The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 637: The True Purpose Is to Suppress the Chu Family

Chapter 637: The True Purpose Is to Suppress the Chu Family

Everyone’s expressions changed dramatically.

The grudge between Mu Nation and Qi Nation was not something that had emerged in recent decades.

Since the fall of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the two nations’ founding emperors had been fighting for territory, engaging in countless battles over the centuries.

Now, within the famously loyal and patriotic Chu family, there was actually a Qi’s son?

Chu Hanlin’s face remained grim.

But Chu Yan, seeing everyone’s reaction, felt his heart grow cold.

No wonder the Ninth Prince had made arrangements earlier—whether it was the officials or the commoners, all harbored hatred toward Qi Nation.

Prime Minister Lu was the first to object. "What nonsense is this? Just because someone was picked up near the border, they must be Qi Nation?!"

Elder Cao glanced at Wang Huai.

Wang Huai quickly said, "At that time, the woman admitted with her own mouth that they were from Qi Nation. Duke of Anguo, I’m not lying—you know this!"

Elder Cao folded his hands and turned to Chu Hanlin. He was neither hurried nor impatient, instead speaking slowly and methodically:

"Duke of Anguo, the rest—will you confess yourself, or shall I say it for you?"

Chu Yan, being young, was unable to remain composed.

His face turned ashen, and his hands and feet went cold.

He thought to himself: Elder Cao must know about his origins.

Elder Cao was giving the Chu family—his father—a chance.

If he took all the blame upon himself, then the Chu family would remain safe and unharmed.

"Your Majesty, in truth, I..."

Before Chu Yan could finish, Chu Hanlin interrupted with a harsh rebuke: "Silence!"

Chu Yan turned to look at his father, his eyes full of unwillingness.

He didn’t want to implicate the Chu family.

He would rather die than drag them down with him!

But Chu Hanlin didn’t give him that opportunity. He had already spoken:

"Since Elder Cao has brought this matter up in front of His Majesty and the court, I might as well admit it. Yes, my son Chu Yan is indeed not my biological child. He was someone I rescued during a battle at the border—from the hands of a Qi Nation individual."

These words immediately stirred a wave of discussion.

Even Prime Minister Lu was fuming.

Chu Hanlin, you fool!

If he was from Qi Nation, he should have been left to someone else to raise. Why insist on raising him yourself?

And now, Elder Cao had seized upon this as a pretext for an accusation!

But since the two families were now in-laws, Prime Minister Lu stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, whether Chu the Fifth is of Qi Nation bloodline is irrelevant. What matters is that he is the Duke of Anguo’s son and is loyal to Your Majesty!"

Elder Cao’s face darkened.

As expected, once Prime Minister Lu married into the Chu family, he started defending them.

What Elder Cao hadn’t anticipated was that Chu Hanlin could remain so composed—admitting only that Chu Yan was from Qi Nation without panicking and revealing anything further.

But that didn’t matter. Elder Cao had long planned for this and was merely waiting for the opportune moment.

He continued, "He is from Qi Nation. How can he possibly be loyal to His Majesty? Let us not forget, he isn’t the Duke of Anguo’s biological son!"

Chu Hanlin merely smiled faintly, with a hint of mockery:

"Elder Cao, when a son recognizes a father, and a father recognizes a son, what difference is there between them and biological father and son? For someone like Elder Cao, even having biological children doesn’t seem to be of much use."

These words were a deliberate jab at Elder Cao’s sore spot.

Many in the court could not suppress their laughter.

For someone like Elder Cao, his personal affairs were indeed unique.

His wife had sought a divorce, and his son refused to stay with him, going so far as to change his surname through the courts. Such a situation was truly unprecedented.

As expected, Elder Cao was infuriated, his anger boiling over:

"Chu the Fifth is no commoner—he is Emperor Qi’s own younger brother! He is a spy of Qi Nation. How can he possibly be loyal to His Majesty?!"

"What?!" Elder Xu was stunned.

The others reacted similarly.

Chu Yan’s face turned even paler as he instinctively gripped his robe tighter.

His breathing nearly stopped.

Elder Cao really knows about my origins!

Though his mind wasn’t completely blank, he was frantically trying to figure out how to respond.

Elder Cao stared at him, growing more convinced of his suspicions. He said,

"Duke of Anguo, you have always been loyal and unwavering. Even the Ninth Princess has risked her life multiple times to save the throne. Surely, you didn’t know this child’s true identity. If you had known, you would have killed him on the spot back then, wouldn’t you?"

All eyes turned to Chu Yan.

The murmurs in the court suggested that being of Qi Nation bloodline was bad enough, but to be an illegitimate member of their royal family? How could such a person be allowed to remain?

Chu Yan could hear them clearly.

How to resolve this?

There was only one way: to admit everything and take all the blame upon himself to ensure the Chu family’s safety.

But before he could act, Chu Hanlin stepped forward and stood beside him.

Chu Hanlin’s tall and sturdy figure seemed to shield him from all the swirling accusations.

Chu Yan felt a pang of emotion, looking at his father’s broad shoulders. He choked out, "Father..."

"I truly didn’t know," Chu Hanlin said calmly, first bowing to Emperor Muwu, then addressing the other officials. "Since Elder Cao has raised this accusation, does he have any evidence?"

Chu Hanlin’s composure left Elder Cao speechless for a moment.

Seeing this, Emperor Muwu let out a breath of relief.

Elder Cao had likely discovered Chu Yan’s origins but lacked concrete evidence, so he staged this spectacle to frighten the young man into making a mistake.

How sinister!

Fortunately, Chu Yan hadn’t acted impulsively, and Chu Hanlin had seen through Elder Cao’s ploy without losing his composure.

Emperor Muwu teased,

"That’s right, Elder Cao. After all this talk, do you have any evidence? Emperor Qi is a tyrant. To claim that someone is related to him by blood is a serious accusation! You, who have served two reigns as a loyal minister, may be concerned for the state and the people, but that doesn’t give you the right to slander the Duke of Anguo!"

By the end, his tone was sharp and full of authority.

Under the emperor’s questioning, Elder Cao paled, his body swaying unsteadily.

Emperor Muwu sighed inwardly.

Mu Nation and Qi Nation had been at war for years, their animosity deeply ingrained. If it were proven that Chu Yan was Emperor Qi’s younger brother, the Chu family would face utter annihilation.

After all, Emperor Qi was notorious for his cruelty. In several past battles, he and the White-Browed Priest had used dark sorcery to slaughter countless Mu Nation soldiers, nearly reaching the capital.

No veteran court official bore less than a burning hatred for Qi Hong.

Yet, by a twist of fate, Chu Yan had been saved by Chu Hanlin, brought back to the Chu family, and raised as his son. Chu Yan had even earned merits by saving the emperor. Emperor Muwu had no doubts about him.

He was the older brother of the Sixth Princess and someone the Ninth Prince was determined to protect. As such, Emperor Muwu would do everything in his power to shield Chu Yan as well.

Moreover, as long as Qi Hong cared about his younger brother, the two nations would not go to war again.

Though the grudge between the two nations ran deep, Emperor Muwu would turn a blind eye for the sake of his people’s welfare.

Elder Cao, ignorant of Qi Hong’s intentions, was simply trying to use this as a means to suppress the Chu family, clinging to this matter relentlessly.

By now, Chu Yan had also realized that Elder Cao had no real evidence. The weight in his heart eased slightly, and he finally stood tall with newfound confidence.