Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot
Chapter 454 - 405: I Am Your Long-Lost Son_2

Chapter 454: Chapter 405: I Am Your Long-Lost Son_2

Meng Qianqian stared fixedly at the carriage from which no one had stepped out yet. With the token given by the Supreme Emperor, she hoped their luck wouldn’t run out.

Inside the carriage, a truly bizarre scene was unfolding.

The sword of the Imperial Guard was pointed at Lu Yuan. Lu Yuan was so weak that he lay slumped beside a man dressed in lavish clothes, bearing the air of nobility, as if he had fainted.

The Imperial Guard searched Lu Yuan’s body: "No weapons, no hidden tools. Is he really an assassin?"

What kind of assassin was this useless—a single fall could knock him out?

The Imperial Guard checked Lu Yuan’s breathing: "Still alive."

"Take him to the dungeon."

"Understood!"

The Imperial Guard was about to tie Lu Yuan up tightly when Lu Yuan "groggily" woke up, his eyes barely opening, and spoke weakly to the man beside him:

"Is it you?"

The man looked suspiciously at Lu Yuan: "You know me?"

Lu Yuan grabbed the hem of his garment: "I’m your long-lost son..."

The man said: "You might want to take a clearer look before calling me father."

Lu Yuan paused, his gaze falling on the man’s face.

A closer look made him freeze.

This was clearly a face not much older than his own.

The man sneered coldly: "I’m thirty. Tell me: how old was I when I supposedly had a son?"

Lu Yuan: "Three."

The man laughed heartily: "Interesting, truly interesting! I’ve heard about the people showing up at my Imperial Brother’s estate to claim familial ties. I never thought I’d pick one up halfway along the road. Are you really my Imperial Brother’s son?"

Shangguan Ling, muddling up even the Crown Prince’s whereabouts—you’re finished!

Lu Yuan dropped the act, brushed off his robes, sat casually on the carriage bench, and nonchalantly replied: "Yes."

The Imperial Guard was stunned.

A transformation this fast?

Since when did conmen stop bothering with acting skills?

The man chuckled: "Considering you played my son for a moment, I’ll give you a chance: answer one question of mine correctly, and I’ll take you to see the Crown Prince. But if you get it wrong—"

His smile vanished. "I’ll make sure your head rolls."

-

Half an hour later.

The carriage, escorted by eight Imperial Guards, arrived at the Crown Prince Mansion.

The steward of the Crown Prince Mansion had been waiting at the gate for some time. He greeted warmly, a broad smile on his face: "Prince Ming, you’re finally back! The Crown Prince has been asking after you for days!"

He personally lifted the curtain of the carriage for Prince Ming.

Prince Ming stepped down with swagger and grandeur.

He turned and addressed someone inside the carriage: "Get out."

There was someone else inside?

The steward paused briefly, then saw an impossibly handsome young man, exuding natural nobility, step out casually from the carriage.

The steward, experienced as he was, couldn’t help but find the other’s demeanor and appearance strikingly extraordinary.

With some doubt, he asked: "And this person is—?"

Prince Ming chuckled: "Oh, he’s here to claim kinship. Says he’s my Imperial Brother’s son. I’ve got a soft spot for good deeds, so I brought him back for my Imperial Brother."

Upon hearing it was another claimant of kinship, the steward’s face darkened immediately.

Ever since Prince Jian had been formally acknowledged, waves of people had come forward claiming kinship, treating the Crown Prince like some kind of free-for-all.

Looking again at Lu Yuan, the steward no longer saw him as particularly extraordinary.

As the saying goes, you can’t judge a person solely by appearance.

Frauds knocking on the door were hardly rare—how could one of them truly possess the refinement of a noble son?

A hint of disdain flashed in the steward’s gaze as he turned back to Prince Ming, bowing respectfully: "Prince Ming, may I venture to ask, who is he to you?"

Prince Ming, apparently relishing the situation, answered with a gleeful smile: "He has nothing to do with me. Just someone I picked up halfway. Why? He isn’t my Imperial Brother’s son?"

The steward replied, his tone grave: "Prince Ming, forgive my impertinence, but since Prince Jian was recognized by the family, many opportunists have started falsely claiming kinship with the Crown Prince, attempting to tamper with the Imperial Family’s bloodline. Counting this one, it’s impossible to tally just how many scoundrels have appeared."

Prince Ming asked meaningfully: "The Crown Prince has only one son?"

The steward understood the implication. If the Crown Prince had indulged in relationships with multiple women outside the palace, it was conceivable he could have left behind more heirs.

With a sigh, the steward replied: "I won’t lie to Prince Ming. The Crown Prince formed feelings for only one woman among the common folk—Prince Jian’s mother. Apart from her child, it’s impossible for the Crown Prince to have other offspring from the common folk."

"In that case, this one’s a fraud for sure."

Losing interest, Prince Ming stopped paying attention to Lu Yuan, yawned, and headed toward the mansion. "Deal with him. He pulled a stunt on me—I don’t want him to die too easily."

The steward understood, bowed respectfully: "Yes."

Only after Prince Ming crossed the threshold and entered the gates of the Crown Prince Mansion did the steward straighten his posture. He turned and cast a cold gaze at Lu Yuan: "Seize him! Bind him!"