Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"This humble Taoist priest congratulates Your Majesty."

Tao Zhongwen bowed slightly, offering his congratulations, yet maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.

"This woman passed away two years ago."

The Jiajing Emperor gently shook his head.

"I just learned from my wet nurse that a few days after I slept with this woman, she discovered that she was seducing Lu Song. In a fit of anger, she gave her to Lu Kun, a steward at the Lu family estate, as a concubine."

After that, the wet nurse stopped paying attention to the girl.

Lu Kun was also taken by Lu Song to the capital in the sixteenth year of Zhengde's reign to inherit the throne. Later, he obtained the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Last April, this old story was brought up again. Before his death, Lu Kun found Lu Bing and asked to pass on his hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to his illegitimate son, Lu Chen.

Lu Chen's birth mother is that maid from back then; I only learned today that her surname is Wang.

Lu Kun had followed Lu Song and his son Lu Bing for decades, and Lu Bing naturally had to grant his dying wish. Therefore, Lu Bing personally wrote a decree allowing Lu Chen to inherit Lu Kun's hereditary position as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Lu Chen then went to Linqing to take up his post as a commander of the Imperial Guard.

But the matter was not so simple. Six months after taking office, Lu Chen asked his superior for leave and returned to Chengtian Prefecture. He went back to find out about his background.

Because he didn't grow up in Chengtian Prefecture at all; since he could remember, he had lived in a small village near Gucheng County, Xiangyang Prefecture, in Fang County, Yunyang Prefecture.

Last April, a young man who also called himself Lu Chen found the place, and that's when he learned the truth.

It turns out that when he was very young, his biological mother, Wang, switched him with the son of his adoptive parents, who were relatives of Wang's family.

For years, he has been living in Chengtian Prefecture under the identity of his adoptive parents' son.

Originally, neither of the two children knew about this, but before Wang died, she told the truth to the child beside her, and also told him the address of his biological parents.

The child planned to observe a year of mourning for his adoptive mother before going to find his biological parents, but before a year had passed, he received a letter from his stepmother in the capital, saying that Lu Kun was seriously ill and asking him to come to the capital to take care of him.

Knowing he was not Lu Kun's son, he obtained a travel permit from the yamen, took a letter to his biological parents, and switched identities with his adoptive mother's biological son.

He took Lu Chen's travel permit to the capital and inherited Lu Kun's hereditary position as the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, thus becoming Wang's biological son.

Lu Chen's adoptive parents had no idea why Wang wanted to exchange children with relatives for adoption; they only knew that it was Wang's own idea.

Lu Chen naturally wanted to understand why his birth mother would do such a thing. After serving as a commander of the Imperial Guard in Linqing for half a year, he finally decided to take leave to go to Chengtian Prefecture to find out the truth.

Lu Chen easily found out the identity of his birth mother, Wang. Back then, Wang was given to the steward Lu Kun as a concubine. Many people on the estate speculated that it was because Lu Song had taken a liking to Wang, and the wet nurse did it in a fit of anger.

These people were all servants of the Lu family. Even if they suspected that Lu Chen, who had been living with Wang Shi, was actually Lu Song's illegitimate son, they dared not say it.

But Lu Chen is different. He has always been raised outside the family. There must be a compelling reason why his biological mother would exchange children with a relative.

At this time, he also strongly suspected that he was Lu Song's illegitimate son. The news that the emperor was going on a southern tour had already spread in Chengtian Prefecture. As former officials of the prince's residence, the Lu family was naturally obliged to accompany the emperor.

Therefore, Lu Chen set off from Chengtian Prefecture and headed north along the route he would take during his southern tour, intending to personally inquire about the events of that year from Lu Bing and his mother.

He finally met Lu Bing at the post station outside Weihui City at dusk yesterday.

To my utter surprise, Lu Bing was startled when he saw him. Lu Chen's appearance, figure, and even his voice were very similar to mine when I was young.

Neither Lu Song nor Lu Kun could possibly have had such a son with Wang.

To be honest, when I heard Lu Bing mention Lu Chen's birthday, I was actually quite excited. His birthday is about ten months after I slept with Lady Wang.

If it weren't for what the wet nurse said next, I almost would have acknowledged this son.

The wet nurse told me that during that period, the late Emperor Xian had gone to the Lu family's back garden alone several times, and had specifically instructed that no one should disturb him.

At the time, she didn't even think that this matter could have anything to do with the maidservant beside her.

Looking back now, I realize that whenever the late Emperor was playing alone in the Lu family's back garden, Lady Wang was never by his side.

Lu Chen's appearance is so similar to mine when I was young, she knows he can't possibly be the son of Lu Song or Lu Kun.

Both the wet nurse and Lu Bing suspected that the late Emperor had slept with Lady Wang, and that Lu Chen was the late Emperor's posthumous son and my half-brother.

Although I am unwilling to believe it, I have to admit that this is indeed a possibility.

The woodshed where I met Lady Wang was in the area where my late father used to wander alone.

Lu Chen is undoubtedly of royal blood, but is he my eldest son or my younger brother?

"I am truly unsure, and I beg the immortal master to perform a divination for me."

"This matter involves two generations of true emperors; it is a matter of divine secrets."

Tao Zhongwen first feigned a troubled expression, but quickly changed it to one of resolute determination.

"Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, and I am willing to shorten my own lifespan to help Your Majesty glimpse the secrets of heaven."

After speaking, Tao Zhongwen slowly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged in meditation.

While desperately trying to maintain the demeanor of a Taoist hermit, Tao Zhongwen's mind began to work at lightning speed, digesting the information bombardment the emperor had just dropped on him while quickly weighing the pros and cons.

I originally thought the man who rescued the emperor with Lu Bing last night was just a daring imposter pretending to be a prince, but now the situation is completely different.

The man's appearance, physique, and even his voice were very similar to the emperor's when he was young!

His birth mother was indeed favored by the emperor, and her birthday was exactly ten months later.

When the emperor rescued him last night, he had already seen the man's face.

The emperor must have been overjoyed to learn from the Lu family that the child was born to the woman he had slept with during his youth.

At this point, the emperor already believed that the child was his imperial offspring.

What truly made the emperor hesitate and struggle was what the Lu family mother and son said later.

If what they say is true, the emperor's biological father, the former Prince Xing, should have also slept with that woman.

This child could also be the posthumous son of Prince Xing, or the emperor's half-brother.

Whether it's father and son or brothers, it's very common for them to look alike, and it's hard to use that as irrefutable evidence.

Tao Zhongwen was well aware that the possibility of an eleven-year-old boy impregnating a woman was extremely slim. The prince resting in the carriage of the Prince of Ru was almost certainly the offspring of the Prince of Xingxian.

Could I tell the emperor this conclusion directly?!