Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Sister
Ah Zheng has been having more and more dreams recently, and her dreams are full of fragments of her past life.
"Sister, sister!"
On New Year's Eve, a little boy was carried into the yard on his father's arms. As soon as he was put down, he opened his arms and ran towards the girl who was waiting for him in the yard.
"Zhi'er!"
When Yao Zheng saw the small figure running towards her with the biggest strides he could take, she couldn't help but smile, and squatted down again to welcome his hug.
It was Chinese New Year, and the family of four rarely got together, so they made dumplings together in the kitchen.
During this time, Yao Zheng heard the conversation between her father and mother.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?"
"Well, the prince's health has been deteriorating in recent days, so everyone inside and outside the palace is keeping an eye on things."
"That Zhier..."
"Zhi'er has to go too. The prince needs him to accompany him."
Yao Zheng lowered her head upon hearing this and remained silent.
As far as I can remember, because his father was highly regarded by the King of Zhao and his younger brother was of similar age to the Crown Prince of Zhao, little Yao Zhi was taken into the palace when he was just three years old and lived with the Crown Prince of Zhao.
This was naturally a good thing for both her brother and her family. However, because of this, the family could only reunite during the Spring Festival. And this year, because of King Zhao's serious illness, the family could only gather on this one night during such an important time as the Spring Festival to celebrate the New Year together.
Just as Yao Zheng was feeling sad, a child's sharp cry suddenly came from the kitchen - little Yao Zhi was scalded by the iron pot that was boiling water.
The family rushed to check, only to see a red mark on his forearm.
After waking up from the dream, A Zheng clearly remembered that her mother had asked her father that night if she could keep her brother for observation for a few days and then return to the palace after he had recovered from his injuries.
However, my father had no choice but to refuse, saying that there were better doctors in the palace and that he could get better treatment even if he went there.
One day, after her younger brother was taken away by her father, A Zheng never saw him again. Afterwards, Prince Zhao died, and soon the emperor passed away. Prince Zhao's son was chosen as the heir to the throne of Emperor Zhao and was escorted to the capital to inherit the throne. From then on, the title of Prince Zhao was sealed because he had no heirs.
His father, who was a close confidant of King Zhao, also chose to live in seclusion after the title of king was sealed.
On the day she left Pingzhou with her parents, the three of them were sitting in a carriage. Ah Zheng once asked her father, "Dad, where is Zhi'er?"
The only one missing from the family of four is Zhier.
But her father told her that Zhier had found a better place to go and she didn't need to worry.
Later, what A Zheng remembered was the brutal scene of the family massacre, with blood flowing all over the ground like a river.
Because of the continuous nightmares in recent days and the memories that kept coming back to her mind, A Zheng felt a little upset. She sat in the pavilion in the yard in a daze.
Soon she heard other sounds in the yard.
"Lord Xu!" She came back to her senses and looked over. After seeing who was coming, she stood up while shouting.
Zhou Jingzhi, who had just returned from outside, saw her standing there in a daze, so he didn't want to disturb her, but she took the initiative to call him down.
Zhou Jingzhi stood in the corridor and turned to face her. Just as he was about to ask her what was the matter, she said, "I have something I want to talk to Lord Xu about."
——
In Lizheng Hall, Shangguan Xu was also worried about Xun Yang's words.
Xun Yang told her in detail about the three years he spent recuperating on Wuyan Mountain.
"He was poisoned by being stabbed with a poisoned dagger. Furthermore, he engaged in a fight after reaching shore, which accelerated the poison's erosion of his body. So, initially, he practically experienced a near-death experience."
"Later, I finally made it to Wuyan Mountain, but due to the long journey, my body was too weak, so the first detoxification attempt was unsuccessful."
"As for the second time..."
"At that time, the people he sent out had just thoroughly investigated the entire incident that year and told him all the details. Because of this, he pieced together a conclusion that he couldn't accept - he believed that the Empress was among those who harmed him, and that she was one of the masterminds."
"So that detoxification attempt also failed."
"And the third time was because he changed his appearance."
"At that time, I originally advised him to wait until after the poison was removed before changing his appearance. However, he said that it would take him time to establish his new identity after the change, and that every day of delay would make things more difficult to resolve later. So he changed his appearance before the third poison removal. But changing one's appearance is not as easy as it sounds."
"As for whether this fourth attempt will be successful, I can't give a definitive answer. But a few days ago, he told me he's been experiencing symptoms like nosebleeds, which he never had before. This means the poison in his body has penetrated even deeper into his body."
"So the next detoxification is crucial."
Shangguan Xu repeated Xun Yang's words in her mind. She was committed to finding the truth, but now that she knew what he had suffered in the past, she could not think of any way to help him except heartache.
"Mother! Mother!"
Just as Shangguan Xu was thinking hard, Qinghe came in quickly from outside, shouting loudly.
Shangguan Xu calmed down, raised his eyes and asked, "What's the matter?"
Qing He: "Your Majesty has fainted."
Shangguan Xu stood up immediately and asked, "Have you called the imperial physician?"
Qing He nodded: "Yes, Lord Xu also sent for Doctor Xun to come."
Shangguan Xu was puzzled: "Why is he with His Majesty?"
Shouldn't he be preparing for the Shen Ce Army?
Qing He only said: "I heard that he went to teach His Majesty."
Shangguan Xu didn't ask any more questions, but hurried to the little emperor.
——
In the hall where the little emperor was attending class, the imperial physician and Xun Yang were taking the little emperor's pulse and treating him in front of the bed.
"What's the situation? Is His Majesty in serious condition?" Shangguan Xu rushed over and went straight into the inner hall to ask in front of the couch.
She also caught sight of Zhou Jingzhi standing beside her, and their eyes met for a few moments.
The imperial physician stood up first and replied, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Majesty is fine. He just felt a little irritated and fainted. He will be fine after some rest."
"Why are you so upset?" When asking this question, Shangguan Xu looked at Zhou Jingzhi for some reason.
The imperial physician kept his head down and naturally did not take a closer look. He just said that he was not clear about the situation at the time.
And Zhou Jingzhi kept responding to her gaze whenever she looked at him. She saw him walking towards her and stopping in front of her.
He said, "Your Majesty, I have something to tell you."
——
The two of them found an empty side hall.
As they reached the depths of the palace, Shangguan Xu softly asked, "What happened just now? Why did His Majesty faint? Also, how did you remember to come to the palace and teach His Majesty now?"
Zhou Jingzhi looked at her quietly for a few moments before asking, "Do you still remember what Ah Zheng said about her having a younger brother?"
Seeing him bring up this matter at this time, Shangguan Xu was a little confused, but he also responded: "Of course I remember, but have you received any relevant news recently?"
"Um."
"Her brother has been found?!"
Zhou Jingzhi said with a complicated expression: "Maybe."
Seeing his strange and hesitant attitude, Shangguan Xu became even more puzzled. However, without waiting for her to ask again, he continued, "But before that, I have one more thing to tell you. The current emperor is not Third Brother's child."
With a loud bang, Shangguan Xu was stunned for a moment.
Zhou Jingzhi recounted the events of that year, "That New Year's Day, my third brother was unable to come to the capital for New Year's celebrations due to health reasons. However, he did send a letter. In it, he wrote that he knew he didn't have much time left, so he was worried about his child, who was only three or four years old. What worried him at the time was the child's congenital deficiency."
Shangguan Xu: "What congenital deficiency?"
Zhou Jingzhi: "It's hard to tell red from green."
Shangguan Xu immediately recalled that the current little emperor had never had such symptoms.
Zhou Jingzhi continued, "At that time, the doctors in the Third Prince's mansion were all helpless against this disease, so he wrote to me for help, thinking that I might have a sage who could cure it."
"However, the most experienced imperial physician and Xun Ziyang at the Imperial Hospital at the time both gave the same answer - this was an incurable disease."
"So, initially, when I made shadow puppets, I used colors that would be easier for people with this condition to discern. This was because I believed Your Majesty was the Third Prince's child. Until I saw the landscape, flower, and bird painting Your Majesty had made—"
"Such a colorful painting could never have been created independently by someone who couldn't distinguish red from green."
Zhou Jingzhi paused and looked at her for a moment before continuing, "Let's get back to Azheng's younger brother. Azheng told me more today. She said that because of her father's influence, her younger brother was chosen to enter the Zhao Palace at the age of three. He became the Zhao Prince's tutor and lived with him. But when the Zhao Prince went to the capital, Azheng's father took their family to Luozhou to live in seclusion, but her younger brother was the only one missing."
"A Zheng told me a crucial piece of information. There was a burn mark on her brother's arm."
Shangguan Xu was shocked: "But it's on the left forearm?"
"Yes." Zhou Jing knew. "That year, A Zheng's younger brother didn't travel with their family. Her father only said he had a good place to go. At the same time, their family retired, but they were tragically killed shortly after. Today, I entered the palace to see if His Majesty had a similar burn scar on his arm."
"Indeed, I saw it. And the reason he fainted today was because when I asked him about the origin of the scar, he suddenly felt a pain in his head and passed out."
Zhou Jingzhi stared at Shangguan Xu and asked, "So what do you think is the biggest possibility?"
Inside the hall, the floating dust rose and fell in the dim light, just as chaotic as Shangguan Xu's thoughts at the moment.
She took a long time to process her thoughts before seeming to accept the absurdity and said, "So A Zheng's brother is His Majesty? And the reason their family was exterminated was because her brother took over the identity of the Prince of Zhao?"
"And as the perpetrator of the family extermination, Su Wang is also very likely the mastermind behind this 'Civet Cat Substituted for Prince' scheme?"
"What about the real Prince Zhao?" Shangguan Xu felt a surge of anxiety at the thought of that pitiful outcome. "He was only four years old at the time. Su Wang wanted to control the government and murder the lord. Wouldn't it be enough to support a four-year-old child to ascend the throne? He also wanted to confuse the royal family's bloodline so that he could hold someone hostage in the future to feel at ease?"
Zhou Jingzhi's eyes were as calm as a lake. "Maybe he didn't have such an idea at first, but now on the way to the capital, what if the original prince had an accident?"
He asked in a low voice, "Do you know why the Third Prince died?"
"And why did everything just happen to come together that year?"
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