Chapter 140
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Xie Duo had no intention of concealing anything and told everything to his Sixth Brother without reservation.
However, before he could say a few words, Prince Yan interrupted.
“What Yang family? What treacherous descendants? How did Senior Minister Li, that cunning old fox, come up with such a messy story? You don’t actually believe it, do you?” Prince Yan looked at Ninth Brother in shock. “You are the Ninth Brother I watched grow up. Who could have replaced you right under my nose?”
“I was switched at birth. Father Emperor sent all attendants of Mother Empress away.”
“Do you believe that too?” Prince Yan couldn’t accept such an unbelievable story. “You’re usually quite clever, but as soon as you encounter that old fox, you turn into a fool! Why would Father Emperor, who is so close to Mother Empress, go and find a traitor’s daughter to swap with the Mother Empress’ child?”
Xie Duo lowered his head and explained in a heavy tone, “Lady Yang was Father Emperor’s most beloved woman, originally intended to be his Empress. However, due to political struggles, her grandfather was toppled by Imperial Grandfather, implicating her whole family. On her way to exile, Father Emperor managed to rescue her and hide her in the capital. Afterward, to clear her grandfather’s name, Father Emperor almost lost his position as the Crown Prince. To regain the trust of Imperial Grandfather, Father Emperor had to agree to an arranged marriage. He resolved to endure for the time being but was determined to reclaim everything he had given up back then.”
“If Father Emperor was so persistent about this Yang woman, why didn’t he bring her directly into the palace after ascending to the throne?”
“Firstly, because Lady Yang was quite famous in the capital at the time, so her identity was hard to conceal. Secondly, Lady Yang didn’t want to marry Father Emperor. Her family had been ruined due to unjust charges, and she held a grudge against Imperial Grandfather. Some of that resentment transferred onto Father Emperor. She has been kept in a private residence by Father Emperor all this time.”
Prince Yan frowned. “Even so, Father Emperor’s preference is for that woman, and we are all his children. Even if he lets you ascend to the throne, it won’t enable that Yang woman to enter the palace as the Empress. Why does Father Emperor bother plotting against me and Mother Empress?”
“In Father Emperor’s view, only when the child born to Lady Yang takes over the throne can it be considered as defeating Imperial Grandfather and reclaiming everything he had previously given up in humiliation.”
Stunned, Prince Yan’s face turned bright red all of a sudden. “Nonsense! How did that old fox come up with these lies? Are we, three brothers, just pawns for Father Emperor’s goals? This is disrespect for our father and a disgrace to the imperial family! Such a crime deserves punishment!”
“These words came directly from Father Emperor.”
The color drained from Prince Yan’s face in an instant. He seemed to lose his spirit as he stared blankly at Xie Duo.
Understanding the shock that comes with hearing such things all of a sudden, Xie Duo remained silent, allowing him to digest the truth slowly.
After a long pause, Prince Yan looked at Xie Duo with a numb expression and asked in a hoarse voice, “What about you? Are you planning to… eliminate me and Mother Empress for Father Emperor?”
Xie Duo smiled bitterly, lowered his head in self-mockery, and said, “I risked my life leading over a thousand troops here. Did you think I came all this way just to witness your death on the spot?”
Prince Yan furrowed his brow and shook his head with a look of despair. “So, you mean to say… you did something a while ago?”
“Yes, I did intend to weaken your influence in the court,” Xie Duo admitted. “Father Emperor claimed that you and Mother Empress were plotting to seize power and wanted to use my true identity against me.”
Prince Yan’s eyes flared with anger again. “You believed him?”
Xie Duo was silent.
“You actually believed it? How could you doubt Mother Empress, considering how she treats you?”
“Father Emperor was poisoned.” Xie Duo looked up at him. “On the day he fell ill, before the morning court, he had only taken one pill and the bird’s nest soup that Mother Empress prepared for him. We checked the pill, and there was no poison.”
Prince Yan was thunderstruck. “Are you saying… Mother Empress…”
“Mother Empress knew I was Lady Yang’s child a long time ago, but she never expected Father Emperor to be so heartless as to abandon her two biological children. From the moment the edict to establish the Crown Prince was read, Mother Empress was determined to take action against Father Emperor.”
Prince Yan felt like all his strength had been drained from his body. He muttered with vacant eyes, “It was Mother Empress… Mother Empress poisoned him…”
Xie Duo sighed bitterly and asked him in a low voice, “Do you believe it now? Do you also believe it?”
Prince Yan turned to look at him slowly, his anger dissipating. He said with a weak tone, “What did you say?”
“This lie is just unbelievably perfect!” Xie Duo slammed his fist on a small table, spilling peanuts all over. He glared at Sixth Brother, his suppressed anger suddenly rising. “Remember the assassination attempt in the Eastern Palace some time ago? I confiscated the assassin’s weapon. It was part of the batch of weapons that White Tiger Alley provided to your mansion’s shadow guards last year.”
Prince Yan stared at Ninth Brother in disbelief. After a while, he finally understood the pain and fear Old Ninth had been enduring for these past months.
“If the evidence is undeniable…” Prince Yan looked at him with teary eyes. “Why would you still be willing to believe in Mother Empress and me?”
Xie Duo told him about what happened before leaving the capital. It was Mother Empress’ genuine emotions that shattered Father Emperor’s lies.
Prince Yan closed his eyes and thought deeply for a long time. He said in a hoarse voice, “So, all of this was fabricated by Father Emperor to have you eliminate me, a pawn that’s outlived its usefulness?”
Xie Duo didn’t respond.
“Who was the one who tried to assassinate you?” Prince Yan asked coldly. “Was it someone Father Emperor planted in my mansion?”
“I don’t know,” Xie Duo replied with a self-deprecating smile. “Perhaps they’ve already been protected by Father Emperor. Sixth Brother, you and I are both Father Emperor’s pawns.”
Prince Yan also closed his eyes, a hint of tears in the corners. “I always thought it was because I… wasn’t good enough that Father Emperor…”
“Stop overthinking, Sixth Brother.” Xie Duo raised an eyebrow. “Father Emperor’s expectations of you aren’t that high. He just hopes you’ll meet an early end.”
Upon hearing this, Prince Yan surprisingly burst into tears of laughter, and Xie Duo couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Both brothers had felt bitter and angry about being used by their biological father for most of their lives. But if it weren’t for Prince Yan’s recent ambush, which revealed the Empress’ genuine emotions, the direction of this conspiracy and where it would lead was chilling to imagine.
At this very moment, the two of them felt like they had survived a disaster. Suspicion had finally been shattered by trust, and amidst the sorrow, they found a hint of sweetness. Even in tears, the heartiest laughter could emerge.
“What do we do from now on?” Prince Yan looked at his younger brother. “If I promise Father Emperor not to covet the throne, will Father Emperor spare Mother Empress and me?”
Xie Duo looked calmly at him. “Father Emperor is no longer able to.”
Prince Yan was surprised. “Father Emperor is really poisoned?”
Xie Duo nodded.
Prince Yan, unable to restrain his emotions after over two decades, choked back tears and asked urgently, “Didn’t you say Mother Empress didn’t poison him?”
“Mother Empress didn’t administer the poison,” Xie Duo seriously analyzed, “I’ve been speculating all the way, and it just so happened that the poison was administered right before the edict. If I had stubbornly refused to obey, and Father Emperor suddenly passed away, you would have been the one to succeed. So, it’s highly likely that it was Senior Minister Xu’s people who tampered with it. However, after Father Emperor fell, Senior Minister Li infiltrated my chamber that very night, luring me into the plot, all because he was afraid I wouldn’t obey the edict, which would have allowed Senior Minister Xu to succeed. Senior Minister Li wanted to use me to eliminate both you and Senior Minister Xu, solidify his own power, and has been fabricating evidence that you and Mother Empress were planning to harm me. It was hitting two birds with one stone strategy, forcing me to obey the edict on behalf of Father Emperor.”
“That old fox is truly cunning!” Prince Yan exclaimed. “Now that Senior Minister Xu’s influence isn’t what it used to be, how do we deal with him?”
“We need to act as if we’re completely unaware.” Xie Duo smiled. “Senior Minister Li wants the Emperor’s trust. With that trust, his policies can go smoothly. He won’t see the Emperor as an enemy. Since he wants me to rely entirely on him, I’ll fulfill his wish. As long as I ascend to the throne smoothly, he’ll have no tricks left.”
Prince Yan, feeling uneasy, said, “You should hurry back to the capital to avoid arousing suspicions.”
“Mother Empress is very worried about you.”
Prince Yan nodded. “Once we reach Luozhou, I’ll discuss our attack strategy with General Liu. He’s always cautious in his tactics.”
“Do you remember my instructions before leaving the capital?” Xie Duo asked. “If we can’t break through…”
Prince Yan rolled his eyes, reluctantly continuing, “Just leave it for the War God to handle, alright?”
•••
Han Jiao had been feeling drowsy for the past few days, especially in the last two or three days.
Even with a good night’s sleep, he occasionally struggled to stay awake during his daytime duties, nodding off briefly at his desk.
He had been worried about the dire outcome in the novel, which should have kept him awake. However, for some reason, he had been feeling extremely fatigued since the day Xie Duo left the capital.
Thankfully, there hadn’t been any suspicions raised in the palace, or else he wouldn’t have had the energy to cope.
After finishing his duties for the day, he went to Xiyuan Hall as usual to get some documents from the Third Prince. He pretended they were for the Crown Prince’s review.
As he turned into the alley leading to the southern gate of the Eastern Palace, Han Jiao suddenly felt someone walking alongside him.
There had been no sounds of footsteps just moments ago. This person seemed to appear out of nowhere, walking beside him as if they had descended from the sky. Han Jiao, feeling a bit wary, cast a sideways glance at them.
The person was dressed in a Longyin Guard’s attire, but there was only one of them. Han Jiao intentionally picked up the pace to try and shake him off, but the person beside him quickened his steps and deliberately moved ahead of Han Jiao.
Just as Han Jiao was about to get a closer look, a sudden wave of drowsiness came over him. He shook his head to clear it and slowed down his pace.
The person in front suddenly halted without looking back and complained with an annoyed tone, “How long does it take, Master, to recognize your husband?”
Han Jiao, still somewhat groggy, raised his head. The person in front of him turned around, squinting his eyes, a hint of irritation in their voice. “Who was it that said they could recognize me just by the sound of my footsteps?”
Seeing Xie Duo’s face clearly, Han Jiao became a bit more awake. His lips subconsciously curving up, he joyfully bowed and said, “Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Xie Duo was initially puzzled but stepped closer with a smile, leaning down to scrutinize the little child prodigy. “Why is my Beloved Consort being so polite today?”
Han Jiao looked up blankly, gazing at the person in front of him.
“What’s the matter?” Xie Duo sensed something was off with the little child prodigy, so he reached out and gently pulled him into an embrace. “Are you upset? I returned on time, didn’t I?”
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