In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 955 - 960: The Past

Chapter 955: Chapter 960: The Past

No matter how much she racked her brain, she could not understand how the matter at hand was related to Imperial Consort Hua, who later became The Empress Dowager?

And Fei’er...

Feeling a chill, Su Pan’er shivered inexplicably!

A sharp light suddenly appeared in her eyes.

She abruptly turned and pushed open the door, scanning the surroundings. Sensing nothing for a moment, she quickly reentered and closed the door tightly before fixing her gaze on She Lao.

Her voice came out heavy, "Did I misunderstand, or did you not clarify? Who is involved in this matter?"

She Lao showed no sign of shrinking back, "It’s related to Imperial Consort Hua. Your servant believes that the Eighth Prince was not aware of this matter back then."

For a good while, Su Pan’er stood still before raising her head to look at him, "Where did you get such an idea? And on what basis are you saying it’s related to Imperial Consort Hua? Having served the late Emperor for many years in the palace, you should know certain things must not be recklessly spoken!"

"Your servant dares to speak of this because there are reasons. It’s precisely because your servant knows that I have kept silent for so many years. Now, my body has reached the point of a spent crossbow, merely dragging out my days. If your servant doesn’t reveal the truth now, I fear that the incidents of the past will be forever buried with me upon my death. And the real enemies will continue to live freely and comfortably in this world!"

Bent-backed, She Lao narrated the events of those days in detail.

"Back then, when His Majesty saw the Seventh Prince, who was then a mere fourth-ranked military officer, he realized something was amiss. That night, His Majesty was so excited he couldn’t sleep for several nights, constantly muttering words like ’Divine Will’, ’not failing the trust’, ’remorse’, and so on. At that time, His Majesty’s chief steward even asked His Majesty if he could alleviate His Majesty’s concerns, but His Majesty was in high spirits, lavishing praise on the chief steward and at the end even bestowed a lot of rare antiques to the steward, making us all envious."

"Not long after, His Majesty changed his usual behavior, not only vigorously promoting the Seventh Prince but also actively suppressing the Crown Prince of that time and a few other princes with significant support in court. In the end, when the former Crown Prince forced the Emperor to abdicate, and the subsequent rebellion by Prince Xuan, everything was within His Majesty’s control! The only unexpected development was that His Majesty acted too hastily, failing to heed the advice of Great General Ye and Yang National Old to slowly weaken and consume Prince Xuan’s power, which inadvertently gave Prince Xuan an opportunity. Unexpectedly, while His Majesty was dealing with the remnants of the former Crown Prince, Prince Xuan took the initiative and seized control of Shengjing, forcing His Majesty to flee with the protection of the Seventh Prince and Great General Ye."

"In fact, the Crown Prince, Prince Qi, and Prince Xuan had long plotted and harbored ambitions, which His Majesty was well aware of. The reason he tolerated them for many years was because His Majesty was detached, not only offering no obstacles but actually taking pleasure in their scheming."

She Lao glanced at Su Pan’er.

The reason His Majesty behaved this way was that he had lost hope in his sons and instead enjoyed watching the struggle among the princes. His favorite heir had been out of touch for many years; he thought that Qin Yi had probably been dealt with by those wolfish, ambitious types long ago.

He never imagined that there would come a day when he would see Qin Yi again.

The lively Qin Yi, who could speak, who could laugh, who was noble and imposing!

Just by casually kneeling before him, he recognized him at a glance. Later, when he saw the tiger-shaped jade pendant on Qin Yi and the scar on his chest, he identified Qin Yi’s identity!

His Majesty used to enjoy seeing the princes fight like dogs because he did not care. Now that his most satisfactory heir had appeared, how could he tolerate those thorns in the eye and flesh? Moreover, his dissatisfaction with those many scheming princes had long reached a peak.

Thus, with His Majesty behind the scenes stirring the pot, those princes indeed couldn’t wait to jump out and scramble for the throne. Even Prince Qi, whom he thought harbored no interest in the throne, unexpectedly developed improper ambitions. How could he tolerate this?

"...So, although His Majesty’s illness that year was indeed serious, there was more to it: it was a trap to lure those with ulterior motives!" She Lao said gravely.

Su Pan’er nodded slightly.

She naturally understood all these matters.

"There’s no need for further words; I understand the cause and outcome of the events of that year. Get to the point!"

"The point is that during His Majesty’s convalescence in the Qinling Mountains, an unexpected visitor arrived!"

She Lao revealed bluntly, "That year, His Majesty, along with Great General Ye and the Seventh Prince, escaped from Shengjing, dodging the pursuing soldiers until finally settling down to heal in the Qinling Mountains. Everything was going incredibly smoothly. His Majesty used the pretext of needing an eminent doctor to treat him to send the Seventh Prince away from his side. Initially, it was to protect the Seventh Prince, but then, on that particular night, the arrival of someone unexpected derailed everything..."

"Was the visitor Imperial Consort Hua?"

Su Pan’er’s face remained expressionless, her words coming out mechanically.

"Indeed, it was the then Imperial Consort Hua!"

Tears of old age welled up in She Lao’s eyes, "In those days, His Majesty showed much consideration for the Eight Great Aristocratic Families, to which the Hua and Jun Families belonged, and especially supported the Hua Family. Particularly Imperial Consort Hua..."

She Lao glanced at Su Pan’er, "Although His Majesty enjoyed the company of beautiful women, after meeting... after meeting that person, he rarely summoned the concubines to his bed. And the birth of the Eighth Prince, that too, involves quite a story."

Su Pan’er remained silent.

Seeing that Su Pan’er was interested in this matter, She Lao continued, "Initially, His Majesty had no intention of allowing the Hua Family to send their daughter to the palace. In the end, however, to balance the various forces, he summoned Imperial Consort Hua into the palace and granted her the title of Imperial Concubine. Without an accident, she would have remained as an Imperial Concubine all her life. But one day, when His Majesty was drunk, he passed by a side palace hall and happened to see Imperial Consort Hua practicing swordsmanship there, her poise and grace bearing a striking resemblance to... that person. When His Majesty sobered up, he drew his sword and nearly killed the then Imperial Concubine Hua. Ultimately, he could not go through with it and demoted her to the rank of ’Talent’ and banished her to Qingyi Palace. Oddly enough, from that one instance, Imperial Consort Hua became pregnant!"

At that time, Qingyi Palace was situated right next to the Banishment Palace, which already said a lot about His Majesty’s actions.

"What a coincidence indeed!"

Su Pan’er spoke dispassionately.

But her mind was clear as a mirror. It seemed that Imperial Consort Hua’s sword dance in the side palace hall and her ensuing pregnancy were likely all part of a conspiracy. She also understood that there were many prescriptions among the common folk that could make it easier for women to become pregnant and to bear sons in one go.

However, these prescriptions were extremely dangerous!

Not only were they likely to lead to the birth of deformed babies, but even if the children looked normal, they had a particularly high infant mortality rate. Therefore, from a medical practitioner’s perspective, she did not condone the use of these prescriptions.

"Indeed, it’s no mere coincidence."

She Lao spoke indifferently, yet his eyes were filled with profound meaning. It was no surprise to him that women of the Imperial Harem’s Palace used children as bargaining chips to gain glory and wealth for themselves and their families: "Once the Talent Hua became pregnant, she naturally couldn’t continue living in Qingyi Palace. Consequently, His Majesty allowed her to return to the side palace hall temporarily and also restored her rank. Later, when the Eighth Prince was born, His Majesty made Imperial Concubine Hua the Imperial Consort."

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