The Lunar New Year's Eve, General Pang's Mansion.
“General, the Great General has sent a letter!”
General Pang was still buried in the sea of three hundred and eight children's portraits, searching frantically. He responded with a surprised “Ah?” and asked, “Did the letter I sent to the Great General arrive so quickly?”
The guard shook his head, saying, “It should not have arrived yet. This is a letter from the Great General responding proactively.”
“Bring it here.” General Pang took the letter and studied it carefully. After a long while, he showed a puzzled expression. “The Great General wants me to investigate Zong Jincheng from Yangyuan Marquis Manor, saying he bears a resemblance to the Third Young Mistress... But isn’t Zong Jincheng the son of Zong Zhao?”
The guard replied, “It’s possible. Zong Zhao has never married, so how could he suddenly have a child?”
General Pang knitted his brows. “Is Zong Jincheng among these portraits?”
The guard paused for a moment before answering, “No, after the portraits were compiled, we prioritized investigating the influential families in the capital, and Zong’s family was not among them.”
General Pang ordered, “Go and find out Zong Jincheng’s birth date!”
“Yes, sir.”
Shortly after, the guard returned and reported, “General, Zong Jincheng’s birth date is June 16th, which is twenty days earlier than the child we are searching for.”
“Twenty days earlier?” General Pang inquired, “Did Zong Jincheng arrive at the manor on June 16th?”
The guard confirmed, “Indeed, the manor’s records indicate that the child was brought in on June 16th. Zong Jincheng is deeply cherished in the manor, and every year on this day, they hold a grand celebration, known to many in the capital.”
“Hmmm...” General Pang groaned in frustration. “The timing doesn’t match at all. If it were twenty days later, we could assume Zong Zhao deliberately concealed it, but twenty days earlier? It’s impossible for the Third Young Mistress to have given birth prematurely.”
General Pang felt his head aching, almost as if his military mind was being forced to grow.
Just then, the guard delivered another piece of news: “Today is Lunar New Year’s Eve, and the Crown Prince has once again visited the Zong family, spending most of the day there and still hasn’t left. By past precedent, he might remain there until late afternoon.”
“What? Today is Lunar New Year’s Eve, and he, the Crown Prince, is spending all day at the Zong family’s residence?” General Pang’s brain nearly exploded. “Quick, summon the strategist! Let him analyze this!”
The guard: “...”
Well, at least this way, we can both relax.
Gou Yuan, the strategist, was the top advisor in General Pang’s entourage.
“Strategist Gou, come save me!!” General Pang called out.
Gou Yuan: “...”
For the ten-thousandth time, he cursed his father for giving him the surname Gou.
For the thousandth time, he resented General Pang for always addressing him by his full name.
After a thorough analysis, Gou Yuan concluded, “General, based on my analysis, Zong Jincheng cannot be the child of the Third Young Mistress. There are countless people who resemble each other in this world; the Great General must have been mistaken.”
General Pang, as if saved, quickly urged, “Strategist Gou, please elaborate.”
Gou Yuan: “...” He hated General Pang for the thousand-and-first time.
Gou Yuan explained, “Firstly, the birth dates do not match, and Zong Jincheng is twenty days older, not younger. This cannot be reconciled. Unless Zong Jincheng’s birth date is fabricated, and Zong Zhao has been plotting to conceal the child’s identity from the very start, keeping it a secret from everyone.”
General Pang’s mind was immediately opened to new possibilities. “It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, Strategist Gou. Your insight is invaluable!”
Gou Yuan bit his lip and closed his eyes for the thousand-and-second time.
He continued, “However, the second clue completely refutes this possibility: the Crown Prince’s close relationship with Zong Jincheng. If the Crown Prince knew about the Third Young Mistress’s secret pregnancy back then, anyone in his position would have had the child killed to eliminate the threat.”
General Pang nodded repeatedly, acknowledging this as the most puzzling aspect.
Gou Yuan added, “Of course, it’s possible that the Crown Prince is deliberately misleading our investigation to divert our attention and prevent us from finding the child. But the risk involved in this hypothesis is too great. He has no compelling reason to ensure the child’s survival, nor does he have any logical reason to delay or divert our focus. This is where the argument falls apart.”
General Pang chimed in, “The Crown Prince’s wife, Qing Rong, is due to give birth, and the palace is overwhelmed with trivial matters. Yet, on this Lunar New Year’s Eve, he takes time out to spend an entire day with Zong Jincheng. This level of concern is something I wouldn’t even show to my own son... Hmm, could Zong Jincheng be the Crown Prince’s illegitimate child?”
Gou Yuan nodded strongly. “I also believe this is highly probable, General. Consider this: if the Crown Prince’s child were mistakenly identified and raised as the Third Young Mistress’s child, wouldn’t that be nurturing a threat?”
General Pang anxiously exclaimed, “Quick, quick, I need to write to the Great General immediately, telling him not to guess blindly.”
Gou Yuan: “...”
It truly boggles the mind how someone with such a straightforward personality like you managed to rise to the position of General Pang’s second-in-command. I am genuinely impressed.
Gou Yuan grabbed General Pang’s sleeve, preventing him from rushing to write the letter, and suggested, “General, since the Great General has asked us to investigate Zong Jincheng, we cannot simply reply with a speculative letter. We must avoid giving the impression that we are not taking our duties seriously.”
General Pang looked at him as if he were glowing with brilliance. “Do you have a brilliant plan, Strategist?”
Gou Yuan was confident. “Experiment.”
“Test whether Zong Jincheng is indeed the Crown Prince’s illegitimate child.”
---
Yangyuan Marquis Manor.
The Crown Prince was instructing Zong Jincheng on the revision of laws.
“Laws are the foundation of a nation, distilled from the experiences of countless brilliant predecessors. However, they can become obsolete as times change. Therefore, revising the laws becomes imperative. But any amendments should be driven by frequent occurrences of specific cases or significant events; individual cases should be handled on a case-by-case basis, but should not prompt arbitrary changes to the law, as that could lead to chaos.”
The young imp nodded obediently, responding sweetly, “I understand.”
He thought to himself, in the Great Chu Empire, the three departments overseeing the law are the Ministry of Justice, the Grand Court of Justice, and the Censorate. Only the heads of these departments can propose amendments to the laws to the Emperor or the Crown Prince.
But since the Grand Court of Justice is only a second-rank institution, the Crown Prince must intend for him to someday join the Ministry of Justice or the Censorate. He would need to study these two institutions carefully...
By evening, the Crown Prince had finished his lesson. Fireworks had begun to light up the sky outside, and the lanterns in the manor had been lit, their light spilling into the second-floor windows.
He rose, gently patting the young imp’s head, and smiled. “New Year’s is coming; Jincheng will grow another year older.”
The young imp closed his eyes contentedly, sweetly responding, “I want to grow up quickly so I can help Your Highness sooner.”
The Crown Prince chuckled softly. His usually pale face, illuminated by the lanterns, bore a faint flush of color. Holding the young imp’s hand, he led him down the stairs, the sound of their footsteps echoing faintly.
After a long silence, his gentle voice broke the stillness: “I also wish for you to grow up quickly.”
Below, two children busy with their exam papers looked up as they descended. They respectfully greeted the Crown Prince, who waved them off. “Go have your meal, both of you. I must return to the palace.”
Xu Wan entered from outside, inquiring, “Your Highness, would you like to stay for the meal? Everything is prepared.”
The Crown Prince smiled gently. “No need, you all enjoy. Qing Rong is waiting for me to return.”
