alliance
She has been in a good mood since Prince Bao became pregnant, and her symptoms now must have a reason.
Princess Bao spoke half frankly, half tentatively, "You told me earlier that you wanted to enter the palace as a doctor. The Empress Dowager's poisoning presents a good opportunity, but I didn't dare speak rashly. You should know that the Empress Dowager's poisoning is somewhat related to a case involving your mother-in-law many years ago. Can you give me a definite answer so that I can know whether to recommend you to the palace?"
Qin Yousi smiled and said frankly, "So it's my fault that has implicated the princess. The princess treats me very well, and I don't want to hide anything. The Queen Mother's poisoning was not my fault, but I want to use this incident to reopen the case of Concubine Shu. I hope the princess can help me."
Princess Bao said worriedly, "The harem is no ordinary place. The slightest mistake can lead to ruin. It's not that I don't trust you, but I'm afraid you're overthinking things. Your maternal grandfather and his family all died because of this case. You must not take it lightly. Can you tell me about your specific plans?"
Qin Yousi needed the Princess's help on many crucial matters. After some thought, he said, "I found the recipe for the Three Souls Poison in my grandfather's will. After hearing that the Queen Mother was poisoned, I pondered and contemplated a recipe that might save her life. If I accomplish this feat, I'm sure the Emperor and the Queen Mother will reward me handsomely. They'll also be suspicious of the source of my antidote, and when they interrogate me, they can easily bring up the old case."
The princess asked hurriedly, "You knew it would arouse suspicion, but you still took the risk?"
Qin Yousi nodded: "It is more appropriate for me to tell this case in person than for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager to hear it from other sources."
The princess had no choice but to say, "This matter is of great importance. I cannot make a decision arbitrarily. I need to discuss it with the prince."
Qin Yousi thought for a moment and said, "I should indeed discuss this with His Majesty. Could Your Majesty help me arrange an appointment with His Majesty?"
Ever since the princess became pregnant, Prince Bao became more certain that what Qin Yousi had told him before about the secret medicine and the secrets of the previous dynasty were true, and he had long wanted to find an opportunity to ask her some other questions.
Hearing that she was willing to have a frank talk with him, Prince Bao decisively arranged the meeting on a cruise ship on Baojing Lake the next day.
The north bank of Baojing Lake lies within Prince Bao's residence, while the south bank is near the South City Gate, where the Empress Dowager fell into the lake. A water gate separates the two lakes. Discussing matters on a boat in the middle of the lake ensures absolute secrecy, a testament to the importance Prince Bao attached to this meeting.
That night, Qin Yousi waited on the south bank for the boat that was to pick her up. Baili Hongyuan was also traveling with her.
Baili Hongyuan was in a good mood today. Although he was about to meet Prince Bao to discuss a very serious topic, he did not have too many worries. This was because Qin Yousi was trustworthy and would discuss important plans with him.
Long before the Lantern Festival, Qin Yousi told him about his plans after the Queen Mother was poisoned.
She forced Jiu Zong to poison him, seemingly targeting the Queen Mother, but actually wanted to hurt Emperor Sheng.
Such an action requires careful planning.
But what Qin Yousi was most worried about was how to clean up the mess of the country after taking revenge on Emperor Sheng.
At the beginning of her revenge, she did not consider how much impact this matter would have on the court and the people. As long as Emperor Sheng was pulled down from the throne, it would have nothing to do with her who wanted to compete for that position.
But as she implemented it step by step, her heart became heavier and heavier.
The change of imperial power will inevitably bring bloodshed and even war. She does not want the Sheng Kingdom to be in chaos because of her own selfishness. She needs to consider how to minimize the impact.
When revenge turns into treason, things are no longer simple.
At this moment, she planned to plan a "future" for them, so she needed to choose a crown prince to support.
They had two choices, Prince Bao or Prince Yi.
In terms of closeness, the young Prince Yi was closer to Baili Hongyuan and could guarantee their safety after their mission was accomplished. However, Prince Yi had no achievements or influence within the court. While Baili Hongyuan could help Prince Yi secure the throne, he himself had no ambitions for the imperial cause, let alone being a prince of Northern Liang. Neither the court nor the people would accept him as a regent.
Prince Bao, however, had been involved in politics for many years and was the most capable and promising of the imperial princes. His ascension to the throne would be a good thing for the country and its people, but Qin Yousi and Baili Hongyuan couldn't trust him, fearing he would be abandoned after his death.
Baili Hongyuan's opinion was to prioritize the country and assist Prince Bao. If Prince Bao became wary, they could leave Dasheng and live in Beiliang.
Qin Yousi then realized that Baili Hongyuan had been preparing a way out for them even earlier.
After the two of them agreed on many matters, they went to meet Prince Bao together.
Prince Bao was a little surprised when he saw Baili Hongyuan on the big boat in the middle of the lake, but he soon felt relieved.
Since the two of them were discussing marriage, Baili Hongyuan was naturally involved. After confirming this, he felt more at ease.
Prince Bao and Baili Hongyuan are uncle and nephew, and they know his strength, but he had always served Emperor Sheng. Although he was happy that he had switched sides to him, he did not dare to be arrogant.
After the two of them were seated, Prince Bao took the initiative to ask, "Wangji has come here with Miss Sang today. Do you know what they are going to discuss tonight?"
Baili Hongyuan nodded and said, "Sixth Lady has already told me."
Prince Bao smiled kindly and said, "I only discovered today that Wangji is actually a romantic man, daring to risk the world's condemnation for the sake of a beautiful woman."
Baili Hongyuan understood what Prince Bao meant, which was to confirm his motives and reliability.
He said seriously, "I came to discuss matters with the prince today, not only for Liu Niang, but also for our ancestors and the country."
Prince Bao said, "I'd like to hear the details."
Baili Hongyuan and Qin Yousi exchanged glances, and after confirming, Baili Hongyuan said, "The emperor is not of my true dragon bloodline."
After these words were spoken, even though Prince Bao had seen a lot of storms and was very cunning, he could not hold back and just knocked over the teacup beside him.
"Wangji! Do you know what you are saying?" His voice was trembling.
Prince Bao thought that he took risks for his beloved, that he was dissatisfied with the emperor taking away the power of the Censorate, and even thought that he was dissatisfied with the emperor's ability for the sake of the people, but he never expected it to be this reason!
Baili Hongyuan said calmly, "If it weren't for this reason, why would I need to get involved in this political vortex?"
Prince Bao quickly calmed down. Although he was agitated, he believed Baili Hongyuan's words.
He was right. With his royal status in two countries and the sacrifices his mother made for Dasheng, no matter who became emperor, it would not threaten his honor.
Prince Bao was an extremely intelligent and quick-witted man. He immediately thought of the Qin family's injustice and downfall, which was probably caused by this reason. After all, the Qin family had been in charge of the Imperial Hospital for many years and was the most likely to discover this secret!
Prince Bao calmed down and asked cautiously, "Who is so audacious as to disrupt the royal bloodline? Tell me the truth in detail!"
Qin Yousi took over the conversation and said, "It was the Queen Mother and the remnants of the previous dynasty who did it."
Prince Bao frowned, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Why would the Queen Mother help the remnants of the previous dynasty to confuse my royal bloodline?"
Qin Yousi explained in detail.
Twenty-three years ago, the Empress Dowager was the late Emperor's Consort Hui. She gave birth to the fourth prince for the late Emperor, and the childbirth was so dangerous that it almost cost her life.
The chief physician of the Imperial Medical Service at that time was Xia Rongyun, a disciple of Mr. Qin.
Xia Rongyun tried every means to save Concubine Hui's life, but also told Concubine Hui that she would never be able to have children again.
As early as three years ago, Concubine Hui gave birth to the eldest son for the late emperor, but the eldest son died at the age of one. Now, the fourth son has become Concubine Hui's only support.
But the good times did not last long. The fourth prince had been ill since birth and died the night before his full month.
Concubine Hui had lost two sons in a row and was unable to have children, so her grief was needless to say. However, she seemed to have anticipated this day and had arranged for Eunuch Chang to select a newborn boy from the Chang family to take the place of the deceased.
To ensure that the matter would not be exposed, Concubine Hui replaced all the palace servants around her on the grounds of poor care, and planned to take action against Xia Rongyun, who was very familiar with the fourth prince's illness.
Xia Rongyun used the Qin family's informant in the harem to discover Concubine Hui's arrangement. In order to protect herself, she took the initiative to surrender to the Queen Mother and was willing to help her ascend to the throne of Queen.
At that time, the late queen had no children, but Concubine Xiao had given birth to the second and third princes.
One had the legitimacy and the other had the initiative. Concubine Hui was in a very bad situation and was completely unable to refuse Xia Rongyun's surrender.
Qin Yousi looked at Prince Bao with a solemn look and said, "The late queen died at the hands of Xia Rongyun, and so did the second prince."
Prince Bao's eyes were bloodshot. The Second Prince's mother, Concubine Xiao, was Prince Bao's aunt. Because the late emperor suspected her of being involved in the death of the late empress, Concubine Xiao suffered constant neglect and eventually died of depression.
For so many years, he had always misunderstood Concubine Xiao, believing that she had brought this upon herself by vying for the position of Empress. As a result, Prince Bao gradually distanced himself from his mother's family, the Xiao clan.
Hearing Qin Yousi's words, he felt hatred and regret, his eyes red as he said, "Xia Yizheng, I remember him! He dared to do whatever he wanted in the harem, committing evil deeds that would be intolerable to heaven and earth. I'm afraid he was relying on the power of the Qin family. It seems that the Qin family's extermination was not unjust! Miss Sang wants to use me to avenge the Qin family now, but it's absolutely impossible! I will find a way to eliminate the royal bloodline!"
Prince Bao could not hide his hatred. If there was any connection in his heart, it would be impossible for them to work together for a great cause.
The two had expected Prince Bao to have this reaction, and neither of them was surprised or panicked.
Baili Hongyuan advised, "Your Highness, please allow Liu Niang to finish her story. This is just the beginning."
Although Prince Bao was angry, he was still determined to leave. He remembered what Qin Yousi said at the beginning, that there were still remnants of the previous dynasty.
He said coldly: "Go on."
Qin Yousi sighed and said, "It is true that as the prince said, Xia Rongyun did take advantage of the Qin family, but his evil deeds are not limited to persecuting the first and second princes!"
Thinking of Xia Rongyun, she was overwhelmed with emotion. After calming down for a moment, she said, "Xia Rongyun was an orphan my grandfather picked up from outside the clinic and raised as his own grandson. But he was actually the biological son of the previous Jiuyou Sect Master. Because he was seriously ill, and fearing that my Qin family would not help him, he abandoned him outside the clinic to gain my grandfather's pity!"
Prince Bao was shocked. The Imperial Medical Bureau of Da Sheng had been run by the remnants of the previous dynasty for more than ten years!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
