remnants
Prince Bao held his breath, pondered for a moment, and then asked, puzzled, "If the Jiuyou Sect wanted to restore the previous dynasty, these ten years would be enough time to attack our royal family. Why haven't they taken any action? Instead, they are willing to help the son of the Chang family ascend to the throne?"
Qin Yousi bowed to Prince Bao in admiration and said, "Your Majesty is wise and has discovered the key issue."
Qin Yousi found it difficult to speak the next words.
Baili Hongyuan sighed, put his arm around Qin Yousi's shoulders, patted her soothingly, and then said for her, "The Queen Mother found a baby from the Chang family to replace the Fourth Prince, but Xia Rongyun switched it before entering the palace. The current emperor is the biological son of Xia Rongyun and Fourth Aunt Qin!"
Prince Bao was so shocked by the successive messages that he was speechless.
It turns out that the mantis is stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it!
He found it hard to accept, yet he felt it made perfect sense. This was the only reason Xia Rongyun could have given up his ambition to restore the previous dynasty and serve the Empress Dowager.
Prince Bao was stunned for a moment before he said, "The Emperor...does he know his own life story?"
Qin Yousi nodded, closed his eyes, and mustered up the courage to speak: "The year the current emperor ascended the throne, he recruited concubines. Eleventh Lady Qin was summoned to the palace and was deeply favored by the current emperor. Within half a year, she was named Consort Shu..."
Prince Bao gradually lost his color. He had now realized that Concubine Shu was actually the Emperor's aunt! What a royal scandal this was!
Qin Yousi lowered his eyelashes and said, "At that time, the only person who knew about the emperor's life story was the fourth aunt Qin. She saw her cousin become her son's favorite concubine, and she was tormented and unable to redeem herself. Finally, on the day when Concubine Shu left the palace to visit her family, she told Concubine Shu about the matter and begged her to refuse the favor and not make the matter more embarrassing."
When Concubine Shu learned that she and her nephew had become an incestuous couple, she was ashamed and angry. No matter how Qin Si Niang begged, she told the matter to Old Master Qin and asked him to make the decision.
When the father and his two daughters were confronting and arguing in the calligraphy room, Emperor Sheng, who had gone out of the palace in disguise to personally bring Concubine Shu back to the palace, heard them. For a moment, the four of them were ashamed to look at each other.
Emperor Sheng was only a sixteen-year-old boy at that time. He was panicked and didn't know how to respond. After fleeing back to the palace, he avoided seeing anyone from the Qin family.
But starting from the second month, the Qin family began to encounter troubles one after another. The Qin family's father and daughter, who knew about the situation, realized that Emperor Sheng was reluctant to give up the throne and wanted to completely conceal his life experience, so he began to silence the Qin family.
"Mr. Qin, Consort Shu, my eldest sister, and Grandfather Qin all died that year, one after another. Over 500 members of the Qin family were imprisoned due to the confiscation of their property. Seeing her son slaughter all his relatives, Fourth Aunt Qin, overcome with guilt, committed suicide in prison. Before she died, she told Second Aunt Qin everything and left a last wish: if she could escape prison alive, she would kill her rebellious son."
Prince Bao listened silently for a while, but he was at a loss to comment on this Qin family's past.
This is so absurd that I have never heard of it before.
This absurdity even made him lose his anger.
The three of them were silent for a while. Prince Bao remembered the old friend she mentioned and asked, "Qin Erniang died on the way to exile six years ago. How did you know these secrets?"
Baili Hongyuan spoke for her, "When the Qin family was in trouble, I was still in the army. I could only send a message to the old servant at home to visit on my behalf. Second Mother gave the old servant a letter written in blood, asking him to rescue a collection of medical books from the Qin residence. When I returned to the capital, the old servant was old and confused, and only said that there were some Qin family relics. I thought they were just medical books and didn't look closely. After I found Sixth Mother, I handed the medical books to her. While she was looking through them, she found Second Mother's letter in blood, and only then did she learn the truth about the Qin family's demise!"
This was the statement the two had agreed upon beforehand. Prince Bao knew that Baili Hongyuan was close to the Qin family, so he did not doubt it.
Seeing his anger gradually subside, Qin Yousi continued, "The Qin family was wrong, but everything was caused by Xia Rongyun's deception and frame-up. He tricked the fourth aunt of the Qin family into giving birth to a child for him out of wedlock, and then lied to her that the child died of illness. Xia Rongyun didn't tell the fourth aunt the truth until he had helped his son secure the throne of Crown Prince. Since then, the fourth aunt has never been able to sleep peacefully, and she has never remarried, often staying by the side of a green lantern in the family temple. I am telling the prince the whole truth today, not to ask him to avenge the Qin family. I will avenge the Qin family myself, because the country is of great importance. If my revenge causes unrest and implicates innocent people, I believe my family will not rest in peace."
Prince Bao stood up and paced back and forth in the boat, becoming increasingly anxious as he pondered the matter. Finally, he stood still and said, "I can put aside the Qin family's crimes for now, but the country has now fallen into the hands of the remnants of the previous dynasty. We cannot afford to delay this any longer. This matter must be resolved swiftly!"
He said sternly, "Sang, since you intend to enter the palace to treat the Queen Mother's poison, you must have already devised a plan. Tell me the truth and stop doing whatever you want and causing chaos in the harem!"
Qin Yousi stood up and replied, "The Queen Mother still doesn't know that her nephew has been replaced by Xia Rongyun. If she knew, how could she bear this? There's no need for us to do anything. Let them fight it out first."
This was a good strategy to pit the two sides against each other, but Prince Bao was worried and said, "The Emperor is in control of the government. The Empress Dowager may not be able to defeat him. Moreover, to protect her dignity, the Empress Dowager may not risk breaking off relations with him."
Qin Yousi said, "What if the Queen Mother thought it was the Emperor who poisoned him?"
Prince Bao's eyes lit up.
Then she must make one last fight before death.
The Three Souls Poison is a secret medicine from Xizhu. It was brought into the Central Plains by the Jiuyou Sect during the previous dynasty to carry out assassinations.
Xia Rongyun secretly colluded with the remnants of the Jiuyou Sect and obtained the poison. After his death, the poison fell into the hands of the Queen Mother.
After the emperor learned about his life experience six years ago, he was in constant fear.
The empress dowager noticed something was wrong and asked what had happened. The emperor lied to her and said that when the concubine returned home to visit her family, she was suspected of having an unclear relationship with another man.
How could the Queen Mother tolerate such a thing?
For the sake of the emperor's face, the empress dowager decided to deal with Concubine Shu secretly. She gave the Three Souls Poison to Eunuch Chang and asked him to use it on the little prince who died of smallpox, and put the blame on Concubine Shu and the Qin family.
Later, the emperor attacked the Qin family one after another. The empress dowager thought that he was angry because Concubine Shu was not a faithful wife, so she did not doubt it and allowed the emperor to act as he pleased.
Prince Bao asked Qin Yousi, "How do you make the Queen Mother trust you?"
Qin Yousi said, "If I tell her directly, she won't believe it. But what if her people find out that the emperor has any dealings with the remnants of the Nine Nether Sect?"
Prince Bao frowned and said angrily, "Are you still associating with the other remnants?"
Baili Hongyuan had noticed that Prince Bao was somewhat annoyed with Qin Yousi because of the Qin family's past, and spoke on her behalf, "Sixth Lady risked her life to lure the remaining evildoers into the capital, precisely to orchestrate a rift between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Your Highness, please do not vent your anger on this matter. Extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures."
Next, Baili Hongyuan discussed the detailed arrangements of the plan with Prince Bao.
Qin Yousi sat aside silently for a long time.
Today, she told everything, feeling unprecedented relief and also unprecedented pain.
Ever since she learned in prison about what Xia Rongyun had done using the Qin family, these secrets have been like a huge stone weighing on her heart.
The big rock was pushed away, revealing the scars on the heart, just like opening a wound that was about to heal and washing it with salt water again.
The Qin family is not innocent.
Shu Fei was concerned about her relationship with the emperor and her reputation, and would rather die than reveal the emperor's background.
Old Master Qin, concerned about the lives of his entire family, committed suicide at the palace gate and died with a secret.
Out of consideration for the relationship between mother and son, Fourth Aunt Qin did not tell the truth until it cost the innocent lives of her clansmen. However, she did not have the courage to face it and chose to escape by dying.
Only Qin Yousi is left to bear everything.
She hated Xia Rongyun's exploitation and frame-up.
She hated Emperor Sheng's ruthless killing.
She also hated her relatives' cowardice and retreat.
Fortunately, the truth is about to come to light.
Those who died unjustly and those who deserved the punishment should rest in peace.
After coming down from Baojing Lake, Baili Hongyuan sent Qin Yousi home.
Seeing that she remained silent, I knew she was feeling bad.
When they arrived at the clinic, he held Qin Yousi in his arms and said gently, "You are the bravest girl I have ever met. You are doing the right thing. Don't worry."
Qin Yousi leaned on Baili Hongyuan's shoulder, closed his eyes, and his eyes were a little moist.
She didn't want to tell the Qin family's ugly deeds. She only needed to kill the empress dowager and the emperor to avenge herself and fulfill her last wish.
However, the truth cannot be buried by time. She has to dig it out and admit it.
After this meeting, Baili Hongyuan took the "blood-written relic" and the antidote to the three soul poison from Qin Yousi.
These two things were prepared in advance by Qin Yousi.
After that, Qin Yousi was not allowed to participate deeply.
Qin Yousi knew that Baili Hongyuan was protecting her. He didn't want her to go to the palace to detoxify herself, nor did he want her to be exposed to the emperor.
At the end of the first month, Princess Bao sent Nanny Ban to Qin Yousi to tell him that her antidote was effective and the Queen Mother had woken up.
Three days later, a dispute of some magnitude broke out in Kyoto.
The incident happened in Prince Bao's mansion. Because Prince Bao's wife announced the good news that she was pregnant, the emperor specially sent the Imperial Hospital to visit her to check her pulse.
While he was examining the patient, the city defense battalion of the Beijing Army received a tip-off that some rebels had infiltrated the city and were trying to take the opportunity to harm Princess Bao.
When the Beijing Army instructor Wei Chong arrived with his men, Eunuch Chang also arrived with people from the Supervisory Office, claiming that the rebels were involved in a secret case and wanted to take the people away.
The two sides were at a stalemate, and even a fight broke out outside Prince Bao's mansion.
Just when they were about to part, the commander of the imperial guards Zhou You also arrived with his men. The three parties confronted each other in a very awkward situation.
Finally, Prince Bao came forward to make the decision. Since the incident happened in the prince's mansion, it should be under the jurisdiction of the imperial guards. In the end, he took the Imperial Hospital and related palace maids away for trial, and he led the three generals to meet the emperor.
When Emperor Sheng received this news in the Imperial Study, he was extremely surprised. After all, in the years since he ascended the throne, the Beijing Army, the Imperial Guards and the Supervisory Office each performed their duties. Even if there were places related to the case, no direct conflict had occurred. How could such a thing happen?
In addition, the Queen Mother's poisoning and Prince Bao's wife's pregnancy were both beyond his control. He felt more and more strange, so he did not summon Prince Bao and others immediately, and thought about it slowly.
Aunt Yubing, the female official who served as a scribe in the Imperial Study, was nearly forty years old. She was the aunt who had raised Emperor Sheng since he was a child and enjoyed his deep trust.
Seeing Emperor Sheng's distress, Aunt Yubing spoke gently, "I dare to say a few words. Your Majesty really shouldn't have agreed to Prince Ning's resignation. He's a royal relative and has military experience, so he has influence in both the Imperial Guard and the City Defense Battalion. Although Eunuch Chang is highly valued by Your Majesty, he's a eunuch after all. How could those generals obey him? They're unwilling to hand the case over to him."
Emperor Sheng nodded and said, "Auntie, what you said makes sense, but that's also why I can't watch them grow so powerful. Now they don't even take my personal appointees seriously, which shows they don't care about me. If this continues, won't they rebel?"
Aunt Yubing didn't dare say much, and only tried to appease her: "Your Majesty is very thoughtful, and you deserve some reprimands. Moreover, this matter concerns the Empress Dowager's health, so it is most appropriate to let Eunuch Chang handle it."
Emperor Sheng took a few sips of warm tea, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's invite them in."
When Prince Bao, Commander Zhou, Instructor Wei and Eunuch Chang came in, they all looked unhappy.
Emperor Sheng, however, had a warm expression on his face. He asked Prince Bao with concern, "Is the Imperial Aunt all right? Did she not get frightened?"
Prince Bao thanked him and said, "Thanks to the Emperor's great blessing, my wife is safe. However, the three groups of people fighting outside the palace are causing panic among the people. This is truly worrying!"
Emperor Sheng suppressed his expression and said to Zhou You, Wei Chong, and Eunuch Chang, "Do you three admit your guilt?"
The three men knelt together, and Eunuch Chang was the first to apologize, saying, "I have failed the Emperor's trust and failed to complete my mission. Please forgive me! However, this matter is related to the Empress Dowager's poisoning case. Even if I die, I will not let it go. I pray that the Emperor will make a fair judgment!"
Emperor Sheng then asked Zhou You and Wei Chong, "Do you have anything to say?"
Wei Chong was the first to engage the Supervisory Office, so he replied, "Your Majesty, calm down! I have received a secret report that the remnants of the previous dynasty, the Nine Nether Sect, are conspiring with the palace servants to harm the royal family. When I arrived with my men, I indeed captured Xia Lieyun, a remnant of the Nine Nether Sect, conversing with an eunuch in his chambers! I was about to arrest him when Eunuch Chang arrived with his men. During the fight, they not only killed Xia Lieyun but also took away the conspirators, a move that clearly appears to be an attempt to silence him! The suspect is from the palace, and Eunuch Chang should have avoided suspicion. How could I let him go?"
Emperor Sheng didn't know the details, so he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Who did you say died?"
Wei Chong said clearly: "Xia Lieyun, the son of the former Jiuyou Sect's leader and a fugitive, was killed on the spot by the Supervisory Office!"
Emperor Sheng remained silent for a long time, his face gloomy.
Eunuch Chang said anxiously, "Your Majesty, that thief is highly skilled in martial arts. He took advantage of the moment when I was arguing with General Wei and tried to abduct me and escape. The people from the Supervisory Office failed to do it in order to protect the witness. It was definitely not intentional. The situation was very dangerous at the time, and Prince Bao also witnessed it with his own eyes... Your Majesty, please bear witness for me..."
Prince Bao said with an embarrassed look on his face, "The scene is too chaotic, it is difficult for me to distinguish."
The dispute in the imperial study continued until late at night.
In the darkness of night, Eunuch Chang not only failed to win the right to handle the case, but was also taken away by the imperial guards and imprisoned in the inner prison.
Eunuch Chang felt dejected. He thought about it over and over again, but couldn't figure out why the emperor ordered him to be imprisoned.
Just when he was feeling extremely angry, a tall black figure appeared silently in the inner prison.
Eunuch Chang was shocked. This scene was too familiar. Someone was trying to kill him to silence him!
"Who are you?! Don't come over here! This is the Imperial Guards' inner prison. If you dare to do anything wrong, the Emperor will not let you go!"
The black shadow sneered and said, "Master, do you still not understand the situation?"
Eunuch Chang was slightly startled by the voice and asked tentatively, "Ning... Ning Junwang?"
Baili Hongyuan took a step forward, emerged from the shadows, and said, "My father-in-law is so disappointing to me. He holds such great power in the Supervisory Office, yet he can't even protect his own life."
When Baili Hongyuan was still the Supervisor of the Supervisory Office, Eunuch Chang had frequented him. Considering himself a close friend, Eunuch Chang pleaded, "Your Highness, please save me! I haven't done my job well, and I don't know how I have offended Your Highness. Please, for the sake of my many years of service, spare my life!"
Baili Hongyuan stood outside the iron bars and whispered, "Eunuch, do you know who Xia Lieyun is, the man you killed? He is your majesty's uncle. Do you know who sent the eunuch who met with Xia Lieyun privately? He was also sent by your majesty. You killed his men and ruined his plans, and you still want to live?"
Eunuch Chang seemed to not understand what was said and looked confused.
Baili Hongyuan sneered and said, "We still don't know who poisoned the Queen Mother, so why did they send you to investigate?"
Soon, Eunuch Chang trembled all over and collapsed on the wet ground, muttering: "Xia Lieyun... Xia Rongyun... Yes... Yes..."
He recalled the dark night more than 20 years ago when Xia Rongyun carefully handed him a bamboo basket containing a baby, saying that the child nearly died of high fever on the way to the capital. The Chang family came to him for help and only then did they save the child.
It turned out that the child was switched at that time!
Now that the child has grown up, he wants to kill the Queen Mother and silence him!
"Oh my God!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
