Zhao Zhiyan walked closer to Xu Lingqing step by step, bent down, placed his fingertips on her chin, and gently lifted it, forcing her to tilt her head back.
The two looked at each other.
The food in Xu Lingqing's mouth was removed, and she shook her head: "No, no, Huamei is lying, Your Highness. I am devoted to you, how could I betray you? It is Huamei who is slandering me at this critical moment, she is being instructed by someone."
Hua Mei cried out in fear, "Your Highness, if you hadn't been so ruthless and wanted to kill me to silence me, how could I have betrayed you?"
Xu Lingqing was speechless, after all, Huamei knew far too much.
That bitch deserves to die.
"Yan'er, I told you long ago not to be seduced by women. They're all the same, and now she's dragged you down. Not only will you lose your throne, but you'll also be cursed by the people." Consort Rou looked at you with a mixture of disappointment and frustration.
"If you had married Song Yue back then, none of this trouble would have happened today!"
The name Song Yue stung Xu Lingqing. She tilted her head back and said, "Song Yue is the one who betrayed the Prince. She's restless. During the three years the Prince was in the north, she had already hooked up with Prince Guangjia. The annulment of the engagement was just an excuse. With Princess Jiahua backing her up, the Emperor would support whatever Song Yue wanted to do. If it weren't for her, how could the Prince have been schemed against by Princess Jiahua and the Emperor? All of this was just to make the Prince willingly give way to Prince Guangjia."
These words struck a chord with Zhao Zhiyan, who was slightly taken aback.
Even the movements of his hands became hesitant.
"Your Highness!" Xu Lingqing looked up and said, "I have something I want to say to you alone. If you don't believe me after I've finished, you can kill me. I will have no regrets!"
Zhao Zhiyan snapped out of her daze, scoffed, and stood up with disgust, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe her fingertips as if she had just felt utterly disgusted by touching her.
Xu Lingqing's expression darkened.
"Yan'er, don't listen to her nonsense. Put her under house arrest and never let her see the light of day again," said Consort Rou.
Xu Lingqing raised her head, her expression resolute: "Your Highness, everything I have said today is true. If you do not listen, there will be no chance to turn the tables."
Zhao Zhiyan scoffed and turned to leave, but Xu Lingqing immediately said, "The Emperor and Prince Guangjia won't live long at all; they'll die sooner or later. The next person to ascend the throne will definitely not be Prince Guangjia. In less than a month, there will be a war between Northern Chu and Southern Frontier!"
At this point, Zhao Zhiyan stopped in his tracks, still somewhat doubtful.
"Your Highness, the Emperor will personally lead the expedition; he will definitely go!" Xu Lingqing said urgently.
Zhao Zhiyan frowned, and after a moment of silence, said to Xu Lingqing, "Go to the study!"
"Yan'er!" Consort Rou said with some displeasure.
"Mother, it won't hurt to listen."
In the study
Xu Lingqing took a deep breath and began to recount her past life: "Your Highness may find this unbelievable, but what I am saying is all true."
Zhao Zhiyan frowned: "Is this what you wanted to say?"
“Your Highness, Song Yue and Princess Jiahua, like me, have lived two lives. Song Yue was mentally impaired for thirteen years. Her innocence was ruined by a servant, and she was forced to marry Pei Zhao by the Emperor. However, Pei Zhao loved Song Yao, a concubine’s daughter. Princess Jiahua went to marry a foreign ruler and never returned. She died the day before the war between the Southern Frontier and the Northern Chu.”
"Song Yue's brain was cured by the master of Hanguang Temple. With the Emperor's support, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion dared not resist openly, but could only bully her behind her back. When the Emperor went south, he was ambushed and rescued in time. He was seriously injured and died at the border. Not long after the news came back, Song Yue was pushed into the water and drowned."
Zhao Zhiyan's eyes flickered: "There's no way to verify these things; it's just your side of the story."
"Your Highness, how would you like to verify this?" Xu Lingqing asked.
"According to you, how did you die in your past life?"
Xu Lingqing said, "I died on the way to Japan. My cold illness flared up and there was no cure. It was the prince who brought my body back and buried me in the imperial mausoleum. He also promised me the position of empress."
"Empress?" Zhao Zhiyan murmured these two words over and over, smiling foolishly.
"Your Highness, you are the destined emperor, and you will surely be the final victor!" Xu Lingqing firmly believed that as long as the Northern Chu Emperor personally led the expedition and died at the border, the Prince of Guangjia would die soon after.
The throne still belongs to Zhao Zhiyan.
"Princess Jiahua has already returned to Northern Chu, so why does Your Majesty still need to go south?" Zhao Zhiyan asked rhetorically.
Xu Lingqing said, "The princess has lived a hard life in the southern border for thirteen years. Given the princess's meticulous nature, she will definitely persuade the emperor to go south after he regains control of the military. The emperor listens to the princess the most and will not refuse."
This explanation is barely acceptable.
“Your Highness, I also know why the Duke of Shen betrayed us. The Shen family originally had a large treasure hidden under their mansion, all of which were stolen goods obtained by the Duke of Shen from embezzling military pay. He managed to clear his name by siding with Princess Jia Hua. The Emperor must know all this.” Xu Lingqing said, “The Duke of Shen should never have been ranked among the Three Dukes. He will definitely not have a good end.”
Zhao Zhiyan gazed into the distance, lost in thought.
"Your Highness, and the Empress Dowager!" Xu Lingqing said, "The Empress Dowager keeps concubines in the harem and secretly gave birth to an illegitimate child, which was then hidden and raised in the Xu family. The identity of the Prince of Zhennan is even more suspicious. He is not the eldest son of the old Prince of Zhennan at all. The real eldest son joined the army. And then there's Han Feng!"
Mentioning Han Feng, Zhao Zhiyan narrowed his eyes: "What happened to Han Feng?"
"He is a great general, brave and resourceful, and will help the new emperor ascend the throne in the future. You must recruit Han Feng to your side."
Xu Lingqing racked her brains trying to think of someone who was useful in her past life.
They talked for a long time.
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