Chapter 158: Chapter 158: Does the Prince Intend to Usurp the Heir?

The Second Prince was not yet close when General Fu’s tall stature obstructed his entire line of sight, making it impossible for him to see Murong Jiu.

Murong Jiu quietly curved the corner of her lips upward, gazing at the broad back of her father and feeling extremely reassured.

He, like Jun Yuyan, was someone who could bring her a sense of security.

“General Fu, I merely wish to exchange a few words with the Imperial Sister-in-Law. If you prefer not to step aside, that’s fine as well. It’s nothing that cannot be heard,” the Second Prince said.

General Fu’s expression remained icy. “Ah Jiu has been quite scared today and fears she cannot converse with the Second Prince.”

The Second Prince did not expect General Fu to deny him a chance to speak; already feeling gloomy, he lowered his voice so that only the three of them could hear and said to Murong Jiu,

“Ah Jiu, don’t forget whose child you are carrying! That night of the lantern festival, you kept calling out my name, have you forgotten? I know you are upset, but you must understand, the Eldest Imperial Brother’s kindness is all for his own benefit; he would never truly raise my child!”

General Fu’s pupils constricted.

Seeing this, the Second Prince knew his words had taken effect.

He intended to convince General Fu that Jun Yuyan was not sincere towards Murong Jiu and to carefully choose his side, leaving an impression of Jun Yuyan as deeply scheming in General Fu’s mind.

From then on, harboring doubts, he would not dare entrust his hard-won biological daughter to Jun Yuyan.

He might even be able to sway General Fu, seeing as the child was his “own flesh and blood,” to use him to his advantage.

Thinking this, he added,

“Ah Jiu, I have no children of my own; the child you carry will be my first. If it is a boy, I will have him inherit all I possess in the future!”

This was meant to tell General Fu that if he were to ascend to the throne one day, the male child in Murong Jiu’s womb could become the Crown Prince.

General Fu, being a clever man, surely knew how to choose.

Looking at General Fu’s complex expression, the Second Prince felt quite relieved; regrettably, Murong Jiu was completely shielded from view, her face unseen.

He was actually regretful; had he known earlier that removing Murong Jiu’s birthmark would reveal such beauty, he would not have arranged for a beggar that day but would have personally been intimate with her to make her conceive his own child instead of a bastard.

This way, she would have been easier to control.

What he regretted even more was agreeing to let Murong Jiu replace Murong Man in marrying into Prince Ling’s Mansion.

If Murong Jiu had stayed behind him at all times, she could have brought him countless advantages.

First would be her and her master’s unparalleled medical skills, then the wealth left by her master, and finally the power of General Fu’s backing.

One wrong step leads to many.

It’s late for regrets, but fortunately, he could still use Murong Jiu’s unborn child to persuade her emotionally or coerce her with benefits.

After saying this, the Second Prince wisely left.

Murong Jiu emerged from behind General Fu, watching the departing figure of the Second Prince and curling her lips into a mocking sneer.

Once he was far away, she then said, “Father, don’t take his words seriously, the child I’m carrying is the Prince’s.”

“This is not the place to talk.”

General Fu had already put away the complicated expression he intentionally showed in front of the Second Prince, and he led her out of the palace.

He delivered her to Prince Ling’s Mansion.

If it hadn’t been for his worry that his daughter wasn’t accustomed to living at the General’s Mansion, he would have wanted to take her back right away, but the mansion had to demolish and rebuild the place where Wang Baozhu had lived, and all traces left by Wang Baozhu had to be renovated; inevitably, such disturbance would raise a lot of dust.

Once the General’s Mansion was refurbished, he would bring her back to stay there permanently.

It was only when they arrived at Qiyun Courtyard, in Jun Yuyan’s domain, that General Fu began to inquire about her child.

“The Second Prince is too scheming and his methods are too cruel; I fear that you were truly deceived by him. I asked the Prince before, and he said the child is yours and his, but the Second Prince’s certain tone also really makes one suspicious, ”

“That’s because initially, he drugged me, wanting to fake a physical relationship with me, and through that, make me utterly devoted to him, but he found me ugly and despised my body as well, so he found a few filthy beggars.”

General Fu’s eyes blazed with anger, “How dare he!”

“Please calm down, father, I was not defiled by the beggars. It was also fate that I ended up with the Prince; that day, he too was ambushed and burst in, and he dealt with those beggars, and he was the only one who had contact with me.”

Towards the end, Murong Jiu spoke with a tint of shyness. These matters were inappropriate to discuss with outsiders, but General Fu was her biological father, and she feared that one day the Second Prince would deceive him with some seemingly true “details,” so she had to explain clearly what happened that night.

General Fu’s anger was hard to quell, his eyes bloodshot, “Ah Jiu, it’s my fault for not realizing you were switched, allowing you to suffer all these years. Had it not been for the Prince that night, but someone else… I can’t even bear to think about it! The Second Prince is no better than a beast!”

“Daughter is doing well now, father, do not feel guilty, let us look forward and things will only get better. The Second Prince said such things before merely because he feared your alliance with the Prince would affect his struggle for the position of the Crown Prince. You shouldn’t believe any of his words. Also, daughter has long lost feelings for him, in my heart, there is only the Prince.”

The moment her words ended, Jun Yuyan walked into the courtyard, his eyes lighting up with joy as he looked at her.

“Ah Jiu, my heart also holds only you!”

Murong Jiu had not expected him to return so quickly, and didn’t mind that he heard her words, but it was really embarrassing to hear him speak such words of affection in front of her father.

Yet, her heart felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

General Fu smiled, his heart filled with gratification.

No matter how you put it, he could see that his daughter was truly happy marrying Jun Yuyan.

This was truly a blessing in disguise.

He was grateful that the one who appeared that night was Jun Yuyan, otherwise…

Jun Yuyan quickly walked over to Murong Jiu, naturally and adeptly holding her hand, and said with concern, “Are you tired today, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere, or should we go to the couch for a rest soon?”

Murong Jiu chuckled, “I’m only at the early stage of pregnancy, and I’m not made of porcelain, how could I be so fragile?”

General Fu disagreed, “You are pregnant, you need to rest more, you must take good care of your body and not overwork!”

Murong Jiu knew he must be reminded of her mother, who died of blood loss caused by Lady Wang after giving birth prematurely.

He certainly had psychological shadows from that.

So she quickly nodded obediently, “I understand, father. I’ll go rest now. You and my brothers do not worry about me, the Prince will take good care of your daughter.”

Jun Yuyan, “Father-in-law, please rest assured.”

General Fu, while relieved, also felt her sensibleness tug at his heartstrings.

Wang Baozhu, born just an hour before her, was foolishly ridiculous, ungrateful at best, but instead returned kindness with ingratitude.

Perhaps she was the same kind of person as her malicious mother, Lady Wang.

As General Fu prepared to leave, he suddenly whispered to Jun Yuyan, “Does the Prince have any desire to usurp the heir’s position?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co