Chapter 257: Investigating the Whereabouts of the Late Emperor
The seventh prince is the emperor's youngest son and is less than three years old.
That year, after the Huangshaling incident broke out, the empress dowager threatened the emperor with her own life to prevent him from conducting a thorough investigation. The emperor did not dare to disobey his mother's orders, and felt depressed and drank to relieve his sorrow.
The deposed empress took the opportunity to put drugs in the wine. The emperor was disgusted that the deposed empress used such a despicable method to seek pleasure, so he favored the palace maid around the deposed empress out of anger and later gave her the title of beauty.
Unexpectedly, that time, the maid became pregnant. She knew that the palace could not accommodate her, so she begged the emperor for help.
He favored the palace maid in order to disgust and take revenge on the deposed empress, but the child was his own, so the emperor kept the child.
The child was the seventh prince, and the maid was promoted to the rank of Jieyushi. However, she was not satisfied with this and often called the emperor to his palace on the pretext that the child was not feeling well.
After this happened many times, the emperor became suspicious and ordered Feng Ruobao to investigate. It turned out that the palace maid, in order to win favor, deliberately gave the child a cold bath to make him catch a cold.
In a fit of rage, the emperor sent the maid to the cold palace.
Without his mother's care, the emperor was worried about leaving the seventh prince to be raised by other concubines, so he sent the seventh prince to Baisun Hall where the princes lived, to be cared for by special maids and eunuchs.
The emperor was puzzled. He had not received any news that the seventh prince was ill. How could he suddenly die?
But when he saw the body of the Seventh Prince, his eyes were filled with shock and anger.
The corpse spots on the Seventh Prince's body are exactly the same as those on Prince Jing's body.
Prince Jing was possessed by a little ghost, so the seventh prince... is the late emperor?
"When did the seventh prince die?" The emperor suppressed his anger and grief.
The wet nurse who was taking care of the Seventh Prince shuddered. "It should be in the morning... or maybe in the morning."
"You bastard." The emperor glared at the wet nurse. "You are the wet nurse of the Seventh Prince, the one who takes care of him personally, and yet you don't know when this happened to him?"
"Your Majesty, please spare me. The Seventh Prince has always loved to sleep, and has been particularly sleepy lately, often sleeping for several hours at a time.
At first, I was also worried that there was a problem, but I asked the imperial physician to see him. The imperial physician said that the seventh prince was in good health and that it would be beneficial for the child to get more sleep.
Moreover, once, I was worried that the Seventh Prince had slept too much, so I woke him up. The Seventh Prince cried for a full hour and refused to eat for two meals. Then, I didn't dare to disturb him and just stayed by his side.
Until… until I noticed that the Seventh Prince’s complexion was becoming increasingly abnormal, with spots appearing on his face, I then…”
Just then, he was about to wake up the Seventh Prince, but he found that his body was already cold. When he sniffed, there was no breath.
No matter how well-behaved a child is, he is still a child, and it is tiring to make him make a fuss. She originally thought that the Seventh Prince loved to sleep recently, which was a good opportunity for her to relax.
I wish the child could sleep a little longer, so why would I disturb him? But who would have thought that the Seventh Prince would die in his sleep like this.
Now that her master was gone, the old nanny was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please spare my life. I really didn't neglect the Seventh Prince..."
The imperial physician who had previously treated the Seventh Prince also shouted, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Seventh Prince's pulse has been normal these days. I really didn't see any problem. I am incompetent. Please forgive me, Your Majesty..."
The emperor was in a very heavy and bad mood after losing two sons in one day.
On the one hand, the seventh prince might have been possessed by the late emperor, and on the other hand, the palace servants must have been negligent. So Feng Ruobao was ordered to strictly investigate the daily behavior of the wet nurse and the imperial physician. If they were not diligent, they would be dealt with according to the palace rules.
Feng Ruobao took a group of people out, and only the emperor, Lan Shu, Wei Qingyan, and the body of the seventh prince were left in the room.
Wei Qingyan said, "The Seventh Prince must have been possessed by the late emperor. This year marks the seventh anniversary of the late emperor's death, and the Seventh Prince is less than three years old.
In addition, the wet nurse said that he had been sleepy recently. Perhaps sleepiness was a cover-up of the late emperor. From this, it seems that the seventh prince must have been possessed by the late emperor recently.
And I had previously noticed that there was someone outside the palace who was proficient in mysterious arts. That person was most likely the late emperor. He wanted to find the fat monk and also pay attention to our situation. Before he took over the body of the seventh prince, he must have taken over an identity that was convenient for him to act.
In recent years, the resentment in the palace's prison for criminals and the cold palace has been eroded. Combining the two, it can be inferred that the person whose body the late emperor had previously taken over lived outside the palace, but was able to enter the palace from time to time.
We previously suspected that the person was Prince Yu, but Prince Yu wasn't possessed by someone else, so the late emperor must have possessed someone who was related to him by blood, or someone they had lived with for a long time."
Only if one of these two conditions is met can one be possessed by the late emperor. Once the late emperor abandons the body, the possessed body will die like King Jing and the Seventh Prince.
Therefore, as long as they find out who has died in the royal family over the years, they can infer whose body the late emperor has taken over, and even find out what the late emperor has done over the years.
The emperor quickly understood Wei Qingyan's meaning and ordered Mo Yi to investigate.
If an important figure in the royal family died, it would naturally be reported to the emperor, but the royal family was not a small family, and there were countless princes and royal relatives.
It is impossible for the emperor to know that everyone has died.
“If he had taken over someone else’s body after his death seven years ago, and the Seventh One is another now, it means he has killed at least two people.
Does it mean that he has mastered the evil art of possessing another's body to perfection?
There are so many people in the royal family, and anyone who is related to him by blood can be possessed by someone else. How can the emperor protect himself from him?"
Wei Qingyan shook his head. "I think his sorcery isn't well-trained enough, otherwise he wouldn't be able to possess the body of a two-year-old child."
The late emperor was anxious to find the fat monk. What could a two-year-old child do? Wei Qingyan felt that the seventh prince was the late emperor's only choice.
If he had truly mastered the sorcery, he could have taken over the body of someone with more power, or at least an adult who could move freely.
But to be on the safe side, Wei Qingyan still asked the emperor to hold a palace banquet in the next few days and invite all the royal relatives in the capital to the palace.
If the late emperor was mixed up in this, she would be able to see the clues now.
But the late emperor might have guessed her intention and dared not enter the palace. They could also exclude those who did not enter the palace for the banquet based on the people who entered the palace, and then go to see those people separately.
However, this method only applies to the royal family in the capital. It is impossible to call the princes and descendants who are far away in their fiefdoms into the capital one by one to show themselves to Wei Qingyan.
There was nothing that could be done about it, so the emperor quickly agreed to Wei Qingyan's proposal. It just so happened that Wei Qingyan's return to the royal family was the pretext for a banquet.
However, he looked at Lan Shu and said, "Shu'er, now that Qingyan is the Crown Princess, I should also remind you of your status."
Only a few people knew about the divorce letter she was given. In the eyes of outsiders, she was still the concubine of the Eastern Palace.
"Also, the harem is currently without a leader, and is temporarily managed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs does not dare to make decisions on many matters, and they have to come to me for help.
There are already enough state affairs, and I, a man, am not capable enough to take care of the harem..."
"What position are you going to give me?" Lan Shu spoke before he could finish.
If the emperor continued talking, she might even cry and play the victim to the extreme. Lan Shu had become quite familiar with this tactic of the emperor these days and didn't want her daughter to laugh at her again.
The emperor was right about one thing. His daughter was the future crown prince, and as a mother, she could not remain nameless and without status, or she would be criticized in the future.
Since she has decided to stay with the emperor and has earned the reputation of seducing the king, why not take some tangible benefits?
After hearing this, the emperor knew that she had agreed to manage the harem and asked, "Imperial Noble Consort?"
Although the queen was deposed, it was possible to make Lan Shu the queen, but the Xie family had just opposed Qing Yan's affairs, and now they immediately made Lan Shu the queen. The Xie family might be desperate and do something desperate, and he didn't have the energy to deal with the Xie family at the moment.
Lan Shu is not greedy. The imperial concubine is second only to the queen, and there is no queen in the harem now, which means she is the only one in power, which is enough.
"Okay, I'll take care of the harem. I'll also organize this banquet, so don't worry."
"I'll send some capable old maids to help you."
Lan Shu responded readily, "Okay."
Although she can manage the Sword Casting Villa well, the harem is much more complicated than the Sword Casting Villa, and she feels a little unsure if she is left alone.
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