After hearing what Liang Zhaoyi said, it seed impossible that the forr Empress had been killed by the Empress, but Zhao Yao still felt that the Empress had caused the forr Empress’s death.
"Mother, considering the Empress’s personality, how could she allow a concubine-born woman to beco the Empress, especially since this Empress position originally belonged to her? It was only because she was too young at the ti to marry Father that the Xie family let the forr Empress marry Father in her place."
"If Father had not finally ascended the throne as Emperor, the Empress might not have minded the forr Empress replacing her to marry Father. But since Father beca Emperor and the forr Empress beca the model of the nation, do you think the Empress would have been content?"
Zhao Yao’s question left Liang Zhaoyi stunned. Over the years, although Empress Xie always maintained an elegant and composed deanor, she disliked being compared to the forr Empress. Initially, Empress Xie would pretend not to mind, but in recent years she seed less inclined to hide it.
"To the Empress, everything noble and glorified that the forr Empress possessed should have been hers. If the forr Empress did not die, she would have to marry another, how could she permit her status to be lower than the forr Empress, especially when the Empress title was originally hers?"
He continued, "Only with the forr Empress’s death could she marry Father and reclaim what was originally hers, the position of Empress, so she would have ensured the forr Empress died after she ca of age."
Zhao Yao’s analysis was very accurate, and after listening, Liang Zhaoyi once again showed a shocked expression.
"After the forr Empress died of illness, the Empress got her wish and beca the Empress." Zhao Yao said, frowning, "However, the exact thod the Empress used to kill the forr Empress remains unknown."
Liang Zhaoyi’s heart sank suddenly, and with a heavy expression, she asked Zhao Yao, "Do you really think the Empress killed the forr Empress?"
Zhao Yao nodded vigorously and said, "Hmm, I think there’s an eighty to ninety percent chance of it."
Liang Zhaoyi gasped in disbelief and said, "How old was the Empress at that ti, and yet she could..."
"If I’m not mistaken, it’s very likely that the Empress made her move against the forr Empress when Father was still the Crown Prince."
"Why do you think so?"
"Grandfather established the Great Zhou, and Father was nad Crown Prince. At that ti, the forr Empress was also titled as the Crown Princess Consort." Zhao Yao said, "At that ti, Grandfather only had Father as a son. Father was destined to beco Emperor, and the Crown Princess Consort would surely beco the Empress. How could the Empress allow the forr Empress to remain in the Empress position?"
"It’s highly likely that from that point on, the Empress was determined to remove the forr Empress, but she was still very young then, with several years left before she ca of age. If the forr Empress died before she ca of age, she wouldn’t have been able to beco Empress. So she did not remove the forr Empress imdiately but allowed her to live until she ca of age. After she ca of age, she couldn’t wait any longer to take the forr Empress’s life."
"The Emperor was still the Crown Prince back then, and the Empress was just a child. How could she have been so vicious?"
"Mother, do you think the Duchess at that ti would allow a concubine-born woman to be in a position of higher standing? Would she allow a concubine-born to trample over the heads of their mother and daughter?" Zhao Yao thought, isn’t this how stories usually go; the legitimate wife is very cruel to the concubine’s daughter, unable to stand the concubine’s daughter living better than her legitimate daughter? "I think the one who killed the forr Empress back then might have been the Duchess, and it’s very likely the Duchess got poison from sowhere, secretly administering it to the forr Empress without anyone knowing."
Liang Zhaoyi thought her son was right and sighed lightly, "If it were the Old Duchess, that’s not impossible."
The current Duke Zhen is the brother of Empress Xie. The Duchess is Empress Xie’s sister-in-law.
The Old Duchess died of illness in the third year after the Emperor ascended the throne. The old Duke passed away two years before Empress Xie ca of age.
"So, it’s eight or nine-tenths likely that the forr Empress was killed by the Empress," Zhao Yao said, "just like how Princess Consort Dai may have been killed by her own concubine-born younger sister."
"Alas..." Liang Zhaoyi let out a heavy sigh.
"However, regarding the murder of the forr Empress, the Duchess and the Empress must have carried it out extrely secretly, leaving no trace for anyone to find." Zhao Yao scratched his head and said, "Anyone who knew about this matter back then was probably eliminated by the Old Duchess. By now, there’s probably no evidence left at all."
Liang Zhaoyi recalled how, when she first entered the palace, the forr Empress took care of her. Rembering the forr Empress’s kindness to all concubines in the harem made her feel both sad and angry.
Reviews
All reviews (0)