“No wonder…”
Su Qing sighed thoughtfully.
“I entered the palace rather late and never met the late Empress myself, but I’ve often heard people speak of her.”
“They all said that while she was alive, she treated the servants kindly, respected her elders, and kept the entire harem harmonious.”
“But after she became pregnant, she repeatedly fell ill.”
“I suppose…”
“…the reason she suffered like that was because of the Empress?”
As she spoke, she turned to Ling Yu.
“But how do you know all this?”
Since the Empress had dared to commit such a crime, she surely would have covered her tracks perfectly.
How could Ling Yu know a palace secret that even the elderly servants who had lived in the palace for decades knew nothing about?
Ling Yu merely smiled faintly.
“Godmother needn’t concern herself with how I learned it.”
“What matters now is this.”
“First, make good use of Gu Xiyan as our chess piece.”
“And second…”
He turned to look at Tang Wan.
“It depends on whether my wife can cure the poison afflicting the true child of the late Empress—the Eldest Princess.”
“I believe she should have evidence.”
“After all, she was the child of the Empress.”
“Without irrefutable proof, His Majesty will never believe such an accusation.”
“Oh, right! The Eldest Princess!”
Tang Wan slapped her forehead.
“I completely forgot about her.”
“She even disguised herself and came to my clinic before, asking me to cure her poison.”
Su Qing’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Were you able to cure her?”
Tang Wan frowned deeply.
After a long silence, she shook her head.
“The Seven Insects, Seven Herbs poison is made from seven poisonous insects and seven poisonous herbs.”
“To neutralize it, I must know the exact order in which those fourteen ingredients were combined.”
“Without that sequence…”
“…there’s no cure.”
“I asked Qingfeng before.”
Ling Yu sighed softly.
“He told me the same thing.”
After a pause, he continued,
“The Eldest Princess has obviously known her true identity all along.”
“But because she was poisoned, her life has always been in the Empress’s hands.”
“She simply hasn’t dared to expose the truth.”
Tang Wan thought for a moment before saying,
“Even so…”
“If I were her, I’d still hand the evidence to the Emperor.”
“Would she really refuse to avenge her own mother just because she’s afraid of dying?”
“I don’t think it’s certain that she even has any evidence.”
Ling Yu nodded.
“That’s entirely possible.”
“Which is exactly why we must make good use of Gu Xiyan.”
“If we can’t find evidence that the Empress harmed the late Empress…”
“…then we’ll find evidence of her other crimes.”
“When someone walks the night road long enough, sooner or later they’ll run into ghosts.”
“Once we tear open one crack…”
“…the rest of the secrets won’t stay hidden for long.”
“I understand now.”
Only after a long while did Su Qing finally digest everything she had heard.
“No wonder the Empress refused to let Huangfu Xiao marry Gu Xiyan.”
“If Huangfu Xiao truly is the child of the Empress and Gu Hengcang…”
“…then he and Gu Xiyan are…”
She suddenly burst into laughter.
“Oh my…”
“I’ve seen all sorts of strange things in my life…”
“But an uncle and his own niece…”
“Hahaha…”
“Retribution!”
“This is truly retribution!”
“Heaven does have eyes.”
“It’s not that justice doesn’t come.”
“The time simply hadn’t arrived.”
“There’s more than that.”
Tang Wan picked up the conversation.
“If Gu Hengcang really had an affair with the Empress…”
“…then his support of the Second Prince becomes very interesting.”
He was betting on both sides—the ultimate opportunist.
First, he fathered a fake prince with the Empress.
Then he allied himself with the real prince.
That way…
No matter which prince eventually ascended the throne…
He would still be on the winning side.
If Huangfu Xiao became Emperor…
Gu Hengcang would effectively become the power behind the throne.
If Huangfu Yi became Emperor…
Gu Hengcang would be the Emperor’s father-in-law.
Tell me that isn’t impressive.
Tang Wan had to admit…
Gu Hengcang was truly something.
No wonder people called him an old fox.
He was even more cunning than a fox.
“In any case…”
Ling Yu concluded,
“Godmother only needs to protect Gu Xiyan.”
“The Empress will never let her live.”
Su Qing chuckled cheerfully.
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ll not only feed her well and take excellent care of her…”
“…I’ll also assign hidden guards to protect her.”
Now…
She didn’t have to do anything else.
All she had to do was wait for the Empress to take the bait.
And if Gu Xiyan really did become pregnant…
That would make things even more entertaining.
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