The Herbal Scents of Farm Life
Chapter 1279: Raising Someone Else’s Child

Chapter 1279: Chapter 1279: Raising Someone Else’s Child

"If it wasn’t you, who else could it be? The household of Prince Yi has no grievances with anyone, and yet you..."

"Are you implying, Father, that I hold a grudge against Uncle Prince Yi?"

Sui Zimo did not allow him to finish speaking and directly countered with a question.

"If that were true, why would I have bothered to bring Miss Lin to Princess Consort Yi’s bedside to treat her illness just a few days ago? Wouldn’t it have been better to let her ailment take her life?

Father, the words you’re speaking make no sense. Could it be that in Shaohua City, every time someone goes missing, it has something to do with me? Isn’t that a grave injustice against me? Father, wouldn’t you agree?"

Upon hearing Sui Zimo’s words, the Emperor took a deep breath.

The current situation was such that he knew full well Baiqing had been taken away by Sui Zimo, yet he was helpless against him. With just a few sentences, Sui Zimo had left him without a word to say.

"Zimo, I know you are kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see Princess Consort Yi in pain; hence, you thought to bring Wu’er out of the National Teacher’s residence to return her to Prince Yi’s Mansion. Let’s just leave it at that.

Since you have already brought the person out, why not return her to Princess Consort Yi today? I’ll pretend to know nothing about it and turn a blind eye, letting the matter rest."

Upon hearing this, Sui Zimo scoffed coldly in his heart.

Baiqing really did hold an extraordinary place in the Emperor’s heart, for him to lower his own dignity and have me return the person directly to Prince Yi’s Mansion?

"Father, I am not clear on what you mean. Are you asking me to send someone to find Wu’er’s whereabouts? But Wu’er went missing in the National Teacher’s residence, so where should I start looking?"

His bewildered gaze met the Emperor’s as he posed the counterquestion.

He thought about the idea of returning Baiqing to Prince Yi’s Mansion and then having someone from there take her away again as extremely foolish. Did the Emperor really think he was that naive?

"Sui Zimo!"

The Emperor was truly enraged, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes.

"I have spoken to you in good faith. Do you take my words for child’s play? Do you think I don’t know that Wu’er is in your hands?"

"Oh?"

Sui Zimo looked at him with a detached gaze.

"Then how does Father know that Wu’er is in my hands? What reason would I have to take a child from Prince Yi’s household? If I wanted a child, I could simply marry and have my own; why would I need to take someone else’s child as a substitute?

Father, isn’t that the logic? I am not foolish enough to raise someone else’s child for them; such a thing would only be thankless and burdensome."

"You—"

The Emperor was so frustrated with his retort that he felt like spitting up blood.

This Sui Zimo truly dared to say anything to him. Did he really believe that the Emperor would not dare to punish him?

"Zimo, ah..."

"Father, since Wu’er went missing from the National Teacher’s residence, shouldn’t you be summoning the National Teacher to the palace more urgently?"

Sui Zimo interrupted him, asking in return.

"The disappearance of Wu’er is not my doing, and I have no responsibility to search for the child on behalf of the National Teacher’s residence or Prince Yi’s Mansion. The people from Prince Yi’s Mansion and the National Teacher’s residence should know Wu’er better.

Father, you should ask them to search instead."

"You, you..."

The Emperor’s mouth was open, but he could not utter a coherent sentence.

"Summon the National Teacher to the palace!"

If he could not uncover Wu’er’s whereabouts from Sui Zimo, then let Suyang enter the palace as well. The Emperor wanted to hear how Suyang would defend himself before him!

He wanted to see if these two, who had joined forces, would end up biting each other over Wu’er, staging a dog-eat-dog scenario.