Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 618: Chapter 310: Just as Expected_4

Just as he was about to speak, he heard He Lianfang say, "Prince Wei has close ties with the Southern Wei people, do you think I wouldn’t notice?"

Zhao Yao stiffened, then forced a smile and said, "I really thought Second Uncle didn’t know about Eighth Brother’s matters, after all, Eighth Brother is always by the Crown Prince’s side."

He Lianfang felt underestimated by Zhao Yao and laughed in anger, "Do I look like a fool to you?"

Zhao Yao quickly shook his head, "No." After saying that, he hurriedly added, "I’m the fool, to think that Second Uncle was unaware." Second Uncle had always been investigating the matters of the Southern Wei people; with his methods, how could he not discover Eighth Brother’s ambiguous relations with the Southern Wei people.

He Lianfang cast a cold glance at Zhao Yao and asked, "Tell me, why did you hide the matters about Prince Wei."

"Well... it’s a long story."

"Then make it short."

Zhao Yao saw that He Lianfang was staring at him coldly, making it clear he wouldn’t let him go without hearing the reason. He had no choice but to explain to He Lianfang why he had hidden it.

He Lianfang, after listening, mocked Zhao Yao bluntly, "You’re really protective of your Eighth Brother."

Zhao Yao sat upright like a child who had done something wrong.

"I’m not protecting Eighth Brother, it’s just..." he didn’t know how to continue. "All these things Eighth Brother did are my suspicions, there’s no evidence, and it’s hard for me to speak." To be honest, he still didn’t have evidence to prove those things were done by Eighth Brother.

"Since you have no evidence, why do you think it was Prince Wei?"

"Initially, I didn’t suspect Eighth Brother at all, thinking he was sincerely loyal to the Crown Prince. But when the Crown Prince was assassinated and Eighth Brother got seriously injured trying to save him, nearly losing his life, I started to doubt him." Zhao Yao recounted his initial doubts to He Lianfang without holding back.

"You’re quite perceptive."

"Second Uncle, I truly didn’t intend to hide it from you. You never spoke to me about Eighth Brother, so how could I bring him up to you?" Zhao Yao lowered his head, poking his left index finger with his right, "I thought you looked down on Eighth Brother, and if I told you about him, you wouldn’t believe it."

He Lianfang let out a couple of cold laughs; he certainly didn’t believe Zhao Yao’s excuses.

Under He Lianfang’s sharp gaze, Zhao Yao felt uneasy and tried to appease him with a smile, "Second Uncle, you brought up Eighth Brother today, and I told you, didn’t I?"

He Lianfang glared at Zhao Yao but didn’t hold him accountable for the cover-up.

"Go on, what else have you guessed?"

"The Southern Wei people are unconditionally supporting Eighth Brother in competing for the throne..." Zhao Yao shared all his guesses regarding Prince Wei without holding anything back, including the fact that Wuwei was a Southern Wei person.

After hearing this, He Lianfang was greatly shocked. He hadn’t expected Zhao Yao to deduce all that Eighth Prince had done based solely on suspicion, and even get it entirely correct.

Seeing He Lianfang looking at him with an odd expression, Zhao Yao quickly asked, "Second Uncle, what’s the matter? Did I guess wrong?"

"No, you guessed everything right." Although He Lianfang maintained a composed appearance, he was truly struck internally. "Your Eighth Brother is a Southern Wei person."

"What?" Zhao Yao stood up in shock, his expression incredulous, "How could Eighth Brother be a Southern Wei person?"

"Your Eighth Brother’s biological mother is Southern Wei."

Zhao Yao was filled with disbelief, his tone puzzled, "Eighth Brother’s birth mother was just an ordinary palace maid, how could she be a Southern Wei person?"

"She was a Southern Wei person, and she was intentionally sent into the palace to climb into your father’s Dragon Bed, give birth to a royal descendant, and then rise to power," He Lianfang explained. "Otherwise, why do you think the Southern Wei people have been unconditionally supporting Prince Wei, doing so much for him?"

Zhao Yao suddenly realized, "No wonder, I always wondered why the Southern Wei people supported Eighth Brother so much." He had always thought that the Southern Wei people supported Eighth Brother because they admired his intelligence and methods, and the fact that he had no backing. It now seemed he was thinking too simply.

Wait a minute, could it be that Father dislikes Eighth Brother so much because Eighth Brother’s birth mother was Southern Wei?

"Second Uncle, does Father know Eighth Brother’s birth mother is Southern Wei?"

"Do you think your father wouldn’t know?"

"So it’s true!"

"When the Great Zhou was first established, aside from Eighth Prince’s birth mother, there were other Southern Wei people in the Imperial Palace," He Lianfang continued, "In the years your father ascended the throne, besides handling state affairs, he was also busy rooting out Southern Wei people from the palace."

Zhao Yao suddenly thought of another very important matter. He asked in shock, "Does Father know about Eighth Brother’s situation?"