amaotonovel Chapter 240 Her Father
Chapter 240 Her Father
Many people clearly saw Qi Zeyun vomit blood at the banquet that day!
Even though the imperial physicians said it was incurable, he died that very night.
Moreover, in all these days, there has never been any news leaking that they have shown up.
So where have they been these past few days? Have they been at Wu Chengji's residence the whole time?
The Second Prince and the Fourth Prince used a clever trick to escape unnoticed.
"Impossible! We all heard it! They said His Highness Qi Zeyun died from his injuries!"
Finally, someone couldn't hold back any longer and voiced their doubts.
It seems that the prime minister's faction still wants to make a last-ditch effort.
Sima Zongcheng was also somewhat puzzled when he heard that the two were not dead.
However, the spies sent out in the past few days have not been able to find out a single piece of information; the situation is so tightly sealed off.
"If you're not dead, you need to provide evidence to prove it. Don't just say you're not dead and then deny it!"
Wu Ziyan shrugged; he had expected them to say that.
Qi Zexuan and Qi Zeyun were already waiting outside the hall.
The two of them walked slowly from outside the hall, attracting the attention of all the ministers.
Some people were so shocked that their eyes almost popped out. Weren't those the two princes?
It's perfectly intact, without a single scratch!
But when did they say they both died suddenly? Could this all be a setup by them?
Qi Zexuan and the other person stepped forward to perform the kneeling ceremony, then stepped aside and stood silently.
This has raised some questions, as it is said that the Prime Minister is colluding with Xiao Rong, betraying the country and colluding with the enemy, while these two princes are here.
This left the middle forces somewhat bewildered, as Xiao Rong's two princes could easily be used as hostages.
What enemy or country has the Prime Minister been in league with?
"These two princes are standing here perfectly fine. How can the Second Prince say that the Prime Minister sent someone to kill them?"
"My lord, this is merely an internal strife within their own Xiaorong Kingdom. Is it necessary to bring it up in our court?"
"Moreover, it is a fact that the Prime Minister smuggled a large number of troops, and it is also a fact that the Min Rong harassed the border!"
"The weapons seized by the soldiers sent by His Highness last night were also smuggled by the Prime Minister; this is an even greater fact!"
"There are still survivors among those people from yesterday. They can fully testify that they were acting on the orders of the Prime Minister. Do you gentlemen have any further questions?"
Seeing that Wu Ziyan wasn't targeting her directly, but rather that every word was aimed at the Prime Minister, Wu Chengye realized that she really might escape this predicament.
She shouldn't speak right now; she should just listen quietly to how things unfold.
The Empress raised her eyes, tapped the dragon head with her finger, and pondered, "Does Prime Minister Sima have anything else to say?"
"If I say no, will Your Majesty believe me?"
The way they talked made them seem less like ruler and subject and more like friends.
The way their eyes met was somewhat incomprehensible, a mixture of resentment and regret.
Sima Zongcheng suddenly burst into laughter in the main hall. Could it be that he had completely stopped pretending after being exposed?
She removed the crown from her head, a heavy burden that had been weighing on her for many years.
As prime minister, she has worked diligently for many years and has indeed brought much benefit to the people.
But when did things change? That requires starting with that incident.
Since she was likely to die anyway, he was going to reveal all those secrets today.
She placed the crown on the ground and bowed deeply to the Queen, as if recalling events from long ago.
That early summer, she became prime minister, and she and Yu Jingchuan made an appointment to go boating on a lake in the suburbs.
They pledged their lives to each other on the ship, and she became pregnant.
He had only wanted the Empress's marriage certificate, and he should have been married into the family with great pomp and circumstance, and they should have been a loving husband and a filial daughter!
However, Yu Jingchuan was chosen to enter the empress's palace. Come to think of it, she looked at Wu Ziyan and found that he bore a resemblance to her!
The Empress doted on him, even though he was no longer a virgin.
The empress knew perfectly well that he had feelings for her!
Yu Jingchuan was the son of the former Minister of War. At that time, his mother held considerable military power and seemed poised to rebel.
Furthermore, since he was favored by the Empress, his mother became even more arrogant and domineering.
The day Sima Zongcheng gave birth to his daughter was the day Yu Jingchuan's entire family was executed!
The Empress knew all of this, and she was pregnant with the Fourth Prince. Yu Jingchuan also committed suicide in the palace.
The empress also loved that man, but after his death, he was not buried in the imperial mausoleum; there was only a solitary tomb standing on the outskirts of the city!
And her daughter... was also poisoned by a palace maid, and the gruesome death was still vivid in her dreams!
Wu Ziyan listened with great interest to their love, hate, and grudges.
Who would have thought that the prime minister would rebel for the sake of a man?
It's surprising that she's such a passionate person, and more importantly, she's been able to tolerate things for so many years!
That's why they call him the Prime Minister! Wait a minute! The Fourth Prince, which Fourth Prince?
She pointed to herself and looked at Wu Chengji: "Me?"
Yes, yes, she has never seen her father since she came here.
It seems she didn't even remember having a father; after searching her memory, she couldn't recall one!
Oops! How embarrassing, I've gotten myself into this mess.
The most crucial point is that her husband's mother is now her father's mistress and has a child, but they're not married yet!
Wait, this is a mess! It's so messy! It's been over ten years... and now you're bringing this up again?
She's a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and so is her mother, so why didn't they all die together back then?
"Wu Mingkong! Are you keeping me here because you feel guilty? Dare you say you weren't the one who poisoned Ling'er back then!"
Ling'er must be her daughter who died young.
Now I finally understand why his two sons were named Lingchuan and Lingyu.
Thinking about it this way, she really was a devoted woman.
Only the senior officials in the court knew about this secret from back then.
Those who were promoted afterward dared not mention such a secret, as it was considered a royal scandal and could cost them their heads.
The Empress sighed; she did indeed feel guilty towards Sima Zongcheng.
But the Yu family is really no good; they must be eliminated!
But Yu Jingchuan was a good man who kept to his duties after entering the palace.
Most importantly, he's very handsome. Who wouldn't be attracted to good looks when they're young?
Wu Ziyan didn't care about that; instead, she was thinking that her biological father probably wasn't very tall.
Otherwise, how could she be so short and stocky, and why had no one in the palace ever mentioned her father?
"Big sister, do you know my father? Have you ever met him?" she asked softly.
Wu Chengji looked at Wu Ziyan with a surprised expression.
Hearing such a shocking story, she seemed as if she wasn't involved, but merely an outsider listening to the tale.
Actually, she didn't have much of an impression of her; she had only seen a portrait of her, and she was described as a very beautiful person.
I only met him twice when I was a child. He seemed very gentle, but there was always a look of sorrow between his brows.
Later she heard that he had died, but she was still young at the time and was an outsider to the situation.
After hearing these coded gossips, the ministers seemed to have something unclean in their ears; they had no desire to listen at all.
What if the Queen gets upset and uses this as an excuse to have them all executed? This is a royal secret!
Sima Zongcheng's eyes were red, probably because this painful past had touched her.
The Empress looked down at her from her seat, unmoved!