Doctor Lu Always Wants To Steal My Baby! Chapter 40
byChapter 40 The Truth (Part Two)
“Ice Face, he wouldn’t know how to raise a kid. Cousin really has too much faith in him.”
“Such a small child, what is he teaching him, standing practice?”
“Le Yan’s clothes are soaked with sweat, and he doesn’t even think to change them…”
In the palace, inside Consort He’s residence, Chu Yunqi lay listlessly on a rocking chair, complaining while watching the live stream.
“My dear Highness, if the stream isn’t interesting, perhaps you shouldn’t watch it. It would give the Consort some peace and quiet,” the maid applying makeup to Consort He said with a low chuckle.
This resonated with Consort He: “It would be much better if you went out and played with your friends. Don’t stick around here all day.”
“It’s boring, I’m tired of it. Besides, I still need to—” Chu Yunqi closed the live stream, which was filled with images of Ning Tian’s physique, picked up the educational psychology textbook he was halfway through, and his face darkened. He tossed the book down with a clang. “Cousin handled this matter terribly!”
“Mother, tell me, did he never intend for me to be Le Yan’s godfather from the start, and certainly not He Siyuan?”
“You’re only just realizing that now?” Consort He glanced at him, waving her hand to dismiss the maid.
“You foolishly planned things out for him. He only wanted to use you to suppress He Siyuan, that’s all.”
“Use me?” Chu Yunqi frowned.
“Yes. Your cousin is much more calculating than you. But it doesn’t matter. He uses you, and you use him. That’s how things work in this world. But from now on, you need to learn to keep your eyes open—Qi’er, are you listening?”
“I’m listening.” Chu Yunqi fiddled with the flowers in his mother’s vase and sneered, “How calculating is he? He went in a circle and still ended up pinned down in Han River?”
“Did you only hear the first sentence?” Forget it, one sentence is better than none. Consort He prepared to explain in detail. “Han River isn’t necessarily a bad place. If you truly manage to bring him under your control—”
“Mother, do you think I have any friends?” Chu Yunqi suddenly interrupted.
“What?”
This non sequitur left Consort He stunned.
“Those friends of mine, the ones I play with, you paid them to be here, didn’t you?” Chu Yunqi sat up slightly in the rocking chair and looked at his mother.
“…No. Why are you asking such a thing?” If she wanted a few people to play with her son, a hint was enough. She didn’t need to spend money!
At most, she would reward those ladies with some jewelry and antiques!
Chu Yunqi lay back down on the rocking chair, staring into space: “Mother, if I became a vegetable, would any of those friends come to see me?”
“You’re talking nonsense. Why would you become a vegetable?” Consort He wished he could swallow those inauspicious words. She rose from her vanity stool and walked over, placing a hand on Chu Yunqi’s forehead. “You don’t have a fever. What gibberish are you speaking?”
“I’m not speaking gibberish.” Chu Yunqi pulled his mother’s hand away.
“Mother, He Chen’s comrade became a vegetable, and he’s been taking care of him for three years. It looks like he’ll take care of him for life. As for me, if I became a vegetable, no one would take care of me. Even if someone did at first, they’d be gone after three years.”
“Nonsense!” Consort He hit him lightly in anger. “As long as your mother is here, you won’t need anyone else! Besides, why would you become a vegetable!”
“Hmm, you’re right.” Chu Yunqi suddenly hugged his mother, acting spoiled. “Thank you, Mother.”
“Silly boy.” Consort He calmed down, stroking Chu Yunqi’s head, suddenly feeling a wave of emotion. “Qi’er, you’ve grown up. Your mother knows what you’re thinking—”
“What am I thinking?” Chu Yunqi propped his head up.
“Loyalty and devotion,” Consort He replied.
Chu Yunqi was silent for a moment, not refuting her.
In truth, his mind was a chaotic mess, but those two words his mother spoke seemed to be exactly what he was pondering.
“But Qi’er, remember this: in this world, loyalty and devotion are the most unreliable and useless things, especially since you were born into the Chu family.”
“What you need is not loyalty, but power.”
“Relying on loyalty, your mother and you will be eaten until there’s nothing left.”
“I—” Chu Yunqi frowned, feeling that something was wrong with this statement, but unable to argue against it.
While he was struggling with this, a maid knocked on the door: “Consort, it seems something has happened outside. It involves the He family. Several people have been summoned to the palace.”
*
“Your Majesty, this is an undeserved calamity! Laboratories, beast-men—we have never even heard of such things!”
When Consort He and her son arrived at the front hall, He Hongyi was agitatedly defending himself.
“Marshal He, please don’t get agitated. We are only raising reasonable suspicions,” said Fang Kaiyu, the Director of the Patrol Bureau and the son of Elder Fang, speaking unhurriedly.
“The clearance order was issued by Minister He Siyuan, the inspection-free certificate is related to the He family, and even the spaceship originated from an enterprise under the He family. There are simply too many coincidences, which is why we invited Marshal He here.”
He Hongyi frowned, looking at He Siyuan, who had been summoned along with him: “Siyuan, what is going on? Did someone in the logistics department use your name to conduct business?”
“I have been lax in my supervision. Indeed, people in the department occasionally use my name to conduct business. As for these documents,” He Siyuan calmly scanned the papers and shook his head, “I have no knowledge of them. Not one of my personal seals is on them. Director Fang, do you have concrete evidence regarding the alleged use of connections or issuing of orders?”
“If there is no concrete evidence, relying merely on a few coincidences is… Moreover, if I truly did this, why would there be so many flaws? I ask Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and the Patrol Bureau to conduct a strict inquiry. Today’s incident looks more like someone setting a trap to harm me, and to harm our He family!”
As he spoke, He Siyuan raised his eyes, glancing with suppressed anger at He Chen and Lu Changqing, who were standing far off to the side.
“Why are you here too?” Chu Yunqi quietly slipped over to He Chen.
“To testify,” He Chen said calmly.
“Testify about what?” Chu Yunqi looked at him, feeling that his complexion didn’t look quite right today.
“If these are coincidences,” Fang Kaiyu looked at He Siyuan unhurriedly, “then the captured criminals explicitly confessed that the person behind the scenes, ordering their escape, was Minister He. How does Minister He explain that?”
“Why should I explain?” He Siyuan countered. “He who asserts must prove. What concrete evidence do they have for maliciously slandering me?”
“The concrete evidence is this.”
Fang Kaiyu displayed a badge: “Your Majesty, this was provided by the criminals. According to their confession, He Siyuan met with them last night and left this item behind. They thought it might be useful during their escape, so they kept it instead of returning it.”
Emperor Chu Jianheng, seated on the throne, looked displeased. He beckoned, and Fang Kaiyu handed the badge up.
Chu Jianheng glanced at it, expressionless, his voice cold and heavy like muffled thunder that refused to break: “Show it to him.”
Fang Kaiyu showed the badge to He Siyuan, whose eyes darkened:
It was the one he routinely wore when reporting for duty at the military headquarters. It had his name and rank, and even the wear marks were identical!
“This is impossible! Someone is framing me!” He Siyuan reached for his chest.
He Chen, however, glanced at Lu Changqing.
Lu Changqing looked back at him composedly, as if asking what was wrong.
“Military badges have a unique code per badge; forgery is impossible. Minister He, we have already verified that this badge is indeed yours.”
“This is theft and planting evidence!”
“Surveillance footage captured Minister He entering and exiting a certain location last night, consistent with the location confessed by the suspects. Minister He wouldn’t suggest that our Patrol Bureau is also framing you, would he?” Fang Kaiyu asked coldly.
“Entering and exiting the same place doesn’t prove they met and conspired, does it?” He Hongyi said with a grim expression. “Perhaps the suspect met someone else and just happened to see Siyuan, which gave them the idea to falsely accuse him?”
“If it were truly, as you say, an impromptu decision, how did they manage to steal Minister He’s badge beforehand?” Fang Kaiyu countered with a cold laugh.
“Even if all of this is coincidence and framing, how does Minister He explain the financial transactions?”
“What financial transactions?” He Hongyi’s face grew even darker.
“To support the operation of a laboratory, Minister He has painstakingly spent a considerable amount over the years,” Fang Kaiyu produced another stack of evidence.
After flipping through it, He Hongyi’s face sank, and he sharply questioned He Siyuan: “Siyuan, what is going on? How do you explain this?!”
“Stop the act,” the Emperor said ominously. “Without your instruction, would he dare to undertake such a major endeavor?”
“I am wronged, Your Majesty!” He Hongyi was genuinely wronged—if it were just a laboratory, fine, but one connected to the Chu Jianhua case? What was going on? He truly had no knowledge of it.
“By the Blood God, I swear that I am truly completely unaware! Siyuan, you unfilial son, tell me quickly, what is happening!”
He Hongyi turned to He Siyuan, looking as if he wished he could pry He Siyuan’s mouth open himself.
“I—” He Siyuan was flipping through the financial records, his face growing paler with every page.
“Speak quickly!” He Hongyi kicked him, sending him sprawling to his knees.
That kick made He Siyuan speak: “I was coerced!”
He said, his body trembling slightly.
“Coerced into what?” the Emperor asked slowly.
“Coerced into providing them with financial support,” He Siyuan answered through gritted teeth.
“Support for whom?” Chu Yunqi didn’t understand. He poked He Chen, but before He Chen could respond, he heard He Hongyi slap He Siyuan across the face—
“You fool! If you were coerced, why didn’t you tell the family, why didn’t you report it so His Majesty could decide for you!”
“I find that strange too,” the Emperor said slowly. “It’s understandable if he didn’t tell me, but not telling you is highly suspicious. He Hongyi, perhaps there was no coercion at all, and you two, uncle and nephew, are putting on a show?”
“What, you dare to do it but not admit it? Pushing out a small fry to take the blame?” The Emperor’s ominous, slow tone suddenly changed. “He Hongyi! In the rebellion case thirty years ago, I let a big fish like you escape!”
“Your Majesty!” He Hongyi dropped to his knees with a thud in the main hall. “I am wronged! I will kneel right here. Your Majesty, please order an investigation. If even a shred of evidence links me to the rebellion case, I will immediately strike my head against a pillar and apologize with my death!”
“Your Majesty!” Consort He also emerged from the back of the hall and knelt beside He Hongyi. “Your Majesty, please calm your anger. No matter how confused my elder brother might be, he is clear-headed on matters of great importance!”
“What does this have to do with you?” The Emperor averted his gaze, ignoring the siblings, and looked at Fang Kaiyu. “What other evidence do you have? Present it all!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Fang Kaiyu spoke. “Marshal He just claimed he has absolutely no connection to the rebellion case. In fact, there is a slight connection.”
“The rebel Chu Jianhua had an advisor named Jing Wendi. It is no secret in Star City that this man once had a romantic affair with He Yayun.”
Ah, how did this person get involved? Chu Yunqi glanced at He Chen.
“We have cross-referenced the case files and confirmed that before Jing Wendi was apprehended, he was the supervisor of this underground laboratory.”
That person, managing the laboratory? Consort He narrowed her eyes for a moment, looked at He Siyuan, and then, recalling Lu Changqing and He Chen standing together, her mind raced, and she suddenly spoke:
“Your Majesty, mentioning this person makes me even more certain that my elder brother is innocent.”
“Oh? I’ll give you a chance. Tell me, how is he innocent?”
“This requires my sister to speak. This is likely entirely a matter concerning her small family, and my elder brother was completely unaware. After all, my sister—”
Consort He hesitated.
“After all, what?” He Hongyi was anxious and vaguely worried, unsure what she was about to reveal. Everything today was far beyond his expectation!
“After all, my sister has always concealed the true identities of both Siyuan and Chen’er from the family!”
What? He Hongyi frowned deeply.
“Identities?” The Emperor narrowed his eyes, scanned He Hongyi’s surprised and confused expression, and looked at Consort He. “What true identities?”
“Your Majesty, forgive me, I don’t have concrete evidence, but years ago at home, I saw my sister being intimate with that Jing Wendi. They seemed deeply in love, not just a one-night stand. Moreover, I saw that man’s face, and the older Siyuan gets, the more he resembles that man…!”
“Mother, are you suggesting—” Chu Yunqi’s mouth dropped open in astonishment.
“Because I lacked evidence, I kept this matter buried in my heart. It was only whenever I saw Chen’er that I felt a pang of pity, which is why I encouraged Yunqi to be closer to him.”
“…” Chu Yunqi truly wished his mother would just get to the point.
“But hearing that man’s name just now, and hearing Siyuan implicated in this matter, I absolutely cannot keep silent any longer. Your Majesty, if anyone in the He family is connected to any laboratory left behind by Jing Wendi, it would absolutely not be my elder brother. My elder brother and the entire family were kept in the dark by my sister!”
“Aunt, Aunt, why do you say such things? This is all baseless fabrication!” He Siyuan’s face was ashen, looking like someone who had been wronged and humiliated.
“Baseless fabrication, perhaps not.” Beside the throne, Elder Fang, who had been present to play chess with the Emperor, suddenly spoke up.
“Teacher, why do you say that?”
“Your Majesty.” Elder Fang bowed. “I also have something to report.”
“Many years ago, when I was traveling abroad, I encountered danger and was fortunately rescued by a promising young officer in the He family army.”
Elder Fang spoke, looking at He Chen, his expression gentle: “After so many years, the moment I saw Commander He, I felt a vague sense of seeing an old friend.”
He Chen nodded slightly to him, while He Siyuan swayed, a bitter smile on his face: “Vague, very similar, Your Majesty! This is He Chen! He must be jealous of my status and set a trap to harm me!”
“Oh? And the fact that Jing Wendi used the alias Jing Yuan many years ago—is that also He Chen setting a trap to harm you?” Elder Fang turned to him leisurely.
“What?” The bitter smile vanished from He Siyuan’s face, and he stared blankly at Elder Fang.
Jing Yuan, He Siyuan? The Emperor rubbed his temples: “Go, summon He Yayun!”
*
“He Chen is Jing Wendi’s son. Siyuan is the child of me and a military officer in the family. That is the truth of the matter. Everything else is groundless speculation!”
He Yayun seemed to have been waiting outside the hall and arrived at the confrontation scene immediately.
She wore black, her face was cold, and even when facing the Emperor, she merely performed the customary bow, showing no excessive deference. However, when her eyes met Consort He’s, she glared fiercely at her sister.
After that, no matter how Fang Kaiyu questioned her, she only repeated that single answer.
The Emperor’s eyes were inscrutable: “Then you and your son explain the financial transactions over the past twenty years, and the so-called coercion over twenty years. What is going on?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty!” He Siyuan seemed to have been waiting for this opportunity to explain. “I was coerced, and yes, it was related to Jing Wendi.”
When he said this, everyone, including He Yayun, looked at him.
He Siyuan lowered his head and explained clearly: “That year, after my younger brother was acknowledged by the He family, I heard about his background. Out of curiosity, I followed some clues and unfortunately stumbled upon that laboratory, where I was blackmailed.”
“What clues? So many manpower and resources failed to uncover the existence of the laboratory back then, yet you, alone, ran right into their hands?” Fang Kaiyu asked.
He Siyuan clenched his fingers, glanced at He Yayun, and then lowered his gaze: “I saw some of Jing Wendi’s belongings at my mother’s place.”
“Good,” the Emperor looked at He Yayun. “You clearly had deep feelings for a rebel, keeping his belongings and concealing important clues.”
“Just a few letters. I did not know they contained any clues, so how can it be concealment?” He Yayun replied.
Impervious! The Emperor snorted in anger.
Fang Kaiyu looked at He Siyuan, continuing his interrogation: “Minister He, please explain how you were blackmailed.”
“Those people said I had seen their secret and had to pay to avoid disaster, otherwise they would lock me up for experiments. I was young then and believed them. Later, the payments I made became leverage, snowballing and entangling me with them, forcing me to continue under their threat…”
He Siyuan answered with his head bowed.
“Why didn’t you seek help from your family?”
“They said that if I dared to reveal anything, they would drag me down with them.”
“So, Minister He was completely manipulated?”
“That’s right.”
“Then releasing the experimental subjects to attack Director Lu and He Chen, among others, was also completely unrelated to you?”
He Siyuan paused: “Unrelated.”
“If it were truly unrelated, you, being unaware, should first ask what the attack was,” Fang Kaiyu stared coldly at He Siyuan.
He Chen, meanwhile, was looking in He Yayun’s direction.
When she heard Fang Kaiyu questioning He Siyuan about releasing experimental subjects to attack him, her body moved slightly, but she remained standing with her back to him, never turning to look at him.
He Siyuan was not so composed. Fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead, and his body trembled: he felt a sharp pain—his mental domain was vibrating at an inopportune moment.
He bit his tongue: “I was merely answering Director Fang’s question.”
“Director Fang, if he won’t ask, I will. What experimental subjects, what attack?” Chu Yunqi asked sincerely.
“Beast-man experimental subjects.”
After answering, Fang Kaiyu looked up at the Emperor: “Your Majesty, the captured suspects confessed that He Siyuan released the experimental subjects to harm people, and they were unaware of it beforehand.”
“According to their testimony, He Siyuan had access to the three layers of security clearance at the laboratory, allowing him to enter the core rooms.”
“During the search, we found that these security systems had been damaged, but we repaired them immediately. One of the security systems has been fully restored to its original state.”
As Fang Kaiyu spoke, he gestured to the side. A member of the Patrol Bureau approached with a device in a box and aimed it at He Siyuan’s face.
“This is malicious targeting!” He Siyuan forcefully twisted his face away and tightly shut his eyes, refusing to cooperate with the verification.
It wasn’t until a Royal Guard, at a nod from the Emperor, acted, kicking him to the ground with a clang, then lifting his head by the back of his neck and aiming it at the box.
“Beep, verification passed.”
The mechanical voice sounded, and the hall fell silent for a moment. The guard released him, and He Siyuan slid to the ground, twitching.
This commotion startled one person who had been standing still—He Yayun.
“Ridiculous!” She haughtily crouched down, helped He Siyuan up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and shielded him behind her. “You think you can convict my son with some random box? Dream on!”
“Your son?” the Emperor suddenly spoke. “I highly doubt that.”
“That one, the one with the snow wolf, is the one who is unequivocally your son, isn’t he?” He pointed his chin at He Chen. Everyone looked at He Chen, their expressions varied.
“As for this one, the one who tried to kill your other son—you show no anger at all, but instead protect him? He Hongyi—”
The Emperor’s gaze suddenly shifted: “Is your sister mentally unsound, or is her ambition too great?!”
He Hongyi was in a state of shock from the series of revelations and hadn’t fully recovered. Hearing the Emperor’s question, a sense of bewilderment rose from his heart: “What does Your Majesty mean?”
“What do I mean? Is the son of an advisor worth protecting like this? Is he worth your He family sacrificing your own flesh and blood for!” The Emperor suddenly threw the teacup in his hand with such force that the shattered porcelain shards deeply embedded themselves in He Hongyi’s forehead hair.
But He Hongyi didn’t feel any pain—he couldn’t afford to. He finally understood what the Emperor was implying!
“I wouldn’t dare, Your Majesty. Siyuan is, unequivocally, Yayun’s child!”
Consort He’s expression also changed: That old man, where did his mind wander? Was he suspecting He Siyuan was Chu Jianhua’s child?
“Whether he is or not, the genes will speak.” After his outburst, the Emperor seemed to calm down and waved his hand, ordering someone to take samples.
“Ridiculous!” After a strand of hair was plucked, He Yayun stood tall and sneered, “Wouldn’t I know if he is my child?”
You had better be sure!
He Hongyi’s heart pounded fiercely.
If this verification went wrong, they would never be able to clear their names! The entire family would suffer a terrible misfortune because of her!
Fortunately, the verification went smoothly.
He Siyuan was indeed He Yayun’s child.
“But the identity of his father remains questionable,” the Emperor said gloomily.
“I told you, his father is an officer in my He family army!” He Yayun said, crouching down to help the fallen He Siyuan, who looked to be in very poor condition, sit up, pulling him into her embrace.
He Chen watched her fiercely protective maternal display, clenched his fingers, and spoke calmly: “It is not impossible to verify the identity of my brother’s father.”