Chapter 342 The So-Called Truth
Shen Cong slowly shook his head.
"On the night the Imperial Concubine's bedchamber caught fire, there were too many people entering and leaving the palace. I've had Erfeng secretly investigate these past few days, but we haven't found any useful clues."
Moreover, I really can't understand what my elder brother's true purpose was in hiding that child.
At this point, he put down the memorial in his hand, rubbed his forehead, and raised an eyebrow at Li Nanke.
Her eyes held a hint of a smile.
"Aren't you good at divination? Why don't you do a divination and see?"
Li Nanke glared at him, her little face scrunched up like a steamed bun.
Shen Cong knew perfectly well that the divination was just a pretense, but he still deliberately teased her!
She puffed out her cheeks, stretched out her little hands, closed her eyes, and made some hand gestures to calculate.
Then he sighed and said, "The gods say that heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."
Shen Cong chuckled and raised his hand to tap her forehead from a distance.
"They've really grown quite capable."
Li Nanke's smile faded slightly. "I came to see Ninth Brother today because I received some news."
Ninth Brother knows that I have been having Yunqi Tower secretly gather information. Huang Sheng came over early this morning and said that there have been frequent rumors circulating in the city recently.
Rumor has it that the late emperor did indeed leave behind a will bequeathing the throne to you, Ninth Brother.
Shen Cong's expression changed slightly.
"Rumors circulating in the marketplace?"
Li Nanke nodded.
"Yes, I've had people inquiring from various sources before, but to no avail. But recently, rumors have suddenly started circulating, it's like..."
Shen Cong interjected, "It seems like someone deliberately arranged this?"
"Yes, that's right, it feels like someone deliberately arranged it."
Shen Cong smiled slightly.
"It's me!"
Li Nanke gasped, her eyes widening in confusion.
After a moment's thought, he realized what was happening.
"Ninth Brother, are you testing His Majesty?"
Shen Cong gave a soft "hmm".
Li Nanke moved closer to Shen Cong and subconsciously lowered her voice.
"So the will is true?"
"Um."
Li Nanke stared in disbelief, remaining silent for a long time before muttering, "It seems that what Prince Chen said when he was captured wasn't a lie."
When Prince Chen was arrested, he said that the late emperor had left behind a will.
He also said that the blood curse on Shen Cong was placed by the emperor.
"Ninth Brother, are you... are you alright?"
She cautiously observed Shen Cong's expression, remembering how he had previously refused to accept that the emperor might be the culprit who had harmed him.
The two even had an argument about it.
Shen Cong lowered his eyes, his fingers fiddling with his sleeve. After a moment, he looked up, a bitter smile spreading across his face.
"Actually, I had already suspected it, but I just refused to believe it! There are many things that I find suspicious when I think about them."
Li Nanke, "For example?"
This time, Shen Cong remained silent for an even longer time. Just as Li Nanke thought he didn't want to talk and was about to change the subject, he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse.
"When my father passed away, my elder brother hastily ascended the throne. Not long after, the Duke of Zhenguo led his troops into the capital, and we re-entered the capital."
After entering the capital, the relationship between my elder brother and my mother became very strange. I heard my elder brother and my mother arguing more than once.
The most intense incident involved the emperor smashing things in the empress dowager's palace, angrily declaring that he would find them one day!
When talking about his childhood, Shen Cong slowly bent his legs and hugged his knees.
He was very tense.
Li Nanke put down the hand warmer, got up and sat down next to him.
Shen Cong glanced at her and continued, "At that time, I didn't understand what my brother was looking for. After he left, I even ran to ask my mother what my brother was looking for."
Why won't Mother give it to my brother? Mother didn't speak, she just held me in her arms and cried very sadly.
Now that I think about it, what my elder brother was looking for must have been the imperial edict left by our father!
Although the Empress Dowager took the imperial edict from Prime Minister Lü, she did not give it to the Emperor!
But for the emperor, the existence of this edict meant that his ascension to the throne was illegitimate!
Li Nanke said, "Is the Empress Dowager afraid that His Majesty will harm you after the imperial edict is handed over?"
Shen Cong took a deep breath and nodded gently.
"My mother never said anything to me until that day..."
Shen Cong's face was as pale as paper, and his hand on his knee suddenly trembled, then clenched into a fist.
Li Nanke instinctively hugged his fist with her small hands.
His hands were ice-cold; the moment you touched them, a chill ran through your entire body from your fingers.
Li Nanke's fingers trembled slightly, then she hugged him tighter, trying to transfer the warmth of her palm to his hand.
Shen Cong seemed oblivious.
He was completely absorbed in his memories.
"That day was the hundredth day since the death of my father. My mother held a banquet in the palace and had my five elder brothers, who were already imprisoned in the imperial prison, brought over as well."
We said that the late emperor only left us seven sons, so having a meal together would be a way to comfort his spirit in heaven.
During that meal, my mother told me many funny stories about my brothers and me when I was a child.
The emperor seemed a little impatient, listening indifferently until finally a dish of white fungus and lotus seed soup was served.
My elder brother said that Mother has been irritable lately, and asked me to personally serve her a bowl of soup, which I did as he instructed.
When the soup was served to my mother, she suddenly burst into tears. She cried very sadly and then hugged me, telling me to trust my brother wholeheartedly.
My mother said that I was raised by my elder brother, and he loves me the most. He will take care of me for the rest of his life.
After saying this, the Empress Dowager drank the bowl of soup in one gulp, and then…”
Shen Cong's body suddenly trembled violently, and he curled up tightly, as if trying to wrap himself up.
puff.
A mouthful of bright red blood was spat onto the snow-white carpet, so bright red it was glaring!
"Ninth Brother!"
Li Nanke jumped up in fright, "Uncle Erfeng, quickly call Mr. Guiliu!"
"No...no need!"
Shen Cong pulled her back, leaning against the soft couch behind him. His face was so pale it was almost transparent, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine, no need to call Gui Liu."
"But you're vomiting blood."
Li Nanke stamped his feet in frustration.
Shen Cong closed his eyes, slowly exhaled, but his hand tightly gripped her wrist.
Seeing his stubbornness, Li Nanke had no choice but to squat down and wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief.
Shen Cong glanced at her, but his eyes showed no anxiety; instead, they were blank and empty, and his voice was ethereal.
"Then I also fainted, and when I woke up, I was told that my mother and several of my brothers were all gone."
They're all gone, all gone!
Tears streamed down his face as Shen Cong slowly closed his eyes.
"They all say that I poisoned the soup, that I killed the Empress Dowager, and that I killed several of my brothers!"
The court officials submitted petitions one after another, demanding that His Majesty punish me, but His Majesty withstood all the pressure, saying that I was young and had only been used, and that he would teach me well in the future, and also said…”
Shen Cong stared at his hands, clenched them into fists, and kept pounding his head.
"It was me! I killed Mother with my own hands! If I hadn't served her that bowl of soup, she wouldn't be in this situation..."
Li Nanke burst into tears upon hearing this and couldn't help but hug Shen Cong.
"Stop talking, Ninth Brother, I know everything!"
So this is the truth behind the so-called fratricide and matricide!
Ninth Brother was only eight years old back then!
An eight-year-old child brought a bowl of soup to his mother, only to be told that his mother had been poisoned by the soup!
How much pain and self-blame he must have felt!
Even in the countless days and nights of his life afterward, he would never stop remembering that bowl of soup, remembering that he had personally killed his mother!
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