Lu Xiaoyun barely ate anything. Not only was the Imperial Kitchen's cooking far inferior to that of the chefs at Prince An's residence, but the old emperor's hypocritical face also made it impossible for her to swallow.
Seeing Lu Xiaoyun's appearance, the Empress Dowager knew that she hadn't eaten well and that the relationship between her and her father was deteriorating day by day. She sighed softly.
He hurriedly ordered the palace servants guarding outside the hall to bring over some snacks and hot soup.
Before long, the palace maids took out several kinds of pastries and cakes from the small kitchen, served porridge and minced meat soup, and then left.
The Empress Dowager pushed the pastries in front of Lu Xiaoyun: "These are new pastries from the Imperial Kitchen. Try a couple of bites."
Lu Xiaoyun hadn't eaten much at the Emperor's place. She picked up a damp cloth from the side, washed her hands, and then ate a few pieces.
The pastries were exquisitely made and melted in the mouth, so Lu Xiaoyun couldn't help but eat a few more pieces.
The Empress Dowager was filled with mixed emotions when she saw that she had devoured a small plate of pastries in no time.
This father and son have somehow ended up like this.
"You've been away for ten years. Your grandmother knows you're a good child. Even when you're hurt or wronged, you don't want to tell anyone."
Lu Xiaoyun smiled faintly.
After a long while, the Empress Dowager said again, "Yu'er, I know all the grievances you have suffered over the years. But I still have to say, don't blame your father, you are father and son."
Lu Xiaoyun didn't speak, she just nodded. The Emperor and Consort Duan treated Zhu Yu that way, and she had no right to forgive Zhu Yu on behalf of the original owner, nor did she have the right to forgive his father and mother on behalf of Zhu Yu.
As parents, they really shouldn't have done that.
Seeing Yu'er lower his head and remain silent, the Empress Dowager knew that the grudge between the father and son would not be easily resolved. She was old, and if this matter was not addressed, would it really come to the point where father and son became enemies?
The Great Zhou Dynasty was established only a few decades ago; it couldn't withstand the test of time.
The Empress Dowager hesitated, then said, "Your father has his reasons."
Lu Xiaoyun looked up at the Empress Dowager, puzzled.
The Empress Dowager's gaze remained fixed on Lu Xiaoyun's face: "How much do you know about your mother's background?"
Lu Xiaoyun asked, puzzled, "Mother, weren't you born into a merchant family?"
The Empress Dowager sighed heavily, and after a long while, she murmured, "Your mother was a princess of the previous dynasty."
"What!" Lu Xiaoyun jumped up in shock, all the color draining from her face.
A princess from the previous dynasty!
Consort Duan was actually a princess from the previous dynasty!
Did Zhu Yu know about this?
If you knew, how did he get to where he is today all these years?
How did he face the Emperor and his mother?
How could the old emperor marry a princess from the previous dynasty as his concubine? When Consort Duan first entered the palace, she was the most favored concubine. If the old emperor knew this, why would he still dote on her so much?
Why?
She even gave birth to a prince!
This doesn't make any sense at all.
“Father…he…” Lu Xiaoyun felt her throat churning.
There was only one thought in my mind: Did Zhu Yu know?
The Empress Dowager sighed heavily: "Your father didn't know at first. It wasn't until you were five years old that the secret guards brought news of your mother's background. The Qi family of the previous dynasty was the imperial surname, and your mother's surname was Bi, which was taken from your maternal grandmother's surname."
“Back then, when your grandfather and I stormed into the capital, your maternal grandmother was already more than a month pregnant.”
"Your imperial grandfather only imprisoned the royal family members; he did not kill them all. But the last emperor of the previous dynasty, who was also your maternal grandfather, could not be allowed to live."
"Your imperial grandfather ordered him to be buried in the imperial mausoleum of the previous dynasty. All the concubines in the harem who had children were imprisoned, while those who did not were dismissed. Your maternal grandmother was just a palace maid at the time, and she was sent away along with the concubines who had not borne children."
"That concubine's maternal family was the wealthiest in the previous dynasty, and your maternal grandmother was her dowry maid. Due to her own health reasons, she could not conceive, so she gave the imperial favor to her maid, your maternal grandmother. Therefore, that concubine knew very well whose child your maternal grandmother was carrying, and she always protected it carefully, even giving all of her maternal family's assets to the unborn child."
"They thought it was a boy in her womb, and planned to use their vast wealth and resources to secretly train troops in the Lingnan region, hoping to make a comeback. But unexpectedly, your maternal grandmother gave birth to a girl. The concubine and your maternal grandmother were deeply shocked. Seeing no hope of restoring the country, they both died of depression not long after."
"The soldiers haven't been trained either."
Lu Xiaoyun grew increasingly alarmed as she listened, her clenched hands trembling slightly: "Then, does my mother know about her own background?"
It was not uncommon for a new dynasty to take women from the former dynasty's harem as concubines, but taking princesses from the previous dynasty was absolutely forbidden.
The Empress Dowager shook her head: "I'm afraid she doesn't know. This matter was extremely secretive. The concubine was afraid of being discovered, so she openly betrothed your maternal grandmother to a servant in her household, a mute servant, and said that the child in her belly was that servant's."
"In reality, they killed the mute slave shortly after faking the marriage, and then deliberately made some noise to create the appearance of premature birth."
Lu Xiaoyun's voice was terribly hoarse: "Then how did Father Emperor find out about Mother's background?"
The Empress Dowager said, "The Bi family is a prominent family in Lingnan, so it's impossible to keep this matter completely hidden. However, that concubine and your maternal grandmother are indeed remarkable people. Apart from themselves, very few other people know about this."
"And what about them now..."
"Your father has taken care of everything."
The Empress Dowager grabbed Lu Xiaoyun's hand again. Her hand was even colder than before, and it trembled slightly as she held it: "So, Yu'er, don't blame your father. He had no choice. If he could, he should have dealt with you and your mother the moment he learned about your mother's background."
“In this vast palace, people die every day. For an emperor, the death of a concubine and an infant is not a difficult thing. But he did not.”
"Yu'er, don't blame your father for neglecting you for the past eighteen years. He's not happy either. Consort Duan was the woman he once deeply loved, and you are his son. How could he bring himself to do that? But, Yu'er, you also have the blood of the previous dynasty flowing in your veins."
Lu Xiaoyun nodded stiffly.
"The bloodline of the former royal family all have a fire fox birthmark on their buttocks, you should have seen it before."
Lu Xiaoyun then remembered that on the second day after she transmigrated, when she took a bath, she did see a fire fox birthmark, about the size of a baby's palm, when she looked in the mirror.
The place was secluded, and when Zhu Yu was young, the birthmark was very small, and its color should not have been as dark as it is now, so the palace staff did not notice it.
Tears streamed down the Empress Dowager's face; she had kept this matter hidden in her heart for far too long.
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