring half her view to focus only on his forehead and eyes.

There was no mistaking it.

The resemblance was there.

As she continued to stare at Prince Jin, Lu Zhaoyan’s expression darkened.

Prince Ming leaned back slightly, shaking his fan.

This... was getting interesting.

Lu Zhaoyan broke the silence: "Eldest Brother, I understand your request and will do my best to meet it. Sixth Brother, didn’t you say you were visiting Pingting?"

"Did I?"

Prince Ming hesitated, glanced at Lu Zhaoyan, and rapidly waved his fan: "Oh, yes, I did."

Lu Pingting, Prince Jin’s daughter, was born of Princess Jin.

Prince Ming turned to Prince Jin: "Eldest Brother, I’ll stop by your mansion for a visit!"

Prince Jin nodded and rose to leave with Prince Ming.

They had barely left the pavilion when Prince Jin glanced back, his gaze landing squarely on Liu Qingyun’s face.

Liu Qingyun felt no shame at all; she met his eyes without flinching.

Prince Jin: "..."

Prince Jin and Prince Ming walked off into the distance.

Liu Qingyun, who had been sitting, stood and walked to the edge of the pavilion to watch them go.

Lu Zhaoyan was livid: "Why don’t you just follow him to Prince Jin Mansion?"

Liu Qingyun asked, "Can I?"

Lu Zhaoyan: "..."

"Let me watch him a little longer."

Liu Qingyun quickly descended the pavilion steps.

Lu Zhaoyan nearly lost his temper.

She followed Prince Jin all the way to the gates of the Crown Prince Mansion, watching as he and Prince Ming boarded a carriage.

Prince Ming quipped, "Eldest Brother, do you know Second Sister-in-law?"

Prince Jin sternly replied, "Nonsense. I would never know Second Brother’s woman. If Father catches wind of this, do you want to die, or do you want to take me down with you?"

Prince Ming closed his mouth.

"He looks... but not quite."

"Eyebrows, like. Forehead, yes. Eyes... the expression is off."

"Build... doesn’t match."

"Walking posture... still off!"

Muttering to herself, Liu Qingyun returned to the courtyard.

She changed into fresh clothes, lay on the bed, and hugged a pillow, staring at the ceiling: "Is it him or not?"

Scrape, scrape.

Suspicious noises came from the cabinet.

Liu Qingyun frowned, walked over, and opened it—only to catch the Hunting Eagle red-handed, devouring a beggar’s chicken.

That beggar’s chicken was made for her by the kitchen.

She’d been spying on a man while the eagle snagged her dinner.

The Hunting Eagle even knew to sneak into the cabinet to avoid being caught by passing servants.

"Tired of living, are you?"

She grabbed the Hunting Eagle by its wings, lifting it up.

Its claws clung desperately to the cabinet, refusing to budge.

Clatter!

A hidden compartment fell loose, and something tumbled into the cabinet.

Liu Qingyun bent down to pick it up.

It was an old silver mask, with weld marks on the upper-right corner.

"Isn’t this A-Yan’s mask?"

Memories carried her back to years ago, when she’d first wandered the martial world and met a disfigured mute youth in Miaojiang.

He had worn this very mask.

Once, he shielded her from a blade and was nearly blinded. The mask had been damaged then; she had personally taken it to a shop to mend it.

She had promised to protect him for a lifetime, never letting anyone hurt him again...

She thought she’d never see him again in this lifetime.

"Xi’er!"

"Madam, you called for me?"

Xi’er rushed in, panting.

Liu Qingyun asked excitedly, "Who lived in this room previously?"

Xi’er replied, "The Crown Prince."

Liu Qingyun chuckled, "I meant, who stayed in this room before?"

Of course, she knew the entire mansion belonged to the Crown Prince.

Xi’er answered earnestly, "The Crown Prince."

The smile faded from Liu Qingyun’s face. Puzzled, she asked, "Not my son’s room?"

Xi’er said, "Young Master Linyuan also stayed here. He was so paranoid about someone harming him that he insisted on eating and sleeping with the Crown Prince."

Liu Qingyun murmured absentmindedly, "Apart from the Crown Prince and my son, has anyone else stayed here?"

Xi’er shook her head: "No, not even the Commandery Prince or the Madam of the Rose Garden."

Who cares if that mother-son pair stayed here or not?

If this room belonged to Lu Zhaoyan, then wasn’t her encounter all those years ago...

"Your Highness!"

Xi’er curtsied as Lu Zhaoyan entered.

Lu Zhaoyan stepped inside.

The room was a mess, with a half-eaten chicken, a quietly sneaking eagle, and Liu Qingyun clutching the mask tightly.

A complicated expression flickered in Lu Zhaoyan’s eyes: "You’re dismissed."

"Understood, Your Highness."

Xi’er obediently left the room.

Liu Qingyun stared unblinkingly at Lu Zhaoyan: "Where did this mask come from? What did you do to its owner?"

Lu Zhaoyan took a deep breath and said slowly, "The mask is mine."

Liu Qingyun’s voice turned icy, "Nonsense! The mask belongs to A-Yan!"

Lu Zhaoyan mustered his courage: "Xiao Bai, I am A-Yan."