Yue Mingxuan shook his head and carefully recalled every interaction he had had with his father.

There had been nothing unusual in his expressions, nor in his actions.

He had appeared to be nothing more than a father devoted entirely to his child, without any sign of ulterior motive.

If there was anything strange at all, it was only that body.

That body was far too frail as though it might collapse at any moment.

After pondering for a long while, Yue Mingxuan finally decided to investigate personally.

He changed into night attire and put on a mask.

When Xie Yunlan saw that he intended to go out, he insisted on following him.

Yue Mingxuan could not stop him, so he simply let him come along.

After all, Xie Yunlan’s qinggong was quite exceptional.

With him there, Yue Mingxuan would not be at any disadvantage.

"Let’s go to the imperial palace," Xie Yunlan said when he saw that Yue Mingxuan had finished preparing.

The two of them made their way into the palace, but before long, they heard a voice. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

It sounded extremely familiar.

The moment Yue Mingxuan heard it, he recognized it as his father’s voice.

After all, in his heart, he had already accepted that man as his father.

Even if there was a possibility that the man was not truly his father, Yue Mingxuan still believed that what he had done during this time had not been wrong.

At the very least, that man had allowed him to experience the warmth of a father’s love.

At this moment, he still felt as though he had a father.

"I’ve already said it. You only need to make her believe that she is the rightful heir," the voice said coldly.

When Yue Mingxuan heard this, he felt a chill run down his spine. That voice sounded very much like Rong Zishen.

"I understand, I understand," the other voice replied submissively.

That tone clearly belonged to his father.

"Hmph, that little whore. Just because he escaped back here, does he think I have no way to deal with him? Everything I lost, I will take back!" Rong Zishen’s voice carried even more malice than before.

Yue Mingxuan could only sigh, his heart filled with complicated emotions.

In a way, it was true.

He had been the one who caused Rong Zishen to lose everything. Yet he felt no regret.

The throne of Dongyue had originally belonged to Shang Qinghua.

Rong Zishen was not the emperor’s biological son.

If it were not for him, Shang Qinghua would not have had such a difficult time reclaiming his rightful position.

Moreover, if not for Keshun Sanfeng, Dongyue could have remained stable.

The emperor would not have been poisoned either.

To be honest, Yue Mingxuan had rather liked that cunning man.

Although he was not particularly fond of the Dongyue royal family, he disliked Rong Zishen even more.

What he had not expected was that even his father had fallen under Rong Zishen’s control and he himself had believed it without question.

Nothing lasted forever.

After his mother’s death, it had been impossible for the emperor to remain alone without taking consorts.

Over the past few days, Yue Mingxuan had indeed not seen a single concubine within the palace. But now, he no longer believed it was for that reason.

He believed that everything was part of Rong Zishen’s scheme.

A scheme designed to lure him in.

If not for Xie Yunlan, he might already have been deeply trapped in it, unable to extricate himself.

A surge of anger rose within him.

He was no longer the Yue Mingxuan of the past, no longer someone who could be kidnapped or threatened at will.

He now had the Flying Opera Group, the Ten Thousand Wisdom Hall, and the Silver Needle Sect behind him.

When Yue Mingxuan made his decision, he was no longer the naive person he once had been.

He still had the Ninefold Celestial Mystery.

He was no longer the powerless Fifth Prince of the past, nor was he the Yue Mingxuan who trusted others so easily.

"Aside from all this, is there anything else we need to pay attention to?"

"That old emperor in the palace must not be allowed to die either. However, that Fifth Prince is indeed quite capable. After being away from home for so long, he still failed to recognize his own biological father."

"What use is there in keeping that old emperor alive?"

"He knows about the Nine Abyssal Gate, and he also knows Yue Mingxuan’s background. My father has already passed away, so I need to obtain some definite information from him," Rong Zisheng said calmly.

When Yue Mingxuan heard this, he stood frozen in place, unsure of what to say.

So that man was not his biological father, but merely a subordinate of Rong Zisheng.

He had no idea where his real father was now, but judging from Rong Zisheng’s tone, it seemed that he was still somewhere within the palace.

Moreover, the man who had taken his father’s place also knew where his real father was.

Yue Mingxuan felt as though his heart had gone cold.

He had never imagined that the person he trusted so deeply was not his real father.

And he had not noticed it at all.

However, that man’s attitude toward him had indeed been excessively warm. Because of this, Yue Mingxuan could more or less guess what had happened to his body.

His actual age should not have been that old, but in order to disguise himself as Yue Mingxuan’s father, he must have used some special method.

This body appeared unnaturally aged.

He must have taken some kind of medicine that accelerated aging.

Otherwise, his condition would not have deteriorated to such an extent.

That was Yue Mingxuan’s conclusion.

That night, when Yue Mingxuan returned to his room, he could only be described as lost and dispirited.

These past few days, he had been feeling excited, because Dongyue was his true home and his father was also there.