Chapter 687: The Emperor's Grandson Xie Chen'an
Originally, when Cao Dejiang mentioned Feng, the eunuch who served beside the late emperor, many people were confused.
When they saw Emperor An looking at Feng Lai with a distorted expression, many people suddenly remembered that before Emperor An ascended the throne, this eunuch who was now the chief eunuch in front of the emperor had been a close servant of the late emperor. However, he later followed Emperor An loyally and people had forgotten this matter.
Feng Lai stepped forward calmly and said, "When I was young, I was protected by the late Crown Prince and even more so by the Empress Dowager. Although I dare not disobey the late Emperor's will, I cannot bear to see the late Crown Prince's bloodline cut off in the palace. Therefore, I took the risk to erase all traces of Cao Gong's entry into the palace and cover up the incident."
"I personally witnessed Xu Yu being taken out of the palace by Lord Cao. I also saw Lord Cao replace the remains of Xu Yu and the Emperor's eldest grandson with the corpses of two eunuchs from the inner court. Afterwards, the late Emperor ordered an investigation of the remains, and it was I who obfuscated the abnormality of the eunuch and concealed it from the palace."
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
"So, the emperor's eldest grandson is really still alive?"
"He actually escaped?"
"This... Xiao Yan is actually the emperor's eldest grandson..."
Someone brought Xu Yu in from outside at some point. When he entered and stood in front of the crowd, he revealed his face, which looked particularly hideous after being burned.
"This old servant, Xu Yu, was originally a close attendant to the late Crown Prince. Back when His Royal Highness was still alive, I also walked around the palace and met many dignitaries in the court."
Everyone looked at his face. Although it was half destroyed, many old people in the court could still see that he looked familiar if they looked closely.
only……
The King of England said in a deep voice, "Who knows if they found you to be someone who looks like Xu Yu?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yu said respectfully, "Not long after the late emperor ascended the throne, King Ying was ordered by Taizu to be in charge of the tax distribution, but he got drunk and messed up, causing a huge mess."
"Both Taizu and the late Emperor wanted to punish you, but it was the young Crown Prince who interceded for you and accompanied you out of the palace for three months to appease the people. Afterwards, to express your gratitude to the Crown Prince, you personally carved a red jadeite ornament depicting a dragon and a phoenix as a gift to the Crown Prince to congratulate him on his wedding to the Crown Princess."
The old prince argued: "Many people knew about this back then."
Xu Yu: "Then you borrowed 50,000 silver coins privately from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
"Back then, the Second Prince of Southern Qi came to the capital to meet with Taizu. He bullied your eldest son into gambling with someone, causing trouble. It was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who intervened to settle the matter for you. Later, when you returned the money, you included a dagger with a dragon pattern, saying it was a full-moon gift for the Emperor's eldest grandson."
Old Prince Ying's eyes widened: "You..."
More than twenty years had passed since this incident. At that time, Taizu was at the peak of his power and the crown prince was popular. Even the Southern Qi Dynasty was inferior to the Wei Dynasty.
The second prince of Southern Qi came to the capital to ask for the hand of a princess of Wei in order to form an alliance with Wei, but was rejected by Taizu. The second prince then wanted to embarrass Wei and provoked a group of royal family members to gamble with him. His eldest son was young and frivolous at that time and fell into the trap. Later, the crown prince stepped in to settle the matter.
He had painstakingly found the dragon-patterned dagger, and he was truly grateful when he presented it to the prince. However, only he and the prince knew about this, and he had never told anyone else.
Xu Yu whispered, "I used to be in charge of the Eastern Palace's private treasury for the Crown Prince, so I've seen that dagger. When the Emperor's eldest grandson was beginning his martial arts training, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince gave him the dagger. Later, he even showed it to Emperor Taizu."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Liang Guangyi.
"Grand Tutor Liang, on your mother's eightieth birthday, I sent her a pair of exquisite porcelain pillows with jade handles on behalf of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Your young master mischievously broke one of the corners, and Madam Liang smiled and said it was all fine. She then gave me a gold cake as a token of consolation. Do you still remember this?"
Liang Guangyi pursed his lips as he looked at the man standing in the hall. His eyes swept over the half of his face that had not been burned but looked much older. After a while, he said, "He is indeed a eunuch in the Eastern Palace."
After hearing this, everyone in the hall was already 30% certain of Xiao Yan's identity, except Emperor An, whose expression was distorted.
"Impossible!! They're talking nonsense!! Xu Yu, the East Palace eunuchs, they're all fake!!!"
Emperor An hissed, "Xie Chen'an died in that fire a long time ago, even his remains were crushed to ashes by the late emperor. How could he be Xie Chen'an?! He's an imposter. They just want to use Xie Tianzhao's name to seize the throne. Xiao Yan can't possibly be Xie Chen'an!!"
"He is."
A weak and old voice was heard outside the hall. Everyone turned their heads to look over there, and saw an old woman standing in front of the hall.
The woman looked old, with wrinkles all over her face. She was wearing a golden phoenix court dress, and her gray hair was tied up high with a phoenix crown.
"Grand Empress Dowager?!"
Someone screamed when they recognized the person.
"Royal Grandmother..."
When Emperor An saw the Grand Empress Dowager, he froze in place. Xiao Yan, who had been sitting high on the dragon throne, quickly stood up, a look of surprise on his face: "Grandma?"
When the Grand Empress Dowager was supported by someone and walked into the hall, all the court officials had already knelt down to pay their respects. Xiao Yan walked straight through the crowd and came to the Grand Empress Dowager. As soon as he stretched out his hand, the Grand Empress Dowager held it. The old and hoarse word "Yuan Sheng" made Xiao Yan's eyes redden instantly.
"You... recognize me?"
The Empress Dowager wanted to touch his head, but she found that the man in front of her was no longer the lively and cheerful boy he once was. She said softly, "You have suffered a lot over the years."
Xiao Yan pursed his lips and his dark eyes trembled slightly, his heart surging as he pursed his lips.
The Empress Dowager held his big hand with her dry hand, protecting him by her side just like when he was young, and turned to face everyone in the hall.
"An'er was raised by me and Emperor Taizu. Even if his skin and bones were cut and his appearance changed drastically, I would still recognize him."
"Grandmother, don't be deceived..." Emperor An said anxiously, "He is a traitor, impersonating Xie Chen'an..."
"Shut up!"
The Empress Dowager looked at him and said, "I have never been deceived by anyone, whether you or the late emperor."
"Back then, you colluded with the Lu family and worked with the late emperor to frame the crown prince for treason. I tried to defend him, but the late emperor forcibly imprisoned me. If it weren't for Taifu Rong, who knew so many royal secrets and hadn't received a life-saving gift from Emperor Taizu, who later forced the late emperor to back down by threatening to resign and abandon the investigation into the crown prince, I'm afraid I would have died in that palace coup."
"Royal Grandmother!!"
Emperor An's face changed drastically and he shouted.
The Grand Empress Dowager simply looked at him coldly, "The late Emperor was afraid that I would continue to investigate the Crown Prince's case, and even more so that his death wouldn't stand up to scrutiny. So, he drugged me and drove me insane, claiming I was grieving the Crown Prince's sudden death. After you ascended the throne, you imprisoned me in the palace and forbade anyone to visit."
"For these years, I have been trapped in that palace, suffering from harsh treatment and humiliation. If it weren't for Lord Cao and Feng Lai secretly helping me and having people take care of me, and if An'er hadn't returned and asked Lady Qin to treat me, I would have passed away long ago."
The Empress Dowager's voice was not loud, but it was sharp.
"Xie Tianyong, others may say An'er is fake, but I know he is. He is the eldest grandson of the Emperor Taizu, personally appointed by the Emperor. He is the most legitimate heir to the throne of the Wei Dynasty."
"If you want to talk about traitors, you are the one!"
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