Chapter 294 The Second Prince is the Queen’s Nephew
Yan Shixu ate up all the food that Wen Lier brought.
Wen Li'er was happy to see this. She gently cleaned up the dishes and put them back into the food box.
"Your Majesty is busy with government affairs, so I will not bother you any further."
She stood up and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of your health and don't overwork yourself."
Yan Shixu held her back and wouldn't let her go.
"You stay here with me."
Wen Li'er was worried that she would disturb him from handling official business, so she decided to go back.
But at this moment, the eunuch outside announced: "Your Majesty, Wen Xiurong requests an audience."
Yan Shixu paused slightly while holding Wen Li'er's hand, and he understood the purpose of Wen Wanqin's visit this time. It must be that the task he had entrusted to her had come to fruition.
"Xuan." He put down his pen, his voice expressing neither joy nor anger.
Wen Li'er knew that they were going to talk about something. She knew that Wen Wanqin seemed to be helping the emperor, just like a subordinate working for his superior.
She added, "Your Majesty, I'd better leave first. You two have more important matters to discuss."
Yan Shixu didn't let go: "It's okay, you can listen."
Wen Li'er had no choice but to give up.
Wen Wanqin followed Yongtai into the imperial study.
She was dressed very simply, without any makeup, and her black hair was tied up in the simplest style, with only a plain silver hairpin in her hair.
He was holding an inconspicuous rosewood box in his hand, his posture respectful but neither humble nor arrogant.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, and Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine." She bowed gracefully in a clear voice.
"No need to be so polite." Yan Shixu raised his eyes and his gaze fell on her seriously.
"What's the result?" he asked directly.
Wen Wanqin answered directly: "The Second Prince was indeed not born to the Queen, but to Liu Ziling, the wife of her brother Xie Zhenbao."
Yan Shixu was not too surprised to hear this answer, but Wen Li'er was stunned.
What did she hear?
The Second Prince wasn't the Queen's son? He was her nephew?
What's going on? What about the queen's own children?
Wen Wanqin presented the rosewood box in her hands.
"Your Majesty, this is the confession of Imperial Physician Luo and the midwife who delivered Liu Ziling."
Yan Shixu took the box and read the confession inside page by page.
Wen Li'er was also watching from behind, and both of them fell into silence.
After a while, Yan Shixu finally spoke: "Call Zhang Sicheng in."
"Yes." Yongtai went to change the person himself.
Yan Shixu handed the confession in the rosewood box to Zhang Sicheng.
He ordered, "Bring all those involved in the case to the palace. I will interrogate them personally."
After reading the confession, Zhang Sicheng was also stunned.
He clasped his fists in response and hurried to get the person.
…
The sun sets in the west and the palace lanterns are dim.
Yan Shishu changed into an inconspicuous dark blue palace dress and wrapped herself tightly from head to toe in a large black fox fur coat, leaving only her eyes exposed.
When Yan Shishu pushed open the creaking, dilapidated palace door that seemed like it would fall apart at any moment, a strong smell mixed with decay, mildew, dust and some indescribable smell hit her face. It was so cold that it was almost suffocating.
With the dim moonlight filtering through the dilapidated window lattices, Yan Shishu's eyes eagerly swept across the empty and dilapidated hall.
Finally, I saw the thin figure curled up, almost blending into the darkness.
"Zhen Rong!" Yan Shishu lowered her voice, with a heavy cry and uncontrollable eagerness, and rushed over quickly.
The figure in the corner shuddered violently, like a frightened animal, and raised his head stiffly and extremely slowly.
The moonlight sparsely illuminated that face—
As pale as gold paper, without a trace of blood.
The eyes that once looked bright and lively were now empty and lifeless, as if covered by a thick layer of gray.
She was holding a small piece of clothing tightly in her arms, with faint dark brown bloodstains visible on it, as if it was the only thing she could hold on to in this gloomy cold palace.
"Shi...Shi Shu?"
Xie Zhenrong's voice was as hoarse as the pumping of an old bellows.
Her cloudy eyes struggled to focus for a while before she finally recognized the person in front of her.
In an instant, those dead eyes suddenly burst into an ecstatic light like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood.
However, this light was fleeting and was immediately swallowed up by the deeper and thicker darkness.
"How...how did you get in? Did...did His Majesty send you in? Did he...did he agree to see me?"
Xie Zhenrong struggled to stand up, but due to weakness and excitement from sitting for a long time, his legs and feet went limp and he staggered forward and fell.
Yan Shishu took a step forward and held her cold arms tightly. The biting cold and the surprisingly thin touch made Yan Shishu feel sad and guilty.
"No! Zhen Rong, I came in secretly!"
She whispered urgently, her eyes darting around.
"We can't stay here any longer! The Emperor is furious, and the Grand Empress Dowager and the Queen Mother... have stood by and watched! If you stay, you might die! Come with me! I'll take you out! Away from the palace! No matter where you are, there's always a way for you to survive!"
"Leaving the palace?"
The light in Xie Zhenrong's eyes dimmed instantly. He repeated blankly and then shook his head violently.
A morbid obsession appeared on her haggard face.
"No! I don't want to leave the palace! I am the Queen of Dayan! Your Majesty... Your Majesty just had a momentary misunderstanding, he will definitely understand! I want to see His Majesty! I want to tell him that it was that bitch Wen Li'er who harmed me! It was her!"
"Zhen Rong! Wake up!"
Yan Shishu was shocked by the crazy hatred that suddenly rose in her eyes and shook her shoulders hard.
"He won't trust you anymore! All he has in his eyes and heart now is that woman in Bixi Palace and her child! He has long since lost all his feelings for you as a couple! What are you still hoping for?"
"Exorbitant hope? Hahaha..."
Xie Zhenrong suddenly burst into a shrill and strange laugh, which echoed in the empty and silent cold palace, making people feel creepy.
She stared at Yan Shishu intently, her nails almost digging into her flesh.
"Of course I don't dare to have any extravagant hopes! He wishes I were dead! He...they! They were all bewitched by that vixen from Bixi Palace! She's the only one in their eyes and hearts! Only the bastards she gave birth to! I'm his first wife! I gave birth to his legitimate son! But how did he treat me? Ignorance! Suspicion! Humiliation! When has he ever shown me and Xing Zhi even the slightest bit of tenderness? He wanted to give the entire kingdom to that bitch Wen Li'er! They forced me to do this! They forced me to do this!"
She accused hysterically, as if she wanted to pour out all the resentment, resentment and humiliation that had accumulated over the years.
However, the next moment, her eyes fell on the blood-stained baby clothes in her arms, and all the madness instantly faded away like the tide.
Her whole body began to tremble violently, and she slid down to sit on the freezing cold ground, holding the bloody clothes. Her voice was filled with childlike helplessness and despair.
"My nanny is dead... No one loves me anymore... No one cares about me anymore... Shi Shu... What should I do... Nanny..."
Watching her friend struggling on the brink of madness and collapse, Yan Shishu felt heartbroken.
She squatted down, grabbed Xie Zhenrong's shoulders tightly, and spoke in a quick and decisive voice.
"Zhen Rong! Look at me! Listen to me! I won't abandon you! Now, come with me! It's too dangerous here!"
She tried to pull Xie Zhenrong up by force.
Xie Zhenrong emphasized: "See Your Majesty... I want to see Your Majesty... Your Majesty will understand..."
And just at this moment——
Suddenly, from far away outside the hall, there was a heavy and oppressive sound of footsteps!
Accompanied by the clanging sound of armor rubbing and colliding, it came from far away!
It was like the beat of a death drum, beating on the hearts of the two!
It's the Royal Guards!
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