In the previous life, the Crown Prince had ultimately fallen out of favor with Emperor Yongchang for showing disrespect when receiving the imperial carriage.
At the same time, Qi Wang was becoming increasingly favored, and Emperor Yongchang had repeatedly shown intentions of deposing the Crown Prince.
There was even a time when Emperor Yongchang asked the then Grand Chancellor Chu Bo: “If the Crown Prince is deposed, who should be made the new heir?”
Chu Bo himself was a firm supporter of the orthodox lineage, but knowing the Emperor was angry at the time, he quickly seized the moment and replied: “Since ancient times, the heir has always been either the eldest or the legitimate son. If Your Majesty wishes to depose the Crown Prince and establish a new one, this subject believes the legitimate son of the original Liu Wangfei, should be sought out and made the new heir.”
As soon as these words were spoken, all those supporting the Crown Prince responded in unison, urging the Emperor to order a search for Liu Wangfei and her legitimate son.
Emperor Yongchang had always been unable to forget Liu Wangfei. Even though he knew the chances were slim, he still ordered a search for her.
Duke Chu’s household stepped forward, saying that after so many years, there was still no news of Liu Wangfei, which most likely meant she was no longer alive. They petitioned the Emperor to build a memorial tomb for her and posthumously confer her a noble title.
But the court officials insisted that since her body had not been found, it could not be confirmed that she was deceased, and thus, she could not be posthumously honored.
Clearly, this was a stalling tactic. The Crown Prince’s faction just wanted to drag this out until either the Emperor passed away or some turnaround occurred.
After some deadlock, shocking news suddenly came from the Jiang family, Liu Wangfei’s maternal family. They claimed that Liu Wangfei was not actually Duke Chu’s biological daughter but rather an orphan adopted from elsewhere.
In all these disputes, the so-called truth didn’t really matter.
In Qi Yuan’s view, this was just another tactic devised by Duke Chu’s household and Qi Wang’s faction to counter the Eastern Palace.
You want to find Liu Wangfei?
You insist that only the legitimate son of Liu Wangfei is the rightful heir? Fine, I’ll start by undermining Liu Wangfei’s origins.
If Liu Wangfei was not actually Duke Chu’s daughter, but an orphan of unknown background, could her legitimacy as the proper Wangfei still stand firm?
The Crown Prince’s faction immediately argued back: “Even if Liu Wangfei’s origins are in question, she and His Majesty were officially married. Her status as the original wife is still valid.”
The matter eventually fizzled out without a conclusion.
But Qi Yuan believed that in this life, this issue would definitely be brought up again.
No wonder, not long ago, Liu Jinghong and Qi Wang had been desperately pursuing her and the Qi family, seemingly unwilling to stop until Liu Wangfei was found.
But after Liu Jinghong died and Qi Wang’s leg was crippled, Duke Chu’s household and Qi Wang’s faction suddenly went quiet, as if they had forgotten all about it.
Turns out, it wasn’t that they forgot—they simply no longer wanted to waste the effort.
If Duke Chu now insisted that Liu Wangfei’s lineage and identity were flawed, claiming she was a b*stard of unknown parentage…
With such a terrible reputation hanging over her, coupled with the fact that she had lived in obscurity for decades…
Was she still fit to be Empress?
The next step for Duke Chu’s household and Qi Wang’s faction would surely be to slander Liu Wangfei’s reputation, saying that after living outside the palace for decades, her chastity could not be guaranteed.
Besides, according to Qi Zhen, the son of Liu Wangfei—Xiao Mo—was already mentally impaired, with the intelligence of a six- or seven-year-old child.
Liu Wangfei’s return would essentially be in vain, offering no substantial support.
Even her attempt to accuse Duke Chu of murdering his wife and passing off illegitimate children as legitimate heirs would ultimately be useless.
After all, she was not Duke Chu’s biological daughter but an orphan the Jiang family had “stolen” from somewhere. Her grudge against Duke Chu and his current wife would lack any legitimate standing.
Truly ruthless.
Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs. But Duke Chu, for the sake of his own wealth and status, had been willing to kill Liu Wangfei once and now had the heart to destroy her a second time.
As for Emperor Yongchang…
Maybe he really did care about and miss Liu Wangfei. Maybe he didn’t even mind her origins.
But could Liu Wangfei really compare to Noble Consort Liu, whom he had doted on for so many years?
Could the feeble-minded Xiao Mo compare to the clever and capable children he now had?
Qi Yuan coldly stopped in front of the Jiang residence, just in time to see palace eunuchs arrive to take away the Jiang family’s elder master—Liu Wangfei’s biological uncle.
She raised her brows slightly.
As expected.
She stood there expressionless for a while, then turned and left without another word.
When she returned to the Qi residence, Old Marquis Qi was somewhat surprised and asked, “His Highness didn’t find you?”
His Highness?
Qi Yuan raised her brows, quickly realizing that Xiao Yunting must have left the palace to find her because of Liu Wangfei’s return.
She shook her head: “No, His Highness probably thought I went to Baiyun Temple.”
Old Marquis Qi grew anxious: “Then what should we do? His Highness seemed to be in a hurry—it must be something urgent.”
“It’s fine.” Qi Yuan’s face remained calm. “I was planning to go to Baiyun Temple anyway. I’ll go now.”
With that, she went to the stables and casually asked for a horse.
Shunzi quickly said, “Miss, the Ferghana horse—”
“No need, it’s too conspicuous.” Qi Yuan shook her head, patted the Ferghana horse’s neck, and rode a regular horse straight toward Baiyun Temple.
When Xiao Yunting arrived at Baiyun Temple, the Eldest Princess was still performing evening prayers in the small Buddha hall.
News traveled slowly on the mountain, and the Eldest Princess had not yet heard that Princess Consort Lu had returned, so everything in her daily life remained unchanged.
Jiang Mama was delighted to see him: “Your Highness, why have you come? Come in quickly—we made matsutake mushroom soup today, perfect for warming up.”
The New Year was fast approaching. Although the Eldest Princess didn’t care for festivities, Jiang Mama had still decorated the place a little. The windows were now covered with paper cuttings, and red decorations brightened the surroundings, creating a festive atmosphere.
Xiao Yunting didn’t bother responding and quickly asked, “Didn’t Miss Qi come here?”
Jiang Mama was stunned: “Miss Qi? No, she hasn’t.”
She really didn’t come.
Xiao Yunting’s expression stiffened, and without bothering to explain, he turned to leave.
Jiang Mama hurriedly called after him: “Your Highness, has something happened?”
The Eldest Princess also heard the commotion and came out: “Yunting, why haven’t you sat down yet? What’s the matter?”
Back then, after Crown Princess Cui gave birth to Xiao Yunting, he had repeatedly fallen seriously ill and was close to dying. It was Empress Feng who carried him up to Baiyun Temple. No one knew what she said to the Eldest Princess, but astonishingly, the Eldest Princess entered the palace to personally plead with Emperor Yongchang to send Xiao Yunting to the Xiao family in Jurong to be raised.
Over the years, Xiao Yunting and the Eldest Princess had grown very close.
This was why the Eldest Princess had always been willing to help Xiao Yunting, and why she repeatedly assisted Qi Yuan.
Now that the Eldest Princess had come out herself, Xiao Yunting couldn’t just leave. He dismounted and entered the inner chamber with her.
After much deliberation, he finally decided to tell the Eldest Princess the whole story about Princess Consort Lu’s return.
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