There's only one possibility.
The existence of the Seventh Prince at that time threatened Consort Shu's wealth and even her life.
Therefore, she had no choice but to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.
As expected, my long-held suspicions are very likely true.
Song Xibai thought to himself.
However, Granny Fangqi had other ideas.
"Could it be that the Seventh Prince wasn't a descendant of the dragon? Did she kill her son to prevent the secret from being exposed?"
Song Xibai looked at her.
"Didn't you consider any other possibilities, Granny?"
"What's possible?"
"Before that, Consort Shu lived a secluded life in the inner palace. At that time, the Empress managed the inner palace, and it was well-ordered. Where could she have gotten pregnant with a child that wasn't the Emperor's?"
Granny Fangqi was taken aback.
"As for the substitution of the prince by a cat, that's even more impossible. There were so many palace maids, midwives, and imperial physicians during the delivery! Even if you could bribe one or two of them, could you possibly bribe everyone?" Song Xibai added.
Granny Fangqi murmured to herself, "Yes! At that time, she was just Consort Shu. Her childbirth was quite difficult, and Her Majesty the Empress personally went to oversee the process."
"Therefore, the Seventh Prince is indeed the Emperor's child without a doubt."
Upon hearing this, Granny Fangqi was startled, recalling Song Xibai's mention of "other possibilities."
"Your Majesty, do you mean the Seventh Prince is a true descendant of the dragon, and the Eighth Prince is a fake?! But...but..."
She hesitated for a long time, but couldn't utter a complete sentence.
Song Xibai was much calmer than her.
"Are you saying that when you were pregnant with the Eighth Prince, you were also in the inner palace, and it was impossible for you to have contact with men outside the palace, right?"
Granny Fangqi nodded.
Suddenly, she noticed a strange angle to the corner of Song Xibai's mouth.
"But you forgot, someone once left the palace."
Song Xibai spoke in a low voice, extending a finger and pointing upwards.
"How is this possible?!"
Granny Fangqi screamed in shock.
"You mean, he... he's a fake?"
After it was said, Granny Fangqi categorically denied it.
"Impossible! If he were a fake, how could no one recognize him? He looks exactly the same!"
Song Xibai raised an eyebrow.
"It's not uncommon for people to look alike in this world, not to mention the art of disguise in the martial arts world. However, it's fine to impersonate someone for a short time, but if it goes on for too long, you'll definitely be exposed."
Whether it's lifestyle habits, dietary preferences, or other aspects, it's impossible to be exactly the same.
Not to mention, he had to impersonate an emperor.
Experience, vision, style of doing things, and methods could not be hidden from those cunning and shrewd ministers.
"So he must have helpers."
Song Xibai glanced at Granny Fangqi but didn't continue.
But Granny Fangqi immediately understood what she meant.
"You mean...the Empress?"
Granny Fangqi uttered these words with difficulty.
Song Xibai stroked her chin and poured out all her guesses from the past few days.
"I guess that person might have originally been the emperor's double, perhaps he came from the secret guards, originally looked a bit like the emperor, or he was trained by some other means."
"When the emperor went on his southern tour and left the palace, he was ambushed by assassins. He may have gone missing or been seriously injured. In order to stabilize the court, this double was put forward. The empress should know this, because such a thing cannot be kept from her husband. Besides, the secret guards would not dare to let a double get close to the empress. Therefore, the empress must have helped to cover it up."
At that time, the Empress was the absolute leader in the harem. No matter what the concubines were, they all behaved themselves in front of her and dared not make any moves.
Therefore, when the Empress said that the Emperor was seriously injured and needed to recuperate, and that the concubines were not allowed to serve him or receive his favor, the concubines dared not complain.
With the Empress's help, the double became somewhat similar to the Emperor and began to frequent the court.
Song Xibai deduced these things through reasoning.
"What happened after that is just my guess." Song Xibai blinked. "Maybe playing the emperor made the stand-in ambitious, or maybe he touched the concubines or made a move on the princes and princesses. The empress was furious and wanted to expose him, but she was outmaneuvered and was poisoned to death by him first."
"After that, while continuing to learn how a real emperor behaves, he slowly killed or transferred people who were familiar with the emperor and replaced them with his own people. Only then did he dare to extend his reach into the court and begin to support his own people."
A substitute is, after all, a substitute; it can never be the same as the original owner.
The original emperor and empress were harmonious. He doted on the crown prince and had high expectations for him. He was very good at handling government affairs, understood his court officials very well, and was a master of imperial tactics.
But this one now!
Judging from his handling of the previous rainstorm disaster, it's clear that he's really not good at governance.
The harem was also a complete mess.
The Crown Prince was a thorn in his side, the Prince of Qin was physically disabled, and the Prince of Wu had been spoiled and wasted. Song Xibai had never met the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince and would not comment on them, but the fact that the Sixth Prince almost starved to death was simply incomprehensible.
Even the most ruthless person would still care about their son, right?
Even if she didn't like one of her sons, it's impossible that she didn't like the other sons, right?
Song Xibai initially guessed that the emperor and empress had a conflict, and he was taking his anger out on the crown prince, which is why he tried every means to depose the crown prince.
But after meeting the King of Qin and the King of Wu, he changed his mind.
Seriously, not a single one of them turned out well!
To say he lacked fatherly affection is an overstatement; however, his feelings for the Eighth Prince were clearly not.
As a certain master of deduction said, eliminate all impossibilities, and what remains, however improbable, is the truth.
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