Shen Mingzhuang frowned upon hearing this. She disliked it the most when someone left things unsaid. She stared at the old woman and asked, "What happened before she was crippled?"
The old woman was quite old, and it was clear she had spent most of her life in the palace, so it wasn't surprising that she knew these secrets.
Shen Mingzhuang's gaze was somewhat sharp, causing the old woman to shiver involuntarily.
She dared not delay any longer and hurriedly said, "Consort Xiao once gave birth to a prince. Consort Xiao was determined to rise in status through her son, and because the prince had several fortuitous encounters that won the late emperor's favor, Consort Xiao became increasingly favored by the late emperor. As a result, Consort Xiao became somewhat arrogant... But the Empress Dowager could not tolerate any dissent. Later, the prince that Consort Xiao gave birth to, for some reason, was found thrown into a pot in the imperial kitchen. By the time it was discovered, it had already been stewed..."
At this point, she dared not continue, and couldn't help but shiver, as if recalling the scene at that time, and lowered her head.
But now that things have been said, who wouldn't understand?
Shen Mingzhuang clutched his chest, suddenly feeling nauseous, and ran to the bushes to vomit.
Man Huan couldn't help but run over and vomit as well. The two of them vomited for a while before they could stand up straight.
Whether she was too confused while reading the book or the book simply didn't mention these things, Shen Mingzhuang was completely unaware of them. Only now that she learned of them did she secretly feel fortunate that Jiang Wang had protected her son during the five years she was in a coma. Otherwise, she really didn't know if her Xuan'er could have grown up safely in this deep palace.
Seeing the Empress's distress, the old woman immediately realized she had said the wrong thing and secretly regretted it. She wished she hadn't said anything more; she should have just mentioned Consort Xiao instead of bringing up those old stories.
Shen Mingzhuang closed his eyes, managing to clear away all the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and only then did he feel a little more at ease.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the dilapidated side hall where the scream had just come from.
The image of Consort Xiao seeing the little prince in the iron pot involuntarily flashed into her mind...
Her fingertips were trembling slightly from the cold, but she also felt sorry for Consort Xiao. No matter what, she felt that it wouldn't be too much for the Empress Dowager to leave the little prince with a complete corpse.
But she killed the child that someone had carried for ten months with such cruel methods, and even let the mother see it. That was tantamount to killing her spirit.
Thinking of Yin Rong made Shen Mingzhuang feel nauseous. She shook her head repeatedly, trying to put all thoughts about Yin Rong out of her mind, and asked the old woman, "Where is the Consort Shu whom His Majesty has deposed?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman paused for a moment, then pointed in a direction, "I remember it's the first room around the corner."
Shen Mingzhuang nodded upon hearing this and led Man Huan and the two eunuchs forward.
The old woman had to stay at the door and didn't come along, which Shen Mingzhuang understood and didn't blame her for. He then led his men over himself.
They had only taken a few steps when Xiao Shufei's terrified screams came from behind them again. With the first incident as a precedent, this time no one was as frightened.
Shen Mingzhuang felt a sense of oppression, as if a mountain was pressing down on her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
Although the corner was visible at a glance, it still took the group fifteen minutes to reach it. The further they walked into the Cold Palace, the more dilapidated the surroundings became, making them feel increasingly oppressed. The stench of decay grew stronger, like a persistent leech.
When Manhuan heard that her master had come to see Liu Wenxin, her heart sank slightly as she pondered her master's intentions.
Around the corner, a palace faced a high wall. Wild grass grew on the narrow passageway. The high wall was too close to the palace, making the room appear very dark. The two eunuchs following behind were also a little scared. They looked at each other and went forward together.
Everyone was on edge, fearing something terrible might happen. Fortunately, the two eunuchs didn't encounter anything strange as they went inside. Man Huan was now vigilantly watching her surroundings, and couldn't help but regret not advising her master to bring two more people with him when they left.
If a crazy person suddenly appeared, who could control them?
But then she thought that coming to the Cold Palace was not exactly a respectable thing to do, and if too many people came, there would be too much gossip, and it would be bad if some unfavorable things were said about the Empress.
Presumably, their master had considered this issue, which is why he only brought a few people to the Cold Palace.
Shen Mingzhuang didn't have as many thoughts as Man Huan. She wasn't worried at all about someone suddenly appearing. She dared to come because few people could subdue her with her skills. She had even less to worry about than a few crazy women locked up in the cold palace.
At this moment, she was actually a little worried about Xiao Li and Xiao Dianzi who had gone in to scout ahead.
This palace isn't very big, it shouldn't take this long to get there, right?
The thought had barely formed when a high-pitched scream suddenly came from inside. It was the kind of scream of someone who was frightened. The sound was a mixture of two voices, and you could tell at a glance that it was the voices of Little Li and Little Dianzi.
Man Huan's fingers clenched tightly together as she stared inside in terror, trembling uncontrollably. "Your Majesty...Your Majesty?"
She called out Shen Mingzhuang's name in a trembling voice, instinctively wanting to run away, but the moment she saw Shen Mingzhuang, she forced herself to calm down.
"Your Majesty, why don't we go outside first and send someone over to check?"
Before Shen Mingzhuang could speak, Xiao Li and Xiao Dianzi rushed out like the wind, shouting as they ran, "Inside... someone hanged themselves inside!"
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