SFS Chapter 297 Exposed
Chapter 297 Exposed
Zhao Yi had a premonition that the truth her mother brought would shatter her current peaceful life, and she did not look forward to this truth.
The First Madam sensed Zhao Yi's thoughts in a subtle way, as if mother and son were of one mind.
Thinking of this, her heart ached even more, as if she were gently holding his hand, just like when she was a child learning to walk.
“Yi’er, you are not your parents’ biological son.” The First Madam’s eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Zhao Yi with blurred vision. “Your biological mother was Princess Yizhen. She passed away when you were six months old. The Emperor brought you back from Northern Qi and gave you to us to raise.”
Zhao Yi was startled, even though he had a vague premonition of something bad from the moment his mother stepped into Lanxue Garden.
But when he finally heard the truth from his mother, he still couldn't believe it.
He was frail and sickly from a young age, and he was sick for ten out of the twelve months of the year.
His mother took care of him without leaving his side for a moment. Every time he opened his eyes from his sleep, he could see his mother standing by his bedside, staring at him blankly.
When he wakes up, his mother smiles with delight, kisses his face, and holds him carefully, as if he were a lost treasure that has been found again.
For countless days and nights, he endured the torment of illness, and his parents also suffered immensely.
They poured all their heart and soul into him, taking meticulous care of him, always going along with his wishes, and considering his needs in every way.
It's hard to imagine that such parents aren't his biological parents.
“Mother, the truth doesn’t matter.” Zhao Yi clenched her fist, her voice hoarse. “I only know that you are my parents.”
He didn't know much about Princess Yizhen, only that she was a hostage in Northern Qi and died there more than 20 years ago.
In Zhao Yi's view, his birth mother gave him life, endured hardships, and brought him into this world. He can never forget this debt of gratitude for giving birth to him.
His father and mother raised him to adulthood, giving him a second life, and their kindness was as heavy as a mountain.
“I’m luckier than others,” Zhao Yi said softly. “I have an extra mother, an extra amount of love.”
Upon hearing Zhao Yi's words, the First Madam felt a pang of bitterness well up in her eyes and turned her head away.
She gave birth to a son, who contracted smallpox when he was one year old.
The illness was very serious, and even the imperial physicians were helpless. There was no medicine that could cure it, and the child could only rely on enduring the illness.
The child's body was covered in rashes, and he cried loudly in pain. He couldn't eat anything, and if he managed to eat a bite or two, he would vomit it all up in no time.
In just a few days, the child could no longer cry and could only occasionally make whimpering sounds.
Her heart was breaking, and she desperately wanted to save this little life. Upon hearing that there was a doctor in Wen County who was a master at treating smallpox, she took her child and rushed to Wen County without stopping.
The child was gone when the carriage entered the city gate of Wen County.
Unable to bear the pain of losing her son, she fell ill in Wen County. Her husband, worried about her, wrote to the Duke.
The Duke brought a thin, frail child to Wen County to find them, hoping to use the child to ease the pain of losing their son.
This child is Zhao Yi.
She had just lost her own son and was unwilling to raise someone else's child until the child called out to her like a kitten, "Mother."
Her heart was gently touched, and she finally looked directly at Zhao Yi.
He was thin and small, with a sickly appearance. In a daze, he seemed to see the shadow of his son, so he took him in as a pet.
He was a little over a year old then, and could only call out "Mama"; he couldn't walk yet.
The Duke said, "He lost his mother when he was six months old, and he has half of the royal blood of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The palace servants who serve him are not dedicated. They lock him in a cage and give him a bite to eat as a last resort."
Having been a mother herself, she couldn't bear to see children suffer, and Zhao Yi's plight filled her with compassion.
They renamed him, taking the character 颐 from the character for 颐 (meaning 100 years old).
Because "期颐之寿" means longevity.
They hoped he would live a long life.
She taught him to speak, to walk, to read, and to eat by himself. To her surprise, he learned very quickly and could learn some things after being taught them only once.
The little moments the mother and son shared in their daily interactions had long been ingrained in her life.
The master saw his wife turn her head away to wipe her tears, and handed her a handkerchief.
When the First Madam fell ill, she was unable to recover.
Zhao Yi's arrival healed their grief over the loss of their son.
The First Madam once said, "Yi'er lost her mother, and I lost my son. Heaven took pity on us because we are pitiful people, so it sent Yi'er to my side and made us mother and son."
Now that the truth has been revealed, it means that their son will leave them once again.
Even so, the master still said without any concealment, "Yi'er, we don't know much about your birth mother."
All I know is that she was with the former crown prince, who is now the emperor of Northern Qi, and that's how you came to be.
"Because Princess Yizhen was a royal daughter of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and was a hostage in the Northern Qi Dynasty, the Northern Qi Emperor did not give you the title of your biological mother. Your biological mother is gone, and the Northern Qi Emperor did not treat you well."
"The Emperor brought you back to the Great Zhou and placed you in the Duke's mansion to better protect you."
Because Zhao Yi's background was something that couldn't be made public, he couldn't be raised openly as the offspring of Princess Yizhen by Emperor Jing'an's side.
The reason they knew so much about Zhao Yi's background was that Emperor Jing'an sent the Duke to Northern Qi to bring Zhao Yi back to the country.
Zhao Yi knew he was Princess Yizhen's son, and he accepted it naturally.
Given Emperor Jing'an's unusual favoritism towards him, if he wasn't Empress Yuanrong's nephew, then he could only be Emperor Jing'an's nephew to make sense.
But he never expected that he was actually the son of the Northern Qi emperor.
He carried the blood of two royal families, making him a figure who kept the court officials on edge, whether in the Great Zhou or the Northern Qi.
No wonder Emperor Jing'an entrusted him to the Duke's mansion to hide his true identity.
This is precisely why Emperor Jing'an trusted and favored him.
"Only the Emperor, your grandparents, your mother and I know about your background," the magistrate said solemnly. "We who know the truth cannot reveal your background. I suspect that the Northern Qi is behind this."
The reason they chose to be honest with Zhao Yi was because they feared that Zhao Yi would be unaware of the truth and fall victim to the schemes of Northern Qi.
The Northern Qi's confidence in the Great Zhou was likely based on their control over Zhao Yi's lineage.
Zhao Yi's expression turned serious: "Father, I understand."
The master and mistress knew that Zhao Yi was a smart man, and with their advice, they would definitely be wary of Northern Qi.
Seeing that Shen Qingtan was too quiet to the side, the First Madam quickly said, "Yi'er, you talk to Tan'er. Your father and I will go and discuss it with your grandfather."
After saying this, the First Madam and the First Master left Lanxue Garden.
Suddenly, only Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan remained in the room.