"Pa!"
Inside the Imperial Study Room, the slap from Princess Yunyang landed harshly on Xu Jianwen’s cheek. He grunted, turned his head, and his cheek swelled slightly, but he still smiled.
Princess Yunyang seed to be in a state of madness, staring at him intently.
A mont later, she suddenly threw the swaddling cloth she was holding and collapsed to the ground, wailing loudly.
The baby, woken by the fall, instinctively sensed the unease and began to cry despite not having fully opened its eyes.
Zhao Douan and the Empress watched the scene with different thoughts, and no one stepped forward to stop it or do anything.
Princess Yunyang cried and cried until, seemingly exhausted, her eyes rolled back as she cried herself unconscious.
"Soone co." Xu Zhenguan’s voice was heard, and she spoke to the few palace maids who entered with bowed heads:
"Take Yunyang away and send her to the Imperial dical Bureau."
"Yes."
The palace maids dared not lift their heads. Two dragged Yunyang, and another picked up the incessantly crying baby.
After a while, the crying gradually faded away.
It was as if a farce had suddenly co to an end. The leading actors of the farce did not say a word, yet it seed as though everything had been said.
Xu Zhenguan looked at Xu Jianwen with extre indifference:
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
Xu Jianwen thought for a mont and asked:
"Is that child... Prince Consort Li Shuping’s?"
The Empress’s mood worsened: "It’s Bian Ji’s."
"It’s him..." Xu Jianwen muttered, then closed his eyes:
"I have nothing more to say."
The Empress, without hesitation, took a talisman from her sleeve, tore it open, and threw it over—although she was just a puppet, she could still use extraordinary items.
"Sizzle..." The talisman paper began to burn, drifting down onto Xu Jianwen.
The rebellious Prince lay back with a thud, like a piece of wood, losing any awareness of the outside world.
He re-entered the "sealed" state.
In this state, the maximum prevention of contact with the outside world and even suicide is ensured.
"I’m a bit confused..." Zhao Douan lifted his hands, rubbing his cheeks hard and said slowly:
"So, Xu Jianwen and Princess Yunyang..."
He didn’t say the remaining words.
The Empress gloomily responded with an "En."
Another royal scandal.
Zhao Douan just wanted to exclaim damn... thinking to himself how chaotic this circle really was.
In Xu Jianwen’s confession, the reason he knew those secrets only the Emperor could know was because he learned them from Yunyang.
As for why this aunt and nephew were able to discuss such secret matters, it involved their forbidden relationship.
At that mont, Zhao Douan recalled the information he had discovered when he first opposed Yunyang.
Princess Yunyang, once known for her virtuous and mild-mannered nature, turned into soone in the Capital notorious for promiscuity after marrying Prince Consort Li Shuping.
And this marriage was strongly arranged by the late Emperor.
Moreover, it was rumored that this sudden marriage was tied to a scandal involving Yunyang.
Now piecing together the clues, the truth of that year becos evident:
Xu Jianwen developed a forbidden relationship with his aunt Yunyang, and the late Emperor seemingly discovered the affair, thus furiously marrying Yunyang off to Li Shuping...
"The Empress Dowager was extrely close to Yunyang before her death, with Yunyang being raised by her. Decades ago, the old Empress Dowager had assud regency due to the late Emperor’s youth,"
Xu Zhenguan seed to understand Zhao Douan’s confusion and explained proactively.
The Empress Dowager having assud regency indicates she once held power and knew so secrets, and after the late Emperor grew up, she retired to the harem; Yunyang, as the young Princess at her side, might have learned so of these secrets, either by chance or through so ans, passing them on to Xu Jianwen... the logical chain holds up.
It’s just... Zhao Douan felt a headache, rubbing his forehead and silently pondering:
Judging by the tiline, how young were this aunt and nephew when they began their romance?
Turns out it was "childhood sweethearts" with a "white moonlight" vibe?
No... with Xu Jianwen’s exhibited mindset, he probably harbored ambitions for power from a very young age... so, was his contact with Yunyang intentional?
Did he use Yunyang to gather extensive intelligence from the now-deceased Empress Dowager?
This also explains Yunyang’s "unruly" and "self-destructive" nature, seemingly adopting a devil-may-care attitude after being betrayed by love...
Indeed, Zhao Douan could even imagine the lodramatic scene of Xu Jianwen promising Yunyang before the Xuan Sect Coup to kill the old Emperor and avenge her...
Yes, this also explains why Yunyang always held animosity toward the Empress, even exhibiting hatred... it makes sense now...
Ah!
Zhao Douan suddenly rembered sothing else:
After he dealt with Yunyang, the Kuangfu Society imdiately sent the "Cold Frost Sword" to assassinate him... At that ti, he hadn’t connected the two incidents, but now, in hindsight, he couldn’t help but think fearfully.
Could it be that even then, Yunyang was secretly in contact with the Kuangfu Society? Perhaps Yunyang was even a mber of the Kuangfu Society?
Who would dare imagine... Prince and Princess in bed...
Unthinkable, unimaginable... aunt and nephew conspiring to assassinate ...
Zhao Douan’s mind was in turmoil; he took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, casting this lodramatic story to the back of his mind.
He glanced at Zhenbao, whose face looked extrely unpleasant, knowing that as an Imperial Princess, she was surely distressed at this mont...
"So... how do we handle this guy?" Zhao Douan pointed at Xu Jianwen on the ground.
Xu Zhenguan’s chest heaved slightly as if calming her emotions, and she said sowhat wearily:
"Since he was officially declared dead back then, there’s no need to publicly announce his resurrection; he should be dealt with in secret."
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