HLnovel Chapter 823 Remember His Face
Chapter 823 Remember His Face
Lu Yangyang took out a few sheets of paper and looked at them. Only then did she realize that they contained the late Empress's medical records.
Zong Que had seen these medical cases countless times.
Lu Yangyang had also heard him mention it, but there was nothing wrong with the medical record.
The late empress did not die of illness quickly; rather, her health was worn down, and she died of illness in a state of constant weakness. There is evidence of this in the medical records, and no matter how much he doubted it, he could not find any proof.
Xue Wanyue had only been back in the palace for two days after her incident, and these medical records had already been sealed away. It was impossible for her to obtain them so easily; Xue Wanyue had prepared them long ago.
Lu Yangyang put down the medical record: "When did you get these?"
“Last Mid-Autumn Festival.” Xue Wanyue didn’t hide anything: “Although I was favored after entering the palace, a substitute is still a substitute. When His Majesty looks at me, it’s just to reminisce about the late Empress. If I wanted to advance further, I naturally had to use some tricks. I persuaded His Majesty that I looked so much like the late Empress that we must have had a predestined relationship in a past life, and that I wanted to go to the Great Buddha Temple to pray for the late Empress. His Majesty naturally agreed. After I went to the Great Buddha Temple, I bribed the monks there and said that the late Empress couldn’t bear to part with His Majesty, so she left a wisp of her soul to reside in me and come back to guard His Majesty.”
Lu Yangyang: "..."
Xue Wanyue smiled and said, "His Majesty believed me without a doubt and was so moved that he shed tears on the spot. He quickly promoted me and even brought the newborn prince to my side to raise, as if he wanted to stay with me forever."
Lu Yangyang: "...Do you believe me?"
Xue Wanyue winked mischievously: "Does it matter whether you believe it or not? His Majesty may not really believe that big monk's nonsense. It would be a miracle if he actually believed such a fantastical story. I don't know what he was thinking. Maybe he really misses the late Empress, or maybe he feels guilty, or maybe he just used me as an excuse to warn the Third Prince and disrupt the court's pressure on him to establish an heir. But no matter what, I have achieved my goal."
Only by gaining more and more favor could she gain limited freedom; otherwise, she would still be subject to the control of the Third Prince and be feared by the concubines in the palace, facing all sorts of open and covert attacks. If she did not use her advantages to gain a foothold, she would not know when she would be silently killed.
"After His Majesty became more and more indulgent towards me, I had the opportunity to learn more. Then, I used some of His Majesty's remarks about how he missed the late Empress to convey to the Third Prince, or to Consort Xiao. Consort Xiao may not have taken me seriously at first, but after I became Consort Duan, and even had a prince raised by my side, and His Majesty almost exclusively favored me, how could she still sit still?" The first thing Xue Wanyue did after gaining favor was to provoke Consort Xiao.
Xue Wanyue knew very well that with her limited influence in the harem, it was impossible for her to bring down the Third Prince, as her influence did not extend to the imperial court. However, she could bring down Consort Xiao.
As long as evidence of Consort Xiao's crimes is found, given the Emperor's suspicious nature and his ability to maintain checks and balances, she might be able to bring Consort Xiao down.
Xue Wanyue sighed: "I knew that Consort Xiao would deal with me sooner or later, but I didn't expect that the one who made the first move would be the Tenth Prince."
Xue Wanyue's feelings were complicated. She had no burden in her struggle with Consort Xiao, but she was still very saddened to witness the death of the Tenth Prince.
“Even if you don’t provoke her, the Tenth Prince will definitely be implicated in order to secure the Third Prince’s position. This idea might not have come from Consort Xiao.” Lu Yangyang thought for a moment and said. She had met Consort Xiao. Consort Xiao had a natural arrogance. In other words, she looked down on everyone. Such a person would be ruthless and use more brutal methods. To be able to harm someone so subtly and perfectly, there must be someone behind the scenes giving instructions.
"There's a nanny named Zhuang who serves Consort Xiao. She's a few years older than her. My informant in Consort Xiao's palace told me that Nanny Zhuang is skilled in medicine and quite capable. She's said to be from the Lu family, a powerful family that held high office for generations in the previous dynasty. She possesses many secret recipes left over from the previous dynasty and the imperial harem. After the Lu family was implicated by Crown Prince Chongwen and their property was confiscated, their servants were all sold off. Nanny Zhuang was bought by the Xiao family and given to Consort Xiao as part of her dowry. This was all revealed by Nanny Zhuang when she was drunk." Xue Wanyue cautiously guessed, "Originally, when I obtained the late Empress's medical records, it was only to find out how she died. I didn't discover anything wrong. It was only after I learned about Nanny Zhuang's background that I took the opportunity to pretend to be a ghost and scare her. I overheard some ambiguous things, such as the poison Ice Soul and how easy it is to kill someone silently. She didn't mention the late Empress, but she probably has something to hide."
"The reason I'm certain there's something wrong with the late Empress's death is because the day you told me I was poisoned, I immediately realized it was Consort Xiao using the same old trick to kill me. I recognized you when you bled me, and that's when I understood. That's why I suggested you participate in the Tenth Prince's case; maybe we can use this opportunity to uncover the cause of the late Empress's death." Xue Wanyue recognized Lu Yangyang the moment she saw her, and she also knew Lu Yangyang well—they had shared a dormitory. When Lu Yangyang bled her, she knew she was poisoned.
Considering the Ice Soul she extracted from Granny Zhuang, what else didn't she understand?
Xue Wanyue sneered, "If Consort Xiao wanted to kill me, she wouldn't have used such roundabout methods. I can't think of so many things. That Granny Zhuang is a heavy drinker, timid, and doesn't seem to be that cunning. I just don't know who is behind her."
Lu Yangyang was astonished and asked in a low voice, "The Lu family you mentioned, is there someone named Lu Jibai?"
Xue Wanyue paused slightly, then nodded: "After I found out about Granny Zhuang's background, I had someone investigate the Lu family. Our Guangping Marquis's Mansion was also awarded a title of merit after the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty. I had heard of the Lu family in the past. When I was young, I heard people mention that the eldest son of the Lu family was outstanding and would bring glory to the family in the future, but he was still implicated. The century-old family was destroyed overnight. That eldest son seems to be named Lu Jibai, and he was also the cousin of Crown Prince Chongwen."
Lu Yangyang thought to herself, what a coincidence! She never expected that this would be related to the Lu family. It seems that she needs to find a way to abolish the law of collective punishment that His Highness proposed as soon as possible. She can't let Lu Wei really bear the Lu family's guilt. If he really gets involved, she's afraid she won't have time to protect him.
It's unclear whether Lu Jibai is dead or alive, and what exactly is the relationship between Granny Zhuang, the Lu family, and Lu Jibai.
Thinking of this, Lu Yangyang suddenly looked at Xue Wanyue thoughtfully: "Do you remember the newly appointed top scholar, Lu Wei?"
Xue Wanyue nodded, not understanding what was going on.
Lu Yangyang said, "Remember his face. If you see someone who looks somewhat like him, be sure to tell me."