Song Shiwei's face turned pale as paper. She tried to remain calm and said, "Your Majesty, I am merely summoned by the Queen Mother to make the calming incense. I have only met Prince Yu a few times. How can I bear the reputation of being Prince Yu's accomplice?"
"I beg Your Majesty to investigate the truth and clear this minister's name."
The emperor sat in a chair, turning the jade ring on his thumb, silent.
Song Shiwei couldn't figure out what he was thinking, so she knelt down and looked at him cautiously.
It was cold at night. Because of the palace banquet and the Empress Dowager's constant calls in the Cining Palace that she was an accomplice, the Ministry of Internal Affairs naturally did not dare to send her charcoal. Song Shiwei could only curl up in the quilt to keep warm at night.
At first she was frightened by the emperor and she didn't notice it. Now that she came to her senses, she felt the chill and her body couldn't help shaking.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke: "I don't believe you are Prince Yu's accomplice, but..."
Hearing him say that, Song Shiwei's eyes just brightened with joy, but she saw the emperor lower his eyes, his deep eyes hiding a bit of inquiry: "If, as you said, you were just making the calming incense for the empress dowager, then why did she frame you and put you to death?"
Song Shiwei's eyes narrowed slightly, and she recalled the words of the palace maid who had delivered the message before. She licked her lips continuously and said hesitantly, "Because...this servant knows some of her secrets."
"secret?"
Having opened the conversation, the rest was much easier to say. Song Shiwei spat out the words all at once, like spitting out beans: "Your Majesty, at first I only mixed the incense to soothe the spirits. Later, the Queen Mother, perhaps because she liked it, ordered me to mix... aphrodisiac incense."
Her voice became lower and lower as she spoke later. If the emperor had not been so close, he probably would not have been able to hear the three words "aphrodisiac fragrance".
The emperor naturally knew about the empress dowager's debauchery, so it was not impossible for him to drag her into this matter.
"Can you see who it is?"
Song Shiwei was thinking about that person, but she shook her head: "This servant is only responsible for mixing the perfume. The only ones who serve the Queen Mother are Qiu Yi and Shuang Ning."
The emperor's eyes darkened. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Why did Jiang Zhaorong adopt you as his adopted daughter?"
He changed the subject so quickly that Song Shiwei was stunned for a moment before she spoke cautiously, "My father lost his life saving him, and my mother also died of illness. I have no relatives left at home, so to repay his kindness, he adopted me as his adopted daughter."
Song Shiwei felt uneasy. The emperor asked casually, then continued, "You and Zhiyu have lived together for nearly ten years, so you should know her well. Do you think Zhiyu is different now than before?"
What's the meaning?
Song Shiwei's eyebrows raised slightly, and then he pulled it down forcefully.
What the emperor meant by this was that he was suspicious of Jiang Zhiyu?
She cleared her throat and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not speak rashly in front of you, but the changes in the young fish are indeed great."
"Let alone her extraordinary medical skills and martial arts prowess, which I have never seen before in this mansion, Zhiyu's current behavior is completely different from before."
"She used to be very filial and never contradicted her elders. But now, His Majesty must not have heard of her. When my grandmother was still alive, she even slapped her."
Song Shiwei looked heartbroken. A hint of sarcasm flashed in the emperor's eyes, and he hummed lightly.
Hearing the doubt in his tone, afraid that he might not believe it, Song Shiwei added: "Everyone in the palace knows it. Your Majesty can go and question him. This is definitely not just nonsense from your humble servant."
The emperor said nothing, but his face looked very dark.
Song Shiwei tried her best to suppress the corners of her mouth that were curling up wildly. The emperor also knew that if he didn't leave, she would probably laugh out loud in front of him.
The emperor considerately stood up and left, leaving her alone in ecstasy.
When Fuping saw the emperor come out, he followed the emperor obediently and did not dare to speak.
The emperor rubbed his eyebrows as he walked.
Song Shiwei's identity is different, and it is possible that she is the romantic debt that Jiang Zhaorong owes outside. But even if she is Jiang Zhaorong's biological daughter, Jiang Zhaorong should not be so partial to her.
He coughed lightly, and Fu Ping came forward: "Your Majesty? Are you cold?"
"I'm fine. Go to the Imperial Prison and find the Captain. I have something for him to do," Fu Ping replied. Just as he was about to leave, the emperor said, "Tell him to send more people to watch Jiang Zhaorong. Report every detail of who he meets and what he does."
…
Inside the mansion, Jiang Zhaorong's face turned ashen.
He sat at the desk, his eyes deep and his mouth tight.
I was too impatient and exposed the secret agent who had been planted in the palace for many years. As a prince, if Xiao Yanli really wanted to pass on the message, would he not have someone to help him?
It was obvious that he was testing me, but I didn't think too much about it and just told him.
As expected, he is the one who finally sits in that position. His deep thoughts are evident from it.
He sighed lightly, picked up the letter on the desk, and read it word by word.
But my thoughts drifted away into the distance.
When the emperor first ascended the throne, the government and the country were in turmoil. Because the previous emperor was obsessed with immortality and ignored state affairs, corrupt officials were rampant and the people were living in dire straits. Some people then came up with the idea of restoring the previous dynasty.
The princess and prince who managed to escape from the palace became the hot cakes pursued by various forces.
Jiang Zhaorong didn't know how they dispersed. He was leading his elite troops back to the city at that time, but was shot by these people along the way. Thinking it was an ambush set by the enemy, he killed them all. Finally, when he was about to leave, he heard the baby girl's crying.
Jiang Zhaorong picked her up and learned the baby girl's true identity from what was stuffed in the swaddling clothes. He was hesitant at first, but that was a treasure from the previous dynasty!
The situation in Beijing was like a pool of muddy water, with no clear direction. At this moment, Jiang Zhaorong would naturally not bring back a baby girl of unknown origin and attract everyone's attention.
So Jiang Zhaorong hid the baby girl from everyone and gave her to his confidant's wife, who was also his mistress: Du Wen, to raise.
To avoid any complications, Jiang Zhaorong lied to her and said that this was his biological daughter.
At that time, Du Wen had just given birth. Although she was unhappy, she endured it in the end because of Jiang Zhaorong's words: I will marry her as my wife after the war is quelled.
However, accidents happened frequently and she had to take care of two children alone. Jiang Zhaorong was afraid that spies would find her, so he cut off contact with her. Her husband followed Jiang Zhaorong around everywhere, and letters from home would only come once every ten days or half a month.
Without a source of income, her situation became increasingly difficult. Due to the cold winter weather, both of her children caught a cold. When she ran down the mountain carrying the two children, one of them had already died.
The other one was also difficult to keep.
After hearing about this, Jiang Zhaorong took time out to visit her at night.
After confirming that the living child was indeed the princess of the previous dynasty, Jiang Zhaorong finally felt relieved. He spoke sweet words to her again and comforted her before leaving.
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