On the Ark.

"You just joined the company and are already in charge of the prince's murder case?" Lin Ye couldn't help but ask. "Are you a famous detective too?"

Jingzhe couldn't detect a trace of praise or compliment in Lin Ye's words, knowing he wasn't complimenting her. So she said directly, "Even an outsider like you can see that... let's assume you're an outsider, then I understand even better. This case is very complicated. In principle, cases involving the royal family are usually investigated by the most outstanding executors of the entire Dali Temple's Surveillance Department. Five years ago, I was a newcomer, and my first case was of this level. Anyone would know something was wrong."

"So, what did you find out?"

“If you are truly His Highness the Third Prince, then I can naturally tell you.” Jingzhe stared at Lin Ye, “But if you are not, then you are not qualified to know.”

Lin Ye shrugged and said, "Okay, okay, then you'd better not tell me. I don't want to get into trouble."

Jingzhe snorted coldly, then turned her gaze to the silent Elder Li: "But what I can say is that I found absolutely no clues about that case five years ago. Partly because my investigative skills were still too immature, but more importantly, I was the only one investigating from beginning to end. Even though it was a crucial case involving His Highness the Third Prince, I received no support from any side, not even the royal family. So I'd like to ask, Elder Li, do you know anything about this?"

Jingzhe's words drew everyone's attention to Old Li.

Old Li remained silent. When Lin Ye and Jingzhe brought up the events of five years ago, he didn't say a word, simply listening quietly. Even when Jingzhe explicitly steered the conversation towards him, he didn't offer a direct answer, instead turning to look at Lin Ye.

“Your Highness… no, Mr. Lin Ye,” Elder Li said, “you told me before that you had already contacted Her Highness the Princess, and that Her Highness the Princess had confirmed that you were not the Third Prince, is that true?”

Lin Ye nodded: "Yes."

"Then I'd like to know, how did Her Highness confirm this with you?" Old Li said, "Because in my opinion, you and the Third Prince are just too similar."

Lin Ye instinctively wanted to answer, but looking at Old Li's expression, something flashed through his mind, so he remained silent for a while before asking, "Old Mr. Li, how well do you know about that Third Prince?"

Old Li said, "I have been by the princess's side since I was a child, and I have spent a long time in contact with the third prince. It can be said that I know the third prince no less than the princess."

"Is that so? Then I understand." Lin Ye nodded and then said, "The princess told me that the Third Prince has a small birthmark on his back, but I don't. I only have a scar on my back, which I got accidentally when we were playing around as children. I showed it to her, and she said it wasn't."

After Lin Ye finished speaking, Skadi and Warfarin both glanced at him.

"Is that so?" Old Master Li did not notice Skadi and Warfarin's gazes. He only thought for a moment before saying, "Indeed, His Highness the Third Prince has a small birthmark on his back, but no scars. It seems that you are indeed not His Highness the Third Prince. I have mistaken you for someone else. I apologize."

"Is that so..." Lin Ye said softly, "No need to apologize in a hurry, because what I said just now was made up. I don't have any scars on my back, only a birthmark."

Old Li's eyes narrowed slightly.

"So," Lin Ye said softly, looking at Elder Li with a complicated expression, "Ying Li is really my sister?"

Chapter 567 The story begins twenty years ago.

Although reluctant to believe it, Lin Ye had indeed wondered if he was the missing Third Prince. After all, he didn't believe that, apart from twins, there could be two people in the world so similar that even their closest relatives couldn't tell them apart. Moreover, in terms of the timeline, the missing year didn't necessarily prove anything.

Even though Lin Ye believed he hadn't lost his memory—after all, he clearly remembered his past life—he considered another possibility: people say that after death, the soul leaves the body. If his soul remained his from his past life, and his body from that life stayed in that life, then where did his body in this life come from?

This was a very complicated question, one that Lin Ye knew he couldn't figure out, nor did he intend to. He just wanted to know if the girl who had cried and hugged him yesterday was really his sister. If not, then where did the flutter in his heart come from when the girl cried? If not, why did he feel so heartbroken when the girl forced herself to leave him? They had only known each other for less than two days.

Could this be a blood relationship? To be honest, Lin Ye probably believes this more than reincarnation, soul transfer, or amnesia.

Moreover, he was well aware that even if he really was Ying Li's brother, the legendary Third Prince who was targeted by the Second Prince, Ying Li might not tell him. Just like last night when Ying Li grabbed his collar and hysterically questioned him about why he had risked his life to return to Yan Kingdom, after learning that he had amnesia, Ying Li might not choose to tell him the truth, but instead choose to push him away and out of the danger zone.

Therefore, to prevent the old butler from making the same choice as Ying Li, Lin Ye deliberately played a trick, using a completely opposite story to trick the old butler into revealing information. The final result was exactly as he predicted: either Ying Li was lying, or the old butler was lying, but everyone with discerning eyes knew who was lying.

Lin Ye's answer made Old Li's eyes widen. After seeing the birthmark on Lin Ye's back, Old Li fell silent.

With his quick wit, he easily guessed Lin Ye's purpose in trying to get information out of him, and he also understood that Ying Li couldn't possibly be unaware of whether the Third Prince's back mark was a birthmark or a scar. As for why Ying Li didn't choose to acknowledge him after seeing that familiar birthmark, Old Master Li could also guess. As the princess's steward, Old Master Li should, in principle, stand on the same side as Ying Li and prevent her from recognizing Lin Ye; this would be a choice that benefits both sides.

Therefore, as the princess's steward, the most correct course of action now should be to directly deny all claims about the birthmark and scar, using the excuse that he is too old to remember things from so long ago, and cooperate with the princess's explanation. However, the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't bring himself to say them. When he thought of the princess's suffering that he had witnessed over the years, and the even greater suffering that was about to come, Old Li still couldn't bring himself to deny it.

Old Li's lips twitched slightly, and he sighed softly.

“Your Highness,” said Old Li, “you are completely different from before; you have grown up.”

This wasn't the first time Elder Li had addressed Lin Ye as "Your Highness" tonight, but it was the most important one, allowing Lin Ye to truly confirm his identity.

"It's actually true." Lin Ye rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache. "Let me catch my breath..."

As he spoke, he thought of Skadi's performance the previous night and immediately looked up at her.

"Did you already know?" Lin Ye asked.

Skadi leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and eyes closed. She only opened her eyes slowly when she heard Lin Ye's voice, looked at Lin Ye, and then said slowly, "You and she have an extremely similar aura."

"breath……"

“You could say it smells too,” Warfarin said with a smile. “Her body smells just as good as yours.”

Lin Ye was taken aback: "You knew all along too?!"

“Otherwise what?” Warfarin shrugged. “You original humans are just too slow to react. Of course, this is also related to your completely insensitive sensory system.”

Lin Ye was somewhat annoyed: "Then why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Skadi remained silent, while Warfarin declared matter-of-factly, "Does your sister need me to tell you that?"

Lin Ye was speechless.

“Your Highness, please understand the princess’s predicament,” said Old Li. “She is also thinking of your safety.”

Lin Ye nodded and said with a wry smile, "I understand this too. It's because of that... Second Prince, right? Can you tell me what exactly happened five years ago? I really have no memory of it at all. Also, could you please stop calling me Your Highness? It sounds weird. Just call me Lin Ye."

“How can this be? Your Highness is Your Highness; you have royal blood flowing through your veins.” On this issue, Old Master Li remained quite stubborn. “As for what exactly happened five years ago…”

He turned to look at Jingzhe (the insect) beside him halfway through his sentence.

“I know you want me to step aside,” Jingzhe said, “but that’s impossible. I’m in charge of this case. I couldn’t investigate before because of your information blockade against me. Now that I’ve finally found His Highness the Third Prince, don’t even think about getting rid of me.”

What do you mean by "finally found me"?

Lin Ye couldn't help but complain in his heart.

He almost killed me! And just an hour ago he was calling me a perverted child molester, and now he's the Third Prince? This is just too absurd.

"You are indeed as persistent as the rumors say, truly worthy of being the most outstanding executor of the Dali Temple's Surveillance Department." Old Master Li sighed softly. "But you have absolutely no need to persist in this matter. Moreover, Your Highness... do you really want to know what happened in the past? Are you truly ready?"

Lin Ye was somewhat puzzled: "Why do you ask that?"

“My thoughts are the same as Your Highness’s,” said Elder Li. “From a certain perspective, losing your memory is not a bad thing, because it means you can start a new life. As you just said, your name is now Lin Ye. You can continue living Lin Ye’s life instead of returning to the life of the Third Prince… Ying Zhen. Because if you choose the latter, what you will face will be much more difficult than you can imagine.”

Lin Ye remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "I understand what you mean. Actually, I don't care much about my past, but I feel that I should at least know how much the Fourth Princess... no, my sister, has sacrificed for me."

Upon hearing Lin Ye's words, Old Li's expression changed slightly, eventually turning into an even heavier sigh.

"In that respect, you are still you, without any change," Old Li said softly. "Since that's the case, then I'll tell you everything I know. The story begins twenty years ago..."

Chapter 568 Past Events (3K)

"Twenty years ago, a week before Your Highness was born, the then Director of the Imperial Observatory predicted by the stars that you would be a person who would bring about tremendous changes to the world..."

As Old Li slowly recounted the past, Lin Ye felt a deep sense of unease.

The phrase "people who bring about tremendous changes to the world" sounds so familiar.

Although he really wanted to complain, Lin Ye held back and listened to what Old Li had to say.

"His Majesty, who already had the First Prince and the Second Prince, was still very happy when he heard the news. He immediately gave you the name 'Yingzheng' before you were born, which meant to conquer the world and spread the fame of the Great Yan to all corners of the world."

Upon hearing this, Grani couldn't help but interject: "To get so excited just from hearing a prophecy, the Emperor of Yan is far too impulsive."

Before Elder Li could respond, Warfarin tapped Grani on the head and said irritably, "Don't interrupt if you don't understand. The Imperial Observatory of Yan is not a charlatan organization; it is no less than Western fortune tellers. While their predictions of the future cannot be said to be completely accurate, they have a very high probability of being correct."

"Oh... okay." Grani didn't dare to speak anymore and listened obediently.

Lin Ye felt a strong sense of déjà vu from Old Li's story, which suddenly transported him from a famous Japanese anime to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The extraordinary signs before his birth—that was the kind of treatment reserved for kings and generals! But why did he end up so miserable? As the third prince, he was banished from Yan Kingdom, lost all his memories, and ended up as a veterinarian in Chernobog?

"It was precisely because of the Imperial Observatory's prophecy, coupled with the fact that Your Highness's mother died in childbirth, that His Majesty's affection for you at that time far surpassed that for the First and Second Princes," Elder Li continued. "However, this happy period did not last long. As you grew up, His Majesty discovered that you never showed any characteristics of the dragon race, and his attitude gradually changed."

What are the characteristics of dragons?

Lin Ye glanced at Warfarin, because this was probably what Warfarin most wanted to know. Warfarin didn't hesitate and asked directly, "Is it because he, like the First Emperor, was a primitive human?"

Warfarin's words surprised Old Li: "You, you actually know about the First Emperor..."

Jingzhe's brows furrowed tightly: "Was the First Emperor a primitive human?"

Old Master Li realized that his reaction was already an admission of Warfarin's statement, so he subconsciously wanted to deny it, after all, this was a topic that could cost him his head. However, he then thought that since he had already decided to tell His Highness the Prince about the past, it was tantamount to recklessly flirting with death, so adding another point didn't seem so scary.

He sighed softly and said, "Alright, since I have already promised to tell His Highness everything I know, I will not hide anything. But I hope that everything I say tonight will not be leaked. Otherwise, it won't just be me who will be held accountable, but everyone here, even those who are not from Yan, will be unable to leave Yan."

Old Li's words made everyone realize the importance of this topic, and they all became much more serious.

“Just as this young lady said,” Elder Li spoke again, “the First Emperor was not actually a dragon, but a primitive human, a race that is now almost extinct in this world. But only a very, very few people know this… Don’t look at me like that, Executive Officer Jingzhe. Your position is still too low to have access to this level, and you should know why.”

“I know,” Jingzhe said in a low voice. “The Yan royal family has always considered themselves the legitimate successors of the First Emperor, and they also regard the First Emperor as the Ancestral Dragon, and his descendants are all true dragons and sons of heaven… But if the First Emperor was a primitive human, then this line of legitimacy cannot stand.”

Old Li nodded.

Lin Ye then asked, "So that Third Prince... cough cough, I mean, was the reason I was expelled from Yan Kingdom back then?"

"No, not yet." Old Li shook his head. "Although you and the First Emperor were both original humans, as I said, although original humans are nearly extinct in this world, they are not yet extinct. And these original humans did not receive the inheritance of the First Emperor's lineage, so they can be said to be the weakest race in the Great Yan. The True Dragon has ruled the Yan Kingdom for hundreds of years, and no one thought that a prince of original humans could cause any waves. Until you drew that sword."

Did they draw the sword?

Lin Ye immediately had a bad feeling: "Could it be the Deer-Lu Sword?"

Old Li was somewhat surprised: "You haven't lost your memory, have you?"

"No... I only know about this sword." Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly, wondering if he was expelled from Yan Kingdom because of his impulsive actions.

Fortunately, that wasn't the case. Old Li then explained that it was a test the emperor had given him, and the result of the test was, of course, that he had drawn the sword.

"Is there something wrong with that sword?" Warfarin asked.

"Yes," Old Li said softly. "The Lulu Sword was the First Emperor's personal sword, witnessing his glorious life and thus inheriting his power. Apart from the First Emperor and his descendants, no one can draw it, including the current emperor, as well as the eldest and second princes."

With that said, everything becomes quite clear.

A sword that ordinary people cannot draw, isn't that the same as Chixiao? But unlike Chixiao, Lulu has a special meaning.

"Having drawn the First Emperor's sword, and combining that with the Imperial Observatory's prophecy," Hua Falin said slowly, looking at Lin Ye, "the Emperor of Yan will definitely believe you are the next First Emperor. The First Emperor unified Yan through war. But Yan is already unified, so the Emperor believes your sword is not aimed at anyone else, but at the true dragons currently ruling Yan. Therefore, it can be inferred that the reason the Ying family's true dragons are so afraid is most likely because they usurped the First Emperor's throne through illegitimate means at some point?"

Old Li's cheek twitched slightly: "You shouldn't say such things."

"Just a guess." Warfarin certainly didn't have much respect for the Yan Kingdom's royal family. "But this possibility is indeed very high. Otherwise, why would the dignified Emperor of Yan Kingdom be afraid of his own foolish son? But this also suggests that the First Emperor, who was originally a human, was a more powerful being than the current true dragon?"

Old Li looked at Hua Falin with great surprise. After all, it was quite remarkable that Hua Falin could deduce so many conclusions from just the limited information he had given her. Of course, this was also because Old Li was unaware that Hua Falin had spent several days in the library after arriving in Yan Country, researching these matters. Now that she had obtained reliable evidence, she could naturally bring out all her previous guesses.

"Don't look at me like that. The affairs of the imperial family are just a few things that come and go." Warfarin shrugged, her tone like she was lecturing a younger generation... Well, thinking about it carefully, that doesn't seem to be wrong.

Lin Ye couldn't help but ask, "Is that really true?"

"To be honest, I don't know anything about the succession of the First Emperor," Old Li shook his head with a wry smile. "I don't dare to think too much about it either."

"Okay." Lin Ye nodded. "So what happened next?"

"Later, His Majesty changed your name to Yingzhen on the grounds that the character 'Zheng' (征) was too aggressive and murderous. At the same time, he announced to the public that you had died young due to an unfortunate illness," said Old Master Li. "But in reality, he confined you to the deep palace, canceled all your education, and forbade you from contacting outsiders."