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

Just as Ying Yufu and her group were rushing to Xiaoxi Village through the night, and dawn was breaking, Cang Mingze and Marquis Anding's group had already arrived a hundred miles outside the imperial city.

They stationed their troops outside, but Cang Mingze insisted on resting at a post station five miles away. Marquis Anding had no choice but to follow him.

At the post station, Cang Mingze came out from the second floor and saw Mingluan waving to him from below.

"Second...Second Brother, come down quickly, let's eat together."

Princess Mingluan and her three companions ordered a large amount of food, which was quite sumptuous.

Cang Mingze smiled slightly and strode downstairs.

Just then, the waiter led a group of people upstairs.

The leader was wearing a black cloak and walked with his head down, so his appearance was not visible.

As the person passed Cang Mingze, he bumped into him lightly.

Cang Mingze frowned and immediately stopped to look at the person.

The man didn't look up, but said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."

His voice sounded somewhat aged.

Cang Mingze relaxed his brows, decided not to argue with the man anymore, and went downstairs.

Cang Mingze walked over to the table where Mingluan and the others sat down.

Mingluan couldn't help but glance at the group of people going upstairs. "Second Brother, who are they? Why are they dressed so strangely? They all look like they're ashamed to be seen."

Cang Mingze shook his head: "Who knows? Maybe they were just passing by."

They stopped talking about the group and started eating.

After Marquis An Ding came downstairs, he saw Cang Mingze and Ming Luan and the others drinking and eating to their hearts' content, and his eyes darkened.

He usually had a good impression of the Crown Prince, but because the Crown Prince was in poor health, he had also considered supporting the Second Prince.

However, Cang Mingze's current actions all demonstrate that he is not fit to be a wise ruler.

Even if Bei Xuan isn't the crown prince, he definitely isn't this person.

Marquis An Ding withdrew his gaze and no longer looked at Cang Mingze.

It wasn't until late 9 PM that Cang Mingze and the others finished eating and drinking, and Cang Mingze went upstairs drunk.

As soon as he entered the room, he didn't pay much attention at first, but when he calmed down and looked up, he saw a black figure standing in his room.

Cang Mingze jolted awake, instantly sobering up.

"Who are you?" he shouted angrily.

The man had his back to him, but upon hearing this, he slowly turned around, and an aged voice came from under his cloak.

"Your Highness, don't be afraid, it's me."

As he spoke, the man slowly lifted his hat off his head.

Immediately following was a familiar yet aged face.

"My beloved teacher!"

Cang Mingze's face lit up with surprise, and he strode forward, "Master, what are you doing here?"

The old man smiled slightly, looked at the Second Prince with a meaningful gaze, and said, "Your Highness, I have come here specifically to see you."

Cang Mingze looked puzzled. "You came specifically to see me?"

"Yes, I came here specifically to see you, Second Prince. Would you like to know your true identity?"

The old man spoke slowly.

Cang Mingze looked bewildered. "Master, what are you talking about? What real identity could I possibly have?"

The old man looked at him, a hint of affection in his eyes. "Ze'er, do you know why I secretly chose you back then, yet refused His Majesty's offer to teach the Crown Prince, and even belittled him?"

Cang Mingze's heart started racing for no apparent reason, and he had a vague feeling that something was slipping out of his control.

Seeing that he remained silent and his expression kept changing, the old man smiled and said, "Naturally, it's because of your mother..."

"Empress Dowager? What does this have to do with the Empress Dowager?" Cang Mingze stared intently at the old man.

The old man said, "Your mother... is my biological daughter with Wan Hong."

boom!

Cang Mingze's mind went blank.

"Master... what are you saying?" Cang Mingze asked in disbelief.

"Back then, Wan Hong and I... that is, your maternal grandmother, were in love until she became pregnant with your mother."

Unfortunately, Jin Zishi had already retired from his official post, and this status could not provide a good life for Wan Hong and the child in her womb.

We devised a plan to make Hai Chaoyun believe that the child was his, and then we took Wan Hong into our household.

Later, I secretly helped your maternal grandmother get rid of Hai Chaoyun's first wife and daughter, making your maternal grandmother the legal wife, and your mother finally became the empress.

"You, you—"

Cang Mingze's eyes widened, his face filled with horror.

"You...you said my mother wasn't the Hai family's biological daughter, and you're saying you're my maternal grandfather?"

The old man looked at him and said, "That's right, Ze'er. You have no doubt that the most noble and orthodox bloodline flows in your veins. One day, the entire Northern Xuan will be yours."

Cang Mingze took a step back. "What nonsense are you spouting? What do you mean by the most noble and orthodox bloodline? Although you are my father's mentor and also my mentor, but..."

Cang Mingze's words suddenly caught in his throat because he saw the old man reach out and slowly tear off a human skin mask from his face.

……

In the imperial city, Emperor Cangxuan led his entourage to the Imperial Tutor's Mansion.

Although Jin Zishi had long since retired, he was still the emperor's tutor. Although Emperor Cangxuan had argued with him about the crown prince, Jin Zishi had rendered meritorious service to Beixuan and had been kind to the emperor, so Emperor Cangxuan still respected him very much.

However, when Emperor Cangxuan arrived at the Imperial Tutor's Mansion, there was only an old steward guarding the gate, two servants doing menial tasks, a cook, and a female cook.

The Imperial Tutor lived a simple life, refusing the luxurious mansion bestowed upon him by the emperor, and instead choosing to live in the simple two-courtyard house he has lived in today.

"Where is the Imperial Tutor?" Emperor Cangxuan asked.

The old steward stammered, "Your Majesty, my master went out last night, saying he was going on a trip to relax and would return in a few days."

Emperor Cangxuan was taken aback, then pleased. "It seems my master is in good health, able to go out for a stroll even in this cold season."

Then he asked, "When the Imperial Tutor goes out, does he wear extra clothes and bring extra people with him?"

The old steward quickly replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, the master has dressed in extra clothes and brought extra men."

"That's good. These are gifts from me to the Imperial Tutor. You may pack them up."

After saying that, Emperor Cangxuan left with his men.

……

As the morning light shone on the small mountain village where smoke curled from the chimneys, a tall, slender young man, dressed in only a single layer of clothing, strode briskly through the winter wind.

He carried two pheasants and a rabbit on his back as he came out of the mountains and entered the village.

An auntie who came out to empty the chamber pot saw him and couldn't help but say, "Ah Niu, you've gone hunting in the mountains again? It's not easy to hunt wild game these days. The heavy snow has blocked the mountain passes, so you must have been on guard all night again, right?"

Ah Niu answered honestly, "My mother said my sister is pregnant and told me to hunt some wild game for her to nourish her."

The aunt who had asked the question sighed, turned around, and went into the house.

Ah Niu returned home to find his parents still asleep. He hung up the game and busied himself chopping wood, boiling water, and cooking porridge.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that a plump old woman came out, yawning.

"Ah Niu, quickly bring me some hot water, I need to wash my face."

"Mother, I'm coming."

Ah Niu hurriedly brought over the hot water he had prepared, helped the woman wash up, and then brought up breakfast.

A bowl of plain white porridge, a dish of pickled vegetables, and a few dark, cornbread-like buns.

The parents' bowls were filled with glistening, snow-white rice porridge, while Ah Niu's bowl was just clear broth with hardly any rice.

The woman glanced at it, pursed her lips, and began to complain: "Aniu, Dazhu and Erzhu from Aunt Guihua's family next door are helping people carry goods in the county. They get paid every day, and now their family can eat eggs every few days."

You're a young and strong guy, what can you possibly achieve by hunting a few wild animals?

People aren't afraid of being poor, they're afraid of being lazy. Tell me, what can your father and I expect from you?

Ah Niu lowered his head and ate his black cornbread without saying a word.

"Is anyone there? Excuse me, which way is the village chief's house?" Just then, a clear and sweet voice rang out from outside.

The woman, who was scolding her son, looked outside and saw a fair-skinned little girl standing there, dressed elegantly, clearly from a wealthy family.

The woman's eyes lit up immediately.