“Your Highness, a beautiful woman has arrived outside with a pair of dragon and phoenix twins. She says the children are yours and that you must take responsibility…” Steward Bai reported, rushing into the wedding hall and looking at the man in his wedding robes.
Everyone present wore the expression of eager onlookers.
Today was the joyous occasion of His Highness Prince Han’s marriage to his official consort. The manor was decorated with lanterns and colorful banners, filled with a festive air. All the dignitaries, nobles, and imperial relatives of the entire capital were here.
It was common knowledge that Prince Han had a hidden ailment and was unable to have children. The Supreme Emperor was gravely ill and wished to see his youngest son married before he died, which was the reason for today’s ceremony.
Who would have thought that before the bride and groom could even complete their bows, three troublemakers would show up? How utterly audacious!
“Drive them away!” Zhan Beiyuan’s voice was icy, devoid of any warmth.
He had never been with a woman, so where could these children have come from? Moreover, he had a hidden ailment and couldn’t touch women at all.
If it weren’t to appease his imperial father, the Prince Han Manor wouldn’t be holding this sham of a wedding ceremony today.
“Your Highness, she said you will definitely regret it if you don’t go,” Steward Bai continued to relay the message. He hadn’t wanted to, but the little boy looked exactly like the prince did in his childhood.
If they were the prince’s children, the Supreme Emperor would surely bolt upright from his deathbed in shock.
Zhan Beiyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he strode quickly toward the entrance.
The guests all followed behind him.
…
At the entrance of the Prince Han Manor.
“Mother, is Father really in there?” a little boy dressed in Daoist robes asked, looking at the manor’s main gate.
“Mother, Father’s house is so big!” another little girl in Daoist robes exclaimed in amazement.
Their mother used to tell her and her brother that their father was dead.
Ten days ago, she told them their father was still alive and that she was taking them to find him.
“Your father lives here. He is His Highness Prince Han of the Tenglong Kingdom, Zhan Beiyuan,” Jiang Yunxi no longer concealed the truth. If it weren’t for the fact that she only had a little over three months left to live and feared her children would have no one to care for them after she died, she would not have brought them to find him.
Six years ago, her adoptive parents had sold her to a dying man to ward off ill luck with a joyous event. The man was impotent, so his father was to take his place in the bridal chamber.
The original owner of the body had slammed her head against a wall, and that was when she had transmigrated.
This body was one of her own souls and two of her spirits.
After a flurry of desperate actions, she had fled, her body burning with fever. As a result, she encountered a delirious man on the back mountain, and something indescribable happened.
When she left, she took his jade pendant.
The character for “Han” was carved on it.
Only later did she learn that he was the God of War of the Tenglong Kingdom—Zhan Beiyuan.
At this moment, a wedding was being held in the manor.
But she knew it wouldn’t be completed.
She had read Zhan Beiyuan’s fortune. He wouldn’t be able to marry for the next three years. Even if she hadn’t come today, something else would have disrupted this joyous event. Sometimes, fate was just that mysterious.
“Your Highness, that’s them,” Steward Bai said, pointing to the one adult and two children at the manor entrance.
Everyone turned to look.
The woman was dressed in a simple white Daoist robe. Her face was as delicate and smooth as a peeled egg. Without a trace of makeup, her natural beauty was as stunning as the bright moon in the sky, or like a newly bloomed, prized peony—vivid and captivating.
The little girl had a chubby, round face and a pair of large, watery eyes that were exceptionally beautiful, sparkling with life and curiosity. When she smiled, two dimples appeared, enough to melt anyone’s heart.
The little boy’s dark eyes were particularly sharp, but his gaze was cold. His handsome face was taut and expressionless, giving off a cool, unapproachable vibe.
Both little ones wore their hair in topknots and carried large bundles on their backs, looking rather comical, yet somewhat adorable.
Zhan Beiyuan was truly stunned to see a miniature version of himself.
It seemed they were dragon and phoenix twins.
When had he touched a woman?
The crowd was speechless.
Didn’t Prince Han have a hidden ailment that prevented him from touching women?
Where did the children come from?
They looked to be about five years old!
Anyone with eyes could see that the two children resembled Prince Han, especially the little boy. He was practically a carbon copy of a young Prince Han, with that same icy face and identical demeanor.
They were all wearing Daoist robes. Had they come from a temple?
“Father of my children, I’ve finally found you,” Jiang Yunxi said, walking toward him with an emotional expression.
The man stood there in his bright red wedding robes like a descended god. He had a tall and straight posture, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. His features were deep-set and his lines sharp, as if every stroke had been meticulously carved by the Creator.
A frigid aura emanated from him, showing that he was in a very bad mood.
Zhan Beiyuan’s face was cold as he shouted sternly, “Stop! Do not come near me!”
Jiang Yunxi was speechless.
“Who are you?” Zhan Beiyuan’s gaze was sharp as he stared at her.
“My name is Jiang Yunxi, a disciple of Qingxu Temple. Six years ago, on that night you were burning with fever and on the verge of death from suffering, I was the one who helped you. You gave me your jade pendant as a token,” Jiang Yunxi said with a straight face, pulling a jade pendant from her robes.
Qingxu Temple?
The crowd was full of questions.
They had heard of all sorts of Daoist temples, but never Qingxu Temple.
“Are you certain I was the one who gave it to you?” Zhan Beiyuan was highly suspicious. The pendant in her hand was indeed his personal one, but if he had given it to someone, it was impossible that he wouldn’t remember.
“One night, on the back mountain of Niulan Village, do you really, really, really not remember?” Jiang Yunxi said, her face not flushing and her heart not skipping a beat. She would bluff for as long as she could.
Zhan Beiyuan’s brow furrowed tightly.
Six years ago, he had been recuperating from his injuries in Niulan Village. To speed up his recovery, he had drunk a potent medicine one night. The pain was so intense that he had run to the back mountain, after which he had lost consciousness.
When he woke up in the morning, his clothes were intact, and he felt no discomfort.
After that day, his injuries healed, but his body developed a hidden ailment. The village doctor told him it was likely caused by that bowl of potent medicine.
Could it be that something had happened that night?
Why did he have no impression of it at all?
“I do not recall anything happening that night,” Zhan Beiyuan said coldly. He couldn’t possibly believe her just based on his jade pendant and a few words.
What if she was a spy from an enemy nation in disguise?
Or perhaps she had taken advantage of him while he was unconscious!
“Look at me. Take a good look at my mother. Does she look like someone trying to pull a scam?” Momo said, lifting his handsome little face.
“And look at me! Look into my eyes! Are you going to disown my brother and me?” Mianmian put her hands on her hips, her little face looking aggrieved.
“Forget it, forget it. If we say any more, it will just make us seem unreasonable. Momo, Mianmian, let’s go. We shouldn’t delay someone’s wedding and wedding night,” Jiang Yunxi said, then took her two children by the hand and started to walk away.
She counted silently in her head: one, two, three…
“Stop!” Zhan Beiyuan’s face was ashen as he commanded in a deep voice.
“Rest assured, Your Highness, my children and I will not disturb you again. Or could it be that you intend to silence us by murder?” Jiang Yunxi’s beautiful eyes widened as if she were terrified.
Momo was speechless.
Mianmian was speechless.
Zhan Beiyuan looked at her stiff acting and was so angry he nearly spat blood.
How could he possibly silence them by murder in front of such a large crowd?
She had deliberately chosen his wedding day to cause a scene. If he didn’t acknowledge the children now, by tomorrow he would be known throughout the capital as a scumbag and a heartless man!
“You and the children will enter the manor with me!”
He would investigate everything thoroughly.
If they were his children, he would take responsibility.
But if this woman was lying, he had plenty of ways to deal with her.
“Your Highness, it’s time for us to perform the wedding bows. Eunuch Qin is still waiting to return to the palace and report to the Supreme Emperor,” a soft female voice chimed in at that moment.