Chapter 108: All Lies Fabricated by the Empress Dowager
Inside Chonghua Palace, Emperor Zhaode and Princess Ning'an sat facing each other.
After a long silence, Emperor Zhaode finally spoke: "Ning'an, I should give you the truth and give you justice."
Princess Ning'an looked at him without saying a word, her expression pale and gloomy: "I am not the Emperor's sister, am I?"
Judging from the Empress Dowager's attitude towards Wen Yishu, she had long anticipated this outcome, so there was nothing she couldn't accept. As for what to do next... perhaps that was not something she could decide herself.
Emperor Zhaode slowly shook his head: "You are my sister."
Princess Ning'an was taken aback.
"My father brought a woman back from outside the palace years ago, and bestowed upon her the title of Consort Jing. She became pregnant but lost the baby. The midwife said it was stillborn, but in reality, the Empress Dowager had bribed the midwife to secretly take the child away." Emperor Zhaode lowered his eyes, his expression complex and unfathomable. "Your birth mother was that Consort Jing, so you are still my sister. It's just that Consort Jing had an accident during childbirth, and due to excessive grief, she passed away not long after..."
“Royal brother.” Princess Ning’an’s expression changed, and her eyes suddenly turned icy cold. “Don’t tell me that Wen Yishu and I are siblings.”
She couldn't accept that her lawfully wedded husband, the man she had shared a bed with for so many years, was actually her brother.
This is a scandal.
It's not just her scandal, it's a scandal for the royal family!
Emperor Zhaode remained silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No."
Princess Ning'an was taken aback: "No?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a sense of relief, and all her strength suddenly vanished.
Could it be that Wen Yishu is not the Empress Dowager's biological son?
Her mind was a complete mess, and she had no idea how to sort out this tangled mess: "The Empress Dowager's childbirth was documented in medical records, which cannot be falsified, so where did that child go? If it wasn't Wen Yishu, then... that child..."
Emperor Zhaode pursed his lips: "It is Wen Yishu."
"Then aren't they siblings—" Princess Ning'an's words trailed off as her pupils constricted. She stared wide-eyed at Emperor Zhaode in disbelief. "He...he is..."
Wen Yishu is the Empress Dowager's child, but she is not her brother or sister.
Then there is only one possibility.
That means Wen Yishu's father was not the late emperor.
Princess Ning'an was shocked.
An empress dowager who had an affair with a foreign man not only dared to openly protect the child she had given birth to, which had tarnished the reputation of the royal family, but also dared to brazenly tell the emperor the truth.
Was she afraid that no one would know about this scandal, or was she certain that the emperor was her biological son and wouldn't kill her?
"The Empress Dowager had no choice back then." Emperor Zhaode's face was grim, but he had to defend the Empress Dowager. "Ning'an, this matter should have been kept buried in your heart, and you should not have revealed a single word even if you died. But in order to save Wen Yishu, the Empress Dowager took the initiative to tell me about her helplessness and the truth back then. This is like reopening her wounds and hurting herself. I promise to take care of Wen Yishu on the way to exile so that her family will not suffer too much. But as for the rest, they will be dealt with as they should be. I will not be lenient."
Princess Ning'an snapped out of her daze, a sarcastic expression on her face: "Does Your Majesty think that what the Empress Dowager said is necessarily the truth?"
Emperor Zhaode remained silent.
"The Empress Dowager did this to save Wen Yishu..." Princess Ning'an took a deep breath. "Since the Emperor knows she did it to save Wen Yishu, how can he be sure that what she said is true? Wen Yishu has the blood of adultery flowing in her veins. I am certain that Father Emperor does not know about this. Otherwise, does the Emperor think Wen Yishu could still be alive?"
Emperor Zhaode said calmly, "Father really didn't know about Wen Yishu. Because the Empress Dowager sent Wen Yishu out of the palace right after giving birth."
"Then does Father Emperor know about the Empress Dowager's affair?" Princess Ning'an followed up. "If he knows... no matter what helplessness the Empress Dowager says, does Your Majesty think Father Emperor can tolerate such a thing happening? Can he tolerate the Empress Dowager living, or even tolerate the Empress Dowager's son sitting on the throne?"
Emperor Zhaode's brows furrowed like dark clouds, and he remained silent.
"Please forgive my disrespect, my sister." Princess Ning'an stood up and bowed to the emperor. "If Father knew the whole truth, even if he was certain that my brother was his biological son, he would not allow a woman with a tainted reputation to sit on the throne as Empress Dowager, much less pass the throne to the son of this woman with a tainted reputation."
She paused for a moment, then said, “Your Majesty, you are the Empress Dowager’s biological son, and I understand that you may have some biases. I am very grateful that you told me part of the truth under these circumstances.”
Emperor Zhaode sighed: "Ning'an, I will make it up to you—"
“No need.” Princess Ning’an shook her head. “Thank you, Your Majesty, but I feel that Father has already compensated me.”
Emperor Zhaode was taken aback.
Princess Ning'an lowered her eyes: "These years, I have lived a comfortable life. I have never touched the five hundred elite troops that Father Emperor left me. They were very young back then, and they are in their prime now. They can still do some things for me without any problem."
Upon hearing these words, something suddenly flashed through Emperor Zhaode's mind.
He suddenly stood up, his face showing shock, or perhaps a sudden realization, before his expression gradually turned to anger.
"Royal brother?" Princess Ning'an looked at him, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
Emperor Zhaode didn't speak, pursed his lips to compose himself, and then shook his head: "It's nothing."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Do whatever you want. I will pretend I know nothing. But don't be too blatant. Be more discreet."
Princess Ning'an expressed her gratitude and took her leave.
Emperor Zhaode sat alone in a side hall, a sarcastic smile on his face.
Originally, he didn't want to investigate the truth. Regardless of whether what the Empress Dowager said was true or false, she was, after all, his mother. But some things simply didn't need to be investigated.
If what happened back then was truly the late emperor's scheme, not to mention how he could tolerate her living to this day, Princess Ning'an—in the late emperor's eyes, she was the daughter of the Empress Dowager's affair with another man. The late emperor was already being merciful by not killing her, so how could he possibly leave her with 500 elite guards for protection?
unless……
Unless the late emperor was certain that Princess Ning'an was his biological daughter.
If that's the case, then there are two possibilities.
First, the late emperor already knew about the Empress Dowager's move to send Wen Yishu out of the palace, and he was also aware that Princess Ning'an was the daughter the Empress Dowager had taken from Consort Jing. But if this assumption were true, the result would be that Wen Yishu would not have survived at all.
The late emperor would not allow him to live.
Therefore, this assumption is invalid.
The second possibility is that the late emperor was completely unaware of the Empress Dowager's affair and always believed that Princess Ning'an was his and the Empress Dowager's biological daughter.
If that's the case, then the late emperor's accusation that he plotted against his mother for having an affair is baseless.
All of this was a lie fabricated by the Empress Dowager.
Emperor Zhaode leaned against the couch, his brows furrowed with deep sorrow.
Should we investigate the truth of what happened back then?
Forty years have passed, and searching for the truth is pointless. Moreover, many of those who knew the truth back then are probably no longer alive. Even if the truth could be found out, it would only be... bringing up the royal family's shame again, making people feel disgusted as if they had swallowed a fly.
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