Chapter 66.2 Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip Chip.
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Zhong An looked somewhat fearful as he glanced at Huo Caiyu and knelt down obediently, saying, “This slave informs Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, and Regent Prince that this slave is Zhong An, a eunuch who served Consort Dowager Zhong. Her Highness gave birth to a prince in the Cold Palace. Worried about the prince’s upbringing, upon hearing that the Empress Dowager had also given birth to a prince, Consort Dowager Zhong secretly ordered this slave to switch the two infants. This slave committed these heinous crimes and deserve to die. Humbly requesting Your Majesty and Empress Dowager to punish this slave.”
Li Jinyu already knew all of this information during his time at the Imperial Mausoleum.
However, the Empress Dowager’s face instantly turned pale.
She stared directly at Zhong An, unintentionally stood up, and her voice sounded chillingly, “What did you say? The Zhong family also switched the princes back then?”
Li Jinyu was once again startled, quickly catching onto that crucial word.
Also?
Zhong An’s face was drenched in cold sweat, and his inner fear and unease prevented him from noticing this detail. He instinctively replied, “Yes, this slave deserves to die…”
The Empress Dowager interrupted him, wide-eyed, and asked, “On which day was it switched?”
“It… it was around the second day of the tenlth lunar month.”
“The second day of the tenth lunar month…” The Empress Dowager seemed somewhat incredulous, took a step back, and sat down on the phoenix throne, murmuring to herself, “They were one month later than my people…”
Li Jinyu looked at the Empress Dowager’s pale face, his eyes suddenly widened, and in that instant, he understood everything.
Back then, it wasn’t only Consort Dowager Zhong who used her method to switch Emperor Jingchang and Chi Zhongming once.
Did the Empress Dowager also have someone switch them?
So, after the two switches, Emperor Jingchang was actually the Empress Dowager’s biological son?
Still shocked by this revelation, a pair of warm hands suddenly rested on Li Jinyu’s shoulders.
Li Jinyu looked up in a daze and met Huo Caiyu’s determined and trusting gaze.
“From the very beginning, Your Majesty were the rightful successor to the Great Di, the deserving ruler of the land.”
On the other side, the Empress Dowager suddenly stood up, pointing at Huo Caiyu, her finger trembling slightly. “That’s impossible! You’re deceiving me! How could Aijia not recognize her own son!”
“If the Empress Dowager doesn’t believe it, she can ask for herself.”
The Empress Dowager glared at Zhong An, who knelt below, her voice laced with sharpness and panic. “Aijia asks you, since you switched the princes back then, do you still remember the pattern on Aijia’s son’s swaddling clothes?”
Over a decade had passed since the incident, and Zhong An hesitated for a long time before speaking softly, “This slave apologizes, Your Highness, but he can’t remember.”
The Empress Dowager seemed to regain her determination, her face returning to a healthier color as she exclaimed, “See, Aijia told you…”
“But this slave remembers that the Empress Dowager’s prince only wore a plain black bellyband, without even a longevity lock. It was not as carefully protected as the prince in Consort Dowager Zhong’s chambers.”
The Empress Dowager’s face instantly turned pale.
Huo Caiyu looked up and exchanged a glance with Chi Zhongming, gently shaking his head.
Back then, the Empress Dowager had switched the princes, bringing Consort Dowager Zhong’s son to her side. Surprisingly, she didn’t even bother with outward appearances, neglecting to provide him with a longevity lock.
The Empress Dowager looked somewhat confused and desperate as she glanced at Chi Zhongming, then at Li Jinyu standing beside Huo Caiyu. Her lips trembled slightly as she murmured, “What have Aijia done…?”
The truth was revealed in all its clarity.
Huo Caiyu let out a soft sigh and cast a glance at Chi Zhongming.
Chi Zhongming, who had remained silent all along, suddenly approached, holding a black cat.
The Empress Dowager instinctively questioned, “What are you doing?”
Chi Zhongming gently petted the small black cat on its back, and a hint of sympathy appeared on his youthful face. “Since I am not the Empress Dowager’s biological son, there is no reason for me to remain here.”
The Empress Dowager observed Chi Zhongming’s unaffected actions and Huo Caiyu’s tacit step aside, causing her pupils to suddenly contract. “The Regent Prince is quite skilled.”
It was no wonder that her rebellion had started smoothly this time but took a sudden turn along the way. She had even investigated who might have leaked the information, never suspecting that it would be the person she least expected.
“Not as much as the Empress Dowager,” Huo Caiyu calmly remarked. “If it weren’t for the Empress Dowager’s unwavering determination to assassinate His Majesty, this Prince wouldn’t have sought the assistance of Chi Zhongming. Speaking of which, the Empress Dowager should also express gratitude to this Prince, shouldn’t she? Otherwise, if the Empress Dowager had indeed harmed His Majesty before discovering the truth, it would have been too late for regrets.”
The Empress Dowager found herself speechless.
The most esteemed woman of the Di Dynasty now sat slumped on the phoenix seat in the Cining Palace, simply staring at Li Jinyu. With one hand bracing herself against the armrest to remain upright, her lips trembled slightly as she finally managed to utter one sentence, “Your Majesty, may Aijia speak with you privately?”
Li Jinyu fell into silence for a moment, then raised his gaze to Huo Caiyu before nodding. “Very well.”
………
Everyone else withdrew. Even Huo Caiyu eventually stepped back to the outside of the hall, leaving the interior solely for the mother and son.
With the absence of so many people, the once grand Cining Palace instantly became empty and cold.
The Empress Dowager supported herself as she stood up from the phoenix seat and slowly walked a few steps closer to Li Jinyu. She raised her head, gazing at the child she had neglected for over a decade. Her heart was filled with a mix of sadness, hatred, and regret, preventing her from uttering a single word.
What had she done?
For so many years, she had ignored her own biological child, subjected him to a cruel fate, and even contemplated his demise!
She wanted to blame the Zhong family, but she couldn’t find peace in absolving herself of responsibility.
The current situation was partly the consequence of the sins she had committed in the past.
The silence on Li Jinyu’s face intensified her anguish even more.
After a long pause, the Empress Dowager trembled and said, “Aijia apologizes to you.”
Li Jinyu gazed into the guilt-ridden eyes of the Empress Dowager, opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn’t find the words to say.
His emotional connection with everyone except Huo Caiyu was limited, and without the original Emperor’s memories, it was challenging for him to empathize with the Empress Dowager’s feelings.
He simply felt sorry for Emperor Jingchang.
Despite being the legitimate heir in the middle palace and the Great Di Emperor, he had unknowingly endured years of torment.
If Emperor Jingchang were still alive, would he forgive the Empress Dowager?
Li Jinyu remembered how Emperor Jingchang used to visit the Cining Palace during the morning rest, even if he was met with rejection. It stirred a faint sense of sympathy within him.
The Empress Dowager perceived the distance on Li Jinyu’s face, intensifying her own anguish, but she refrained from saying much and softly murmured, “It’s Aijia’s fault… Aijia doesn’t seek Your Majesty’s forgiveness, she only hopes for Your Majesty’s well-being.”
Li Jinyu pursed his lips and suddenly inquired, “Empress Dowager, when Consort Dowager Zhong fell out of favor and was banished to the cold palace, why did you switch the babies after giving birth?”
Now, upon closer examination, the Empress Dowager had emerged victorious in the palace struggle. So why did she send her own child to Consort Dowager Zhong?
The Empress Dowager’s face betrayed a mix of guilt and hatred. “Back then, the Zhong family used covert means against me, endangering my life during childbirth. After giving birth to Your Majesty, the imperial physician said Aijia might not survive beyond a month… And they also claimed Aijia could never conceive again.”
It was a shocking revelation for a woman in the imperial harem.
“At that time, Consort Dowager Zhong had been banished to the cold palace, and the Late Emperor was considering making Aijia the Empress to appease the relatives. But without a prince by Aijia’s side, how could it be achieved? Among those who were pregnant at the same time as Aijia, only Consort Dowager Zhong remained. Aijia had no other choice…” The Empress Dowager covered her face and her voice faltered, “Aijia truly had no other choice…”
Li Jinyu pursed his lips once again.
According to palace records, Consort Dowager Zhong’s son was born weak. Consort Dowager Zhong and the imperial physicians tirelessly cared for him, barely managing to save his life. It was said that Consort Dowager Zhong never closed her eyes for several days and nights, vigilantly watching over her son. As the prince’s health gradually improved, Consort Dowager Zhong fell ill and never recovered.
The Empress Dowager’s difficult childbirth was a result of Consort Dowager Zhong’s actions. After the challenging birth, the Empress Dowager exchanged Consort Dowager Zhong’s healthy son…
Now, it appeared that they were both facing the consequences of their actions.
The Empress Dowager shed two tears, her emotions slightly subdued. Suddenly, she turned around and retrieved an exquisite jade box from behind the phoenix seat, trembling as she placed it in Li Jinyu’s hands. “This is the imperial seal, which has always belonged to Your Majesty. Please take it back.”
As Li Jinyu stored the imperial seal, the Empress Dowager seemed to regain some vitality. “The remedy for infertility, Your Majesty can visit Imperial Physician Han at the Imperial Hospital… ask him to diligently develop a genuine cure.”
Li Jinyu instinctively said, “No need. Huo Caiyu has already found a way to overcome infertility.”
The Empress Dowager had harbored intense hatred towards Huo Caiyu before, but now she was immensely grateful for having such a capable Regent Prince by the Emperor’s side. She even uttered a few “good, good, good” in succession.
From that moment onwards, they exchanged wordless glances.
When Li Jinyu and the Empress Dowager were alone, they always felt somewhat uneasy. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s silence, Li Jinyu softly said, “Then, Zhen will take his leave.”
“Your Majesty… please go,” the Empress Dowager wanted to hold him back but forced herself to restrain. “The Han and Meng families will no longer pose a threat to Your Majesty… How you deal with them is entirely Your Majesty’s decision.”
Li Jinyu nodded and silently turned to depart.
The Empress Dowager took a couple of steps to catch up but abruptly froze.
She suddenly noticed that the outer robe Li Jinyu was wearing was the one she had instructed her personal maid to bring, falsely claiming that she had personally crafted it, just a few days ago when she took the imperial seal.
The admiring and reverential gaze of the young imperial child from their earlier years, now intertwined with the Emperor’s cold rejection, finally overwhelmed her, and she couldn’t help but cry, her voice choked with sorrow.
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I did not expect this to happen AT ALL 😅 this is kind of sad