Chapter 631 Past Events
Jiang Nuanzhi remained noncommittal; sometimes when she woke up, it felt like a dream.
Ping'er recalled the time Zhao Xiuyuan rode a tall horse to her house to show off his power. She remembered that Ping'er had even kowtowed to him. That one time, because of money, almost became an insurmountable obstacle in Ping'er's heart.
Looking at him now, a prisoner, it's truly a sad sight.
Rarely, Jiang Nuanzhi was very patient today and did not interrupt him, continuing to listen to his rambling.
"This wine is truly bitter today." Zhao Xiuyuan poured himself another cup and drank it all in one gulp. "Doctor Jiang, tell me, if my little sister had been willing to endure hardship with General Li back then, wouldn't she be the wife of a first-rank general now? Recently, Li Rong has once again taken command of the three armies. Wouldn't our Zhao family also share in this glory? And today, we wouldn't be in this state of being imprisoned as a whole?"
Jiang Nuanzhi looked up at him and smiled noncommittally. She took another sip of tea.
The next second, Zhao Xiuyuan came to his senses and let out another bitter laugh.
"I must be crazy. If it weren't for Physician Jiang's medical skills, the general would probably be buried in the snow of the wilderness long ago. But I am not as good as Physician Jiang."
"I think so." Jiang Nuanzhi responded, then looked up and said, "Lord Zhao, there's no need for that. Although I like to hear nice things, I'm the kind of person who won't act until I see a benefit. Let's talk about Sister Li Sheng instead."
Zhao Xiuyuan paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Dr. Jiang is still quite straightforward." He then stopped laughing and became serious, "So, what does Dr. Jiang want to know?"
Jiang Nuanzhi looked up at Zhao Xiuyuan: "How did she die?"
Zhao Xiuyuan was not surprised by Jiang Nuanzhi's question: "After all these years, General, you still suspect that Li Sheng was killed by Xiao Yuanshan. But that's not the case. Li Sheng really died in childbirth. I was there that night at Huguo Temple. At that time, I was already serving the Regent, and Xiao Yuanshan hated Li Sheng to the bone. He wanted Li Sheng alive, not dead. Thinking about that night at Huguo Temple still sends chills down my spine."
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned: "What exactly happened back then?"
Zhao Xiuyuan unconsciously rubbed his fingers together and took another sip of wine. His gaze gradually deepened.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiuyuan paused slightly, then raised his cup and drank the wine in it. His gaze drifted away, as if returning to the imperial city of many years ago: "This matter may be inextricably linked to Xiao Yuanshan's birth mother..."
“Back then, Xiao Yuanshan was the least noticeable among the emperor’s sons, and his background was very humble. His mother was originally a palace maid of the lowest rank. She gave birth to him only because the emperor was drunk and favored her once. Even with a prince by her side, his mother’s status was still lowly. The two of them suffered cold looks and grievances in the deep palace.”
"Later, when he was older, his mother enjoyed a period of good times, but it didn't last long. She was banished to the cold palace for offending the emperor. If it weren't for Xiao Yuanshan's timely help, she probably wouldn't have survived."
Xiao Yuanshan's abilities gradually became apparent, and he married Li Sheng, making him even more eye-catching among the princes. The couple was an enviable pair.
Later, Xiao Yuanshan was framed and implicated in a major treason case. He couldn't let go of Li Sheng and was afraid that she and her family would be implicated, so he divorced her. He gave her half of his wealth and told her to go back and live a good life.
However, she entrusted her mother entirely to Li Sheng.
"I don't know the details of what happened afterward, but I did see Xiao Yuanshan drunk and mad, roaring that Li Sheng betrayed him, killed his mother, and took away the last things he left for his mother. Not only did she leave, but she also sent people to hunt him down. Her words were full of resentment."
At this point, Zhao Xiuyuan frowned, his tone becoming somewhat hesitant: "Although I am not entirely clear about the specific reasons, I do know that Xiao Yuanshan values Li Mingyu so much today because of what happened back then."
It seems that Li Mingyu knelt outside the ancestral emperor's palace for five days and five nights to save Xiao Yuanshan, until her legs were crippled, before the emperor finally took pity on her and allowed her to see Xiao Yuanshan one last time.
"After that meeting, the court became increasingly treacherous and unpredictable. Before long, Xiao Yuanshan was exonerated and gradually rose to his current position."
Seeing Jiang Nuanzhi's furrowed brows, Zhao Xiuyuan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly, "Whether Doctor Jiang believes it or not, in Xiao Yuanshan's heart, Li Sheng is the woman who carried him away in his time of crisis and had an affair with someone else. Li Mingyu, on the other hand, is the woman who risked her life to stay by his side and share his joys and sorrows when he was at his lowest point."
"But over the years, Xiao Yuanshan's temperament has become increasingly unpredictable, ruthless and vicious, and he is no longer the wise king he once was."
Jiang Nuanzhi, referring to "Li Mingyu," picked up a candied fruit and rubbed it between her fingers repeatedly: "Could it be that she is really as gentle and harmless as she appears?"
Zhao Xiuyuan smirked, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes: "As far as I know, this person is definitely not a good person."
"The Black Feather Guards that Li Sheng sent to kill Xiao Yuanshan were all eventually subdued by Li Mingyu, the adopted daughter of the Li family. Today, the Black Feather Guards are still the most formidable weapon in Xiao Yuanshan's hands."
Jiang Nuanzhi found this absurd and sneered, "How come I'm hearing a completely different story?"
Zhao Xiuyuan looked over, and Jiang Nuanzhi said coldly, "Li Sheng went to find a way to save him. They were young husband and wife, so why would she want to kill him?"
Zhao Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment: "I believe you. Presumably, someone is behind this."
After a slight hesitation, he spoke again: "There are indeed many strange things about this matter, and there are many places where things could have been tampered with."
Jiang Nuanzhi asked in surprise, "You believe that?"
Zhao Xiuyuan: "Why don't you believe it? Only those who are like the darkest place under the lamp in the distant mountains will believe that Li Mingyu is truly an innocent and pure flower."
Jiang Nuanzhi remained silent, her mind already beginning to unravel the threads of this old story. The turbulent events deep within the imperial city back then gradually became clear in her mind.
Next came Xiao Yuanshan's counterattack, which led to the downfall of the Li family, bringing the two families to a point of no return.
Judging from the current situation, Xiao Yuanshan is clearly a crazy and paranoid person. He is extremely dangerous. If we want to find an opportunity to deal with him, the breakthrough point is probably to thoroughly investigate this Li Mingyu.
Li Mingyu.
The image of that slightly pale face, her gentle smile as she sat in her wheelchair, flashed into my mind.
Her smile always seemed to have an unpredictable depth.
"If Doctor Jiang is interested in Li Mingyu, I do have some dirt on her. If you just want to protect my little sister for the rest of her life, I'm willing to offer myself up."
"Protect your little sister for life?" She raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. Instead, she asked, "If I remember correctly, isn't your little sister currently under Xiao Yuanshan's protection? When I passed by the prison just now, I saw her sleeping peacefully, with no shortage of food or drink. Surely the people from the Prince's Mansion have already made arrangements, haven't they?"
Zhao Xiuyuan, do you really think I'm more capable than Xiao Yuanshan?
Jiang Nuanzhi didn't believe Xiao Yuanshan would be foolish enough not to protect Zhao Xiuyuan. How many years had this man done for him? If he were to reveal something, it would be no small matter. Especially since Zhao Xiuyuan valued his sister so much that almost everyone knew it.
(End of this chapter)
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