Dressed as the last nine-tailed fox

Chapter 368 The Crown Prince's Background
The Crown Prince's attitude inevitably annoyed the Empress. She raised her hand to press her forehead, her fingertips pressing hard against her throbbing temples. "My son, you've always been obedient."

"Mother, if what you say makes sense, your son will certainly do as you say." The Crown Prince advised with a righteous face and reason, "The black umbrella of the Star Observation Tower is related to the survival of the entire human world. As the Empress, you must not act rashly at this time."

The Crown Prince's firmness caused the Empress's brows to furrow. Her hand, which had been resting on her temple, paused for a moment before sliding down sharply with a force that seemed to be venting her anger. She said earnestly, "My son, I'm doing this for your own good."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince's disapproval was almost overflowing. "Mother! You are the Empress Dowager. With a great calamity befalling the world, you should put the people first! Not just care about your own bloodline!"

"It's not that your mother doesn't care about the people." The Empress's impatience was almost overflowing. She took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. "It's just that the black umbrella is only the size of the top of the Star Gazing Tower. Even if it wants to devour the world, it will take time. My son, I think you should take advantage of this time to firmly grasp the imperial power in your own hands. That way, when you face the black umbrella calamity, there will be no obstacles."

"No obstacles at all?" The Crown Prince did not understand what the Empress meant. "Mother, why do you say that?" He asked in confusion, "This is a catastrophe concerning the survival of mankind. Who would stop me? The entire human race should work together to deal with it."

“My son, you are too idealistic,” the Empress said in a deep voice. “Only when you sit on the highest throne in the world will there be no more obstacles.”

"Mother, you...you..." The Empress's shocking words made the Crown Prince stare wide-eyed in disbelief. "You want...me to rebel?"

Gao Weiche's eyes darkened considerably. He hadn't expected that the Empress, who had long lived in the deep palace and served as a model of virtue for women, would be so audacious as to instigate the Crown Prince to rebel right in front of him.

"My son, why would you think that?" The Empress feigned surprise. "You've misunderstood your mother." The Empress's tone was casual, as if the 'rebellion' the Crown Prince had just mentioned was nothing more than a trivial matter. The Empress looked troubled and said, "You know your father. To put it bluntly, he has no interest in politics, and now he doesn't even want to get involved in court affairs." She sighed as she spoke, "Your father only has you as his child, so your mother... not just your mother, but all the people in the world, we can only rely on you."

The Empress paused for a moment, then advised, "My son, since your father doesn't want to sit on the dragon throne, why don't you sit on it sooner? This will not only make things easier for your father, but also put your mother and the people at ease. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

The Crown Prince gazed silently at the Empress's face, afraid of missing even the slightest change in her emotions. Once he was certain that the Empress's words were sincere, the Crown Prince's expression turned cold, and he refused, saying, "Father is in the prime of his life and it is not time for him to abdicate."

"Why won't you listen to me, my child?" the Empress said anxiously.

"Didn't Mother already say that?" the Crown Prince reminded him, "Father only has me as his heir, so whether I sit on the dragon throne or not, Mother and the people can trust me. I am the Crown Prince and will never do anything harmful to the world."

“It’s different,” the Empress said. “What’s different?” A hint of melancholy flashed in the Crown Prince’s eyes. “I will sit on that dragon throne sooner or later, won’t I?”

"Of course it's different! As long as you haven't sat on that dragon throne, your position is illegitimate!" The Empress almost shouted at the Crown Prince, as if she had reached her limit.

The Empress's out-of-control demeanor felt unfamiliar to the Crown Prince. "I am the legitimate son, Father Emperor's only child, the heir apparent, and the future emperor. How could my position be illegitimate?"

After venting her anger, the Empress calmed down a bit. She turned her head slightly away from the Crown Prince and said, "I have my reasons for saying this."

"But I feel that what Mother Empress said makes no sense." The Crown Prince's attitude was firm, and even though the Empress tried to avoid him, he kept looking in her direction. "Mother Empress, I don't understand what you are thinking?"

“What the Empress said makes sense.” Gao Weiche’s sudden voice came out in this atmosphere, which was somewhat abrupt.

Feeling all eyes on him in the hall, Gao Weiche curled into a mocking smile. "The reason why your title is not legitimate is probably because... Your Highness, the blood flowing in your veins is different from His Majesty's."

The Empress's face turned deathly pale. She practically sprang from her chair, straightening her back ramrod straight, and pointed at Gao Weiche, yelling, "Shut up!"

Gao Weiche stared directly into the Empress's eyes, his gaze carrying a hint of madness, as if he were saying, "We'd rather perish together." Whether it was Gao Weiche's imagination or not, he actually saw a pleading look in the Empress's fiery eyes.

"What...what did you just say?" The Crown Prince slowly turned around, his expression stiffening uncontrollably. He tried to appear calm, but his lips trembled uncontrollably.

"My son, don't listen to his nonsense, he's a lunatic." The Empress's tone softened considerably when speaking to the Crown Prince. Then, out of the Crown Prince's sight, she quickly gave a wink to the female official serving beside her.

After receiving the Empress's signal, the female official stepped forward and ordered the eunuchs on duty in the hall, "Hurry up and drag this babbling idiot away and lock him up!"

Seeing that the Empress was about to "cover up" Gao Weiche's mouth before he even understood the truth, the Crown Prince's heart sank. "I'll see who dares to touch him!" he shouted, and then stood in front of Gao Weiche to protect him.

The Crown Prince looked down at Gao Weiche, his eyes red, and said, "Tell me everything you know."

Seeing the Crown Prince protecting Gao Weiche, the female official was at a loss. Given the Crown Prince's personality, he would never let go. If they insisted on taking Gao Weiche away, it would inevitably hurt the Crown Prince. For a moment, the female official was at a loss. She had no choice but to ask the Empress, "Your Majesty, what do you think we should do?"

The crimson in the Crown Prince's eyes and his guarded demeanor unexpectedly pierced the Empress's heart. She clutched her chest with one hand and waved the other at the female officials, "Alright, let him speak. You may all leave." "Yes." As the female officials left, they closed the palace doors tightly, making sure to shut the windows completely.

With the light source gone, the hall suddenly darkened, and the empress, who was on the throne, had half her face buried in shadow, her gloomy gaze flickering between light and shadow.

The Crown Prince didn't even glance at the Empress. He helped Gao Weiche, who was still kneeling on the ground, to his feet and said in a deep voice, "Regarding my background, as the Crown Prince, I order you to tell me everything you know. You are not allowed to hide a single word."

“Your Highness, you should know…” Gao Weiche smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes from kneeling before slowly raising his eyes to look directly at the Crown Prince without any hesitation. “The people of the Imperial Observatory are selected one by one. They start learning the art of divination and fortune telling from a young age. When they reach my level, they can often tell whether a person’s fate is noble or not with just one glance.”

When Gao Weiche spoke, there was not a trace of arrogance on his face; his eyes were full of confidence and certainty in his abilities, making it easy for people to believe what he said. "But when I first saw Your Highness the Crown Prince, I..." Gao Weiche hesitated, ultimately not finishing his sentence.

However, since things had already come to this point, the Crown Prince easily guessed what Gao Weiche hadn't finished saying: "My appearance isn't that of an emperor, is it?"

“That’s right.” Gao Weiche nodded slightly and said truthfully, “You are the Emperor’s only son and the sole heir to the throne. Your succession is a foregone conclusion. To be frank, if something were to happen to you and you were to die, there would be no successor to the throne, and the world would likely descend into chaos. Yet, someone of your status is not destined to be an emperor. You are destined to be estranged from the throne.” As he spoke, Gao Weiche seemed to have gained some insight into the Black Umbrella Catastrophe. He guessed that perhaps the 'deception' was related to this catastrophe.

The prince clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white, as if a fire was burning in his chest. He said stubbornly, "Just one glance? With just one glance, can you guarantee you won't make a mistake? Do you know what the consequences would be if you misjudged my face?"

“I can guarantee that.” Gao Weiche’s expression was resolute, and his tone was calm. “Facial features cannot be wrong, and neither can I.”

“However…” Gao Weiche suddenly took a step closer to the Crown Prince, raising his hand as if to touch the Crown Prince’s cheek.

The Crown Prince was bewildered by Gao Weiche's sudden action, but fortunately, Gao Weiche stopped just before his hand touched his cheek.

"The Crown Prince's appearance is somewhat different from others."

"What's the difference?" The Crown Prince tilted his head back uncomfortably, trying to create some distance between himself and Gao Weiche.

“When I observe other people’s faces, it’s clear, but when I observe yours, there’s always a layer of fog blocking my view.” Gao Weiche’s fingertips slowly probed in, like poking into a wad of cotton wool. There was no real touch, only a slight coolness coming from his fingertips.

"Fog?" Seeing Gao Weiche's hand rubbing against the air, the Crown Prince asked in confusion, "Where did the fog come from?"

Gao Weiche slowly withdrew his hand. "This fog is to prevent those who understand destiny from investigating your fate, so only those who understand destiny can see this fog." Upon touching the fog, Gao Weiche already knew that it was the work of the Imperial Observatory Director. If there was any slight wavering in Gao Weiche's heart at first, it was because of this fog that he became more resolute. "Your Highness, you are not of the Emperor's bloodline. Your biological father was my recently deceased master, the Imperial Observatory Director. The fog covering your face is also his work. He did this to conceal your destiny and cover up the fact that you are not of royal blood."

The prince stood frozen in place, unresponsive, as if his bones had been ripped out in an instant, his shoulders slumped violently. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, yet trembled slightly, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.

Gao Weiche witnessed the light in the Crown Prince's eyes completely extinguished, his gaze so empty it could hold an entire ocean. He saw his lips move, but no sound came out; only his Adam's apple bobbed violently, as if something had choked him, and his whole being was nailed to that invisible yet deadly heavy blow.

"My son?" The Empress looked at the Crown Prince's swaying figure with great worry. She quickly assured him, "As long as your mother is here, you will always be your father's child, his only child."

"Mother," the Crown Prince said, his voice slightly hoarse, casting a questioning glance at the Empress. "Is what he said true? The Director of the Imperial Observatory... is he really my biological father?"

“But my son, the truth is hurtful.” The sun had set, and the light in the palace had dimmed further, casting the Empress into shadow. “If you leave now, you can forget everything that happened today and continue to be the Crown Prince in peace. Are you sure you want to keep asking?”

"Mother," the Crown Prince slowly knelt down and pleaded, "I don't want to not even know my own parents. I want to know my true origins. Please."

The Empress laughed, a mournful laugh. "You really did follow him. So be it. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't have ended up childless in his final days."

“That’s right, you are indeed not the Emperor’s biological son. Your biological father is the Director of the Imperial Observatory.” The Empress didn’t look at the Crown Prince again and continued to recall, “It’s a long story… I met him outside the palace. I didn’t want to enter the palace.”

This is a cliché story: a young boy and girl fall in love at first sight during their formative years, vowing to be together forever, only to be forcibly separated by their families. After their separation, both of them, without prior arrangement, head towards the center of power. When they meet again, one has become an empress, and the other has become the Director of the Imperial Observatory.

"I have no affection for the Emperor whatsoever." The Empress's tone was clearly filled with disgust. "He married me to stabilize the court, while I married him to protect the honor of my family." The Empress took a deep breath and continued, "Before entering the palace, my father instructed me to use any means necessary and pay any price to give birth to the Emperor's eldest son. From that moment on, I knew that my father was not only planning for the family's century-long glory, but also for the throne."

"But the emperor didn't come to my palace often. Seeing that the concubines who entered the palace after me were all pregnant, I became anxious and took matters into my own hands for the first time, causing an innocent person to miscarry. The emperor was very angry. This was his first child. Fortunately, thanks to my father's help, I did it cleanly. The emperor investigated again and again but couldn't find any clues. But the emperor was still not giving up. He summoned the chief supervisor and asked him to calculate the real reason for the miscarriage."

"The Imperial Censor suspected me, but because of our past friendship, he chose to help me cover it up. Because of the Imperial Censor's guarantee, the Emperor's suspicions about me dissipated, and his attitude towards me returned to its previous pretense. I thought that life would continue like this..." The Empress paused, then continued, "That night, I saw the Imperial Censor in Kunning Palace."