"The previous emperor's accession to the throne was illegitimate!"
As soon as Chen Dachang opened his mouth, his words were earth-shattering.
Rong Xin had already been prepared, but his expression still changed when he heard these words.
"How could the late emperor's accession to the throne be illegitimate? Although he wasn't made crown prince, he did have an imperial decree of succession. His succession to the throne was legitimate."
Chen Dachang laughed.
"You must have heard the rumor that Emperor Zhongzong's favorite seventeenth prince fell seriously ill and died."
Rong Xin nodded, he had indeed heard of this rumor.
Anyone who works in the palace should have heard of this rumor.
Chen Dachang covered his wound and took a breath.
He took a few breaths before saying, "Do you really think the Seventeenth Prince was seriously ill and could not be cured? He was poisoned to death."
"How is that possible?" Rong Xin was shocked.
Chen Dachang smiled proudly, "In this world, the only person still alive who knows the truth is my family. Do you dare to doubt what my family says?"
Rong Xin licked the corner of his mouth and said, "Eunuch Chen, don't scare me. I wasn't raised to be scared."
Chen Dachang sneered, "At this point, do you think there's any need for our family to lie to you?"
Rong Xin was silent.
At this point, it seemed that Chen Dachang really had no need to lie to him.
But who can be sure about this kind of thing?
He just remembered his wife's teachings that nothing in the world is 100% certain.
He took a deep breath and said to Chen Dachang, "Don't worry, I will tell my wife everything you say."
Everyone who works in the palace has his or her own unique skill.
Chen Dachang's unique skill is recognizing people. He can still recognize someone after many years as long as he has met them once.
And Rongxin’s ability lies in retelling.
As long as he wanted to, he could repeat word for word what he said when they met half a year ago.
At this moment, he was more attentive than ever before, afraid of missing a single word, sentence or expression.
He is responsible for memory, while his wife will take care of distinguishing truth from falsehood.
Chen Dachang pointed at the kettle and said, "Give me a glass of water."
Rong Xin stood up and poured him a glass of water.
"Eunuch Chen, please have some water."
Chen Dachang took two sips and asked, "Are you wondering who poisoned the Seventeenth Prince?"
Rong Xin nodded.
Chen Dachang chuckled, "We don't know who killed the Seventeenth Prince. Many people suspect the late Emperor, but we can be sure that the late Emperor did not poison the Seventeenth Prince.
However, Zhongzong was convinced that the previous emperor had poisoned the seventeenth prince and wanted to abolish the previous decree of succession.
The late emperor acted decisively and placed Zhongzong under house arrest. Furious, Zhongzong grabbed the imperial seal and threw it at the late emperor's face. The seal grazed the late emperor's ear and fell to the ground, a corner chipped off.
Rong Xin suddenly asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Chen Dachang shook his head. "At that time, my family was just a small eunuch, powerless and without any influence. How could we be qualified to witness such a secret blessing? I heard this from my master. My master was an old man who served the late emperor. It was because of my master's recommendation that my family was able to serve the late emperor later."
I see!
Rong Xin asked again, "Do you believe what your master said?"
Chen Dachang looked at Rong Xin with a half-smile, "Why would my master lie to me? He could have said nothing and taken this matter to his grave. But he told us everything, so he has no reason to lie to us."
Rong Xin couldn't refute it.
Chen Dachang continued, "Zhongzong threw the imperial seal and died of illness within half a month. A strange thing happened, and the imperial seal disappeared.
The late emperor searched the Xingqing Palace and the harem but could not find the imperial seal. Instead, he found a decree of succession, issued ten days before Zhongzong's death. The name on it was not the late emperor, but the seventeenth prince.
"The Seventeenth Prince is dead. Why did Emperor Zhongzong choose to make a dead man the crown prince?"
Chen Dachang shook his head. "I don't know! My master didn't understand it, and neither did my family. I'm afraid I won't find the answer to this question even after I die."
"What about the late emperor? Does the late emperor know the answer?" Rong Xin was very curious.
Chen Dachang nodded, then shook his head. "Maybe he knows, maybe he doesn't. My master told me that after the imperial edict was found, the late emperor was furious and started a massacre right after ascending the throne. The imperial edict was also burned by the late emperor himself."
Rong Xin frowned. "According to you, the late emperor's violent temper and willingness to take lives were all due to that imperial edict?"
Chen Dachang stared at Rong Xin. "Do you know how Zhongzong cursed the late emperor? He called him a traitor, a traitor who brought disaster to the country and the people, and who deserved a bad death. If the late emperor had not taken control of the palace in time and placed Zhongzong under house arrest, the late emperor would have been executed by Zhongzong long ago."
Rong Xin licked his lips, which were dry.
My throat becomes hoarse.
He asked, "If the late emperor had been executed, which prince would have inherited the throne?"
Chen Dachang said casually, "It could be the Thirteenth Prince, or the Fourteenth Prince. It doesn't matter which one it is. It's meaningless now."
"Without the Imperial Seal, what would the late emperor do? He can't enthrone the empress without the Imperial Seal, right?"
"Hahaha……"
Chen Dachang laughed out loud, "If you have a chance, go to the palace and look through the storerooms. In which year was Empress Cui Ruizhen enthroned? Do you remember? That's right, Empress Cui Ruizhen was enthroned in the second year of Kaiyao.
By then, the late emperor had been on the throne for two or three years. There were no problems that a single emperor couldn't solve. At the time, rumors circulated that the emperor and empress were at odds. But that was all nonsense. It all started because the imperial seal had disappeared, forcing the postponement of various awards.
Rong Xin's whole body tensed up. "Is there no one who suspects this?"
"Hahaha……'
Chen Dachang laughed heartily, "The late emperor executed no fewer than a thousand officials within just two or three years of his accession to the throne. Who would have the guts to doubt that? At the time, many people said the late emperor was so busy cleaning up the court that he had no time to care about the harem.
Later, when the court was stabilized, the late emperor immediately conferred the title of Empress Cui. The imperial seal was stamped on the edict conferring the title of Empress, so it could not be forged.
Rong Xin licked the corner of his mouth. "Didn't you say that you searched the entire palace, even turning Xingqing Palace upside down, but couldn't find the imperial seal? How did the late emperor know that the real imperial seal was in the underground palace and buried with Zhongzong?"
Chen Dachang let out a long sigh, calming his excitement. "For a whole year, I've searched every corner and every brick of Xingqing Palace. I found two secret rooms, but there's no trace of the imperial seal.
All those who served Zhongzong were buried alive on the day of his death, leaving no one alive. It was clear that Emperor Zhongzong had planned everything long ago. He wanted to embarrass the late emperor and let the world know that he had not come to power legitimately. The situation was extremely serious. Fortunately..."
"Fortunately for what?" Rong Xin asked anxiously.
Chen Dachang smiled and said, "Fortunately, Mr. Gu helped the late emperor find the whereabouts of the imperial seal at the critical moment. It turned out that after Zhongzong left the edict to pass the throne to the seventeenth prince, he ordered someone to take the imperial seal and secretly go to the imperial mausoleum."
At that time, the late emperor had imposed a ban on the harem, and not even a fly could enter Xingqing Palace, let alone someone sneaking out. But there was one person, an inconspicuous eunuch, who secretly took the imperial seal out of Xingqing Palace while delivering food to the palace.
This eunuch had several influential friends in the capital, and it just so happened that Mr. Gu also knew some of the eunuch's friends. That's how the clue came about.
After determining the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal, the next step was to consider how to steal it. Unfortunately, the underground palace had been completely sealed at that time, and the best opportunity to enter the underground palace had been missed. Old Master Gu was ordered to personally lead his men to the underground palace. He went three times, but each time he returned empty-handed.
Rong Xin asked nervously, "Does Mr. Gu know about tomb robbing?"
Chen Dachang shook his head, "Mr. Gu doesn't know anything about tomb robbing, but he is an expert in connoisseurship. He can tell the authenticity of any jewelry or jade after just a few glances.
Zhongzong was wary of the late emperor, and the late emperor was also wary of Zhongzong. Fearing that Zhongzong might use a fake imperial seal to deceive the world, he had to have Gu, who could tell the real from the fake, accompany him when he went to the underground palace.
He found the clue, so the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Besides Old Man Gu, there was no one else who could lead the team down to the underground palace. Unfortunately, the tomb robbers he hired were too low-level. They went three times and failed three times.
Chen Dachang stared at Rong Xin. "You know, if the news that the late emperor sent people to rob Zhongzong's tomb spreads, the late emperor will be condemned by thousands of people and even lose his throne. The royal family will collectively rise up in rebellion.
So, they had to rob Zhongzong's tomb without destroying the underground palace and without letting anyone see any trace of the robbery. However, the more restrictions there are in tomb robbing, the greater the chance of failure. As expected, most of those who entered died. Those who came out alive, except for Mr. Gu, were also executed one after another.
Rongxin's mood fluctuated and his breathing was rapid.
He was obviously shocked by this secret.
He took a deep breath and asked, "Since you couldn't rob Emperor Zhongzong's tomb, did you forge a replica of the Imperial Seal?"
Chen Dachang nodded, then shook his head.
He drank all the water in the cup and was silent for a long time before he whispered again, "You know, besides being a great connoisseur, Mr. Gu is also a master of counterfeiting. His forgeries have been taken to antique shops, and even those who have been immersed in antiques for decades have been fooled by him."
Rong Xin was greatly surprised and muttered, "Mr. Gu was probably less than 30 years old at that time."
Chen Dachang nodded. "He is indeed very young. However, Mr. Gu is extremely talented in this field. Those who have been immersed in antiques for decades say that Mr. Gu was born to do this. His talent in antiques is rare in a century. However, he was born in a marquis's mansion, so he was destined not to be an antique appraiser. He is only suitable to be a playboy who appreciates antiques."
Rong Xin couldn't help but sigh: "What a pity!"
"What a pity! He created the world's most valuable forgery, created a legend, and will pass it down through the generations. His life was worth it! The only pity is that he can't leave his name in history."
When Chen Dachang said this, he couldn't help but reveal an envious expression.
Rong Xin was shocked and trembling with disbelief. "Eunuch Chen, are you saying that the imperial seal in the palace is a fake made by Mr. Gu?"
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