flstandardbreds Chapter 180 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 35
Chapter 180 The Villainous Female Supporting Character's Mind Was Read 35
Not long after the Crown Prince was born, the Imperial Concubine secretly approached Granny Li and threatened her with her children outside the palace to harm the Crown Prince.
But Granny Li had watched the late Empress grow up since she was a child, and she valued the late Empress more than her own life.
Therefore, she outwardly agreed, but upon returning home, she informed the late Empress of the matter.
When the late empress learned of this, she wanted to go to the emperor, but she gave up the idea just before leaving.
The reason why the Crown Prince was born prematurely was because the Consort deliberately let her cat pounce on the late Empress, causing her to be so frightened that she almost miscarried.
The Emperor wanted to punish her severely, but the Consort was the Empress Dowager's niece.
With the Empress Dowager keeping things under control, and the Crown Prince indeed being born smoothly.
The matter was considered closed when the concubine's cat was put to death and the concubine only spent half a year reflecting on her actions behind closed doors.
Perhaps thinking of this, the late empress turned and went to the crown prince's room.
After the palace maids left, Granny Li stayed with the late Empress in the Crown Prince's room for a long time.
Even Granny Li didn't know what the late Empress was thinking that day; she only remembered that she stared blankly at the Crown Prince, lost in thought.
It wasn't until the Emperor finished reviewing the memorials and came to have dinner with her that the late Empress came to her senses.
That evening, the late Empress casually mentioned that if the Crown Prince were to step down as Crown Prince in the future, it would be quite nice for him to be a carefree prince.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor replied that his and the Empress's son was naturally of unparalleled nobility, and as the Crown Prince, he was destined to inherit the throne.
The late empress smiled and said nothing more.
In the days that followed, whenever Li Mama recalled that day, she always felt that the late Empress probably did not approve of it.
In a mother's eyes, her child's safety and happiness are more important than anything else.
The next day, after the emperor left, the empress avoided the others and decided to send the crown prince out of the palace.
Being a playboy outside the palace is better than fighting to the death with other princes for the throne inside the palace.
The late empress had once obtained a drug to fake death, and she staged a scene to make it appear as if the crown prince had died unexpectedly.
Then, Granny Li took the young prince, who had taken the drug to fake his death, away from the capital.
This matter was kept secret from the late Empress's father (the former Prime Minister) because he was worried that if the matter were exposed, it would implicate the Prime Minister's residence.
Everything was proceeding smoothly according to plan, but only a few months after Li Mama settled down, she suddenly discovered that someone was secretly searching for her and the Crown Prince.
At first, she thought the emperor had discovered the matter.
However, the group's behavior did not resemble that of the Imperial Guards, so to be on the safe side, she had no choice but to flee again with the Crown Prince overnight.
But it still couldn't be avoided.
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, and with the group of people coming aggressively, she had no choice but to put the prince in a bamboo basket and cover him with reeds.
She went to the other side, trying to distract them.
After that, she was stabbed and luckily fell into the river, but the fall injured her head. She didn't wake up until about ten days later.
She went back to look for him, but couldn't find any trace of the Crown Prince, so she returned to the capital to seek help from the former Prime Minister.
Unexpectedly, upon returning to the capital, he heard the devastating news of the Empress's death, and the former Prime Minister also passed away in grief.
The Prime Minister's residence was in complete chaos, with no one in charge, so she had no choice but to give up the idea of seeking help.
He returned alone to search for it, and that search lasted for twenty years.
……
Granny Li recounted this experience to the Emperor and Gu Yanli.
However, in front of Emperor Chengping, she deliberately downplayed the late empress's many grievances against him.
This was the second time Emperor Chengping had heard this story, and his emotions were still stirred.
Upon first hearing this, was it anger? Or resentment?
Various emotions were intertwined and became difficult to distinguish.
But Xin'er has been gone for so long, and all his anger has been extinguished by his long-term longing.
He had wondered if things would be different now if Xin'er had told him about the Imperial Concubine's intentions back then.
But will things really be different?
You can defend against it once, but who can defend against it again?
He also had to admit that if the crown prince hadn't been sent out of the palace back then, it was uncertain whether he would have grown up safely.
……
Before meeting Emperor Chengping, Gu Yanli had wondered if the emperor might resemble his father from his previous life.
Arriving in this unfamiliar world by chance, and meeting familiar people, can give you a greater sense of belonging.
But after seeing it, he gave up.
Although they look similar, their ways of doing things are completely different.
His father was a loving husband and father, a man who could protect his wife and children from the wind and rain and stand tall and upright.
Instead of being like Emperor Chengping, who seemed deeply affectionate but only regretted it after losing it.
However, although he looked down on Emperor Chengping, he could still use this guilt to seek justice for the original owner of the body.
Gu Yanli asked, "Then who sent those people who chased after Granny and me?"
"This old servant doesn't know either," said Granny Li, shaking her head.
But Li Mama knew in her heart that only the Imperial Concubine would be so blatant in this palace.
"It is the Imperial Concubine."
Emperor Chengping spoke up, "I sent people to investigate and found that the person who issued the mission to the Assassin's Guild twenty years ago came from the Consort's palace."
"Once the identity of my son is revealed to the public, I will issue an edict to demote the Imperial Concubine to the rank of Talented Lady."
The Empress Dowager passed away ten years ago.
Out of consideration for his childhood friendship with the Imperial Concubine, and the fact that she had given birth to the eldest prince, and that she had been relatively well-behaved in recent years, he did not take any action against her.
Unexpectedly, this only fueled her arrogance. In recent years, as the eldest prince has grown older, her reach has become increasingly longer.
It's time to teach her a lesson.
Gu Yanli sneered inwardly. If the original owner of this body hadn't been lucky, he would have died silently back then.
Now it's simply a matter of lowering the place value to single digits.
It seems that Emperor Chengping's sense of guilt is really worthless.
"But how did the Imperial Concubine learn of this?" Gu Yanli didn't want to show his dissatisfaction, so he only mentioned another point of doubt.
Granny Li also said, "Indeed, only Her Highness and this old servant know about what happened back then."
"However, this old servant is not quite sure whether any other palace maids on duty that day might have overheard it."
This time, Emperor Chengping remained silent for a long time.
As the emperor's most trusted advisor, Ma Lugui sped up his efforts after failing to uncover Gu Yanli's affair in time, daring not to delay even slightly.
The whole matter was quickly investigated thoroughly, and the informant was found.
She was the fifth prince, or rather, the former fifth prince, now the sixth prince's mother, Lady An.
That day, she noticed that the late Empress and Granny Li looked serious, and she felt that something was amiss.
She deliberately switched days with the palace maid on duty that day.
Taking advantage of the late Empress and Granny Li avoiding the crowd, he carefully approached and overheard the whole story.
Later, she inadvertently revealed this matter to the nanny serving the imperial concubine.
The imperial concubine then became suspicious and, with the mindset of "better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free," sent assassins to search the area.
As for Consort An, she took advantage of the Emperor's longing for the late Empress to successfully rise to her current position.
Emperor Chengping, upon learning the truth, was unwilling to believe that the usually gentle and considerate Consort An could be such a scheming person.
But the facts were right in front of him, forcing him to see them clearly.
"Father, are you feeling unwell? If you don't mind, how about I take a look at you?" Gu Yanli saw the struggle in Emperor Chengping's eyes and said insincerely.
"Oh? My son has this skill?" Emperor Chengping asked curiously.
Gu Yanli humbly replied, "The doctors who treat patients charge high prices, so I taught myself a little about astragalus and can use that to prescribe some simple herbs."
In reality, it was a case of someone becoming a doctor from a past life, but Emperor Chengping interpreted it in a completely different way.
Xin'er must have prepared enough money for Granny Li. If that person hadn't betrayed her that day, her son would have been safe and sound, and wouldn't have been unable to afford medical treatment.
Gu Yanli withdrew his hand from taking her pulse and said tactfully, "You are busy with many affairs every day, so you should take good care of your health."
"What's done is done. It might just be a coincidence. Anyway, I'm standing properly in front of you now, aren't I?"
Emperor Chengping looked at the Crown Prince, who had grown up alone, gazing at him with eyes full of filial piety, and felt even more guilty. He then made up his mind.
She was just a palace maid who longed for Xin'er.
Now that he and Xin'er have regained their lost child, he will make it up to them in the future.
Emperor Chengping immediately issued an edict: "Ma Lugui, convey my decree: Consort An is wicked and disloyal, and is hereby banished to the Cold Palace."