Chapter 454 Father and Son Meet

Chapter 454: Father and Son Meeting

Hearing Luo Jingshen say this, her heart started racing again.

"Shen'er, then what do you think we should do?"

Luo Jingshen's gaze darkened slightly. He did not answer Consort Li's question, but looked at her and said slowly and deliberately, "I want to meet Fourth Imperial Uncle."

Consort Li was clearly flustered. Almost without thinking, she agreed immediately.

"Alright, alright. I will write to Prince Nanxiao right away and arrange for the two of you to meet."

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Luo Jingshen did not want to waste any more words with her.

He lay back down on the bed. "If there is nothing else, Consort Li, you should go now. If anyone sees us together, we'll never hear the end of it!"

Luo Jingshen had thought it over for a long time at home and felt he couldn't just sit around waiting for things to fall apart.

After all, his life was on the line.

As Luo Junhe's health improved day by day, the more of a threat he became. He had to find a way to get rid of this ticking time bomb.

And Consort Li was the most convenient tool.

If you asked him whether he felt any mother-son affection for Consort Li, the answer was no.

What she did was unforgivable, and thinking about it still turned his stomach.

The reason Luo Jingshen attended Luo Qianxue's wedding banquet today was, on the one hand, to show Consort Li he was willing to bury the hatchet and make peace.

On the other hand, it was to meet Prince Nanxiao in person, do a blood kinship test, and at the same time suss him out and keep his options open.

That way, he could plan his next move.

Consort Li slipped away just as quietly as she'd come.

That very night, Luo Jingshen met Prince Nanxiao at the inn.

It was not their first meeting, but this encounter left them both feeling weird.

It felt familiar, but also a little awkward.

Luo Jingshen recalled that when he was young, he used to run after Prince Nanxiao in the palace begging for candy.

Back then, he'd call him "Fourth Imperial Uncle" nonstop, and even pester him about why he never got married and brought home a Fourth Imperial Aunt.

Prince Nanxiao would always tell him, "You're still young. Kids shouldn't stick their noses into grown-up business."

Thinking back on it now, Luo Jingshen wanted to smack himself.

It wasn't that he didn't want to marry—he'd clearly been dipping into the harem and cuckolded his imperial father.

And the man who'd done the cuckolding was very likely his real father.

Luo Jingshen felt conflicted. He shook off the memories and called out in a low voice, "Fourth Imperial Uncle."

Prince Nanxiao looked at Luo Jingshen and smiled at him. "It's been years—look how big the Crown Prince has grown!"

"You used to trail after me begging for candy..."

Luo Jingshen's face flushed and he quickly cut him off.

"Fourth Imperial Uncle, let's not rehash the past. I'm not the same little kid I was fifteen years ago."

"I'm sure Consort Li already told you why I'm here—I just want to confirm one thing. Are you really my biological father?"

At that, Prince Nanxiao let out a hearty laugh.

"Why would she lie to you about something like that?"

"Take a good look—do you look more like me, or more like Emperor Jingyang?"

Prince Nanxiao pulled back his hood and smiled up at Luo Jingshen.

Luo Jingshen was totally stunned. He couldn't take his eyes off Prince Nanxiao's shiny bald head.

He'd heard Fourth Imperial Uncle was bald, but seeing it in person was still a shock.

But he had to admit, the man's face was sharp and handsome. Being bald didn't hurt his looks at all—if anything, it made him look more mature and distinguished.

Shaking himself out of it, Luo Jingshen quickly said, "I can't really tell, to be honest. If you don't mind, Fourth Imperial Uncle, would you be up for a blood test?"

"Alright, let's do the test right now."

With that, Prince Nanxiao had his men bring over a bowl of water.

He pricked his finger with a knife and let a drop of blood fall into the bowl. Luo Jingshen did the same.

They both stared at the two drops of blood in the bowl. Sure enough, the two drops merged together.

Luo Jingshen's eyes went wide in shock, but Prince Nanxiao looked like he'd expected it all along.

After all, he'd already done a blood test with Luo Jingshen when he was just a newborn!

Prince Nanxiao had the bowl taken away, then said, "Now do you believe I'm your real father?"

Luo Jingshen stayed silent. He'd seen this coming, but it was still hard to swallow.

The man he'd been calling Fourth Imperial Uncle his whole life had suddenly turned out to be his real father.

And on top of that, they hadn't had any contact in over ten years.

If Consort Li hadn't brought him up, Luo Jingshen would've forgotten the guy was even part of the royal family.

Prince Nanxiao sat down, picked up the wine jug, poured a cup of clear wine for Luo Jingshen, and pushed it in front of him.

"Crown Prince, Consort Li and I lied to you, and that's on us. But we had our reasons."

"Emperor Jingyang is paranoid and easily swayed by rumors. He's killed many of my brothers and kin. I'm still alive because I intend to avenge my mother and take back what's rightfully mine."

"The world may bear the Luo name, but it shouldn't belong to Luo Chengyuan. The moment he was made Crown Prince, everything I worked for went down the drain. Would you just hand the throne over to someone else if you were in my shoes?"

Luo Jingshen said nothing. Putting himself in Prince Nanxiao's shoes, he figured he wouldn't hand over a throne that was practically his either.

The Former Empress might have done something wrong, but that wasn't Prince Nanxiao's fault.

Bottom line, he was a victim too—he got dragged down by the Former Empress.

Luo Jingshen sat down and met his gaze. "Fourth Imperial Uncle, I get why you're upset, but that doesn't give you and Consort Li the right to use me."

"I'm grateful you gave me life, but have you ever put yourselves in my shoes?"

"Do you have any idea how awkward my position is right now? Above me, there's the Empress; below me, there are Luo Junhe and Ji Yuntang. If anyone ever finds out I'm the False Crown Prince, I'll lose my head. You can't just put my life on the line for your own gain, can you?"

Luo Jingshen was completely shattered. Having lived for twenty-three years, he only now realized he had been nothing but a pawn in someone else's game the whole time.

And now, he had to keep playing that pawn, without slipping up even once.

Once exposed, utter ruin awaited him.

Prince Nanxiao's dark eyes locked onto him, his fists clenched tightly.

"I know the concerns weighing on your mind, which is why I've already arranged everything for you."

"You are my son, and the throne of the Dongchen Kingdom belongs to you and you alone."

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