Chapter 75 Harem
With the unprecedented close cooperation between Liu Jin and Xiao Ziran, the power of Neihangchang and Nanyue Secret Guards was brought to the extreme.
They followed the clue that the black bears in the hunting ground were drugged, and finally found evidence that the animal trainer who disappeared and was "silenced" did not commit suicide or accidentally drown.
There was a very special spice powder left between his fingernails.
This spice only comes from the palace of "Concubine Jing", a concubine who loved making perfume during the previous emperor's reign.
This Concubine Dowager Jing did not come from a prominent family, but she was once favored by the late emperor because she gave birth to a prince.
However, the prince died before he was one year old. After that, she lived in seclusion, eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, as if she had seen through the world and was gradually forgotten by the world.
At the same time, Xiao Ziran also received the most urgent feedback from the dusty archives in Nanyue.
Although the old secret guard who was ordered to carry out the "baby-changing" mission has passed away, a secret oral record he left before his death was found.
Records mentioned that after he rescued the baby, he was unable to take it away from the palace immediately, so he briefly hid the baby in an abandoned palace near the cold palace where miscellaneous items were stored.
When he returned with the milk, the baby was gone.
He searched fearfully, but only saw the back of a low-ranking palace maid hurriedly leaving with a swaddling baby in her arms.
The silhouette of the palace maid was highly consistent with the description of an old palace maid who was close to Concubine Jing and was later discovered during the investigation!
All the clues, like scattered pearls, were finally connected by a thread called "Toffee Jing"!
Without any hesitation, Liu Jin and Xiao Ziran immediately sent troops with lightning speed to secretly surround the secluded palace where Concubine Jing lived.
When the soldiers rushed into the palace, Concubine Jing, who looked kind and had been worshipping Buddha all year round, was sitting calmly in front of the Buddhist temple, as if she had already anticipated this moment.
She didn't even look up, just twisted her Buddhist beads and said lightly:
"Your Majesty has finally arrived."
No resistance, no quibbling.
Under the ironclad evidence and powerful psychological pressure, Concubine Jing, or rather, this woman whose mind was completely distorted by the pain of losing her son and the long years of torture, confessed everything calmly and resentfully.
She hated all the concubines who had healthy princes, and hated even more those who had children who were able to bear them.
She used the spies and medicine knowledge she had planted in her early years to secretly kill several young princes and princesses.
That year, she discovered the secret of Liu Jin's pregnancy, and a vicious plan took shape in her mind - she wanted to let this child also taste the pain of being teased by fate and separated from flesh and blood!
She bribed and threatened a greedy and cowardly old palace maid beside Liu Jin. When Liu Jin was weak and unconscious after giving birth, she replaced the healthy Liu Xiao with a dying baby boy that she found from nowhere.
She originally planned to drown Liu Xiao, but was accidentally discovered and rescued by the secret guard of the former Emperor of Nanyue who had sneaked into the palace and was ordered to "deal with" this descendant of Nanyue.
After the secret guard took Liu Xiao away, she was terrified, thinking that her plan had been exposed.
But then Nanyue did not ask anyone about it, and Liu Jin also stayed away from the palace because of the pain of "losing his son", so she gradually let go of her worries, thinking that the child might have died outside the palace.
It was not until many years later, when Liu Xiao returned as the crown prince, that she discovered that the child was not dead!
Fear and resentment gripped her again.
She was afraid that Liu Xiao's existence would bring disaster upon herself one day and expose her past crimes. She also resented why this child was so
So, she once again mobilized the "Owl Feather" power that had been hidden for many years. This organization was left to her by her brother. They were descendants of the royal family of the previous dynasty. The late emperor did not know her identity at the time. If her son had not died, he could have used the organization to ascend to the throne!
She planned the assassination at the hunting ground, targeting Liu Xiao, and even wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of Liu Zong, who was outstanding in ability and trusted by Liu Jin, so that Liu Jin could also taste the pain of losing his beloved son!
The truth is revealed, so cruel and absurd.
The mystery that has troubled two generations actually originated from the twisted hatred of a woman in the harem.
Concubine Jing and her followers were dealt with with the most severe means. The dust has settled, but the emotional impact has just begun.
The person who was most shocked was Liu Xiao.
He always thought that he was a "folk prince" played by fate, but he didn't expect that his life experience was so tortuous, and he was burdened with another sensitive identity.
The bloodline of the former Emperor Nanyue.
The source of all these disasters was the crazy hatred of a woman he had never met.
He felt confused and cold, and even had a doubt about his own existence.
At this moment, a pair of warm and strong hands held his cold fingers.
He ignored his injuries and forced his way to Liu Xiao's side, his eyes firm and full of strength:
"Xiao'er, you are you. You are the son of the Emperor, the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire, and my... beloved one. Those filth and sins of the past have nothing to do with you. Don't let those things taint you."
Liu Xiao looked up at him and saw unreserved acceptance and protection in his eyes, and the chill in his heart gradually dispelled.
He held Liu Zong's hand tightly with his backhand, as if drawing strength from it.
After learning the whole truth, Liu Jin fell into a long silence.
He was angry at Concubine Jing's madness, and sad about the innocent baby who was replaced and died, but more importantly, he felt a great sense of relief and fear after losing and regaining his lost baby.
He was glad that his Xiao'er was still alive, but he was afraid that he almost lost this child forever.
He looked at Liu Xiao, his eyes filled with complex fatherly love and pity.
Xiao Ziran's mood was equally complicated.
He didn't expect that the coincidence that happened back then had such a reason behind it.
He looked at Liu Xiao, and a strange sense of intimacy and protectiveness surged in the heart of this man who had half Nanyue blood flowing in his veins.
He walked over to Liu Chen and whispered, "It's all in the past. Now, he's by your side, and that's enough."
Liu Jin nodded heavily, yes, that's enough.
He is the future emperor of the Celestial Empire.
A storm that swept the palace finally subsided, and the biggest cancer was completely eradicated.
Although it left indelible scars, it also made the living cherish each other more.
After going through all this, the relationship between Liu Jin and Xiao Ziran has become even more indestructible.
They are not only lovers, but also friends of life and death who share the most inner secrets and have weathered the greatest storms side by side.
And Liu Xiao and Liu Zong, after experiencing the test of life and death and the storm of their life experiences together, their relationship has become deeper and more stable.
Liu Zong's dominance and desire to protect finally found the most reasonable outlet, and Liu Xiao's gentleness and kindness became more calm and confident because he had Liu Zong as his most solid backer.
Although the relationship between them was still not tolerated by secular etiquette, it was actually acquiesced by the emperor and understood by Emperor Nanyue.
There may still be challenges in the future, but they are no longer afraid.
The dark clouds dispersed and the sun once again filled the palace.
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