Upon hearing this, the old emperor blinked in confusion, unable to understand what kind of relationship could there be between the Prince Xun and the Eastern Court.
He Jiuniang closed her eyes speechlessly. Oh well, she'd wait for the Crown Prince to arrive and they could talk about it together.
Fortunately, the Crown Prince knew they must have something to discuss, so he arrived quickly without much delay.
The Crown Princess also came, mainly because she heard that He Jiuniang had entered the palace and wanted to talk to her. However, she did not expect the atmosphere to be so serious. She didn't say much after arriving and just sat down to listen to them talk about serious matters.
Lu Baichuan spoke directly: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, Yan has confessed that the person behind the Zhuo family is Xun Wang."
"What?!!"
The old emperor and the crown prince both looked surprised, never expecting such a situation to occur.
"No, that can't be, right?"
After a long pause, the old emperor finally spoke, finding it somewhat fantastical.
"Is it possible that you were deceived by the Yan family?"
The old emperor felt he knew the Prince Xun somewhat and believed the Prince Xun lacked the ability.
He Jiuniang smacked her lips twice, having thought of her words, determined to make a shocking statement: "Yan Shi dared not lie in order to save her life, and, even more unfortunately, I am the daughter of King Xun."
"What?!!!"
This surprised not only the old emperor and the crown prince, but even the crown princess almost went into miscarriage.
This is just too outrageous!
Seeing the surprise and astonishment on their faces, He Jiuniang felt pleased and chuckled twice before continuing, "There's something even more unexpected for you. My mother is Zhuo Wei's ex-wife, Jiang Ruoya. We knew about this relationship back in Jingzhou. Although we haven't officially acknowledged each other yet, there's no mistake about it."
"What what what?!?!"
The old emperor's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; this juicy gossip was truly hard to digest!
The Crown Princess tried her best to control her emotions; she couldn't be overjoyed or sad, and she certainly couldn't be surprised for too long, as it wouldn't be good for the baby in her womb!
"Jiu Niang, stop keeping me in suspense! What exactly happened?"
The Crown Princess couldn't help but urge them on. She held her belly with one hand, risking harming her baby, determined to understand this whole story.
He Jiuniang then briefly recounted the whole incident, letting everyone know the general situation.
"In short, my mother is Jiang Ruoya, my father is Xun Wang, and Zhuo Wei is just a scapegoat."
He Jiuniang shrugged and took another sip of tea.
"You...you mean Jiang Ruoya is still alive? Wasn't she already..."
The old emperor felt like he was in a dream. What was going on? This person had been dead for twenty years. Back then, the capital was in an uproar. How could he still be alive now?
“She is indeed still alive. Back then, Zhuo Wei and Yan Shi tried to harm her, but her current husband saved her, and she is doing very well now.”
He Jiuniang kept the matter of Jiang Ruoya brief, not wanting to involve her.
"Although I am very reluctant to admit it, I should indeed be the daughter of Prince Xun. Madam Yan said that I look like Prince Xun. Prince Xun is the Emperor's brother. Your Majesty, do you think I look like him?"
As He Jiuniang spoke, she brought her large face closer so he could take a good look.
The old emperor also carefully examined He Jiu Niang's features. After a long while, he finally spoke, "You know what, you wouldn't have noticed unless you said it, but now that you mention it, it really does look like her in every way!"
Crown Prince: ? ? ?
Is this really not a joke?
How could He Jiuniang be Xun Wang's daughter? How could Zhuo Wei be a scapegoat? And how could someone from the Jiang family still be alive?
This...this...is completely beyond what he can tolerate!
The Crown Princess was also incredulous, finding it utterly unbelievable.
"Right?"
He Jiuniang sighed helplessly. She never expected things to turn out this way. She was the most innocent one, okay?
Lu Baichuan squeezed her hand and then continued, "Zhuo Wei has always been Xun Wang's man and has been working for Xun Wang all these years. Xun Wang has very close ties with the people of Dongting. It is said that he is half a Dongting person. Because of this, we suspect that Xun Wang's identity is not simple, so we came to ask the Emperor about the events of that year."
After having been watching the drama unfold for so long, it was finally his turn to speak. The old emperor thought for a moment and then recounted what had happened back then.
The Xunwang described by the old emperor was completely different from the current Xunwang. Back then, Xunwang was a famous playboy in the capital, and he was very promiscuous. The court officials criticized him, but he didn't care at all. The old emperor thought it was fine as long as it didn't interfere with his cultivation of immortality. He could turn a blind eye to whatever Xunwang did.
For a period of time, Xun Wang was involved in a series of murders, which aroused the anger of the court officials and the people. Some people advised him to be exiled, and the old emperor agreed without much thought.
The king's actions were outrageous and disgraceful to the royal family, so someone suggested that the news be kept under wraps to avoid causing panic. The old emperor agreed.
Then, there was no further news of the search for the king over the years.
Everyone: ...
As I said before, the old emperor was really unreliable!
He Jiuniang said, "So, the Emperor hasn't heard anything about what happened between him and my mother!"
"But I can't possibly know everything!"
At that time, he was busy cultivating immortality, so he wouldn't care about those things.
He Jiuniang nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly: "Yes, you don't know anything."
The old emperor: ……
Why did my niece suddenly start disliking me?
Oh, and my niece!
If He Jiu Niang is indeed the daughter of King Xun, then wouldn't she be his eldest niece?
He was startled when he realized he had harbored some inappropriate thoughts. He quickly closed his eyes and silently chanted Amitabha Buddha, thankfully he hadn't done anything wrong!
The Crown Prince finally recovered from his shock and said, "So, the King Xun has changed so much before and after, it's possible that he's not the same person. Either he was replaced by someone from the Eastern Court, or his exile was premeditated."
"It is very likely that this was premeditated. The ministers who suggested that he be exiled and those who suggested that the news be blocked should be investigated thoroughly. Only by exiling him could he have the opportunity to develop his own power. Or perhaps there is something good in the exile site on the border that is worth the risk."
Lu Baichuan also joined in the analysis.
The Crown Princess said blankly, "If Prince Xun really has rebellious intentions, and Jiu Niang is indeed Prince Xun's daughter, then once the matter is exposed, how will Jiu Niang face herself? Those court officials will not let Jiu Niang off the hook."
She listened for a long time, but only grasped this key point.
Based on just this one sentence, He Jiuniang knew that the Crown Princess was a worthwhile friend to befriend, as she was only thinking about her safety at a time like this.
"Don't worry, he's my dad, that won't stop me from taking his dog's head."
Yes, it's the same approach as comforting Lu Baichuan.
However, the royal quartet was not as calm as Lu Baichuan. They stared at her blankly, as if they had heard something terrifying.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com