Chapter 103 Finally Recognized
In the blink of an eye, it was several days later.
In the early morning, the sunlight was warm, but the windows in the inner hall of Qingning Palace were tightly closed, leaving not even a gap.
On the embroidered couch, Concubine Wei Shu was sitting upright, and on the small coffee table in front of her were several cups of freshly ground spices.
She held a silver spoon in her hand and carefully mixed the spices according to the recipe she knew by heart.
Because a large amount of aphrodisiac incense was burned when the previous emperor passed away, the palace has been extremely cautious with spices in recent years, and any spices with aphrodisiac effects are banned.
Concubine Wei Shufei came from a poor family and was the daughter of a local gentry. She was selected to serve as a maid in the palace at a young age.
But what is less known is that her grandmother once worked as a worker in a rouge shop, specializing in mixing spices.
She also learned a little bit from her grandmother's influence.
The prepared spices are first mixed with nanmu clay, and after they are shaped, they are dried in the shade for a few hours before use.
Concubine Wei Shu's lips curled slightly, and there was a strange light in her eyes.
At this moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps was heard, and several eunuchs broke into the hall without any notice or summons.
Concubine Wei Shu frowned and was about to blurt out words of scolding.
But when she looked up and saw that the leading eunuch was wearing a Qilin costume, she quickly suppressed her anger.
The Qilin robe was a robe bestowed upon the fourth or fifth grade officials. Even if they were not from the Imperial Household Department, they were probably the chief eunuch of a certain palace. There was really no need for her to have conflicts with them.
"What brings you here, eunuchs?" Concubine Wei asked with a wry smile as she calmly covered the spices on the table.
The leading eunuch had a serious look on his face and said coldly, "Madam Shufei, the emperor has summoned you to go to the Palace of Heavenly Purity immediately. Please follow us."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Wei Shu frowned slightly. Why did the emperor suddenly summon her to the Qianqing Palace?
Surrounded by these eunuchs, she came to the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Unexpectedly, she ran into Empress Xu head-on.
Their eyes met, and both of them were slightly stunned.
Concubine Wei Shu was the first to come back to her senses. She bowed with a smile and asked tentatively, "Why is Sister Xu here too?"
Empress Xu said nothing and looked a little uncomfortable.
The eunuch who had just come to Renshou Palace to ask for her help said that the treasure box had been opened, and inside there was a secret decree related to her deceased daughter Changle. Naturally, she rushed over in a hurry.
I just didn't expect why Concubine Wei Shu would also come.
The atmosphere was tense for a moment.
Fortunately, after a while, the eunuch Chang Ying, the chief eunuch of the Qing Palace, came to greet him in person.
"Ladies, please come in quickly!" He smiled awkwardly and flicked the whisk in his hand, inviting them in.
Empress Xu and Concubine Wei then walked into the main hall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity one after another.
Concubine Wei Shu looked around quickly without leaving any trace.
The hall was spacious and bright. In addition to the emperor, the crown prince, and Yang Manyan, Su Qinglan, the daughter of the Nanyuan governor, was also present. Next to her stood a middle-aged man wearing an official robe with a crane pattern.
After thinking for a moment, a hint of joy flashed across Concubine Wei Shu's eyes.
Last time, she wanted to take advantage of the fact that the emperor still had feelings for that vixen Yang and ask him to choose another princess for the prince, but the emperor did not agree at that time.
Could it be that the emperor changed his mind?
Various speculations flashed through her mind quickly, and no matter what the result was, she seemed to be happy to see it happen.
Although the Su family of the Nanyuan Governor's Mansion is far less prominent than the Song family of the Wuding Marquis Mansion, they are still first-rank officials and have the status of being the late emperor's companions...
Whether Su Qinglan becomes the new Crown Princess or the Crown Princess, it will be beneficial to them and their son.
When Queen Xu saw that there was a young woman standing next to Su Jingyi, she became dazed and her eyes became hot.
She knew that Su Jingyi had a daughter who was the same age as her Changle, and she was this old now...
The hall was silent for a while, and Yang Manyan quietly raised his eyes to look at the tall and upright young man beside him.
His face was as clear as jade, and he was wearing a light moon-white brocade robe that was spotless, but his eyes seemed to be filled with thick, impenetrable morning mist, and his expression was dark and difficult to understand.
As if sensing something, Xiao Yan suddenly lowered his eyes and happened to meet her gaze.
"What are you looking at me for?" he asked softly with his lips, and reached out to hold her hand again.
Yang Manyan felt a little embarrassed to be so intimate in front of others. He quickly looked away, his ears slightly red.
She was worried that he would be nervous when he met his biological mother...
Xiao Yan laughed, then lowered his eyes again, the shadow of his long eyelashes covering his eyes.
On the throne, the emperor watched their interaction and his face was so gloomy that it seemed like water was about to drip from it.
He frowned and ordered in a cold voice: "Lord Su, please tell me the whole story of this matter again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Empress Xu and Concubine Wei looked at Su Jingyi curiously at the same time.
Su Jingyi took a deep breath, bowed and said, "Yes, I obey your order."
Rays of sunlight shone obliquely in from the main entrance of the hall, and tiny dust particles floated in the beams of light. He turned slightly and bowed in the direction of Queen Xu.
"Your Majesty." His voice was dry as if it had been rubbed by sandpaper. "These are all letters that the late emperor wrote to me personally. Please take a look at them yourself."
Queen Xu was stunned for a moment, somewhat confused, but still took the letter from him.
Seeing that the letter was indeed written by the late emperor, she calmed down and patiently read it carefully from the beginning.
But after reading half of it, her eyes widened as if she had been struck by a bolt from the blue.
Not only did her child not die, but it was also swapped? The prince was her own?
Xu Hou continued to look down quickly, his heart feeling as if it had sunk into an ice cellar.
How could this be, how could this be… She staggered back a few steps, the color instantly draining from her face.
Concubine Wei Shu was confused, and pretended to support her, "Sister Xu, what happened?"
Empress Xu suddenly pushed her away and said, "Get out of here and don't touch me!"
Concubine Wei Shu had no choice but to withdraw her hand in disappointment.
Immediately, Empress Xu looked at Su Jingyi in disbelief, her voice trembling and incoherent: "Is this all true?"
"Is everything in the letter true?"
"It's true, Your Majesty." Su Jingyi couldn't bear to look her in the eye, his heart already filled with huge guilt.
"In addition to these letters, the late emperor also left a secret decree behind the plaque of "Zhengda Guangming" in the Palace of Heavenly Purity."
Chang Ying, who was waiting on the side, also presented the treasure box to Queen Xu at the right time.
Su Jingyi continued, "This treasure box was taken down from behind the upright and bright plaque above the main hall in the presence of His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and several cabinet ministers."
"The secret decree inside is not only stamped with the imperial seal, but also with several private seals carved by the previous emperor when he was young. These private seals were all buried with the emperor in the mausoleum..."
What this means is that it is unlikely that anyone other than the late emperor could have forged the secret decree in the treasure box.
The air in the hall was so tense that one could hear a pin drop.
Seeing how serious they were, Concubine Wei finally realized something was wrong.
What on earth were those letters and the so-called secret decree? She felt like she had a thorn in her side.
Queen Xu stood there in a daze, and after a while she finally unfolded the secret decree with trembling hands.
The secret decree was also written by the late emperor himself. Its content was much more concise and formal than those letters. It described the ins and outs of the exchange of the two children.
Empress Xu was crying and laughing at the same time, and her low laughter echoed in the empty hall, which was inexplicably creepy.
How ironic! It turns out that when she got pregnant, her husband began to be wary of her and her family, including the baby in her belly...
She spent more than ten years in agony over having killed her daughter, but her own son had always been close to her...
What is true and what is false?
She suddenly looked at the perfect young couple not far away, and her body swayed.
Yang Manyan also felt depressed by her sad crying, and tears rolled down his eyes.
Xiao Yan gently squeezed Yang Manyan's palm as if to comfort her, then let her go and walked straight towards Queen Xu.
He bowed and saluted, his movements flowing like water, and called out in a deep voice, "Mother."
Concubine Wei Shu frowned upon seeing this. What on earth does this child, Qiong'er, mean?
Her biological mother was here and she was fine, but he actually recognized that crazy woman Xu as his mother?
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