RPAGF Chapter 292 The matter of that year naturally needs to be asked of the elders in the palace.
Chapter 292 The matter of that year naturally needs to be asked of the elders in the palace.
Lin Xingyao's face showed undisguised disgust and contempt.
Several guards from the Wei family who were secretly protecting Wei Qiming were about to step forward when they were quickly pinned to the ground by the guards from the Yong Prince's Mansion who were accompanying him, rendering them unable to move.
Wei Qiming raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with bloodshot veins, staring intently at Lin Xingyao.
Lin Xingyao laughed, a cruel and triumphant laugh.
"Wei Qiming, look at yourself now, don't you look like a stray dog?"
Her voice was shrill, filled with undisguised malice.
"Oh, no, you're not even as good as a dog."
"After all, you don't even qualify to be a man anymore."
Wei Qiming's body trembled violently, not from fear, but from extreme anger.
He wanted to pounce on the vicious woman in front of him and tear her to pieces, but the heavy shackles bound him, making it impossible for him to move an inch.
Lin Xingyao reveled in his disheveled appearance, her pleasure growing even stronger.
"What? Not convinced?"
"I have some 'good news' for you."
She deliberately dragged out her words, leaned closer, and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Your precious nephew, His Highness the Crown Prince, is probably not going to be able to hold onto that position for long."
Wei Qiming's pupils suddenly contracted.
"It's being said that he's not the Emperor's biological son at all."
"Tell me, once this is confirmed, what will become of your dear sister, the Empress, and your Wei family?"
Lin Xingyao laughed even more heartily as she watched Wei Qiming's face turn deathly pale.
"At that time, the crown prince will be deposed and the Wei family will fall."
“You, Wei Qiming,” she pointed a finger at Wei Qiming’s filthy chest, “just rot away slowly in this dark and sunless mine!”
"lifetime!"
Every word was like a poisoned needle, piercing deeply into Wei Qiming's heart.
He looked at Lin Xingyao's face, which was twisted with smugness, and his eyes were filled with nothing but insane hatred.
Lin Xingyao seemed quite satisfied with his reaction, gave a soft hum, and turned to leave.
Her magnificent skirt billowed up like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, proud yet aloof.
The guards of Prince Yong's mansion released the Wei family's guards and followed them away.
Only Wei Qiming was left, staring intently in the direction they had left.
The wind blowing through the mine stirred up dust and sand, which stung his face.
But this pain was nothing compared to even a fraction of what he felt in his heart.
The crown prince is not his biological son...
The Wei family is about to fall...
He's going to rot here...
Lin Xingyao's words echoed in his mind like a curse.
Do not!
no way!
He can't just let this end!
He can't let the Wei family be ruined!
"what--!"
Wei Qiming suddenly let out a shrill roar, as if he had gone mad.
He struggled violently, the shackles clanging against the stones with a piercing sound.
"I want to go back to the capital!"
"I must return to the capital!"
His eyes were bloodshot with madness, as if he wanted to devour someone.
"Lin Xingyao! You wait!"
"I won't let you go!"
"I want to go back! I must go back!"
The roar echoed through the empty mine...
That very night, Wei Qiming led his men out of the mine...
The palace walls stand tall, and the glazed tiles gleam in the sunlight.
Chu Ruohan entered the palace.
These are turbulent times.
The Empress Dowager's coffin is still placed in the main hall of Cining Palace, and the funeral has not yet been held.
As Chu Ruohan stepped into the hall, the rich scent of sandalwood wafted towards her.
The hall was dimly lit, with only the ever-burning lamp and flickering candlelight illuminating the heavy coffin in the center.
Chu Ruohan walked to the altar, took the three sticks of incense handed to her by the palace servant, lit them respectfully, and bowed deeply three times to the altar.
Wisps of smoke rose, blurring her features.
She looked up at the old nanny standing quietly to the side, keeping vigil for the Empress Dowager.
The old woman had gray hair and a withered face, but her eyes were still relatively clear, though they revealed the weariness of keeping vigil for a long time.
"The Empress Dowager had always hoped that I would become pregnant."
Chu Ruohan's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"Now, Junze and I have a child, but he will never see it."
That perfectly timed sorrow was utterly genuine.
A flicker of emotion crossed the old woman's cloudy eyes as she sighed, "The young master's wife is pregnant. If the Empress Dowager were still alive, she would be overjoyed."
Chu Ruohan shook her head slightly, her tone calm.
"The Marquis of Anyang is dead, and Junze is no longer the heir apparent."
"From now on, please don't call me the young master's wife anymore. Just call me Ruohan."
The old woman bowed slightly, her attitude remaining respectful.
"I don't dare, old slave."
Chu Ruohan stepped forward and took the old woman's arm, her movements natural and intimate.
"The old nanny is an old servant in the palace who has always taken good care of the Empress Dowager. She must know the most about things in the palace."
Her gaze fell on the old woman's face, searching.
Having navigated the palace for many years, the old nanny had long since developed a keen ability to read people's expressions and was well aware of the deeper meaning behind Chu Ruohan's words.
Her eyelids drooped slightly, concealing the emotions in her eyes.
"Please ask whatever you wish, Madam."
Chu Ruohan stopped beating around the bush, lowered her voice, and carried a hint of barely perceptible tension.
"Granny, when Her Majesty the Empress gave birth to the Crown Prince, was there anything... unusual in the palace?"
She asked directly, yet left room for interpretation.
The old woman's face showed a hint of reminiscence, and she slowly shook her head.
"When the Empress gave birth, everything seemed normal."
"only……"
She paused, as if trying to recall.
"But at that time, this old servant was accompanying the Empress Dowager to Mount Wutai to pray for the country, and was not in the palace."
This answer made Chu Ruohan's heart sink slightly.
"When this old servant returned to the palace with the Empress Dowager, His Highness the Crown Prince had already been born for over a month."
After the old woman finished speaking, she seemed to remember some minor detail, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"However... less than two months after His Highness the Crown Prince was born, the people serving Her Majesty the Empress suddenly changed."
"This old servant remembers that Her Majesty the Empress used to trust a palace maid named Biyu the most. That girl was clever and steady."
"later……"
The old woman's voice was even lower, tinged with uncertainty.
"Later I heard that the girl seemed to have... left the palace to get married."
To leave the palace and marry?
When the Empress needed someone she trusted most, she released her most trusted palace maid out of the palace.
Chu Ruohan's heart skipped a beat.
This jade must know something!
She remained expressionless, exchanged a few more casual words with the old woman, and then got up to take her leave.
"Granny, please take care of yourself too."
The old woman nodded, watching Chu Ruohan's retreating figure, a complex emotion flashing in her cloudy eyes.
"Madam is in poor health, so please be careful in everything you do. It's best not to get too involved in the palace's affairs."
This advice is very meaningful.
Chu Ruohan paused slightly, nodded gently, and without saying anything more, turned and left Cining Palace.