Chapter 163 Her Child Did Not Die

She covered her mouth tightly with a handkerchief, tears welling up instantly, her shoulders trembling violently.

"Yes...yes..."

"I am now a glorious Imperial Noble Consort... but back then, I was just a powerless and insignificant concubine. The harem... that harem, a place that devours people without spitting out bones, is full of open and hidden attacks, impossible to guard against!"

"My...my poor child, he was so small, so fragile...he was only about the same age as Jing'er is now...but he...he didn't even make it through that summer...he was...killed by someone!!"

Seeing her completely break down in tears, Shen Yiqiu knew she couldn't ask her any more questions.

She then feigned exhaustion and coughed weakly twice.

"Your Majesty... please accept my condolences. It is all my fault for causing you such grief. I... I am a little tired and would like to rest for a while..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ke'er suppressed her grief, tried to calm her breathing, and hastily wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.

"Alright...alright, you should rest well and take good care of yourself. I...I will come to see you another day."

She stood up, her steps a little unsteady, and turned back when she reached the door.

He forced a strange smile:

"Yiqiu, when you have time in the future, you must come to my palace often so we can have a good talk."

Shen Yiqiu nodded slightly and watched her leave.

Zhao Ke'er may have had feelings for the Crown Prince, but her pain over her own child who died young was clearly unforgettable and far surpassed everything else.

Could this deeply buried grief over the loss of a child be another key breakthrough?

No sooner had Zhao Ke'er stepped out of the palace than Xiao Yongjing strode in.

Without even concealing the worry in his eyes, he quickly went to the bedside and looked Shen Yiqiu up and down:

"Are you alright? Did she... give you any trouble?"

The anxiety in his tone was obvious.

Shen Yiqiu raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at him probingly. According to him, the Imperial Noble Consort treated him like her own son, so why was he reacting this way?

"Um?"

Realizing his lapse in composure, Xiao Yongjing took a deep breath, calmed himself, and casually asked:

"My mother...was she a very good, gentle person?"

Shen Yiqiu understood what was going on when she saw his attempt to cover it up.

She suddenly smiled, but instead of answering directly, she quietly waved to Bai Mei and Qing Zhu, who were about to enter through the door.

Bai Mei and Qing Zhu understood and immediately withdrew silently, gently closing the palace door behind them.

After the door closed softly, Shen Yiqiu slowly got off the bed and approached Xiao Yongjing step by step.

Xiao Yongjing was slightly taken aback by her sudden aura and took two steps back in surprise.

Shen Yiqiu stopped very close to him, looking up at him:

"Your Highness rushed here so hastily because you were worried... that the Imperial Noble Consort might harm me?"

Xiao Yongjing forced a smile to appease him:

“Yiqiu, you’re overthinking it. My mother has always been kind and gentle, how could I think that way? I’m just… just afraid that you two might not get along if you have a deep conversation for the first time.”

Shen Yiqiu turned away coldly, her back to him:

"Your Highness, have you forgotten why I, Shen Yiqiu, stayed in the Eastern Palace to cooperate with you? It was to find out the true cause of my grandmother Shen Zhaohua's death! At the same time, it was also to investigate the mystery of your birth mother, Consort Jia's, disappearance!"

Looking at his deliberately concealed face, anger welled up inside me:

"But if you continue to harbor doubts and keep everything from me, then what's the point of our so-called alliance?"

"Farewell, Your Highness. If you lack even basic trust, there's no need to come looking for me again!"

After saying that, she resolutely took two steps out, but kept an eye on the movements behind her out of the corner of her eye.

Sure enough, just as she was about to take her third step, Xiao Yongjing suddenly rushed forward, grabbed her wrist tightly, and pulled her back.

"As expected... nothing can be hidden from you, my most intelligent Crown Princess."

He looked at her resolute profile and no longer concealed his feelings:

When did you start to have doubts?

Shen Yiqiu sneered and tried to pull her wrist away, but he gripped it even tighter.

"From the moment you first appeared at my homecoming banquet, I knew you had ulterior motives. As the Crown Prince, holding the reins of power over the entire realm, what secrets couldn't you uncover? Why would you need to rely on an outsider like me?"

"Unless... you already know part of the truth, but for some reason you can't get involved yourself, or you need an outsider like me who's willing to do anything to muddy the waters!"

"Does Your Highness think I would believe you are the latter kind of fool?"

Xiao Yongjing's expression changed slightly, and fearing she might misunderstand, he hurriedly explained:

"Did Mother Consort say something to you just now? Yiqiu, listen to me, you can't always believe everything she says! She..."

He stopped abruptly, realizing that he might have said something he shouldn't have in his haste, and then stared intently into Shen Yiqiu's eyes, speaking sincerely:

"Yiqiu, believe me. I may have had ulterior motives at first, but I would never harm you, and now... now it's even less likely!"

Shen Yiqiu forcefully shook off his hand:

"Then don't hide it from me! Tell me everything you know about the Imperial Noble Consort, about your birth mother!"

Xiao Yongjing looked into her stubborn eyes, his heart in turmoil.

After a long silence, he finally made up his mind and sighed heavily:

"Alright, I'll tell you. I suspect... that child of Mother's who died young didn't actually die!"

Shen Yiqiu was startled and looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

She immediately recalled Zhao Ke'er's heart-wrenching sobs and exclaimed:

"That child the Imperial Noble Consort said didn't survive the summer... is he actually still alive? And a boy at that? If he really is alive, then why..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

If the Imperial Noble Consort had her own biological son, why would she go to great lengths to support her adopted son, Xiao Yongjing, to become the Crown Prince?

Xiao Yongjing's eyes were dark and unreadable as he shook his head.

"I still haven't been able to fully ascertain the exact truth. From childhood to adulthood, my mother has treated me extremely well. When I was neglected by everyone, she took me in and gave me protection and warmth."

"I stumbled upon a clue about this matter a few years ago, but when I followed the trail, all the relevant evidence and insiders had been wiped out, as if they had never existed."

"It was from that time that I began to secretly investigate the true cause of my birth mother Jiafei's death. But the result... was the same as what I found out about the child: too clean, as if someone had carefully destroyed the body to cover up the crime."

"But one thing I'm sure of... that child... he's still alive!"