"Yes, Your Majesty." Chief Eunuch Yi quickly responded, swiftly pushed open the door to the inner chamber, pressed a button under the bed, then pulled out a small box and deftly handed it to the Emperor.
The Emperor opened the box himself, and inside were about a hundred sticks of incense wrapped in oiled paper...
The imperial concubine could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.
Steward Yi opened the palace door again and waved in one direction. Immediately, two guards dragged an old woman with gray hair over.
The old nanny was dressed very elegantly, with a gold hairpin in her hair, showing that she was highly regarded by the imperial concubine.
But now, as the guards held her down like a dead dog, her face was still trembling with menacing flesh, her eyes fierce, as if she were ten thousand times resentful.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine is deeply in love with you and serves you with utmost devotion. You cannot treat her like this because of someone's false accusation! She is certainly innocent!"
The Emperor laughed in exasperation, “Yes, she truly served me with utmost devotion!”
After saying that, he slammed the box down in front of her and cursed, "Is this how she serves you!"
The old nanny glanced at the box and immediately went limp, looking at the Imperial Concubine in horror, not understanding how she had been exposed.
You should know that she personally helped the Imperial Concubine arrange this matter, and there was absolutely no mistake!
Chief Steward Yi was afraid that they would upset the Emperor again, especially since the Emperor had been taking medicine before they arrived.
At this moment, he stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, long ago, everything in Ronghua Palace was under surveillance. We know exactly where the incense-making materials came from and who handled them."
"Don't try to make excuses or evade responsibility. Just confess and beg the Emperor for leniency."
The imperial concubine remained silent, her fingers digging fiercely into the cracks in the brickwork, her ears turning red, whether from anger or anxiety, it was unclear.
After a long while, when she finally raised her head, her expression had returned to calm and composed.
She raised her hand, tidied her hair, straightened the wrinkles on her skirt, and then sat down in the chair opposite the emperor.
"Since Your Majesty already knows, then I won't bother with any more trouble."
The Emperor sneered, "If we had done it this way earlier, we wouldn't have been so embarrassed just now. How could a noble consort act like a vulgar shrew!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, and Steward Yi immediately ordered the guards to escort the old woman away.
The old woman probably wanted to say something, but her jaw had been dislocated by the guards in a flash. She could only drool and make a gurgling sound as she disappeared through the doorway, her face full of resentment.
For a moment, only the Emperor, the Imperial Concubine, and Chief Eunuch Yi remained in the room.
To prevent the Consort from making any further moves, Chief Eunuch Yi stood behind the Emperor.
Perhaps knowing that she could not escape death today, the Imperial Concubine was surprisingly relaxed. She fiddled with her gold and gem-encrusted nail guards and asked casually, "When did Your Majesty discover that you were poisoned? If I'm not mistaken, it should have been when the Third Princess was startled at night, right?"
"I knew those two wretched girls would cause trouble, and I've been on guard ever since, but unfortunately I haven't been able to get rid of them."
"Especially that girl from the Li family. The Third Princess was originally extremely stupid, and it would have been too easy for her to scheme against her. But after that girl from the Li family entered the palace, she was somehow taught to see things clearly! Humph, she's lucky!"
Suppressing his anger, the Emperor replied, "Speaking of which, it's your fault for being greedy. You gave me too much medicine, making me come to your palace every day. Otherwise, I wouldn't have discovered it."
"I fear that one day I might die without even knowing that the person beside me has poisoned me. However, I have always treated you well and doted on you, as everyone in Tianwu knows."
"Even the Second Prince, I have always loved and cared for him, and have never neglected him. But why have you harbored evil intentions and are in such a hurry?"
"Hahahaha!" The imperial concubine actually threw her head back and laughed, gradually becoming somewhat deranged.
She wiped away her tears of laughter and asked sarcastically, "Yes, Your Majesty does indeed dote on me. But what is the purpose of that doting? Is it because I am close to the Empress Dowager, and you want to use me to find out the Empress Dowager's whereabouts?"
"And what's more, how dare you mention the Second Prince! Since you love him so much, why won't you make him the Crown Prince? You even want to use him as a shield and a puppet for others!"
The Emperor was taken aback, quite surprised. "You actually knew?"
"Of course!" The Imperial Concubine's expression grew even more resentful. "I've been in this palace for so many years. Even if I'm just trying to survive, I must have some tricks up my sleeve. How could I not know that a living person suddenly appeared in Xilong Pavilion, and that he was some bastard child born to the Emperor with some wild woman!"
"Your Majesty is truly cunning, deceiving the Empress Dowager, the court officials, and Tianwu for so many years! Everyone has been completely fooled by you!"
"Who knew that your son would grow up to be such a deep and thoughtful man, thanks to your teachings!"
The Emperor remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "No wonder you are like this; it turns out you know about the Xilong Pavilion."
"But that child wasn't born to me and some wild woman, he is... the eldest prince!"
"Impossible!" The Imperial Concubine was genuinely surprised this time. "Wasn't the First Prince dead long ago?"
A hint of smugness and complexity flashed in the Emperor's eyes. "Back then, the Empress Dowager suppressed the court, and the government was in chaos. I was unable to ensure that the eldest prince would grow up safely, so I had to fake his death and let him grow up outside the palace."
"Fortunately, the ancestors protected him. This child is intelligent and strong-willed. He is not only well-read and reasonable, but also insightful about the world. He is a rare talent."
"Now that Tianwu has unified the land, and with him succeeding him, a golden age can be expected in less than two years!"
"Hahaha," the imperial concubine laughed again, as if she had thought of something.
The emperor, annoyed at being interrupted from his reverie, frowned and rebuked, "What are you laughing at? Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Of course I'm afraid of dying. But I can't help but laugh!" The Imperial Concubine said with a mocking smile. "The unification of the country by Tianwu is all thanks to Marquis Xinting. He is the one who has achieved lasting merit, and the people are grateful to him!"
"A prosperous era is expected for the eldest prince. After he ascends the throne, he will surely be an emperor who will be remembered in history."
"When later generations mention you, they only think of you as a good-for-nothing who was suppressed by the Empress Dowager and a coward who was driven to Jiangnan by the barbarians and cowered there for many years!"
"Hahaha, none of this has anything to do with you. I really don't know what you're so proud of!"
Steward Yi gasped in shock and immediately knelt down, burying his head in his knees, wishing he could sew the concubine's mouth shut.
These words are not just hurtful, they're like tearing your heart out! They're like cutting the emperor's dignity into a thousand pieces and then frying it until it's crispy in a vat of oil!
The emperor's eyes were already red with anger, and the resentment he had been suppressing for so long finally erupted at this moment!
These days, he has been trying to convince himself that his cousin has supported him since childhood, been loyal and devoted, and fought on the front lines for more than a decade, enduring countless hardships and being praised by the people. It is only right that his cousin has achieved great feats that will be remembered for all time.
The eldest prince is his son and his successor. The future prosperity and peace will be his pride as a father, and he will have personally opened the door to a prosperous era!
But only he himself knew how many dark nights he sat on the dragon bed, roaring silently like a wild beast.
These should all be his!
He had endured humiliation and hardship for many years, and was finally about to rise up in triumph, but his wife had ruined his life, leaving him with only a few months to live.
A wish that seemed almost within reach, yet it slipped through my fingers by just one step...
Two updates today!
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