"Even you are going to betray me!"
Upon hearing Consort Rong's words, Gu Heng was utterly devastated and collapsed into Cen Hai's arms, saying, "I have treated you well."
"Your Majesty has treated me well?"
Facing her husband, with whom she had been intimate day and night, Consort Rong finally broke down completely. "If Your Majesty had treated me well, why would I have been poisoned and rendered mute, forced to feign madness in Lingxi Palace to save my life?"
"Guards, take Consort Rong away! Don't let her spout nonsense here!"
As soon as Gu Heng finished speaking, some Imperial Guards tried to step forward and seize Consort Rong. Now that their commander had been killed, they naturally followed the Emperor's lead.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. I have other witnesses and evidence."
The palace gates were heavily guarded, and everyone was forced to watch this "royal secret" unfold from there.
Xie Zhiqing slowly walked out, holding a box, and knelt on the ground. "This commoner, Xie Zhiqing, greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress."
The testimony of the midwife from back then, which was in the box, resurfaced and was passed around among the court officials. The officials exchanged glances and, seeing Gu Heng's extremely pale face, all fell silent.
"The Empress is determined to give me an explanation today."
Gu Heng gave a pale smile. "These things were all found by the Empress herself. If you wanted, you could have easily forged them."
Ultimately, Gu Heng still wanted to protect Gu Qingfeng and let him inherit the throne.
Jiang Yu would never give Gu Heng such an opportunity.
Before Jiang Yu could speak, a voice rang out, "Father, what about me? Can I also forge documents?"
Jiang Yu recognized the voice, and her eyes widened involuntarily.
Gu Heng raised his eyes and saw Gu Qingyao walking towards him alone. Upon closer inspection, the mad light in Gu Heng's eyes completely disappeared.
After losing weight, Gu Qingyao looked exactly like Consort Rong.
"Father, is my face exactly the same as Consort Rong's?"
Gu Qingyao stood in front of Consort Rong, letting everyone's gaze scrutinize her.
“I, Gu Qingling, and Gu Qingfeng are all children born to Father and Consort Rong.” Gu Qingyao stretched out her hands and touched her face. “From childhood, you made me fat and chubby so that no one could tell that I resembled Consort Rong.”
"Yao'er..."
Consort Rong looked at Gu Qingyao, tears streaming down her face.
“That time I lost weight, you locked me in the dark dungeon of Lingxi Palace. You never treated me as a person, but only as an object that could be hidden away at any time.”
“Every time you see me, you will be reminded of your masterpieces.”
Gu Qingyao turned around deliberately so that everyone could see her.
"Look up, all of you, and look at this princess."
Gu Qingyao had never felt so relaxed. Eleven years had passed in a daze, and now she could finally be herself.
“My face doesn’t resemble my mother’s at all, and I’m not a legitimate princess at all.”
Upon hearing Gu Qingyao's words, Gu Heng suddenly vomited another mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Someone, help the Emperor back to the Hall of Supreme Harmony to rest, and have the imperial physicians take good care of him."
Jiang Yu gave the order, then avoided Gu Qingyao's gaze, "Wanji, escort the lords out of the palace."
The moment the group stepped out of the palace, large raindrops began to fall. General Bai glanced back in the direction of the palace and sighed heavily.
The Emperor is seriously ill, and the eldest prince is plotting a rebellion. Judging from the Empress's appearance just now, she is about to interfere in politics.
Daqing is about to undergo a major change.
......
"Your Majesty!"
When Ling Hai appeared, Jiang Yu's heart jumped to her throat. "There was no trace of Gu Qingling in the Dragon and Phoenix Palace."
"What?!"
Jiang Yu paused for a moment, then strode towards the Dragon and Phoenix Palace. She had had the palace guarded since yesterday; if Gu Qingling wasn't there, there was only one possibility:
Gu Qingling has been missing for many days.
As soon as Jiang Yu entered Gu Qingling's room, she was dumbfounded. The wooden bed was moved aside, and a tunnel appeared in front of her. "How come there is a tunnel here?"
"Your Highness, it looks like this has been going on for many years." Ling Hai's tone was somber. "I wonder if the First Prince ordered it, or..."
"Wanji."
Wanji knelt on the ground, raindrops falling on his face, but he felt nothing. "This servant deserves to die. The few times I came here, I really saw a figure in the room and heard the First Prince's voice."
Jiang Yu glanced around and said, "Get up. There must be someone helping Gu Qingling behind the scenes."
[This tunnel has been dug for so many years. Gu Qingling was pampered for the past few years, how could she possibly have thought of digging a tunnel?]
"Go and check if there are any other people in the palace who have suddenly disappeared."
Wanji clenched his fists under his sleeves, determined not to let him know who had ruined the Empress's plans!
“Madam, Deng Yu is dead. Gu Qingling, an eleven-year-old child, will certainly not be able to survive outside without help,” Ling Hai said in a deep voice. “I will send someone to investigate.”
"Two days is enough time for him to leave Beijing."
Jiang Yu walked out of the house, "First, announce the identities of Gu Qingling and the other two to the world."
"I want the whole world to know that I do not have such a child."
......
The news that Gu Qingling and the other two were not from the Empress spread quickly throughout Daqing. The news that Gu Heng was in poor health also spread, and Gu Qingfeng rushed back to the capital.
At Gu Heng's bedside, Gu Qingfeng could only sit in a wheelchair, unable to even kneel.
Gu Heng's expression improved considerably after seeing Gu Qingfeng. "Feng'er, I will pass the throne to you."
"Father, I don't need the throne."
Gu Heng's eyes widened. "What did you say?"
"I don't need the throne. Even if Father were to pass it to me, I would give it to my third brother!"
"You bastard, Gu Qingyan is just a stepson, he's not even my son!" Gu Heng's face flushed with anger, and his gaze toward Gu Qingfeng was filled with disappointment and frustration.
“Father, I used to be very afraid of seeing that look in your eyes.”
Gu Qingfeng pursed his lips. "You only ever have eyes for Gu Qingling. Yao'er and I are just children you occasionally think of."
"When have you ever truly chosen me from the bottom of your heart?"
Gu Qingfeng's gaze made Gu Heng feel somewhat guilty. "When have I ever not chosen you? Now I'm about to pass the throne to you, what more do you want from me?"
"Isn't it because Father Emperor had no other choice that he remembered me, his son who is crippled in both legs, when he got to the throne?"
"But I don't need it."
Gu Qingfeng smiled and said, "Now that my true identity has been revealed, my third brother is the legitimate son."
"If you allow Gu Qingyan to ascend the throne, I will not let you off even in the afterlife, Gu Qingfeng. Do you understand?"
Gu Heng's neck veins were bulging, and he was breathing heavily.
"Why can't it be my third brother? Is it just because he's not your son?" Gu Qingfeng asked, puzzled. "My third brother's biological parents are both dead."
"Who told you his biological parents are dead?"
After Gu Heng finished speaking, he was stunned and closed his eyes helplessly. "Feng'er, the things that happened back then were too complicated, but Gu Qingyan cannot become the new emperor."
"If Father doesn't say, then I won't ask."
Gu Qingfeng picked up the medicine bowl beside him. "I will be filial to my father. As for the affairs of the previous dynasty, I will leave them to my mother."
"Rebellious son!"
Gu Heng gritted his teeth and spoke, but Gu Qingfeng acted as if he hadn't heard him and fed Gu Heng his medicine, "Father, drink your medicine."
On the other side, Zhaoning Palace.
"Your Majesty, Peilan, who was by Consort Yi's side, also disappeared at the same time."
“Peilan?” Jiang Yu was somewhat surprised. “I remember that after Consort Yi’s difficult childbirth, all the palace servants in Jinwu Palace were taken away for severe interrogation.”
Wanji nodded. "The old woman said that Peilan was beaten so badly that she was barely alive, so she was left in the woodshed to fend for herself. It wasn't until I went to ask that I discovered Peilan was missing."
"It seems that the same group of forces caused Consort Yi's difficult childbirth and took Gu Qingling away."
Jiang Yu took a deep breath; it was yet another force they hadn't discovered before.
"Go to the Marquis of Dingyuan's residence and ask the Prince to investigate together."
"Your Majesty, then what about tomorrow's morning court session...?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu twitched the corner of her mouth. "Early morning court?"
Gu Heng never had the chance to attend court again.
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