Yong Cheng’an was sent flying a good two miles by a car.
When he regained consciousness, his vision was blurry, and he couldn’t even open his eyes.
Feeling strange, he opened his mouth to call for someone, but only a series of “yi-yi ya-ya” sounds came out.
They were tender and unfamiliar.
It sounded like the voice of a tiny baby.
Strange. Had he been reincarnated without drinking Mengpo’s soup?
“Is the Little Highness awake?”
While he was still wondering, a pair of hands picked him up.
Immediately afterward, his face was pressed against something soft.
Something was shoved into his mouth.
Once he realized what it was, Yong Cheng’an was struck with horror and burst into loud wailing.
His small body struggled desperately backward.
“Wahhh! Wahhh!”
Help! He didn’t want to be breastfed!
Yong Cheng’an’s crying was earth-shattering.
Soon, someone else heard the commotion and walked over.
“What’s wrong with the Little Highness? Her Majesty even heard the crying.”
The person who entered sounded like a young woman.
“Her Majesty”? Could it be that he had become a prince in this life?
Yong Cheng’an pondered to himself.
He was handed over to another pair of hands.
The wet nurse who had been holding Yong Cheng’an earlier fell to her knees with a “thud,” trembling with fear. “Miss Chunmiao, this servant does not know why the Little Highness is crying so much.”
Chunmiao’s gaze sharpened as she carefully observed the wet nurse’s expression. She didn’t see anything suspicious.
However, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a problem.
With a look from Chunmiao, the palace maids in the hall led the wet nurse away. If she were truly innocent, everyone would be happy.
The Little Highness was the current Emperor’s eldest legitimate son; countless eyes were watching him.
Chunmiao carried Yong Cheng’an to the main hall.
Once away from the wet nurse’s embrace, Yong Cheng’an naturally began to quiet down.
By the time he was placed on the bed in the main hall, Yong Cheng’an was completely silent.
Chunmiao said with a smile, “Your Majesty, the Little Highness missed you. See, he stopped crying as soon as he saw you.”
A weak female voice sounded in Yong Cheng’an’s ear, filled with affection. “Did An’er miss his Mother Empress?”
As she spoke, the owner of the voice raised a hand and gently stroked Yong Cheng’an’s face.
Yong Cheng’an thought to himself: Is this my mother in this life?
She sounded very gentle and young.
His heart softened, and he instinctively nuzzled against her finger.
The Empress called out to Chunmiao in pleasant surprise, “Chunmiao, look quickly! An’er nuzzled me! Does he like me?”
Chunmiao coaxed her with a smile, “Your Majesty is the Little Highness’s mother; of course he likes you.”
Chunmiao let Yong Cheng’an stay with the Empress for a while before having someone carry him away again.
In those ten or so minutes of being alone with him, the Empress’s heart had been completely captured by Yong Cheng’an.
She watched reluctantly as he was carried away.
Chunmiao comforted her, “Your Majesty, you exhausted your body giving birth yesterday. You must rest well and avoid overexertion. We will let the Little Highness come to play with you again tomorrow.”
“Very well.” The Empress was helpless; though she couldn’t bear to let go of Yong Cheng’an, she was indeed exhausted.
Since Yong Cheng’an hadn’t fed earlier, he soon became hungry.
Chunmiao found another wet nurse, but he started crying as soon as she approached.
Chunmiao thought he just didn’t like that particular nurse, so she tried another one.
With the third one, Yong Cheng’an cried just the same.
With a troubled face, Chunmiao called for a fourth wet nurse.
This was the last one. If the Little Highness still refused…
As expected, the fourth wet nurse was also driven back by Yong Cheng’an’s loud wailing.
Left with no choice, Chunmiao had to warm a bowl of goat’s milk to feed him.
This time, Yong Cheng’an drank it with great relish.
…
In the middle of the night, Yong Cheng’an felt a wave of heat radiating through his body, and his head felt heavy and groggy.
The hall was silent. He felt his life force gradually slipping away.
No way! He had just been reincarnated; he didn’t want to die again so soon!
His survival instinct prompted Yong Cheng’an to let out a weak cry. This time, the sound was nothing compared to his crying during the day.
Fortunately, the palace maid on night watch was sharp enough. She heard the sound and came over to check.
Subsequently, the entire palace fell into chaos.
In his dazed state, Yong Cheng’an felt someone feeding him something. It was bitter; it must have been medicine.
Yong Cheng’an slept for three days. During those three days, countless people were on edge because of him.
Fortunately, he finally pulled through.
Before he even opened his eyes, Yong Cheng’an heard his Mother Empress speaking with a man.
“…Your Majesty, why hasn’t An’er woken up yet?”
The Empress looked at Yong Cheng’an through tears, her eyes full of heartache.
Emperor Yong pulled the Empress by the shoulders to comfort her. “Rest assured, An’er is my eldest legitimate son. Heaven helps the worthy; nothing will happen to him. In the future, the Great Yong’s empire will be left to him to inherit.”
Hearing these words from Emperor Yong, a bolt of lightning seemed to explode in Yong Cheng’an’s mind.
An’er, eldest legitimate son, Great Yong.
Why did these words sound so familiar when put together?
Yong Cheng’an prayed in his heart that it wasn’t what he thought.
The next second, he heard the Empress say, “My father and brother are also very worried about An’er. They wish to come into the palace to see him.”
Emperor Yong said, “Very well. Chen Fu, go and summon Marquis Zhongyong and his heir to the palace.”
Everything went black before Yong Cheng’an’s eyes. Fine, it was confirmed—he had indeed transmigrated into a book!
In the book, the Yong Cheng’an who shared his name was the Crown Prince of Great Yong, but unfortunately, he was a fake.
Moreover, the fake prince had been sickly since childhood and was unloved.
After the truth about the real and fake princes came out, he was loathed by everyone, and everyone wanted to trample on him.
The fake prince’s health was already poor. Previously, he had been pampered with all sorts of precious medicines. After his identity was exposed, his status plummeted. Although he wasn’t kicked out of the palace, his former treatment was gone.
Coupled with the malice surrounding him, he failed to survive a bout of the common cold and died with resentment.
Now, he had become this fake prince.
How could he avoid the death trap waiting for him in fifteen years?
Confess his identity immediately?
No! Yong Cheng’an dismissed the idea the next second. He feared that as soon as the words left his mouth, his little life would be over.
This was because the mastermind behind this “Civet Cat Swapped for the Crown Prince” plot was none other than Emperor Yong’s younger brother, Prince Xin.
Prince Xin was a sinister and cunning man with many spies in the palace.
The fact that he could smuggle a pregnant woman into the palace right under the noses of Emperor Yong and the Empress, and then swap the woman’s child with the Empress’s child, meant his power was not to be underestimated.
Furthermore, the real prince was also in Prince Xin’s hands.
He posed as the real prince’s savior, and the real prince was very close to him.
If Yong Cheng’an spoke out now, he and the real prince would likely both lose their lives in an instant.
It seemed he could only take things one step at a time.
If all else failed, he would just let things take their natural course.
However, before the truth of the swap was exposed, he had to plan for himself. He still cherished this little life of his.
Once he had figured things out, Yong Cheng’an slowly opened his eyes.
Today, he could finally see things clearly.
Turning his head, he saw the Empress leaning delicately against a man who exuded an air of authority. The two of them were a handsome man and a beautiful woman—a perfect match.
The man was softly comforting her, and there were tear stains on the Empress’s face.
Yong Cheng’an made some “yi-yi ya-ya” sounds and waved his hands, trying to attract their attention.