Chapter 170 The Prince Replaced by a Civet Cat

Zhao Jieyu glanced around mysteriously, as if grasping at a last straw:

"This matter is of great importance, and I can only tell you this. Have your men leave, and let's talk privately in the inner room."

Shen Yiqiu: "Zhao Jieyu, do you think I'm a fool? Even if you don't speak up today, I'll hand you over to the Dali Temple. Under the jurisdiction of the Three Dukes, what can't I ask for? Why should I risk being alone with you in a room, dirtying my hands and adding unnecessary risks?"

Consort Zhao chuckled softly, a hint of smugness in her voice:

“Shen Yiqiu, of course you’re not stupid. But aren’t you curious? The reason I dared to trade this for my life is because I know far more than just the bandit incident itself… I also know something that is enough to make you, and even His Highness the Crown Prince, have no choice but to let me go.”

Her gaze swept between Shen Yiqiu and Xiao Yongjing, her confidence startling even Shen Yiqiu.

She hesitated for a moment, then gave the Crown Prince a reassuring look before speaking in a cold voice:

"Very well, I'll hear what else you, a dying man, can say."

She gestured for the guards to retreat outside the door, and then entered the adjacent inner room alone with Zhao Jieyu.

Upon entering the inner room, Zhao Jieyu unusually walked to the table, poured a cup of tea, pushed it in front of Shen Yiqiu, and then leaned against the edge of the table, looking at her with a complicated expression.

Zhao Jieyu chuckled softly:

"I originally thought that I could subdue you, a girl who had just returned from the frontier, by using a few of the most common methods in the palace. But I didn't expect that you would be more troublesome than I imagined, much smarter and more ruthless than your grandmother was back then."

Chen Yiqiu remained unmoved.

"Stop talking nonsense. What exactly is this so-called secret you're talking about?"

Zhao Jieyu, however, kept her eyes darting around and changed the subject.

“Do you know? It was in that bandit's den that I first met your grandmother… Back then, like Yun Shi, I thought I was going to die there. Then, she appeared… riding a white horse, her silver spear stained with blood.”

"She was so wonderful... Even though she was already the Marquis of Yongjia, who had made great military achievements, there was not a trace of contempt in her eyes when she looked at me, who was covered in filth. She gave me a sword to defend myself and even patiently taught me a few of the simplest moves... In her heart, it seemed that she never really regarded people like us who were of lowly status as lowly."

"But it is precisely this beauty of hers, like the most vibrant flower in the garden, that is dazzlingly beautiful. Tell me... who wouldn't want to pick such a flower? And if you can't pick it, wouldn't it be the most satisfying thing to watch it wither in the mud and then stomp on it a few times?"

Enraged, Shen Yiqiu grabbed Zhao Jieyu's collar, and with her other hand, a short blade slid from her sleeve, instantly pressing it against Zhao's neck.

"Is this your excuse for repaying kindness with enmity? Zhao Mengrou, do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you here? I can investigate those so-called clues you're talking about myself!"

Ignoring the coldness on her neck, Zhao Jieyu suddenly let out a low, terrifying laugh:

"You won't kill me... because I haven't finished telling this story yet. Shen Yiqiu, if your grandmother had even a fraction of your ruthlessness, it's not impossible that the throne would have been passed down under a different surname."

"The more stunningly beautiful and radiant she is, the more easily she attracts jealousy. And those who hate her... I'm not the only one."

Shen Yiqiu: "A person as filthy and vicious as you is not worthy to mention my grandmother! Saving you was the worst thing she ever did in her life!"

Zhao Jieyu's smile vanished instantly, replaced by resentment.

"Yes, I am vicious. But I've already said that I'm not the only one who hates her!"

"We look remarkably alike! I'm even younger, so why? She shines like the moon in the sky, while I'm just a withered willow in the mud? What a pity... how laughable! Everything I have today is thanks to her!"

Shen Yiqiu frowned sharply: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Jieyu spoke sarcastically:

"Xingrong... was the product of the Emperor's drunken revelry with me... That night, he held me, but called out Shen Zhaohua's name... What a ridiculous joke!"

"I rely on this face that bears some resemblance to hers to enjoy the favor of outsiders, but only I know that he has never truly seen me! What he has always seen is the shadow of your grandmother!"

She burst into laughter.

"So many people in this palace... Consort Jia, Consort De... we are all just shadows of her. The Emperor is merely tirelessly collecting those pitiful fragments of memories of knowing your grandmother. I am like that, and so are everyone else!"

Shen Yiqiu's pupils contracted slightly as she keenly caught sight of that familiar name:

"Consort Jia? The Crown Prince's birth mother?"

Zhao Jieyu covered her mouth, her expression a mixture of crying and laughing:

"Birth mother? Ha... just another more refined, more like her by a third. But it's precisely because she was so similar... that she died before me. A substitute that's too similar will attract the... jealousy and fear of other substitutes, do you understand?"

Shen Yiqiu instantly understood: "Do you know the real cause of Consort Jia's death?"

Zhao Jieyu glanced coldly at Shen Yiqiu, her eyes deep and unfathomable:

"Most of the people who know about this are already dead. But I... am still alive. Shen Yiqiu, what do you think... is that?"

Shen Yiqiu instinctively became alert, her gaze quickly sweeping across the room.

Zhao Jieyu noticed her wariness:

"Don't panic. If you want me to tell you the truth, it's simple. Keep me safe, keep Xingrong safe, leave here safely, and promise never to pursue this matter again. Then I will tell you everything I know about Jiafei, about... that child."

Shen Yiqiu tightened her grip again, and blood immediately appeared:

What makes you think you still have the right to negotiate with me?

Despite the pain, Zhao Jieyu gave a strange smile:

"Just because... even if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the Crown Prince who is so devoted to you, right? What if one day he suddenly discovers that the Crown Prince position he's been so eagerly pursuing was all for someone else's benefit from the very beginning... or even he himself might be..."

"Ha, have you heard the story of the raccoon dog replacing the crown prince? If the real crown prince who was replaced were still alive, and the raccoon dog who occupied the high position was still smug... what kind of scene do you think that would be?"

A thought suddenly flashed through Shen Yiqiu's mind: Xiao Yongjing had once mentioned that Zhao Ke'er's son might not be dead... Could it be...?