She was terrified and went to find the man again. He offered to take her away from the palace, but she refused.
She said she didn't want to leave because after seeing the extravagance of the palace, she could no longer stand the filth and poverty of the countryside.
It's important to know that she actually took the place of a well-off woman from a respectable family to gain the opportunity to enter the palace.
She had originally hoped to win the emperor's favor, but after entering the palace, she discovered that the harem was full of beauties, and someone like her was like a blade of grass on the ground.
The emperor would never give her a second glance.
But she never expected that the burrowing rat would agree to help her climb into the dragon's bed!
So, with the help of the burrowing rat, one night he actually created the illusion that the emperor was drunk and forced himself on her, and successfully gave birth to the child.
For a period of time before King Xiao turned six, this burrowing rat would frequently come to the palace to see him.
This is also why King Xiao met him.
However, this man was so ugly that his face was like that of a demon, with terrifying scars covering his entire face. Apart from his sharp, hawk-like eyes, she could not see anything else.
Therefore, if she were to describe the man's appearance, she would find it difficult to put into words.
To her relief, King Xiao was very handsome. He didn't look much like her, and she didn't know if he resembled the man before his disfigurement.
She couldn't imagine what the man would look like before he was disfigured, but now he was utterly hideous.
After spending a night of tender time with the burrowing rat, he quietly left, carrying with him her request.
*
A few days later.
Xiao Ye's men quickly located the two women in Xiao Wang's residence.
One night, he and Su Liluo, along with their guards, drugged everyone in Prince Xiao's courtyard, found two palace maids, and took them to the secret dungeon of his own residence.
"Too...Prince!"
When the palace maid woke up, she looked at Xiao Ye and the others standing in front of her in horror.
She had served Consort Liu as a first-class palace maid, so she naturally recognized the Crown Prince.
The two women looked around and realized it was a dungeon; they were so frightened they almost peed themselves.
Is the prince planning to kill them?
"You two---"
Xiao Ye was about to tell them to stay in the dungeon for a few years and that he wouldn't torture them. He said that as long as they behaved well, he would give them a drug to make them mute and a large sum of money to let them go.
Before he could even speak, the two palace maids immediately interrupted him in a panic.
"Your Highness, we were forced into this by Prince Xiao! If we don't reveal your true identity, Prince Xiao will kill us! Please, Your Highness, have mercy and spare our lives!"
"Your Highness, we are unwilling to testify for Prince Xiao, but he has threatened us with his life, so we really have no choice!"
What did you just say?
Xiao Ye narrowed his sharp eyes, suppressing his shock, and looked at the two palace maids in disbelief.
They seemed to have just been talking about their own background. Is there some secret about his background?
Why did King Xiao still want to make a fuss about this?
Suddenly, a bad feeling arose in his heart.
Upon hearing this, Su Liluo, who was standing to the side, also looked nervously at the two women.
Having experienced the mystery of her own complicated background, when she overheard the palace maid's words, she naturally guessed that Xiao Ye's background was probably not simple.
Isn't Xiao Ye the emperor's son?
So whose son is he?
Was it born to the Empress and someone else, or...?
In an instant, a variety of guesses came to mind.
"We said we were threatened by His Highness Prince Xiao, and we originally planned to keep this secret to ourselves and were even preparing to escape from the capital..."
The two of them explained the whole story to Xiao Ye and the others.
After listening, Xiao Ye remained silent for a long time.
Actually, there's no need to prove the truth of their words; he now knows why the Empress wanted him to kill these people—it's most likely true.
However, he still had a slight doubt: if he wasn't the Empress's son, whose was he?
Is he the emperor's son?
Over the years, the Empress has treated him well, always regarding him as her own son. She has also nurtured him meticulously and secretly provided him with connections and influence, enabling him to establish a powerful organization in the martial arts world behind the Emperor's back.
In his heart, regardless of whether there was a blood relation, the Empress was his mother.
"My husband."
Just then, Su Liluo gently shook his arm, pulling him back to reality.
She looked at him with clear eyes, "The most urgent matter is not the truth, but that Prince Xiao is intentionally using this to deal with us. Judging from what they said, that Zi Xing seems to be in Prince Xiao's mansion now."
Now that they're working together again, we must strike first. I think it would be better to release them both and use their scheme against them.”
After all, judging from the Empress's reaction, it was true. If they were guilty and tried to cover it up, it would be easy for people to find fault with them.
It would be better to get involved directly, seize the initiative, and keep the enemy in the open while we remain hidden – that would be the best-case scenario.
"Yes, you're right."
Xiao Ye and Su Liluo shared the same idea, so after giving instructions to the two palace maids, Su Liluo gave them a poison to control them just in case, and then quietly sent them back to the Xiao Prince's Mansion.
That night, no one in Prince Xiao's mansion noticed anything amiss.
*
The next day.
Xiao Ye and Su Liluo entered the palace. Not wanting to create a rift with the Empress, he decided to personally confess to her that he already knew the truth.
"Mother, I have found the two palace maids you asked me to find."
Xiao Ye first calmly reported the situation to the Empress.
"It's been taken care of."
The Empress's expression remained unchanged; she did not notice anything amiss with Xiao Ye.
She rubbed her forehead wearily, about to say that she wasn't feeling well and wanted them to go home so she could get some rest.
Before she could even speak, Xiao Ye's next words instantly put her to work.
"Mother, those two palace maids, in their panic and fear, revealed all the secrets they knew, and I know them now."
"What did you say?"
The Empress opened her mouth in surprise and looked at Xiao Ye in a daze.
Xiao Ye's gaze was gentle, and his expression towards the Empress still carried the affection between mother and son.
"Is there anything your mother wants to say to me?"
He asked casually.
The Empress was stunned for a long time before waving her hand to dismiss the palace servants.
"Now that things have come to this, it seems there's no need to hide it any longer. You guessed right, I am indeed not your biological mother. As for your biological mother, she is already dead."
The Empress glanced at Xiao Ye with a sorrowful look in her eyes.
Xiao Ye felt a slight pang of pain in his heart.
Even though he had long suspected that his mother was no longer alive and that he had never spent a single day with her, he still couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache upon hearing this affirmative answer.
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