AWB Chapter 233 The Prince
Chapter 233 The Prince
Qiao Qingshu nodded and explained the whole story to him in detail.
After speaking, Qiao Qingshu stared at him intently and said,
"Now you have two paths. If you go to the palace and let the emperor examine your birthmark, you will become a prince. The other path is to go with the flow. If you don't go, you will avoid the examination and remain an ordinary person in the future."
Xiao Zhijie slowly stood up and said,
"Enter the palace."
When Xiao Zhijie stood before the emperor, the emperor's heart suddenly trembled. Although he had never seen this child before, he felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to him.
The emperor's lips even trembled slightly.
What's your name?
"Xiao Zhijie".
Li Pu hurriedly stepped forward and said...
"Quickly take off your shirt and show your back."
The members of the Xiao family stood aside, staring blankly at the scene, all somewhat bewildered.
Xiao Mingliang murmured to himself.
"How come Third Brother looks somewhat like the Emperor?"
Xiao Qiaoen, who was standing next to him, immediately pinched his hand, signaling him to shut up.
Only Xiao Chengyan looked at Xiao Zhijie with resentment. This guy's birthmark was exactly the same as his own; he had copied it from Xiao Zhijie.
This guy is definitely not the person the emperor is looking for.
As everyone watched, Xiao Zhijie slowly took off his clothes, revealing a crescent-shaped birthmark on his lower back.
Li Pu's eyes widened in surprise as he stepped forward to confirm, then dipped his finger in saliva and rubbed the birthmark, becoming increasingly excited.
"Your Majesty! This! This is it!"
The elderly emperor seemed to have been rejuvenated, and he quickly stepped forward. Looking at the crescent-shaped birthmark, he burst into tears.
Even without seeing the birthmark, he was already certain that Xiao Zhijie was his son with Consort Xiande.
Because the lower half of their faces are almost identical.
Xiao Zhijie's upper face looks remarkably like that of Consort Xiande.
He pulled Xiao Zhijie into his arms and whispered her name.
"My son, my son!"
The descendants of the Xiao family were all dumbfounded as they watched this scene.
Xiao Chengyan almost ground his back teeth to powder! He had come to his senses; he had been outmaneuvered by Xiao Zhijie!
They knew he would kidnap Xiao Zhijie to copy his birthmark, so they concealed the real birthmark and drew a fake one to fool him.
No wonder the emperor was unmoved when he saw his birthmark, because the birthmark was in the wrong place and the shape was wrong!
Seeing the Emperor holding Xiao Zhijie and weeping bitterly, he knew he had lost this round!
A sense of desolation suddenly welled up in my heart, and I thought that the future of the eldest son's family must be extremely miserable.
Behind the screen at the back of the palace, Princess Yongxian saw this scene clearly, and she finally saw Xiao Chengyan's true colors.
Her husband actually dared to try and seize the throne, and the handsome young man she once admired almost instantly crumbled.
The disgust in my heart just surged up and I couldn't suppress it.
Looking at Xiao Chengyan's petty and frustrated appearance, she had already considered divorce. Spending her life with such a person would be nothing short of self-torture.
Except for Xiao Zhijie, who was kept behind, all the other members of the Xiao family were sent out of the palace.
Along the way, the other members of the Xiao family chattered excitedly inside the carriage about this astonishing event.
Everyone was talking animatedly, their mood completely different from the gloomy atmosphere they had when they first entered the palace.
Xiao Qiaoen said with a surprised expression,
"I never expected that the Emperor would summon us to the palace to find a prince, and that Zhijie is actually the son of Consort Xiande! This is simply too amazing. If it weren't for today's events, who would have thought that things would turn out so strangely?"
Xiao Mingliang also clapped his hands excitedly.
"Yes, yes! I was terrified when I entered the palace. Now I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. It turns out that Third Brother is a prince. Doesn't that mean our Xiao family will have someone to rely on in the future? I'm sure we can follow Third Brother and make a bright future."
Everyone showed anticipation and longing. In fact, apart from the first wife, the second, third, and fourth wives got along very well.
The brothers and sisters in the second, third, and fourth houses also got along well and were close.
Only the eldest branch of the family is arrogant and looks down on others, ignoring the sisters and brothers of the second, third, and fourth branches.
Now, everyone is naturally speaking in Xiao Zhijie's favor.
Xiao Mingliang looked at Xiao Chengyan, who looked completely lost and hadn't uttered a single word since leaving the palace.
He couldn't help but speak up.
"Second brother, what's wrong? Why are you unhappy?"
Xiao Qiaoen glanced at Xiao Chengyan, sneered, and said disdainfully,
"Sixth brother, can't you see? Second brother's dream has been shattered. Didn't you hear how, in the palace, second brother repeatedly told the Emperor to look more clearly and carefully, as if he were the prince?"
Yes, the Xiao family members didn't understand what was going on at first, given the pleading expressions and tone in the palace.
It wasn't until Xiao Zhijie's birthmark was revealed that they realized their second brother was actually coveting a princely status that didn't belong to him.
Xiao Chengyan was already depressed and silent. Now, seeing that his brothers all looked down on him and spoke to him with ridicule and contempt, he no longer showed the respect he used to.
The disappointment was so great that he clenched his fists involuntarily.
"What did you say! Say it again!"
Xiao Qiaoen already disliked Xiao Chengyan. This eldest son of the main branch always ridiculed her whenever they met. She had swallowed a lot of resentment in secret, but she didn't want to endure it anymore today!
He tilted his head back and pointed at Xiao Chengyan's nose, angrily rebuking him.
"You dare say you didn't! I bet you're the one who couldn't find Third Brother at home! You're just after the throne!"
Xiao Chengyan was so angry that his blood boiled, and he clenched his fist and swung it at Xiao Qiaoen!
Xiao Qiaoen was not about to back down, so she mustered all her strength and punched him, turning the already small carriage into a chaotic mess.
In fact, the carriage had already arrived at the Xiao family's gate. Seeing that there was a commotion inside, the coachman hurriedly jumped off his horse and went back to the mansion to report.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Chengyan and Xiao Qiaoen had just been fighting, and then several of Xiao Chengyan's younger brothers, who were usually bullied by him, joined in the beating.
The carriage was not spacious enough to move around freely, so the group dragged Xiao Chengyan out of the carriage and threw him to the ground.
Two of them held down Xiao Chengyan's hands and feet, while the other three started punching and kicking him.
He hit and cursed at the same time, almost wanting to take this opportunity to retaliate against all the resentment and bitterness he had suffered from Xiao Chengyan in the past!
Xiao Chengyan was pinned to the ground and beaten, screaming in pain. Someone tore his outer garment, exposing his back.
As the group fought hard, sweating profusely, they suddenly noticed that the heart-shaped birthmark on Xiao Chengyan's shoulder had spread out.
Xiao Qiaoen scoffed.
"It seems you really did intend to seize Third Brother's throne, but failed. You are utterly disgusting!"
After saying that, he punched him hard in the back several times, making Xiao Chengyan's shouts weaker.
"Stop! All of you, stop!"
"Who gave you the audacity!"