Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 279 Parents' love for their children is far-reaching!

The eldest prince looked at the eldest princess suspiciously, and finally noticed the awkwardness in her voice.

Yue Li seems to have always addressed the Great Zhou Emperor as "Emperor" rather than "Father Emperor."

Why is this?

Although he had questions in his mind, the eldest prince did not ask them immediately.

Instead, he continued, "As that woman was dying, I heard my father say, 'What you discarded like trash, what you treasured like precious gems, should all be mine, should rightfully be mine.'"

"The Emperor initially murmured these words, but as he spoke, his emotions began to fluctuate, eventually turning into a low growl."

The eldest princess frowned, pondering the meaning of the fake emperor's words.

The eldest prince continued, "Whether in my childhood or now, I don't understand Father's meaning. Yue Li, do you understand?"

"My father is the emperor, and he is rich in the world. Logically speaking, what others regard as treasures or discarded as worthless is not worth his coveting."

The eldest princess slowly shook her head. "I have some clues, but I can't be sure."

She could roughly guess what the discarded item was, but she was still somewhat puzzled about what it was that she regarded as a treasure.

The eldest princess turned to look at Zhou Wei, and seeing that Zhou Wei was deep in thought, she refrained from asking any questions.

In terms of reasoning and analysis, Tan Lin is the best among them, followed by Zhou Wei.

Judging from Zhou Wei's changing expressions, she had clearly made progress.

"Brother, we can explain this later. What happened next?"

Since the eldest princess didn't say anything, the eldest prince couldn't press her for details.

He could only continue, "After the woman died, the Emperor did not move her body off the prayer mat, but instead sat beside her and stared at her for a long time."

"Father remained motionless, like a statue. Yuejie and I were terrified, but we were too nervous to move and gradually fell asleep."

The eldest princess was taken aback. Had she fallen asleep?

The eldest prince knew that this matter was somewhat absurd, and scratched his head awkwardly.

Zhou Wei came to the rescue, saying, "Your Highnesses need not worry. It is likely that the incense burned in Hexi Palace contained calming ingredients. In addition, you two witnessed such a terrifying scene, and the mental tension you were under must have taken a toll on your minds."

“You are young, and it is already night. You are probably exhausted and it is normal for you to fall into a deep sleep.”

The eldest princess didn't mind that the two princes fell asleep at this crucial moment, but this was Hexi Palace.

The two of them fell asleep right behind the screen; it was really dangerous!

"Big brother, when did you wake up? Were you still in Hexi Palace when you woke up?"

The eldest prince nodded. "I woke up suddenly. I was in a daze and thought I was dreaming. I was about to wake Yuejie when I heard my father's voice from the inner palace. That's when I realized what was happening and I immediately covered my mouth."

Zhou Wei felt her hair stand on end!

Just thinking about the two princes' nighttime visit to Hexi Palace makes my legs tremble.

The fact that the eldest prince could quickly regain his composure under such circumstances is undoubtedly a talent.

“I gently woke Yue Jie up and together we peeked into the inner hall. We found that the woman who had been killed by my father was no longer there, and a man had taken her place in the futon.”

"Because I fell asleep halfway through, I don't know where this man came from. He was tied up, with a cold expression, and didn't even look at my father, who was staring intently at me."

The eldest prince is now recounting the second round of the game they played while sleepwalking.

This time, the person inside the prayer mat was a man.

"Like the woman who died before, I've never seen this man before either. His appearance is unfamiliar to me, but..."

The eldest prince paused as he spoke, seemingly unsure how to continue.

Jiang Yueli asked, "Big brother, is there anything special about this man?"

The eldest prince looked somewhat bewildered, nodding and then shaking his head.

"I don't know how to describe it. His appearance is ordinary. If he were thrown on the street, I wouldn't even give him a second glance."

"I stared at him for a long time, but I still couldn't remember his facial features, which shows how ordinary he was."

"But this person, who has no particular characteristics, gives me a special feeling..."

The eldest prince then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

It seems that he felt he was being somewhat unreasonable.

After a long while, he finally sighed and said, "Forget it, I must have been frightened by the scene of my father killing that woman, and my perception is malfunctioning. Yue Li, just take it as me talking nonsense."

It was obvious that the eldest prince felt he had a mental problem and didn't want to continue the conversation.

But the Second Prince, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.

"Brother, you're definitely not mistaken!"

As he spoke, the Second Prince said to the Eldest Princess, "Yue Li, if only my elder brother felt that something was wrong, that would be understandable. But I have the same feeling, which proves that the man is indeed somewhat special."

"Just like my older brother said, he has an ordinary appearance; you wouldn't notice him in a crowd. But I feel..."

"I know him!"

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince was visibly shaken!

He looked at the Second Prince in surprise, clearly the Second Prince had expressed the indescribable feelings in his heart.

The eldest prince stood up excitedly, rubbing his hands together and pacing back and forth.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's it, that's the feeling!"

Jiang Yueli understood; no wonder the eldest prince couldn't describe it.

Because this feeling itself is illogical.

Zhou Wei could tell from the eldest prince's reaction that what he had seen and heard at Hexi Palace had caused great psychological trauma to the two princes.

The two of them usually avoided talking about matters concerning Hexi Palace.

This already falls under the category of post-traumatic stress disorder.

As the eldest prince paced back and forth, he said excitedly, "It's an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if I've known him for a long time, but that's impossible!"

Zhou Wei pondered for a moment, "Is it impossible?"

It is indeed possible!

The two princes' unusual feelings confirmed Tan Lin's earlier speculation.

The mystery of the switch between the real and fake emperors!

"Your Highness, did the man under that prayer mat speak?" Zhou Wei asked.

The eldest prince gradually calmed down and said without thinking, "No, he didn't say a word from beginning to end."

"Even after my father discovered Yuejie and me, he didn't say a word, just like a mute."

Zhou Wei and the Princess both exclaimed in surprise.

"What? The man under the prayer mat saw you when you were discovered?"

This is absolutely shocking!

If that man was the real Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he personally witnessed his two sons appearing in Hexi Palace, thus uncovering the fake emperor's secret...

Even if she were imprisoned, she would still try her best to protect her son.

This is a father's instinct!

Zhou Wei and the princess exchanged a glance, both looking enlightened.

No wonder the two princes survived!

This was clearly a deadly situation, yet the fake emperor only sent the two men to their fiefdoms.

He tolerated his subordinates humiliating the two princes, yet he always spared their lives.

They originally thought that the fake emperor was restrained from killing too many people in the palace because of the officials who spoke out in the court.

Little did they know, the efforts of the Great Zhou Emperor were also involved!

But how could the Great Zhou Emperor, who is now in dire straits himself, persuade the fake emperor to spare the two princes?