Chapter 196 Xie Yunyu's Deduction

While rubbing the wound, Xie Yunyu asked, "Did His Majesty often punish you by making you kneel before?"

Xiao Ling was in low spirits and shook her head in reply:

"Never before, this is the first time."

My uncle felt sorry for me because of my poor health, so he never punished me. If I did something wrong, he would at most say a few words to me.

Xie Yunyu asked in bewilderment, "Then why today?"

Xiao Ling said with a strange expression, "That's why I'm so frustrated, I don't know why."

I went to plead for the Crown Prince, and as soon as I explained my purpose, His Majesty ordered me to go outside and kneel down with the Crown Prince.

Xie Yunyu looked puzzled: "Then why was the Crown Prince punished?"

"Would you believe me if I said that even the Crown Prince himself doesn't know?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ling's words, Xie Yunyu stopped what she was doing.

"What do you mean he doesn't even know himself?"

Xiao Ling repeated what the Crown Prince had told him, then asked Xie Yunyu:

"Did the Crown Prince say something wrong?"

Xie Yunyu thought carefully and shook her head: "No."

Faced with such a bizarre situation, Xie Yunyu's little brain couldn't figure it out for a while.

She started rummaging through the melodramatic plots she had seen in her past life, trying to see which ones matched up.

Xiao Ling sighed and said, "Ever since His Majesty was poisoned, he has only had a poor complexion, but his emotions have remained stable."

"Since the recent deployment of troops, his mood has been extremely poor, like a completely different person."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunyu suddenly had a flash of inspiration and replied with:

"Perhaps it's just a different person?"

Xiao Ling's expression hardened upon hearing this: "What do you mean?"

"Think about His Majesty's recent behavior. If he's in a bad mood, it's understandable."

But if lifestyle habits or small actions change, then it might mean that the person has changed completely.

Because it's impossible for everything to change suddenly.

Unless it wasn't him.

Xiao Ling's heart suddenly started pounding.

Because what Xie Yunyu said was very likely, but it was impossible for things to change so drastically overnight.

Xie Yunyu continued, "Besides, you see, the Crown Prince was talking about the northern border, and he didn't say anything wrong."

Why is His Majesty so angry for no reason?

If that person wasn't His Majesty at all, but rather Prince Rui or someone else from the Northern Territory in disguise, wouldn't that make sense?

Xiao Ling suddenly sat up straight, his expression chillingly cold.

"While the Crown Prince and I were kneeling, His Majesty summoned the Third Prince and invited him to have a meal in the palace."

Xie Yunyu then said, "Don't we suspect that the Third Prince is the child of Consort Rong and Prince Rui?"

Could it be Prince Rui?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling closed his eyes briefly, finally managing to suppress the anger rising in his chest.

"Very likely."

Xie Yunyu pulled down the trousers on his legs and asked:

"So what are you going to do?"

"Let's go find Mother."

After Xiao Ling finished speaking, he put on his boots, grabbed Xie Yunyu, and ran towards the Princess's residence next door.

The Duke of Qi had not yet returned, and only the eldest princess was lying under the eaves of the courtyard, enjoying the cool air.

Seeing the two of them rushing over, Xiao Ling was still somewhat disheveled.

Startled, she sat up abruptly from the rocking chair, and the maid beside her quickly helped her up.

"Ling'er, what's wrong with you...?"

Xiao Ling was panting heavily and looked extremely pale, leading the princess to believe that something serious had happened.

But Xiao Ling said, "Mother, I have something important to tell you."

The eldest princess, not understanding why, stood up.

Xie Yunyu, panting, stepped forward to support the princess and said:

"Mother, this is of great importance. Dismiss the servants."

With a wave of her hand, the princess dismissed the servants and sent them away.

But Xiao Ling was still worried and said to the eldest princess:

"Mother, please move to the study."

The princess's suspicions grew, and without understanding why, she followed the two men to the study, dismissing everyone else.

Xiao Ling whispered to the Princess:

"Mom, have you noticed that Uncle has been acting strangely lately?"

The eldest princess nodded blankly: "Yes, it is quite unusual."

"Have you observed your uncle's habits up close? Have they changed a lot?"

The eldest princess lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Recently, I've suddenly stopped liking Junzhen tea and prefer a strong rock tea instead."

Xiao Ling's expression grew increasingly solemn:

"Mother, we suspect that person is not His Majesty at all."

"What?"

The eldest princess was terrified.

Xiao Ling swiftly stepped forward and covered the princess's mouth.

After a moment of surprise, the princess gradually came to her senses.

She noticed her son covering his mouth, glared at him, and pushed his hand away.

Then he looked around the study and opened the window to look outside.

He closed the window, looked at Xiao Ling with a serious expression, and said:

Tell me in detail.

Xie Yunyu helped the princess sit down, and then gently recounted their analysis to her.

Finally, she said, "Mother, as we analyzed before, Prince Rui has a clone, and it's hard to tell the real one from the fake."

His clone has maintained contact with so many women over the years, but he has never been seen through.

This suggests that he has a highly skilled individual by his side who is adept at disguise and creating clones.

The eldest princess remained silent, lost in thought, reflecting on the emperor's recent strange behavior.

Many details, such as his previous preference for wearing subdued colors in everyday clothes, have recently led him to consistently wear bright yellow imperial robes.

I used to enjoy incense, but lately, I'm not allowed to light any incense at the office.

When she recently visited the Imperial Study, it no longer had the familiar feel of the past.

She thought the emperor was just upset and didn't want to smell the fragrance.

If that person wasn't the emperor...

The eldest princess fell into deep thought.

Xie Yunyu spoke up, "If someone were impersonating His Majesty, would that person be Prince Rui?"

Xiao Ling finally relaxed and found a chair to sit down.

"It might be him, or it might not be him. But the probability of it being him is extremely high."

The eldest princess then spoke up:

"I'll take your grandmother with me tomorrow so we can get a closer look."

Then, frowning, he asked, "If His Majesty has replaced someone, when and how was that done?"

One question stumped the two, and the three of them stared at each other in bewilderment.

None of the three could answer this question.

After a long silence, Xie Yunyu spoke up: "We should start with Consort Rong in this matter."

The eldest princess and Xiao Ling looked up at her.

Xie Yunyu continued, "Could the emperor have been replaced so quietly in the palace without any inside help?"

We are basically certain that Consort Rong is the one who colluded with Prince Rui, so she is the prime suspect.

If we want to make a breakthrough in this matter, we have to investigate from her.

Xiao Ling asked, "Mother, have you seen Consort Rong recently?"

The eldest princess shook her head: "She has always been monitored by people sent by the empress. I have not interfered in the affairs of the inner palace."

Xie Yunyu said, "Mother, why don't you go to Chunhua Palace for a visit tomorrow?"

The eldest princess nodded.

None of the three slept well that night.

The next morning, the eldest princess forced the Qi state to take leave so that he could stay home and look after his grandson.

The three of them entered the palace together.

The eldest princess went directly to the Taiji Palace to see the Empress Dowager, while Xie Yunyu and Xiao Ling went to the East Palace.

The prince looked extremely listless, his aura was low, and he had dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept well the night before.

After exchanging greetings, Xie Yunyu sat down and drank tea.

Xiao Ling dismissed everyone and then whispered something in the Crown Prince's ear for a long time.

The crown prince's expression went from gloomy at first, to shock, to disbelief.

Finally, in a panic, she pushed Xiao Ling away:

"This...this is impossible..."

Xiao Ling had basically accepted this fact after last night, so he seemed somewhat calm.

"Think about it yourself."

For the next half hour, the crown prince did not utter a single word.

He paced back and forth on the ground, appearing very anxious.

Then, every now and then, he would turn to look at Xiao Ling and ask:

"Could it be that you're overthinking it?"

After a while, he seemed to think of something else and shook his head.

After a while, he gradually calmed down and went back to his seat to think deeply.

Half an hour later, the crown prince finally calmed down.