Zhong Mingwei didn't know about this at first. Zhong Zhiheng never liked people mentioning the past of Queen Zhenxian. His understanding of Queen Zhenxian was always a cold memorial tablet. It was only when Ma Zhiming came to Ningguta last time and mentioned the past to him that he knew that the King of Pingxi and Queen Zhenxian should have known each other for a long time.
"I don't know about this, but they are cousins. It's just that the Xu family is different from other families. The ancestral rules say that all the queens in the past dynasties are from the Xu family, so the family rules of the Xu family are very strict. Women are absolutely not allowed to leave the house before they reach adulthood, so it was when the empress dowager was 36 years old... or 37 years old that Empress Zhenxian entered the palace for the first time. At that time, Prince Pingxi and His Majesty were both present. Naturally, they also saw this cousin, and I happened to be there at that time," Ding Yunwen nodded. After thinking about it, he said, "At that time, Prince Pingxi and Empress Zhenxian had a good chat, but His Majesty was drunk." At this point, Ding Yunwen's eyes fell on Zhong Mingwei's face again. "Why do you suddenly remember to ask this? Who told you that Prince Pingxi and Empress Zhenxian had a marriage contract before?"
"A while ago, the commander of the Imperial Guards, Ma Zhiming, came over and casually told me about Zi Ping Xi Wang's past. Plus, I heard some things from others," Zhong Mingwei said slowly. He pursed his lips and said with some difficulty, "Master, I think this might be true."
"Ma Zhiming is the commander of the Imperial Guards, responsible for protecting His Majesty. Naturally, he knows some secrets that outsiders don't know. However, Prince Pingxi and Empress Zhenxian..." Ding Yunwen shook his head slowly, frowning and said, "If Prince Pingxi and Empress Zhenxian really have an engagement, then it means that the candidate for Crown Prince identified by the late emperor is Prince Pingxi. If that were the case, the late emperor was already in poor health at the time. At that critical moment, the late emperor would definitely not send Prince Pingxi to Mobei. Instead, he would take advantage of his last breath to quickly clear the obstacles for Prince Pingxi, establish Prince Pingxi as Crown Prince, and then grant the marriage. However, the late emperor still allowed Prince Pingxi to go to the northwest. This doesn't make sense."
"Yes, the late emperor passed away just after the Prince of Pingxi left the capital." Zhong Mingwei also nodded.
"But what if the late emperor was still healthy?" Gu Changlin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly interrupted, "What if the late emperor felt that he was in good health and could live for a few more years? And he wanted to take this opportunity to let the Prince of Pingxi go to the northwest to make achievements, and then naturally make him the crown prince after he came back? But I heard that the Prince of Pingxi was the late emperor's youngest son. There were six princes to be crowned, but instead of crowning this youngest son who was not yet an adult, I am afraid that he would not be able to convince the people. It happened that there was such an opportunity for the Prince of Pingxi to stand out. The late emperor was eager to pave the way for the Prince of Pingxi. Maybe he had already secretly finalized the marriage between the Prince of Pingxi and the Queen Zhenxian, and he just wanted the Prince of Pingxi to return to the capital in triumph."
"You mean someone noticed the late emperor's intentions and kept his troops in place at first, then as soon as the Prince of Pingxi left the capital, he..." At this point, Ding Yunwen suddenly fell silent, his eyes full of shock, and after a long while he took a breath, and then continued, "He took action, and then the Emperor died suddenly, the Prince of Pingxi was trapped in the northwest battlefield, and he naturally ascended the throne as emperor."
As soon as the words fell, the room fell into a suffocating silence. Mei Ya looked at Zhong Mingwei cautiously. Zhong Mingwei had a tense face and stared at the flickering flames. Mei Ya felt a little pain in her heart when she saw him like this. She quietly moved her feet towards him and then gently touched the man's feet. Immediately, the corners of the man's tense mouth slightly raised. Zhong Mingwei turned his head to face the worried little girl in his family, and then said softly, "It's okay."
Mei Ya hurriedly turned her head away and retracted her feet, still keeping her head down to warm herself by the fire, fearing that the two elderly people opposite her would notice what was going on.
"If that's the case, then the late emperor's sudden death must have been caused by someone," Ding Yunwen said after a while, frowning with an incredible look on his face. "But if that's the case, how could the Queen Mother allow it? And how could the Xu family support him and put him on the throne?"
It is obvious who the "he" Ding Yunwen refers to.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
