Upon hearing Lin Yanran’s answer, far from looking pleased, Chu Yunxuan’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “You are lying…”
Lin Yanran tapped Chu Yunxuan on the head, maintaining her smile to lighten the atmosphere. “Don’t speak nonsense. Accusing someone requires evidence.”
Chu Yunxuan fell silent for a moment. Just as Lin Yanran thought he might laugh or argue back, he threw himself directly onto her and wailed loudly.
Dazed for a moment, Lin Yanran began to clumsily comfort him while pretending not to know the reason. “What is wrong with you? Did you suffer some grievance in the imperial palace? Are you afraid that the illegitimate son will threaten your position?”
Having never been a mother in her past life, Lin Yanran spent a long time trying to soothe this old soul in a child’s body to no avail, so she eventually gave up.
She could only let Chu Yunxuan hold her and cry his heart out.
Once Chu Yunxuan had cried himself out, he looked at Lin Yanran, feeling rather embarrassed.
Blushing, he searched for an excuse to explain: “A few days ago, your son dreamed that you chose Father and abandoned my brother and me, which is why…”
Chu Yunxuan’s explanation reminded Lin Yanran of the original owner, who, at the moment of her transmigration, had only wanted to run away to a place where the male lead could never find her. Lin Yanran could only offer a stiff comfort: “Dreams are all fake.”
Although Chu Yunxuan was not particularly comforted by his mother’s words, he did not lose his composure again. After washing his face, he returned to being that little adult-like youth.
Noticing his awkwardness at this moment, Lin Yanran quickly changed the subject. “Have you gone to pay respects to your father yet since your return?”
Chu Yunxuan shook his head casually. “Your son will go visit Father now, and will return later to accompany Mother for dinner.”
“Yes, go on then. Don’t bicker with your father either; the affairs of adults have nothing to do with you.
Do not look at how your father has barely any personal property left right now. Standing in his position, good things will come his way sooner or later. If you do not want them, you will only benefit others.
Besides, your father still holds the clan assets of the entire Chu family. You wouldn’t want to inherit nothing but an empty title when you succeed to the peerage in the future, would you?
Your mother does not wish to live a life of hardship with you in her old age.”
This last sentence was Lin Yanran’s way of telling Chu Yunxuan not to act on impulse when dealing with Chu Mochen.
Seeing that his mother was considering his well-being in every matter, Chu Yunxuan’s eyes involuntarily reddened once again.
Fearing that he would cry again if he stayed any longer, he stood up and hastily bowed. “Your son will come to Mother’s place for dinner later. Please have the servants prepare a couple more dishes your son likes.”
Leaving these words in a raspy voice, Chu Yunxuan fled the room.
The moment he stepped out of the courtyard, the redness in his eyes quickly receded, and his entire body radiated a sharp, formidable aura.
In a quiet voice, Chu Yunxuan instructed his personal servant, Qian Lai, to carefully investigate everything that had recently occurred in the manor.
After giving the order, he turned back to look at the courtyard where Lin Yanran stayed, his eyes filled with a complex emotion—though it lasted for only a fleeting moment.
By the time he turned back around, his aura had returned to that of a slightly innocent youth.
After Chu Yunxuan left, Lin Yanran let out a massive sigh of relief, thinking to herself how incredibly difficult it was to deal with clever people.
Fortunately, this eldest son had not spent day and night with the original owner in either his past or present life; otherwise, she really might have been exposed by him.
Now that she had deduced her eldest son was reborn, she felt more secure.
Leaning back relaxedly against her chair, she happily instructed Wenmei to have the kitchen prepare several more dishes that Chu Yunxuan liked.
When Chu Yunxuan arrived at the courtyard where Chu Mochen resided in the front courtyard, the first to greet him was Muqing, the page boy Chu Mochen relied on the most. “The Heir Apparent has arrived.”
Chu Yunxuan acted like a genuinely angry child, making no attempt to conceal the irritation on his face. “No need for formalities. I am here to see Father.”
Muqing acted as though he had not noticed Chu Yunxuan’s expression and spoke with utter respect: “The Heir Apparent has arrived at just the right time. The Marquis has just woken up. Please follow me.”
When Chu Yunxuan entered, the Marquis of Wenxuan, Chu Mochen, was lying face down on his bed reading a book.
Sensing Chu Yunxuan’s arrival, Chu Mochen asked without turning his head, “You have been to see your mother?”
Chu Yunxuan paid his respects in a disciplined manner. “Your son pays respects to Father. Has Father been well recently?”
Hearing his eldest son ask such an obvious question, Chu Mochen turned his head in surprise. “Does your father look well to you in this state?”
“Then your son is pleased.” Chu Yunxuan sat down casually by Chu Mochen’s bedside, his expression indeed looking quite cheerful.
Chu Mochen did not get angry at this, though his tongue remained sharp. “I worked hard to raise you, only to find out I was raising you for your mother.”
Having already lived through a second lifetime, Chu Yunxuan was not one to be intimidated by Chu Mochen’s cold words.
In his past life, when this father wanted to pass his noble title to that illegitimate son, it was Chu Yunxuan who had orchestrated an “accident” that led the illegitimate son to kill this father.
Having already raised his hand against him once, any so-called respect or fear in his heart had naturally long since vanished:
“You did not just raise your sons; you raised others as well. Mother, on the other hand, only raised my brother and me.”
Seeing his eldest son bring up the two children outside, Chu Mochen did not show the slightest hint of embarrassment. Instead, he instructed:
“They cannot be considered others. In the future, they will also be your younger brother and sister. You are the elder brother; you must care for them with equal affection in the future.”
“Your son has only one younger brother born of the same mother. However, if those two behave themselves, I might spare them a bowl of rice to eat.”
In his mind, Chu Yunxuan silently added, ‘He never bothered to argue with future corpses.’
However, since his own wings were not yet fully grown, he would play along for now.
Chu Mochen had never expected his eldest son to reject him so flatly, let alone speak such harsh words. “Heh, now that you are officially the Heir Apparent, you actually dare to talk back to your father. You are truly something else; your old man is still alive!”
“What else did you expect? Part of the imperial family’s blood flows within your son’s veins. If your son accidentally beats those two little bastards to death, do you think the Emperor would order your son’s death for their sake?”
Chu Mochen strained to turn his head and stare at Chu Yunxuan, who was sitting by his bedside. His eyes were filled with absolute disbelief, to the point that he did not even register the pain from his back wounds being pulled:
“Those are your own biological brother and sister!”
Chu Yunxuan intended to show his claws before Chu Mochen. He wanted a voice of authority, not to be a docile, obedient son:
“Father, very few children raised in the palace are truly innocent. Those two little bastards do not count as your son’s siblings.
Even if they were to be my siblings, they would at least have to be born of a concubine who was properly brought into the manor after offering tea to my mother. Only then would they barely qualify as my siblings.
As for two illegitimate children kept outside—who knows whose children they actually are?”