Chapter 51

When Rong Mo heard Nanny Luo mention the three small black moles on the sole of the Little Heir’s left foot, his entire body stiffened. Everything that had been incomprehensible before now became crystal clear.

So, he was that unfortunate Little Heir.

The physically frail Prince Rong was his biological father.

He vividly remembered when he was eight years old, when the Rong family was suddenly ambushed by dozens of men in black. The Rong couple’s first priority had been to protect him. Unfortunately, he had already been poisoned by then. That young boy, whom he had always considered a younger brother but who had drawn away the pursuers at a critical moment during their escape—his fate still unknown—must be the abandoned infant Nanny Luo spoke of.

He remembered that his brother’s features did not resemble his own. However, his adoptive mother told them they were twins and that appearing different would arouse suspicion. Thus, as the boy grew, he was forced to wear a disguise to mimic Rong Mo’s appearance.

He had been Rong Mo’s shadow for all those years.

So much time had passed, yet Rong Mo still did not know his brother’s true face. Thinking of that brother whose life or death was unknown and whom he had no idea how to begin searching for, Rong Mo felt a searing pain in his heart. His hands clenched into fists, his eyes brimming with deep, cold hatred for the fake Consort of Prince Rong.

No wonder after he was poisoned, he had to force the toxin into his legs to save his life, yet managed to live peacefully within the Marquis of Changle’s estate. The fake Consort must have known all along.

To hire the Blood Hall—a group of cold-blooded killers who recognized only silver and not people—to massacre over a hundred members of the Rong family, that woman must have paid a heavy price, leaving her unable to easily strike again to pull him up by the roots.

That woman certainly “valued” him.

A cold, murderous intent flickered in Rong Mo’s eyes. At this point, he no longer doubted that the fake Consort was the mastermind behind the destruction of the Rong family. He had investigated secretly for years without finding a single shred of evidence; it was highly likely the Lin family had helped her scrub the traces clean.

The Lin family was a top-tier noble house. With Old Master Lin Han, the Imperial Tutor of two reigns, at the helm, their status was transcendent, and their disciples were spread throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty. They were a gargantuan entity, nearly impossible to shake.

Rong Mo felt no affection for the Lin family whatsoever, even if they were the maternal house of the biological mother he had never met. In his heart, his bond with the massacred Rong family was far deeper.

At that moment, he heard his little fiancée’s question. The murderous intent in his eyes receded, replaced by a trace of guilt as he looked at her. “I do!”

He hadn’t expected that after all this wandering, he would be burdened with another blood debt—the murder of his biological mother.

Cheng Ruyi nearly cried out in surprise, but remembering they were eavesdropping, she quickly covered her mouth. Her clear, bright eyes were filled with sympathy. A-Mo’s background was far too tragic.

“That woman is too evil! A-Mo, I’ll help you teach her a lesson she’ll never forget.” Cheng Ruyi clenched her fists in righteous indignation.

Rong Mo narrowed his eyes, a cold sneer curling his lips. “Just teaching her a lesson is too good for her. I want her to pay for that blood debt in kind!”

“Do you need my help?” Cheng Ruyi asked in a low voice, her pretty face full of eagerness. She hadn’t seen action in a while, and a woman as poisonous as the fake Consort deserved nothing less than death.

A flash of warmth crossed Rong Mo’s eyes. “We’ll talk about that when the time comes.” He wanted to take his revenge personally.

Cheng Ruyi shrugged, looking a bit disappointed, but she didn’t push further.

Having learned what they needed to know, Rong Mo stopped hiding. He and Cheng Ruyi waited by the door for the people inside to come out.

About the time it takes to finish half a cup of tea, the door opened. As Lady Yirou and Nanny Luo prepared to step out, they saw a tall, handsome young gentleman and a peerlessly beautiful girl in red standing at the entrance. Their expressions shifted instantly. They took a step back, their eyes filled with wariness and defense.

“Who are you? Why are you here?”

Luo Fei, standing behind them, was greatly shocked upon seeing the young man. With a complicated expression, he spoke up: “Rong Mo, when did you get here?”

“Rong Mo… Xiao Fei, he… he is Young Master Rong Mo?” Nanny Luo gasped, staring at Rong Mo, her voice trembling slightly.

Lady Yirou was also staring at him in shock. Since the two of them lived within the Prince Rong Estate and rarely went out, it wasn’t strange that they had never seen him or knew what he looked like. Now that they looked closely, Rong Mo’s features did indeed share a twenty to thirty percent resemblance with Prince Rong.

“Mother, Sister, this is Rong Mo. The one beside him is the Eldest Miss of the Marquis of Changle’s estate, and also Rong Mo’s fiancée.” Luo Fei nodded, his gaze toward Rong Mo complicated. He didn’t know exactly when Rong Mo had arrived or how much he had overheard.

“Let’s go inside and talk. I have things to say to you,” Rong Mo said calmly, glancing at Lady Yirou and Nanny Luo before addressing Luo Fei.

Luo Fei nodded, and the group entered the room.

“Young Master Rong Mo, may I ask how much you heard?” Nanny Luo asked cautiously.

Rong Mo curled his lips into a faint smile. His voice was cool. “From beginning to end. Not a single word was missed.”

Nanny Luo’s heart skipped a beat, and Lady Yirou’s face turned pale. Panic flashed in their eyes; they realized now that their relationship with Luo Fei had long been discovered by Rong Mo.

Luo Fei remained relatively calm. After all, he was the new Tanhua who had experienced the palace examinations and met the Emperor; his psychological fortitude was strong.

“That… Young Master Rong Mo, may I be so bold as to ask… do you have three small black moles on the sole of your left foot?” Lady Yirou took a deep breath and asked steadily.

“I do.” Rong Mo glanced at her and nodded.

A flash of joy crossed Lady Yirou’s face. She bit her lip and pushed forward. “May Xiao Fei check them?”

Nanny Luo also looked at Rong Mo with hope. Only the true Little Heir was their master. To confirm his identity, they had to verify the mark.

Rong Mo narrowed his eyes and stared at Lady Yirou. His gaze made her scalp tingle, but she met his eyes directly. After a long silence, Rong Mo finally nodded. “Fine.”

Lady Yirou breathed a sigh of relief. That brief eye contact had put her under immense pressure; her back was now drenched in cold sweat.

While Rong Mo and Luo Fei went into the inner room, Cheng Ruyi watched the nervous and expectant mother-daughter pair with great interest.

“Lady Yirou, I heard you’re Prince Rong’s favorite concubine, and yet you’ve given him a very ‘green’ hat (cheated). You’re quite brave.”

Lady Yirou gasped, her gaze toward Cheng Ruyi turning wary. She had only intentionally exposed this to the fake Consort; for the sake of her own son, the fake Consort definitely wouldn’t let the secret out. How did this Miss Cheng know?

“Miss Cheng, that is making something out of nothing. How could I possibly do such a thing!” Lady Yirou’s expression was unnatural; naturally, she couldn’t admit to it.

“Miss Cheng, you shouldn’t speak such nonsense!” Nanny Luo said with a dark face.

Cheng Ruyi looked at their “prepared- for-battle” expressions and their refusal to admit it. She smiled at Lady Yirou and curled her lip. “You don’t think you were being very subtle, do you? Actually, my father walked in on your affair a long time ago.”

Lady Yirou’s face suddenly turned deathly pale. She had only left the estate with Chu Ran once. She never imagined that one single time would be witnessed by the Marquis of Changle.

“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. In the end, everything you’ve done is for the revenge of the true Consort. A-Mo is more likely to be grateful to you than anything else.” Cheng Ruyi gave them a reassuring smile.

Lady Yirou and Nanny Luo breathed a silent sigh of relief. It seemed Miss Cheng wasn’t as reckless as she appeared. Their eyes filled with gratitude. “Thank you for your mercy, Miss Cheng!”

Cheng Ruyi waved her hand, then asked curiously, “Lady Yirou, how did you even think of seducing Chu Ran? I heard Prince Rong is in poor health… is he lacking in that department? If it’s true, since he’s A-Mo’s father, I’ll give him a bottle of divine medicine for free!”

The now-relaxed Lady Yirou looked at Cheng Ruyi—whose eyes were practically glowing with gossip—and didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Truth be told, she didn’t even know if Prince Rong was “capable” or not. Others thought she was favored, but they didn’t know the Prince had never touched her. Every time, they simply shared a bed and slept.

“Ruyi!” A deep, helpless voice sounded from behind.

Cheng Ruyi turned and saw Rong Mo coming out. She happily skipped over, smiling guiltily as she changed the subject. “A-Mo, you’re out! Have you verified your identity?”

Rong Mo gave a low chuckle and dotingly patted her head. “Yes, it has been verified.”

Upon hearing this, Nanny Luo and Lady Yirou immediately looked at Luo Fei with wide eyes.

Luo Fei looked at the beautiful, bright girl in red, his eyes flickering. He hadn’t expected this girl to be his biological cousin. Seeing his anxious foster mother and sister, he smiled. “There are indeed three small black moles on the sole of Rong Mo’s left foot.”

Nanny Luo and Lady Yirou instantly wept for joy. Their gazes toward Rong Mo were now filled with reverence. They had finally found the true heir.

Now that his identity was confirmed, Lady Yirou asked impatiently, “Master, when do you plan to acknowledge the Prince?”

Now that the true master was found, she no longer needed to pretend to cater to Chu Ran. The fake Consort had no hope of a comeback; if it weren’t for the fact that Prince Rong currently only had Chu Ran as a son, his status as Heir would have been stripped long ago.

“Now is not the time.”

Rong Mo’s lips curled slightly. He glanced at his little fiancée, thinking they should wait until after their wedding. However, he noticed his fiancée was staring at Luo Fei. He felt a twinge of jealousy and shot Luo Fei a glare.

Luo Fei: “…” Being stared at by a cousin who just suddenly appeared made him very uncomfortable, too!

“Ruyi, what are you looking at?” Rong Mo asked, his tone slightly sour.

Cheng Ruyi giggled. “I’m looking at Cousin Luo Fei! He’s the new Tanhua , he has a great future, and he’s so handsome. On the day of the parade, who knows how many noble ladies’ hearts he stole. I just wonder who will be lucky enough to marry him…”

Luo Fei’s handsome face turned red. “…”

Lady Yirou looked at her blushing brother and couldn’t help but smile. Nanny Luo had always treated Luo Fei as her own son; hearing Cheng Ruyi mention this, she immediately took it to heart. Because she knew his true identity, she had never dared to arrange a marriage for him. Now that he was a Tanhua , it was time to put it on the schedule. But then she remembered that Luo Fei had a real relative—the Marchioness of Changle. His marriage should be decided by her. Her excitement was doused like cold water.

Hearing the meaning behind his fiancée’s words, Rong Mo’s sourness vanished instantly. He smiled and brushed her hair. “Cousin Luo Fei’s marriage will naturally be Aunt’s concern.” He then turned to Luo Fei. “Luo Fei, when will you come with me to the Marquis’s estate to acknowledge Aunt?”

Luo Fei looked at Nanny Luo and Lady Yirou. Seeing them nod slightly, he thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow, then.”

“I’ll come pick you up tomorrow,” Rong Mo said immediately.

Afterward, they discussed their plans for revenge. Seeing that it was getting late and that Lady Yirou and Nanny Luo shouldn’t be away for too long, they bid farewell to Rong Mo and left the residence in a hurry.

Just after the two left the gates, a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes with an aura of innate nobility stepped out from the neighboring residence. He was followed by two guards of extraordinary skill.

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