When my biological parents finally found me, I arrived dragging a "little burden" along with me. The fake heiress covered her mouth with a handkerchief and giggled: "Where did this little bastard come from? Sister, did you really bring him back to the estate?" My so-called fiancé went straight to the Empress to reject our marriage, righteous and indignant: "I absolutely cannot marry such an unclean woman." Relying on his status as the Emperor's only son, he forced my mother to cancel the engagement. I silently agreed. Good. Saves me the trouble. After all, the "burden" I brought back is his own brother. 1 In the Phoenix Palace, the Empress sat quietly on her throne, looking troubled. Below her, a concubine dressed in goose-yellow palace robes was crying her eyes out: "Your Majesty must seek justice for the Second Prince! The Emperor only has His Highness as a son. If he marries a woman who has already given birth as his official wife, won't we become the laughingstock of the world?" She then turned to my mother, angry and complaining: "And the Marchioness too! How could you not even know who your own daughter is? The Second Prince is about to get married, and now you say the one in the estate is fake?" "Even if you made a mistake, why make it public? Just swallow it! Why insist on having the newcomer recognized and dragging the Second Prince into this mess?" "His Highness is so precious, and now he's being humiliated by your family's dirty laundry!" My mother sighed deeply and bowed to the Empress: "Your Majesty may not know, but Clara is my flesh and blood, lost for over ten years due to evil schemes. I cannot bear to see her marriage stolen by the daughter of a lowly servant." As soon as she finished, Concubine Lian stood up abruptly, tears in her eyes, angry yet aggrieved: "What does the Marchioness mean by that?" "Are you insinuating something about me?" My mother froze, looking awkward. I remembered then. My mother once told me that Concubine Lian used to be a foot-washing maid for the Dowager Empress. She gained favor through an "accident." Originally, she was supposed to be dismissed with a low rank, but she got pregnant and gave birth to the Emperor's only son. That was how she rose to become a Concubine. The current Emperor wasn't lustful and had a strained relationship with the Empress, making Concubine Lian unique in the harem. Over the years, she relied on being the Second Prince's birth mother to act like the future Empress Dowager, hating anyone who mentioned her past. "Enough!" The Empress interrupted firmly but gently. "I understand the situation. However, this marriage was personally arranged by the late Dowager Empress. Now that she has passed, I must ask the Emperor for his decision." Hearing this, Concubine Lian glared at me hatefully: "Anyway, such a shameless woman who casually sleeps with men... My son will absolutely never want her." With a flick of her sleeve, she stormed out. 2 In the carriage on the way back, my mother leaned her head on her hand, looking exhausted. I gently massaged her shoulders. After a long while, she sighed softly: "I wonder if bringing you into the palace today was right or wrong?" I used to think I was an abandoned orphan. Later, I learned I was swapped at birth without my mother's knowledge. The one who replaced me was my father's illegitimate daughter from an affair. She took my identity as the eldest daughter of the Marquis estate, my parents' love, and my royal fiancé. After a moment, I whispered: "Mother must know the royal family won't agree to the Second Prince marrying me. Why go through this?" She looked up and smiled: "If we didn't go to the palace, how would the outside world know your true identity?" "Do you know? I hid this trip from your father and grandmother. They wanted to cover it up, claim you were a distant cousin, and let that girl completely replace you. How could I agree?" She looked at me, suppressing a faint hatred in her eyes. "I wanted to blow this up. Let them keep dreaming." Back at the estate, Mother accompanied me to see Leo in the Autumn Courtyard. He was still small, sleeping soundly on the couch. Just as we sat down, a servant reported that the Old Madame wanted to see us. Mother sneered, taking her hand off Leo's face: "They came fast! I'll go meet them." She stood up, looking at me with worry: "I'm fine, but you..." "If I had known, I would have built a better relationship with Concubine Lian. Offending her... once she becomes Empress Dowager, I fear... sigh!" Since returning, I learned that Mother was favored by the late Dowager Empress in her youth and had a proud character, naturally looking down on Concubine Lian's behavior. I frowned slightly: "Why does Mother think Concubine Lian will definitely become Empress Dowager?" She rubbed her temples, shaking her head wearily: "It's not just me; everyone thinks so." "The Emperor has few heirs. For so many years, only the Second Prince has grown up safely. Who else could it be? Surely he wouldn't abandon his own son to adopt one?" I lowered my eyes, speaking thoughtfully: "But what if... the Emperor has more than one son?" Mother laughed instantly: "That would be wonderful. If the Emperor had another son, as long as the mother's rank was decent, those old officials in the court wouldn't be clinging to the Second Prince." "But how is that possible? The Emperor rarely visits the harem now, let alone having a pregnant concubine." She chuckled, patting my arm: "I'm going. Take care of Leo." I gazed at the peaceful sleeping face on the small couch, reaching into his clothes to pull out a black jade pendant carved with a dragon. I examined it for a long time before putting it back. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. This jade was given to me by my husband on our wedding night. He laughed, saying he had nothing else and didn't know who he was, so he gave me this jade to pass on to our children. Today, I saw a similar jade on the Second Prince. So on the day we parted, he didn't lie. He really was the Emperor. Three years ago, I saved a stranger and accidentally lost my virginity to him. He lost his memory and said he wanted to take responsibility. Without family or blessings, we simply bowed to heaven and earth. But barely six months later, he said he regained his memory. I couldn't be his wife anymore. He said he had a wife and son, and asked if I could be his concubine. I screamed, asking him why. He was silent for a long time before replying: "I am the Emperor." I sneered, throwing his luggage at him, unsure if I believed him or not: "I'd rather be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine." "Get out." He left, asking me to wait for him, saying he would send someone for me once he handled everything. Why would I agree? The day after he left, I burned the place down and left. That was when I discovered I was pregnant. Three years later, my mother found me, and I became the true daughter of the Marquis estate. 3 The next morning, I learned there was a huge fight in the front yard yesterday. Grandmother fell ill from anger, and Father furiously handed the household management rights to Concubine Spring. Mother locked herself in her courtyard and refused to come out. My maid, Forsythia, tearfully recounted yesterday's events. It turned out Father and Grandmother were unhappy with Mother acting on her own. They intended for the fake daughter to marry using my identity. Now that it was exposed, Concubine Lian rejected not only me but also the fake daughter. Right, to Father, we were both his blood. What difference did it make? Perhaps he even knew about the swap back then. Only the Second Prince and the fake daughter, childhood sweethearts, went to the Emperor to beg for their marriage. After noon, someone came for me, saying the Second Prince had arrived and wanted me in the main hall. I frowned slightly and followed. Mother was already there when I arrived. She looked pale, her eyes bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept well. I patted her arm comfortingly and stood by her side. The Second Prince glanced at me and snorted: "Autumn, your wild sister really knows how to cause trouble. My mother cried to me for half the night yesterday. If not for Father's love for me, our marriage would have been ruined." "Bringing a burden and still wanting to be a royal wife? Doesn't she have any shame?!" He Autumn, the illegitimate daughter who took my identity, the fake lady. She covered her mouth and laughed, eyes flashing: "His Majesty loves Your Highness the most. But isn't the position of a side consort a bit unfair to sister?" My heart skipped a beat. I looked at Mother. She smiled miserably and shook her head. "What's unfair? Father said as long as she sends the child away, giving her a side consort position is already honoring her." "After all, I am Father's only son. She's just a village woman. Could Father possibly wrong me for her?" I realized then that the Emperor not only agreed to the Second Prince marrying He Autumn but also elevated her to a County Princess. For me, I had to send my child away and become a side consort to fulfill the promise to the late Dowager Empress. After all, the Second Prince was his son. What a calculation! A dull pain rose in my heart. Even knowing he didn't know my identity, I couldn't suppress the grievance. 4 After the Second Prince left, I went to Mother's room. She looked exhausted and said immediately: "Clara, I've wronged you." Leaning on the soft couch, eyes half-open, she smiled bitterly: "His Majesty... probably wants to name the Crown Prince soon. That's why he's rushing to pave the way for the Second Prince." "He knows your father dislikes you and the Second Prince likes Autumn, so he's willing to elevate her." Plans can't keep up with changes. According to Mother's plan, blowing things up would make Concubine Lian reject both daughters. It would strike the Marquis estate and legitimize my identity, allowing me to raise Leo openly. We calculated everything but didn't expect the Emperor to intervene, using the marriage of the Marquis daughter to elevate the Second Prince. I heard the four side consort positions were filled by noble families. Only I was riding on the late Dowager Empress's coattails. These marriages would likely be set in stone after the palace banquet. Since that day, the estate became lively. Grandmother recovered, Father was spirited, and even the servants walked with a spring in their step. This time, the one who fell ill was Mother. When He Autumn came to visit, she smiled suggestively: "Mother, why bother? All your schemes just benefited others." "Did you forget? The one in charge now is the Emperor, not the Dowager Empress." Mother was furious, coughing while pointing a finger at her, telling her to get out. She raised an eyebrow, smiling as she shifted her gaze to me: "Why is Mother so angry? Today I serve you, but tomorrow Sister will have to serve me." "Mother bullies me like this, aren't you afraid of karma hitting Sister? Tsk tsk, side consort sounds nice, but it's just a concubine. Luckily, I'm not intolerant; I won't torture Sister." "Pfft—" A mouthful of blood spewed from my mother's mouth, her face pale as paper. I smashed a teacup at her, shouting: "Get out!" Water splashed everywhere, wetting her dress. She pouted unwillingly but said nothing more.
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