Chapter 210: Prince Yu and Concubine Duan's Deep Love
As Concubine Dowager Duan entered the Cining Palace, the golden nanmu door hinges creaked heavily. The nine-pearl hairpins at her temples remained unmoved, the hem of her crimson-purple palace dress brushing the carved lion-shaped pattern on the threshold. When her eyes met King Wu's face, she sneered.
King Wu lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze, staring at his black boots without blinking, as if he wanted to stare a flower out of it.
When Concubine Duan saluted, her back was straight, as if she didn't notice the inquiring and contemptuous looks of the relatives in the hall.
She raised her eyes and looked directly at Yan Shixu: "I wonder what the emperor wants to interrogate me for by mobilizing so many troops?"
You could hear a pin drop in the hall.
Yan Shixu's expression remained normal, and he even had a hint of a smile on his face: "Why does the Concubine pretend to be confused?"
"I don't know what the emperor is talking about."
Yan Shixu said, "It's okay. I can remind the Concubine Dowager. An Lin confessed that the Nangong Mansion's family was exterminated by you, the Concubine Dowager, at An Chun's behest."
Concubine Duan suddenly chuckled, and the gilded armor on her right hand gently brushed against her left forearm. She showed no sign of panic.
"How can the bite of a dying man count?"
As she spoke, she looked around the hall, her gaze swept over Wen Li'er, and finally landed on Nangong Ziyun behind her.
But he quickly looked away, his expression dignified and calm.
"Your Majesty, this is a false accusation. I have never had any grudge against the Nangong family. On the contrary, they once saved my life. No matter what, I will never attack my savior."
The Empress, who was sitting beside the Emperor, suddenly spoke up: "What Concubine Duan said doesn't prove that she is not ungrateful and repaying kindness with enmity."
Concubine Duan's eyes were slightly stern, as if she had caught something wrong. She said to the Queen harshly, "Dayan governs the world with filial piety. No matter what, I am the elder of the Emperor and the Queen. You have no evidence whatsoever and are slandering me as ungrateful and repaying kindness with enmity. This is truly unreasonable."
Xie Zhenrong's face froze and he looked a little annoyed.
The royal family members sitting on both sides of the hall looked at each other, their eyes towards the queen changed, and they began to whisper.
Obviously, they also felt that the Queen's remarks were aimless.
Wen Li'er looked at the emperor and saw him nod slightly at her, so she secretly reached behind her and tugged at the hem of Nangong Ziyun's skirt.
Nangong Ziyun understood.
She walked slowly into the hall and knelt down to pay her respects to the Emperor, Empress and Grand Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, my grandfather did save Concubine Duan's life. At the time, Concubine Duan was critically ill, and the imperial physicians said she was beyond help. My grandfather devoted considerable effort to treating her illness and finally cured her. I believe that anyone who escapes death would be deeply grateful to their savior. Concubine Duan looks kind, and she must have a grateful heart. So, how could she have attacked my grandfather and his family?"
After she finished speaking, everyone looked at each other.
This survivor of the Nangong family actually came out to defend Concubine Duan!
Could it be that the murderer who wiped out the entire Nangong family was not Concubine Duan? Perhaps it was really An Lin's casual accusation before her death.
Yan Shixu seemed to be interested when he heard this.
He asked Nangong Ziyun: "How old were you at the time? Did you see your grandfather treating Concubine Duan with your own eyes?"
Everyone was confused. Hadn't the Emperor gathered everyone here today to interrogate Concubine Duan? Why were they chatting about family matters now?
Nangong Ziyun replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, I wasn't even born at the time. But my aunt personally treated Concubine Duan's illness alongside my grandfather. I've lived with my aunt for many years, and she personally taught me medical skills. She also told me about many of the cases she and my grandfather had seen, and Concubine Duan was one of them."
Yan Shixu: "Oh? I'm a little curious. What illness did Concubine Duan have at the time? Even a doctor as skilled as your grandfather had to spend so much time treating her?"
Nangong Ziyun: "Your Majesty, Concubine Duan is suffering from 'blood deficiency'."
Everyone was shocked. It turned out to be such a fatal disease, but in the end, Old Master Nangong had cured it. His medical skills were really top-notch. It was a pity that such a powerful person did not have a good end.
After listening for a while, Wen Li'er trembled in fear and asked, "The name of this disease sounds scary. If the blood in a person's body dries up, wouldn't that mean the end of life? Miss Nangong, do you know how to treat this disease?"
Yan Shixu turned to look at her and said with a smile, "My dear concubine, please don't ask too much. How can I casually reveal the prescription for such a strange disease to you?"
Wen Li'er quickly covered her mouth and apologized with her innocent big eyes blinking.
"Miss Nangong, I'm really sorry. I was talking too much."
When Concubine Duan heard them talking about her illness back then, her expression changed slightly and she tried to change the subject.
But Nangong Ziyun spoke first.
"Your Majesty, and Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine, there's nothing secretive about this recipe for treating blood deficiency. The ingredients are mostly common, but there's one special ingredient that can only be found in close relatives."
Wen Li'er curiously asked, "A medicine that can only be obtained from a close relative? What is that?"
The other people in the hall also looked at Nangong Ziyun.
It is inevitable that people will get sick if they eat a variety of grains.
If I knew this recipe, it might become a life-saving talisman one day.
Concubine Duan was about to interrupt, but Nangong Ziyun spoke first again.
"That medicine is the blood of a loved one. Only by using blood as medicine can it replenish essence and blood."
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on King Wu.
The only person who could use the blood of a close relative as medicine for treatment was King Wu.
After all, Concubine Duan only has King Wu as her son.
Concubine Duan's face turned pale for a moment, and her fingers under her sleeves clenched suddenly, with an extremely strong bad premonition.
She lowered her eyes and glanced quickly at Nangong Ziyun, a bloodthirsty light flashing in her eyes.
Nangong Ziyun looked around the hall and asked in confusion, "Why didn't your servant see Prince Wu? He and Concubine Duan had a deep bond. He didn't even blink when he bled to save his mother. He is truly a filial son and a role model for our generation."
King Wu on the side straightened his messy hair and looked at Nangong Ziyun in confusion.
He's such a big lump standing there, and she can't even see him? It seems her eyesight isn't very good.
In the main hall, although the royal family members did not understand why the topic of the interrogation of Concubine Duan... turned into a discussion of the illness that Concubine Duan had suffered before.
The old Ming Wang had a very kind nature. He smiled and introduced Nangong Ziyun, "Girl, it's understandable that you haven't seen the Wu Wang before. He's standing to your right right now. Look up and you'll recognize him next time you see him."
Upon hearing this, Nangong Ziyun obediently looked up at King Wu.
But she looked back and forth several times, and her brows became more and more furrowed.
Everyone was puzzled, but Concubine Duan's heart was pounding.
She brewed up her emotions for a long time and said to Nangong Ziyun, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, Miss Nangong. He looks so sloppy and unkempt. It's really not appropriate."
Nangong Ziyun shook his head.
"No, he is not King Wu. My aunt said that King Wu had a very obvious black mole between his eyebrows, but this prince does not have it."
When everyone heard this, they were all confused and didn't understand why the person in front of them was not King Wu.
But among the people present, three of them felt weak.
The three people were Concubine Duan, her personal nanny Sun Tong, and Nanny Zhong who was standing next to the Empress Dowager.
Suddenly, Yan Shicheng, who was sitting not far below the emperor, spoke suddenly.
"Miss Nangong, your aunt must have remembered it wrongly. The prince with the black mole between his eyebrows is Prince Yu."
Nangong Ziyun suddenly realized.
"Oh, it's Prince Yu. I'm truly sorry, I'm confined to the inner chambers and kept out of the news, so I didn't know that Concubine Duan had two sons, Prince Wu and Prince Yu. It was Prince Yu who donated blood for Concubine Duan back then. Prince Yu is truly a filial son, and he and Concubine Duan share a deep bond."
As soon as she finished speaking, the entire hall fell into silence.
The Empress Dowager's body shook violently and she almost slipped off the chair and fell to the ground.
The palace maids Xiuping and Xiuzhu quickly supported her.
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