Father, who is both a heir and a descendant, is still biased; the bound system has gone berserk.

When he was five years old, his father took him to pay respects to Jin Zishi.

Jin Zishi merely glanced at him and said, "This boy has an extremely weak destiny and will not live past the age of twenty. Not only is he not destined to be an emperor, but he is also in danger of the downfall of his country. Your Majesty should not waste your efforts on him."

The young prince, who had meticulously prepared his apprenticeship ceremony, was truly devastated.

For the first time, the emperor lost his temper with his respected mentor and took him back to the palace.

It was from that time that he clearly realized that his poor health made him unfit to be the crown prince.

After that, he no longer wanted to be the crown prince.

After so many years, Emperor Cangxuan suddenly mentioned this mentor, and the Crown Prince couldn't help but recall what happened back then.

He sneered, "Didn't he say that I wouldn't live past twenty? I'm only three months away from twenty now, and I'm determined to show him."

Emperor Cangxuan said, "You should go back with the Grand Tutor to see your mother's other belongings."

The Crown Prince paused slightly. In comparison, how could that old man Jin Zhishi compare to his mother?

"Fine, then I'll go and show off to that old man in three months." That'll infuriate him.

Emperor Cangxuan was increasingly speechless, but a faint sense of anticipation arose in his heart.

To be honest, he also wanted to see Jin Zishi's expression when he was proven wrong.

[Ding! The face-slapping mechanism has been triggered. Host, please ensure the Crown Prince survives past adulthood and appears before the Imperial Tutor, lively and energetic, to slap that old man in the face.]

Ying Yufu's lips twitched. Why did the system's words carry personal emotions?

Grand Tutor Hai and Hai Qiongyan stayed in the Hall of Diligent Governance until late afternoon before leaving the palace by carriage.

The officials and their families were filled with speculation, as the Hai family had been quite high-profile these past two days.

Inside the carriage, the Crown Prince, Princess Minghuang, and Ying Yufu and her brother traveled together.

Meanwhile, back in the Empress's palace, Mingluan once again caused a scene filled with righteous indignation.

The Empress's face darkened, and her five fingers, resting on the armrest of the soft couch, tightened continuously, her bright red fingertips digging into the armrest, deforming her beautiful nails.

Cang Mingze's expression was calm, but upon closer inspection, one would find that his eyes were pitch black, like a deep pool in the depths of winter.

"Mother..." he said.

The empress looked at him.

Cang Mingze asked, "Is the Crown Prince really not going to live much longer?"

The Empress was taken aback, but said with absolute certainty, "Ze'er, don't worry, the Crown Prince won't live long."

Looking at the Empress's expression, Cang Mingze gradually felt calmer.

"Ze'er, you just need to wait, it won't be long, trust your mother."

At that time, I will make the Hai family kneel at my feet, and I will step over their corpses to ascend to the throne of Empress Dowager.

Cang Mingze and Princess Mingluan were suddenly alarmed.

Queen... Queen Mother?

What does "Empress Dowager" mean?

Could it be that Father Emperor...?

Gao Fengyi, who had been standing in the corner, stepped forward upon hearing this and said, "Second Prince, Princess Mingluan, rest assured, you are the most honorable prince and princess. The Crown Prince and Minghuang are nothing!"

Cang Mingze and Mingluan both looked at him in surprise.

The Empress also looked surprised. Eunuch Gao was always low-key and reliable in his work, and rarely would he say such flattering things.

Seeing the surprise on the faces of the Empress and the other two, Gao Fengyi smiled slightly and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, Second Prince, Princess Mingluan, what this old servant has said is true, and you will soon understand."

……

Hai family.

Hai Taifu led the Crown Prince, Princess Minghuang, and Ying Yufu and her brother into a secret room.

The secret chamber leads underground, with walls cast from black iron, and inside are neatly arranged antique shelves.

In the center is a square table and four chairs.

Hai Taifu invited them to sit down, and then he went to the shelf and brought out two golden nanmu wood chests.

Hai Taifu opened the slightly larger one, and inside was a small red quilt embroidered with a golden phoenix.

"This is the swaddling clothes your mother was in when we found her as an infant."

The four corners of the swaddling clothes were adorned with golden tassels made of pearls, making it exceptionally luxurious.

"His Majesty has already given you that jade pendant, hasn't he? At that time, that jade pendant was worn around your mother's neck."

Inside this is a nine-headed phoenix hairpin.

Grand Tutor Hai took another box, a very ornate brocade box. He opened it and found a red-gold nine-headed phoenix hairpin and a letter with your mother's birth date and time on it.

Each phoenix head of the nine-headed phoenix hairpin holds a bright pearl in its mouth.

Each pearl is a different color.

"Nine stars aligned? The Nine Stars Alignment Phoenix Hairpin, a priceless treasure of the Eastern Chen royal family?"

Princess Minghuang exclaimed in shock, and the Crown Prince also looked surprised.

Hai Taifu sighed, "Yes, it is a nine-star phoenix hairpin."

Although there are four kingdoms in the world today, if we were to talk about the leader, Dongchen would undoubtedly be the one.

The Eastern Kingdom has a history spanning thousands of years, with its national fortune remaining constant, while the other three kingdoms have experienced succession and change.

The foundation of the Eastern Chen Kingdom is even more unimaginable.

Among them, the most precious treasure symbolizing the fate of the Eastern Chen Kingdom is this Nine-Star Phoenix Hairpin.

Only those of the Dongchen royal bloodline who possess this Nine-Star Phoenix Hairpin can ascend to that supreme position.

Back then, this hairpin was placed in this swaddling clothes, held tightly in your mother's hand.

Princess Minghuang and the Crown Prince both had complicated expressions.

"The Nine-Star Phoenix Hairpin is not in Dongchen Kingdom, yet there has been no news of it from Dongchen Kingdom all these years. Are they covering it up?"

Grand Tutor Hai shook his head, "The affairs of the Dongchen Kingdom's royal family are highly confidential."

Unable to contain her curiosity, Ying Yufu asked Xiao Dian, "Xiao Dian, do you know what exactly happened to the royal family of Dongchen Kingdom?"

Xiao Dian: [Host, Dongchen Kingdom is still too far away from you; its destiny has not yet been unlocked.]

Ying Yufu fell silent.

Grand Tutor Hai continued, "Your Highness, Princess Minghuang, this old minister wishes to keep the infant in swaddling clothes as a keepsake. The nine-star phoenix hairpin and the letter should now be handed over to you!"

"Grandfather..."

Hai Taifu lowered his eyes to look at the swaddling clothes, a look of affection and remembrance appearing in his eyes, with a hint of tears.

"Back then, your mother was only this small..." He gestured.

"We found her on a snowy night; she was red and wrinkled from the cold."

Your maternal grandmother and I only had two sons, no daughters.

At that time, your mother-in-law was injured and could no longer have children, so we felt that she was a daughter given to us by God.

But when we took her back, we discovered that beneath the coarse cloth swaddling clothes lay a different world.

He gave a wry smile, "We had already taken the child back, so we couldn't just throw him away again."

If you throw her away, she won't survive.

So we reluctantly decided to keep the child.

Later, when she grew up, she developed feelings for your father. At that time, I was so frightened that I fell seriously ill. In the end, I gritted my teeth and revealed your mother's true identity.

That didn't stop them from being together, so they were left to their own devices.

He took out a piece of coarse cloth from under the box and hid the red swaddling clothes embroidered with gold thread inside, gently stroking them.

With tears in their eyes, the Crown Prince and Minghuang stood up together and said, "Thank you for your kindness in raising our mother, Grandfather and Grandmother."

Hai Taifu quickly went to help them up, saying, "No, good children, you are all good children..."

Just then, a sudden commotion arose outside.

"There's an assassin! Catch the assassin!"

Everyone's expression froze.

Princess Minghuang instinctively turned and ran outside.

Halfway through the run, she suddenly froze, only to see Ying Yufu staring at her with wide eyes.

Minghuang stared at her with a stiff expression.