Chapter 259: Knowing the Inside Story
“I asked you to guess because I didn’t intend to hide this from you,” the Grand Princess sighed, “I know you resent the Empress and always wish for revenge. But I ask you, are you confident you can succeed in your revenge?”
Princess Duanmin gave a bitter smile, “My aunt is right. I can neither take her life nor seize her position as Empress. I can only cause her minor inconveniences in small matters. Even arranging the marriage for Zhuola Han was King Fenye’s decision; my words don’t count.”
“But what if I told you there is now an opportunity to take the Empress’s position and her life, what would you do?” the Grand Princess whispered into Princess Duanmin’s ear.
The words struck her like thunder. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, “Aunt, are you telling the truth? You know I cannot joke about such things.”
“What I tell you is naturally the truth. It’s not just you who hates the Dong Family; many in the world suffer because of them!” the Grand Princess sighed deeply, “We just lack an opportunity.”
“Aunt, quickly tell me what kind of opportunity this is! As long as we can get rid of the Dong Family, I would spare no effort, even if it means my own destruction!” Princess Duanmin’s voice trembled.
“Have you guessed the injustice surrounding Mingqian yet?” the Grand Princess gazed at her steadily.
The incense in the burner had burned out, leaving behind ash-grey embers scattered like the remnants of old events.
Princess Duanmin suddenly felt a chill run through her body, and she shivered involuntarily.
She had guessed, but for a moment, she dared not speak it aloud.
The Grand Princess did not rush her, simply waiting quietly.
After a long while, Princess Duanmin finally spoke, “Could the injustice she suffered also be related to them?”
She didn’t need to specify who “they” were, as the Grand Princess understood and nodded at Princess Duanmin.
“But… but how could she…” Princess Duanmin felt her thoughts in disarray, “She isn’t…”
“This is a long story. What we didn’t know was that she and Shen Fu were like sisters in their youth. Later, she was framed by a concubine of the Gong Family and had to return to Shuangxi. On the way, she happened to meet Shen Fu and Bu Yuegui.”
She and Shen Fu gave birth in a dilapidated temple. Shen Fu knew her own fate was sealed and urged her to leave quickly to avoid being implicated.
So, she and Wei Fu secretly discussed and quietly swapped the two children, all to protect Shen Fu and the Emperor’s bloodline.”
As the Grand Princess spoke, Princess Duanmin could no longer hold back and interrupted her, “Aunt… you mean Gong Changan is actually… actually… a Prince?”
“Haven’t you noticed that child bears a striking resemblance to Consort Shen in some ways?” the Grand Princess said, “Alas, yes. Who would have thought of this?”
“So… so that’s how it is… so, so my Ying family’s bloodline is not broken… the Emperor has a biological son…” Princess Duanmin, being the Emperor’s own younger sister, how could she not be moved by this news?
“Please don’t cry, it will be bad if someone notices something is amiss,” the Grand Princess quickly handed her a handkerchief.
Princess Duanmin wiped her tears haphazardly and said, “Yes, Aunt is right. Look at me, I can’t keep my composure at all, I’m truly useless…”
“It’s not your fault for being unsettled. When I first learned of this, I couldn’t sleep for several nights,” the Grand Princess recalled, “It was Wu Chou who told me, which is why I recognized Mingqian as my goddaughter, for convenience in handling matters.”
“How wonderful it would be if we could vindicate the events of that year and reveal Changan’s identity to the world!” Princess Duanmin’s eyes shone brighter from crying, “Let the world know that Consort Shen was innocent, and Bu Yuegui died protecting the imperial heir…”
Bu Yuegui was the man she loved; how could she let him bear slander and be cursed by the world?
He was originally so upright, like the bright moon in the autumn sky.
“I didn’t tell you earlier because you had just returned and needed time to adjust. Now that I’ve told you everything, we must work together from now on,” the Grand Princess said, “Our plan with Mingqian is to first let Prince Chu and Prince Zhao fight to the death, and also to allow her to further gain the Empress’s trust.”
“Yes! The Dong Family is deeply rooted, and Prince Chu and Prince Zhao are the two most powerful princes. Their sons are both in the palace, so it’s inevitable they would harbor ambitions.
Letting them fight like two tigers, one side will eventually fall, and the victor will certainly be weakened,” Princess Duanmin said.
“Not only that, Prince Chu will definitely lose. After he loses, he will naturally become irreconcilable with the Dong Family. Otherwise, their relationship would remain ambiguous, making it hard to distinguish friend from foe,” the Grand Princess said, “Mingqian and the others have analyzed the situation thoroughly over seven years in Shuangxi. Compared to the Dong Family, we are inevitably outnumbered. Only by dividing them first and then defeating them one by one can we achieve the best strategy.”
“Are these all Mingqian’s ideas?” Princess Duanmin had previously only thought of Wen Mingqian as a well-read and polite young lady skilled in incense blending.
She never imagined she carried such a heavy secret, nor did she expect her to possess such strategy and breadth of mind.
“Yes! Who would have thought that such a seemingly gentle and well-behaved person would be doing such earth-shattering things!” the Grand Princess smiled, “But it has to be this way to achieve great things. Otherwise, if everyone could see her shrewdness, wouldn’t they be even more wary?
If nothing else, Dong Xiangning is the most suspicious and stubborn. Gaining her trust is not easy.”
“It’s truly not easy for a weak woman like her to reach this point. Next time I see her, I must thank her properly,” Princess Duanmin said emotionally, “I truly feel inferior to her. Even as a princess, I am helpless against the Dong Family.”
“As the saying goes, when people are united, they can move mountains. As long as we think as one and work together, we can always break through the clouds to see the sun,” the Grand Princess gently patted Princess Duanmin’s hand to comfort her, “I know you have someone in your heart and are always cold towards King Fenye. But for the sake of the greater good in the future, we still have to use him.”
“Aunt, you don’t need to persuade me, I understand,” Princess Duanmin said, “Before, I thought that even if I complied with him, he wouldn’t turn against the Dong Family for me. Now, it seems that as long as I can borrow his strength, it’s good.”
It was already dusk, and the sky had cleared. The sunset glow shone on the window lattice, as red as blood.
Those buried past events, those souls who died unjustly, had not truly vanished.
They hid in the hearts of some people, like seeds buried deep in the earth.
Only when the spring breeze and rain come one day, and the earth’s energy rises, will they sprout and take root, breaking through the soil…
