Bang, bang, bang.
The heavy iron gate of the Cold Palace was suddenly smashed open with brute force. Xuan Yuan Li strode in with a dark expression, followed by his men.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi trembled in fright, instinctively clutching her child tighter and shielding him in her arms.
“Guards.”
Xuan Yuan Li cast a disdainful glance at the baby boy, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. “Throw that bastard into the well and drown him.”
“No, please don’t!”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi held her son tightly, crying out with heart-wrenching sobs.
“Princess.”
Peony also rushed forward in tears, using her delicate body to shield the princess and the child.
“Step aside.”
Two eunuchs, fierce as demons, forcibly dragged Peony away.
Peony stumbled from their push and fell to the ground.
“Waaah!”
The little boy, frightened, let out a hoarse cry from his tiny throat.
“No, don’t take my child away.”
Hearing the cries, Xuan Yuan Xin Zi felt as if her heart were being torn apart. She clung to her child, refusing to let go no matter how hard the eunuchs tried to snatch him away.
A ruthless glint flashed in Xuan Yuan Li’s eyes as he signaled to the imperial guards accompanying him.
Following orders, a guard struck Xuan Yuan Xin Zi’s neck with a palm strike, forcibly knocking her unconscious.
“Your Majesty, you must not.”
Just as the guard was about to seize the child and throw him into the well, an elderly man dressed as a Taoist priest, with white eyebrows and beard, exuding an air of immortal grace, emerged from the shadows. He bowed and reported, “This humble priest observed the celestial signs last night. The General Star has descended upon the mortal realm. This child’s destiny is exceptionally noble—he is the Heaven-ordained General Star.”
“General Star?”
Xuan Yuan Li’s sword-like brows furrowed slightly as he made a gesture to halt.
The guard holding the child stepped back, and the two eunuchs also bowed, not daring to act recklessly anymore.
“The Fu Guo Gong Residence of Beichen has produced General Stars for generations.”
The old man reported with utmost respect. “The General Star of the previous generation was Mu Bai. The General Star of this generation is this child—Mu Xiao’s son.”
Xuan Yuan Li’s face twisted for a moment. “Mu Xiao’s son… is actually the General Star?”
“The General Star is a born divine general, invincible in leading troops into battle.”
The old man whispered his advice. “Rather than killing him, Your Majesty should raise him and make use of him. With the General Star fighting on the battlefield for Your Majesty, what great undertaking could not be accomplished? Unifying the world would be within reach.”
Xuan Yuan Li sneered. “Mu Xiao’s son—how could he ever serve me?”
“Your Majesty.”
The old man leaned closer, lowering his voice to prevent outsiders from hearing. “The prince born to Your Majesty by the Princess of Beichen… this humble priest has already examined him. He suffers from a congenital illness—a crippled meridian. He cannot practice martial arts. The two children were born at the same time and bear a striking resemblance. If their identities were swapped, no one would be able to detect the deception…”
“Crippled meridian?”
Hearing that his own son was a cripple who couldn’t practice martial arts, Xuan Yuan Li nearly vomited blood in rage, overwhelmed by an uncontrollable jealousy and resentment toward Mu Xiao.
The old man sighed gloomily. “Perhaps it was because the princess consumed poison, which affected the fetus…”
“This child.”
Xuan Yuan Li seethed with hidden hatred, asking again with some disbelief, “Is he truly the General Star?”
“Since entering the world, this humble priest has always served Your Majesty.”
Chu Yun, the State Preceptor of Xiliang, lowered his gaze slightly, avoiding Xuan Yuan Li’s piercing stare. “I have always been loyal and devoted. When have I ever deceived Your Majesty?”
“If that is the case.”
Xuan Yuan Li’s eyes darkened as he stared at the old man for a long time before finally making a decision. “We shall follow your suggestion and spare his life.”
“Your Majesty is wise!”
Chu Yun bowed deeply, his lowered eyelids concealing a fleeting glint of profound light in his eyes.
Xuan Yuan Li left with his entourage, leaving the Imperial Guards to watch over the Cold Palace.
The swapping of the two children’s identities was a top secret, not to be known by outsiders.
The two eunuchs who had accompanied them became sacrifices to keep the secret—they were strangled to death in the imperial garden that very night and their bodies were discarded in a mass burial ground.
~~
Cold Palace.
“Ah, my child, my child…”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi woke from her unconscious state and, seeing the empty room, broke down in despair, weeping uncontrollably.
“The little master is fine, he’s right here.”
The palace maid Peony rushed into the room from outside, cradling a swaddled infant, her face lit with joy.
“My child, my son.”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi stopped crying and immediately took the baby, holding him close to her chest.
“Waaah…”
The little boy seemed uncomfortable from being held too tightly and began to cry softly and weakly.
“Good baby, don’t cry, don’t cry…”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi panicked, clumsily trying to soothe the child.
“Waaah, waaah…”
The little boy pouted, still whimpering pitifully.
Peony had a sudden inspiration: “The baby might be hungry.”
“Good baby, don’t cry.”
Still shaken from the ordeal, Xuan Yuan Xin Zi ignored her own distress and held her son tenderly. “Mother will nurse you.”
“Princess, you’ve just given birth, you don’t have milk yet.”
Peony turned to leave. “This servant will go beg Nanny Zhang to find a wet nurse for the baby.”
“It’s so late, where would you find a wet nurse?”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi smiled bitterly. “You’d better go to the imperial kitchen and find some food to feed the baby for now.”
“Alright, I’ll go right away.”
Peony’s eyes brightened, and she obediently hurried out of the room.
“Waaah…”
The little boy opened his teary eyes and let out another soft, weak cry.
“Good baby.”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi held her son, tears blurring her vision. “Don’t cry, Peony will be back soon. When she returns, you’ll have something to eat, and your little tummy won’t be hungry anymore.”
The little boy seemed to understand and stopped crying. He gazed at her with innocent, wide eyes, full of attachment.
“Good baby…”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi looked at the child she had regained, her heart melting into a puddle of tenderness.
Her son had been snatched away by the Imperial Guards right after birth, and she hadn’t even had a chance to look at him properly.
Now, examining him closely, she saw that his features bore a striking resemblance to her own, as if carved from the same mold.
A son takes after his mother—it truly was real.
It was just a bit regrettable that he didn’t resemble Xiao Ge in the slightest.
“Princess, the Imperial Guards guarding the Cold Palace won’t let me leave.”
Peony ran back into the room, interrupting her thoughts. “They said they must report to His Majesty before anyone can bring food over.”
“Then we’ll just have to wait.”
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi held her son and smiled helplessly.
“This servant will boil some more hot water to clean you up.”
Peony sighed quietly, picked up a bucket, and went to fetch water from the well.
~
The Imperial Guards guarding the Cold Palace reported to Xuan Yuan Li, and before long, someone indeed brought food inside.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi used a spoon to feed her son some rice broth.
The little boy smacked his lips, eating with great relish.
After drinking about half a small bowl, he was full, yawned, tilted his little head, and fell asleep instantly.
Xuan Yuan Xin Zi smiled affectionately. Seeing her son asleep, she drank the remaining rice porridge and, feeling weary, closed her eyes.
Peony tidied up the bowls and chopsticks, blew out the candle, and lay down beside the mother and child, pulling the quilt over them.
In the vast Cold Palace, only the two of them remained.
In the bitterly cold winter, with only one quilt to share, the two huddled together for warmth.
Now with a little baby, Peony feared crowding the child and slept at the other end of the bed.
Too embarrassed to take the quilt, she only covered a corner of it, curling her body into a shivering ball, trembling from the cold.
Xihe Palace.
“Xiuling, where is my son? Why can’t I see my son?”
Mu Ronghui endured her physical discomfort, forcing herself to sit up from the bed, wanting to see her newborn son.
“He’s here.”
A palace maid rushed in from outside the hall, carefully holding a swaddled bundle and presenting the newborn to her.
Mu Ronghui lowered her gaze to look at the child in the swaddling clothes, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
The next second, overcome with rage, she slapped the palace maid across the face: “You wretch, where did you get this child? Where is my son? Where have you taken my child?”
“Your Highness, spare me!”
The palace maid trembled in fear, falling to her knees with a thud: “This servant doesn’t understand what Your Highness means. The little prince was handed to me by the State Preceptor. I wouldn’t dare commit such a treasonous act and deceive Your Highness…”
“You still dare to say that!”
Mu Ronghui, furious and desperate, kicked the palace maid to the ground: “When my son was just born, I saw with my own eyes that he had a red mole on his left earlobe. How could I be mistaken about my own child?!”
“Waa, waa…”
The baby boy in the maid’s arms fell to the ground with her, wailing loudly in fear.
“Guards!”
Mu Ronghui was enraged: “I want to see the Emperor, I want my son. Throw this bastard of unknown origin out for me…”
“Outrageous!”
Xuan Yuan Li suddenly strode in from outside the bedchamber, his face dark with anger.
“Where is my son? Give me back my son.”
Seeing Xuan Yuan Li, Mu Ronghui rushed down from the bed like a madwoman, desperately clawing and hitting him.
“Your son?”
A flicker of disgust passed through Xuan Yuan Li’s eyes. He pushed her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground: “You gave birth to a useless cripple who can’t practice martial arts, and you still have the nerve to ask?”
“No!”
Mu Ronghui was in unbearable agony, crying as if her heart were being torn apart: “I don’t believe it, I don’t believe my son is a cripple. Even if he can’t practice martial arts, he’s still my child. He is my only solace in this world.”
“A useless cripple is not worthy of being my son.”
Xuan Yuan Li crouched down, pinched her chin, and sneered: “You’d better be sensible and not speak of this matter. Considering you’ve usually been obedient, I won’t kill him. One day, perhaps I’ll let you two meet.”
“What do you mean?”
Mu Ronghui roared in despair: “You want this bastard to replace my son? You want me to raise him?”
“Hmph!”
Xuan Yuan Li snorted angrily, thinking of how this was Mu Xiao’s son, a surge of malice rising within him: “This bastard you look down upon is a future star general, far better than your useless son.”
“I don’t care if he’s a star general or not.”
Mu Ronghui hated him to the core: “I won’t raise him. I only want my own son. Even if you leave him here, I’ll kill him…”
“You want to kill him?”
Xuan Yuan Li suddenly scoffed, his eyes filled with mockery: “If you dare kill him, I will immediately send troops to destroy Beichen. You don’t care about your own life, but what about your mother, your younger brother—do you not care about their lives either?”
Hearing the words “destroy Beichen,” Mu Ronghui trembled in shock.
“As long as you behave obediently.”
Xuan Yuan Li forcefully lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze: “Raise this child well, make him useful to me, and I will not send troops to attack Beichen. Your mother and younger brother will also be spared.”
A deathly silence filled the bedchamber. Mu Rong Hui shook off Xuan Yuan Li’s hand and slumped to the floor in despair.
The palace maid holding the swaddled infant trembled uncontrollably.
Upon hearing such a horrifying secret, she wondered if she would live to see tomorrow’s sun.
“Hmph.”
Xuan Yuan Li glanced at the palace maid as if she were already dead, his face dark with anger, before leaving the bedchamber.
The palace maid was bound to die, and whether Mu Rong Hui would treat the child well mattered little to him.
As for Mu Xiao’s son, as long as he didn’t die, she could do with him as she pleased.
As for his own son—a worthless waste—let him remain in the Cold Palace, left to fend for himself.