One afternoon, Xie Qingyao drank a bowl of sugar water and tasted a few snacks, then was helped up by He Zheng.
She took He Zheng's hand and smiled, "Where are you taking me, Lord?"
He Zheng: "Yaoyao is honest with me, and so am I. There are some things Yaoyao should know."
Xie Qingyao pursed her lips and said, "Okay."
He Zheng took her to a place which was the old marquis' study.
Everything in the study remains the same, unchanged. Someone comes to clean it every day, and it is still spotless.
After entering the study, He Zheng walked to a painting on the wall. Before Xie Qingyao could see his movements clearly, she only heard a sound and a secret compartment appeared behind the painting.
There is a wooden box hidden in the secret compartment.
The wooden box is placed in such a secret place, and the contents inside must be secrets that cannot be known to outsiders.
What could it be?
Xie Qingyao moved closer to He Zheng and asked curiously, "Should I open it?"
He Zheng nodded slightly.
Xie Qingyao's movements were extremely gentle. After a moment, she saw what was in the box and asked, "A letter?"
They turned out to be some yellowed letters.
She picked up the envelopes and opened them.
"Imperial sister", "brother", and "prince consort", all the letters revolve around these three people.
"Don't cry, sister. I'm doing fine in Yong State. Don't worry. We'll meet soon."
"I hope my sister is well. Please also convey my regards to the Prince Consort. There is a risk of war between the Yong and Xia countries. My sister and the Prince Consort must be cautious and careful not to be manipulated into conflict by those with ulterior motives, especially by the aristocratic families headed by the Wei family..."
"Royal sister! Royal sister! My brother-in-law is gone... You must not do anything stupid, don't be impulsive, you still have me, I will do everything I can to come back to you, you must wait for me!"
From these short lines, Xie Qingyao could taste the writer's worry and concern.
Most of the letters here were written by "A-brother", and only a few were written by "Imperial Sister", but they could not be sent out and had to be kept.
The "imperial sister" wrote that her husband was murdered by a villain. She did not want to live alone, but she could not bear to leave her brother who was far away in Yong State, so she struggled alone.
There was another letter, and the "imperial sister" said that she was pregnant, and the prince consort did not know that they had a child until his death. She would live well, for the child and for her younger brother.
For some reason, the writer wrote the letter and then crossed out a lot of things. Perhaps she was afraid that the letter would fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives and reveal that she was pregnant, which would be detrimental to her.
It can be seen that her situation at that time was already very difficult.
"Brother, if you ever see this letter, please don't blame me. I've already lost my husband, and I can't lose you."
"My elder sister is going to Yong State to marry. The Wei family has agreed to take you back to Daxia. You must live well in my elder sister's place."
Xie Qingyao got goose bumps all over her body and felt a chill spreading through her limbs.
"Ajie" knew that she would never come back, but she still went to marry and exchanged Ajie for her younger brother.
After reading this, Xie Qingyao had no idea who this person was.
Emperor Jinde was held hostage in Yong State when he was young. This younger brother was Emperor Jinde.
The "imperial sister" was the early deceased Princess Shengde, and her husband was Chu Ning, once the most talented man in Shangjing, and later known as Prince Consort Chu.
Xie Qingyao said leisurely, "Judging from the time of the signature, Princess Shengde must have gone to Yongguo to marry after giving birth to the child."
"What happened to Princess Shengde later? Why did she die?"
She couldn't find the answers to these questions in the letter.
He Zheng half-closed his eyes, "Yong and Xia have reached a truce, and Princess Shengde went to Yong to marry. In exchange, the hostage was sent back to Daxia, and the two countries signed a peace agreement."
"Unexpectedly, not long after the hostage returned, the aristocratic families, led by the Wei family, tore up the agreement and sent troops to attack the Yong Kingdom. The so-called ceasefire agreement was nothing more than a delaying tactic."
"The Yong Kingdom was enraged and shot Princess Shengde to death in front of the two armies. Thousands of arrows pierced her heart, leaving no trace of her body."
The Wei family had planned this in advance. Even though they knew it was a trap, they still sent Princess Shengde as a pawn to confuse the Yong Kingdom.
Princess Shengde was aware of the Wei family's conspiracy and anticipated her own fate, but she still went there without hesitation in order to get her younger brother back.
Otherwise, the one who would have died would have been the hostage at that time, today's Emperor Jinde.
He Zheng's voice was very calm, but Xie Qingyao felt that there was a hint of sadness in his voice.
She turned her head to look at He Zheng and held his arm tightly.
Where did the child born by Princess Shengde go? Why are her letters kept by the old marquis?
The answer is obvious.
The secret that has been hidden for many years is about to be revealed.
Xie Qingyao said, "The Marquis is the child of Princess Shengde and Prince Consort Chu?"
He Zheng: "Yes."
"The Wei family killed them both."
The hatred for killing one's father and mother is irreconcilable.
Xie Qingyao instantly understood why His Majesty and the Marquis hated the Wei family so much and wanted to get rid of them as soon as possible.
His Majesty and Princess Shengde had a very deep relationship. He probably did not expect that the day he left Shangjing to be a hostage in Yong State would be the last time he saw his sister in this life.
When he finally returned to Daxia, the two were separated from each other.
How could he not hate?!
He went from being the least favored son of the previous emperor to eventually ascending the throne. One can imagine how much he paid behind the scenes.
He was willing to endure humiliation and suppress his resentment, choosing to cooperate with his enemies and keeping a low profile for many years, just for revenge.
Few people mention Princess Shengde, and people in the capital city have almost forgotten that she is His Majesty's elder sister.
Princess Shengde became a taboo in the imperial city, not because His Majesty did not love and respect her, but on the contrary, he loved her so deeply that he dared not even think about her.
He was also afraid that the Wei family would find out and become rebellious early.
Xie Qingyao: "How did the Marquis know this? When did you know it?"
He Zheng asked her to sit down, put the letter away, and then spoke slowly.
"Nine years ago, I was seriously injured and fell into a coma while trying to save His Majesty. My condition was critical, and my father confessed my life story to His Majesty."
"Even though I had my eyes closed and couldn't move, I could still hear their voices."
"It was then that I learned that I was the posthumous child of Princess Shengde and Prince Consort Chu."
"After Princess Shengde gave birth to me, she entrusted me to my father, hoping that I would not be involved in the disputes between the imperial families and grow up safely."
The old marquis could not bear to conceal He Zheng's life experience any longer. If he had not told him at that time, His Majesty would never know in his life that He Zheng was the only bloodline left by Princess Shengde and His Majesty's nephew.
Xie Qingyao: "Did the Marquis and His Majesty recognize each other later?"
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