Chapter 145 The Late Emperor Saved Him
The Duchess of England covered her head with her hands, shaking her head repeatedly, muttering to herself, "No, no."
"You're not, you're not!"
Jiang Wan Ning wanted to step forward to comfort her, but before she could even touch her, the Duchess of England screamed "Ah—".
He huddled under the table, pleading, "Don't come any closer, don't come any closer."
"I won't die, I won't commit suicide, please don't come any closer, please...please..."
The Duchess of England suddenly paused, knelt down and begged, "Please, spare Chuan'er, spare Chuan'er, he's still just a child."
“Mother-in-law…” Jiang Wan Ning’s voice was tinged with sadness, “Xie Chuan is doing well.”
"No! You're lying! You were sent by them to deceive me, weren't you?" the Duchess of England roared. "I've told you everything."
"I don't know anything. A-Chuan is still young. Please let him go."
"Why, why must you torment him like this?" The Duchess of England began to sob at the end.
With dawn approaching, Jiang Wanning couldn't linger any longer and could only whisper, "Xie Chuan is not dead."
"I'll have him come to see you. Take care of yourself."
He turned and left.
No one should know that she has been here; if they do, it could be detrimental to the Duchess of England.
Who would dare to keep someone locked up in the inner palace for over ten years except for the emperor's orders?
What exactly is he?
Jiang Wan Ning was in a state of confusion. She went back inside and rubbed her throbbing head, wondering whether she should send a message to Pei Yan Chuan.
Ink dripped from the tip of the wolf-hair brush onto the imperial edict with a "plop, plop" sound, and Jiang Wan Ning hesitated, unsure of how to begin writing.
"Knock, knock, knock." There was a knock on the door. "Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress invites you to have breakfast together."
"good."
Jiang Wan Ning put down her pen, got up, opened the door, and left with Cherry, the palace maid who served the Empress.
"I have ordered someone to cook lotus seed porridge. Try it and see if you like it."
Jiang Wan Ning sat down and took the soup bowl handed to her by the palace maid. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Your Highness, your eyes look a little dark. Did you not sleep well last night?"
Jiang Wan Ning put down the soup spoon she was about to eat and looked directly at the Empress. "Your Majesty, why ask a question you already know the answer to?"
A hint of shock flashed in Empress Song Zhuyi's eyes, then disappeared in an instant. She gently raised her hand, which was inlaid with golden armor.
The palace maids and eunuchs inside the hall all withdrew.
For a moment, only Jiang Wan Ning and Empress Song Zhu Yi remained in the palace.
"I did not expect the Princess to be so direct."
"I don't like to hide things. Wasn't what the Empress did yesterday precisely to make me find out who lives in Xingzhi Palace?"
"I went to see it, and I have to admire Her Majesty the Empress's strategy. Her Majesty knew that I wouldn't ignore it."
"Then may I ask, Your Majesty, why did you do this?"
Although Song Zhuyi, as the empress, was shocked by Jiang Wanning's straightforwardness, she was not intimidated by her.
The Queen said calmly, "I only wish to make friends with the Princess."
“Friend? Your Majesty, if I’m not mistaken, this Duchess of Yingguo was imprisoned in this Xingzhi Palace by the late Emperor.”
"Now that the late emperor has passed away, the current emperor is naturally aware that such a person is hidden in this vast harem."
"Then the murderer who murdered the Duke of England's family points directly to the royal family. Your Majesty is now also a member of the royal family. Are you sure you want to befriend me by doing this?"
"The princess is sharp-minded and intelligent; no wonder His Majesty speaks highly of you."
"But has Your Highness ever considered that the current Duchess of England might be you in the future?"
Jiang Wan Ning frowned slightly as she looked at the Empress. The Empress continued, "The Princess Consort is intelligent, but she has miscalculated one thing."
"It was not the late emperor who murdered the Duke of Ying's family; it was the late emperor who sent people to rescue the Duchess of Ying."
"The late Emperor had a special kind of affection for the Duchess of Yingguo..." the Empress paused, "...
"The late emperor would never have done something as simple as seizing the wife of a subject. The reason the Duchess of Ying was saved when the Duke of Ying's family was murdered that day..."
It was the late emperor's secret guards who had been watching the Duke of Ying's mansion. And not just the Duke of Ying's mansion, but every household in the entire capital was under the emperor's watchful eye.
"It was not feasible to mobilize all the secret guards. One of their leaders knew of the late emperor's feelings for the Duchess of Yingguo, so he took it upon himself to save her."
"Later, the late emperor secretly hid the person in the palace. The Duchess of Yingguo was determined to find a way to make the late emperor threaten the life of the Duke of Yingguo's heir."
The Empress kept staring at Jiang Wan Ning, but saw that Jiang Wan Ning's expression remained unchanged.
A flicker of disappointment crossed her mind, but she continued, "Although the Duchess of England survived for her son, she also went blind from crying."
"He was somewhat delirious, sometimes he was better and sometimes he was worse."
"If that's the case, why doesn't His Majesty tell the Prince that the Duchess of Yingguo is still alive?"
The Empress's face was grave. "How dare His Majesty say such a thing?"
"Although the late emperor meant well, it was tantamount to imprisonment. Your Majesty cannot openly say that it was the late emperor's selfish intention."
"Therefore, we could only continue to keep her locked up in the Xingzhi Palace until she actually died."
Jiang Wan Ning gripped the teacup tightly. "This is torturing her."
She wanted to die but dared not, unsure whether her son was alive or not.
This is such torture.
"Why does Your Majesty say that my future will be the same?"
"Can't Your Highness see the Emperor's feelings for you?" the Empress said directly. "The Prince of Langya is not in good health."
"I'm afraid his days are numbered, and it's hard to say whether His Majesty will follow in the footsteps of the late Emperor."
"But I think he will."
"Because the way he looks at you is so intense."
"So, Your Highness is afraid that after the Prince dies, the Emperor will take me into the harem and take away some of his favor?"
The Empress's eyes darted away slightly. "Although I am the Empress of a nation, the mother of the world..."
"But I am also a woman, and naturally I hope that there will be one less person vying for the emperor's favor in this harem."
"Her Majesty informed me that the Duchess of Yingguo is still alive, and I am determined to go back to rescue her. This has naturally touched the Emperor's sore spot."
“Once this matter is exposed, the rift between the Emperor and the Prince will only widen.”
"However, this is not the Emperor's fault, but the late Emperor's. In other words, if the late Emperor had not saved the Duchess of Yingguo, the mother and son would never have met in this life."
"Your Highness is a wise and understanding person."
The Empress relaxed slightly. "I couldn't bear to see them separated for so many years."
"Not to mention that the prince is currently suffering from a deadly poison... I'm afraid..."
As the Empress spoke, her eyes were fixed on Jiang Wan Ning's expression, not wanting to miss a single detail.
Jiang Wan Ning lowered her head and took a sip of tea. "Everyone has their own destiny."
"As for other matters, Your Highness can rest assured. Now that I have married the Prince, I belong to him in life and in death."
"I have another matter. Since it was not the late Emperor who murdered the Duke of Ying's family, does Your Majesty know who it was?"
The Empress shook her head slightly. "I do not know, but I swear it is absolutely impossible that it could be the late Emperor."
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