Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Shen Zhinuo asked curiously, "Who replaced my auntie?"

The voice replied, "One of them was Gu Yu."

The Eighteenth Princess and Noble Lady Jing exchanged glances, both looking puzzled. Shen Weiqing and Princess Wen'an were also somewhat confused.

Shen Zhinuo was equally perplexed, "But, pup, wasn't my auntie in Jianchang at that time? She wasn't in the palace, so she couldn't have been killed. Why did Gu Yu still replace her? Didn't the rebels know my auntie wasn't there?"

The voice explained, "The rebels didn't know, little master. Don't worry, let me start from the beginning."

"Back then, Noble Lady Jing had nightmares every night. To calm her down, the Eighteenth Princess took Lixia and left the capital to pay respects at the graves of the Yao family in Jianchang."

"There were only two trusted maids in Luomei Pavilion. She took Lixia with her and left Gu Yu in the palace to take care of Noble Lady Jing."

"After Noble Lady Jing's severe episode, when she used scissors to stab herself and died, Gu Yu stayed put. She sent a letter to the Eighteenth Princess and then remained in Luomei Pavilion, waiting for the Eighteenth Princess to return."

"When the rebels broke into the palace, they were ordered to wipe out everyone. They killed all in their path. Luomei Pavilion was in a corner of the palace, so the rebels arrived there last."

"Gu Yu heard that they were only killing princes and princesses, not palace staff. She thought that if she took the Eighteenth Princess's place and died, they would no longer chase after the Eighteenth Princess. So, she took her place."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "Did the rebels believe it so easily?"

The voice replied, "According to the plot, they did believe it. But the details of how they were convinced aren't shown in the storyline related to the Eighteenth Princess."

Shen Zhinuo was getting excited and became anxious when she heard that part of the story was missing, "So, do we need to scan Gu Yu's face?"

The voice confirmed, "Yes, little master."

Shen Zhinuo looked around, "But since we arrived, we haven't seen any palace staff."

The voice explained, "There aren't many servants in Luomei Pavilion, only Lixia and Gu Yu. Perhaps they're all occupied."

Shen Zhinuo said, "Alright, then let's stay here a bit longer and wait until we scan Gu Yu before leaving."

The Eighteenth Princess looked out the window, wondering if she should ask Lixia to call Gu Yu back. Just as she was thinking this, she saw Gu Yu carrying a food box, rushing into the courtyard.

Gu Yu quickly entered the room, put down the food box, and first bowed to the three children, "I pay respects to the Junior Prince and the two Princesses."

Seeing the maid bowing, Shen Zhinuo quickly asked, "Pup, is this Gu Yu?"

The voice replied, "Yes."

Shen Weiqing didn't recognize Gu Yu either and hadn't paid much attention earlier. Now that he knew this maid was Gu Yu, he admired her loyalty and bravery, and a smile appeared on his face as he spoke gently, "Rise."

Gu Yu had heard that the Junior Prince from the East Palace was mischievous, but she was surprised to find him so gentle. She thought to herself that rumors are indeed unreliable.

Gu Yu thanked him, stood up, and took out the pastries from the food box, setting them out on the table one by one.

Without needing the Eighteenth Princess to instruct her, she took out a silver needle, carefully wiped it clean with a clean cloth, and tested each plate of pastries. After putting away the silver needle, she smiled slightly and looked at the Eighteenth Princess.

The Eighteenth Princess nodded at her with a smile.

Seeing that Gu Yu seemed about to leave, Shen Zhinuo quickly said, "Pup, go scan Gu Yu."

The little black dog obeyed, flew off Shen Zhinuo's shoulder, and swiftly flew around Gu Yu. Just as it finished scanning, Gu Yu bowed and left.

Shen Zhinuo asked, "What did you find?"

Seeing a child and A-Tong chatting, no one paid attention to the delicate pastries just placed on the table. Everyone was all ears, listening intently.

System: "When the rebels broke into Plum Blossom Studio, they loudly proclaimed the new emperor's decree in the courtyard, declaring they would only kill members of the royal family and not harm palace maids or eunuchs, urging the servants in hiding to come out immediately."

"In Plum Blossom Studio, there were only two masters; Noble Lady Jing was already deceased, and the Eighteenth Princess was not present. Even if the servants came out, they wouldn't be abandoning their masters. Upon hearing they could survive, the other servants quickly emerged from their hiding places and were taken away by the rebels to await reassignment."

"Only Gu Yu, upon hearing the decree, stayed hidden. Instead, she hurriedly found a dress of the Eighteenth Princess, changed into it, grabbed a knife, and hid in the wardrobe."

"The rebels shouted for a while, and when no one else emerged, they searched room by room, eventually finding Gu Yu in the wardrobe. Gu Yu swung the knife, but after a few attempts, it was wrested away."

"Gu Yu, beautiful and dressed in the Eighteenth Princess's clothes, convinced the rebels she was the princess. They dragged her out and demanded to know if she was the princess. Gu Yu, cleverly, shook her head vigorously in denial."

"But in such a situation, the more she denied, the more the rebels were convinced she was indeed the princess, so they killed her with a knife, recording her death in the register as that of the Eighteenth Princess."

The Eighteenth Princess was deeply moved; her hand, holding the embroidery needle, was unable to continue. She wanted to rush out immediately to hug Gu Yu, thank her, and then tell her that if such a situation arose again, it wasn't necessary to die for her; living well was the most important thing.

But she couldn't mention A-Tong to Gu Yu; saying these things would seem abrupt, and she couldn't explain, so she could only treat her well in the future, like family.

Fortunately, now with Nuo Er and A-Tong's warnings, the tragedies that were supposed to happen would not occur.

This time, she would not leave the capital; she would stay by her mother's side, and neither her mother nor Gu Yu would come to harm.

Shen Zhinuo, recalling the thin-faced, plainly dressed palace maid, was deeply moved as well: "Puppy, such loyalty is truly rare."

System: "Indeed, it is rare."

Shen Zhinuo: "But Puppy, how could those people be so careless, not even asking the servants who came out earlier? They would have known my aunt wasn't in the palace."

System: "The plot mentions that the new emperor, surnamed Bao, gave the rebels an order, stipulating different rewards for killing a certain number of Daxuan's royal relatives."

"Young Master, think about it, when the rebels stormed the imperial city, how chaotic the scene must have been. For the rewards, surely more than one group was killing, in a chaotic scene, the soldiers below just needed the number of kills to match, to receive the rewards, probably no one really cared whether they were killing the real princess or not."

Shen Zhinuo: "That surnamed Bao is also a mad dog."

System: "Who says he isn't."

Shen Zhinuo: "Then you say more than one person impersonated my aunt, besides Gu Yu, who was the other?"

System: "The other's identity is temporarily unknown, only said to be someone who had previously received the Eighteenth Princess's favor."

Shen Zhinuo: "Then someone who could impersonate my aunt in the palace, of similar age, must be a palace maid."

System: "Probably, it's just mentioned in passing."

Though curious, Shen Zhinuo couldn't do anything since the system didn't know: "Alright then."

"Now many things are different, hopefully the palace won't be in chaos then, and the two who impersonated my aunt won't have to die."

"But how do I remind my aunt not to go to Jianchang this autumn, to stay by Noble Lady Jing's side?"

The little girl began to worry.

The Eighteenth Princess really wanted to pick up the chubby baby and tell her she already knew, not to worry, but due to the emperor's warning, she couldn't say anything.

Fortunately, the little girl quickly consoled herself: "It's okay, there's still a long time until then, I'll figure something out by then."

System: "Alright, Young Master."

Shen Zhinuo asked again: "Then what happened to my aunt later?"

The system said, "After Noble Lady Jing was buried, Gu Yu sent a letter to the Eighteenth Princess through someone. However, the letter went through several hands and took several months to reach the Eighteenth Princess. When she saw the letter, she wanted to return to the capital for the funeral, but by then, the country was already in turmoil, so the Eighteenth Princess was stopped on the road and never made it back to the capital."

"After that, the world was plunged into war, and there was no more information about the Eighteenth Princess."

Shen Zhinuo sincerely wished, "I hope my aunt has been safe and well since then."

The system agreed, "She will be, Young Master."

Shen Zhinuo thought for a moment, tilted her little head to look at the Eighteenth Princess beside her, and suddenly smiled with her eyes curved, "She will be. Many things have changed now."

After finishing the matters concerning Noble Lady Jing and the Eighteenth Princess, Shen Zhinuo got up and slid off the couch, "Doggy, since we're already here, let's go and check the other people in Luomei Pavilion."

The system, being bound to the Young Master, naturally had no objections, "Alright, Young Master."

Shen Zhinuo tugged at the Eighteenth Princess's hand, "Auntie, Nuo Er wants to go out and play."

The Eighteenth Princess knew the little girl wanted to help her see if there were any bad people in Luomei Pavilion and was deeply moved. She squatted down to hug the chubby little girl, "Alright, auntie will accompany you."

Princess Wen'an and Shen Weiqing quickly got up to follow. The group walked around Luomei Pavilion, and Shen Zhinuo had the system scan the few palace staff there. Finding no threats, she finally felt at ease.

After completing the scanning task, the little girl didn't want to linger and suggested leaving.

Shen Weiqing's current duty was to look after the children, and Princess Wen'an followed wherever her sister went. Both had no objections and took their sister back to the main hall, said goodbye to Noble Lady Jing, and then walked out.

The Eighteenth Princess was grateful to the children and personally got up to see them off, "Once I finish the shoes, I'll send them to you."

Shen Weiqing noticed that his aunt seemed to have forgotten about earning money and gently reminded her, "Auntie, the shoes can wait. We have other places to visit. Would you like to come?"

The Eighteenth Princess glanced back at Noble Lady Jing. She hadn't forgotten; she just wanted to discuss A Tong with her mother first.

But remembering her promise to her twelfth sister to try not to leave anything out, she smiled and agreed, "If it's not too much trouble, auntie will join you."

The issue with A Tong could wait.

Shen Zhinuo really liked this aunt and, upon hearing she would come to play, let go of her second brother's hand and happily took her aunt's hand, her voice full of excitement, "Let's go, Nuo Er will take you to play."

The Eighteenth Princess nodded at Noble Lady Jing, "Mother, I'll be back later."

Ever since she was young, the Eighteenth Princess had either been busy earning money or taking care of Noble Lady Jing and had never talked about going out to play.

Noble Lady Jing was thrilled to see her daughter, for the first time, wanting to go out and play. She waved her hand with a smile, "Go ahead, go and play. There's no rush to come back."

The children left Luomei Pavilion and walked along the palace corridor.

Shen Zhinuo remembered what happened earlier in Fengyi Palace and asked in her heart, "Doggy, what do you think happened to Consort Kang just now? Why did she suddenly faint?"

The system replied, "I don't know. Maybe she's ill."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "Why does Consort Kang think my grandmother harmed her son?"

The system said, "Noble Consort Wan told her that."

Shen Zhinuo furrowed her little brow, "Why would Noble Consort Wan frame my grandmother?"

The system replied, "Young Master, we can't determine that yet. We need to scan Noble Consort Wan's face."

The matter involved her grandmother's reputation, and there might be some conspiracy behind it. Shen Zhinuo clenched her little fist, "Then let's go find Noble Consort Wan and scan her face."

The little black dog jumped around on the little girl's head, cheering as always, "Scan her face, scan her face."

The chubby little girl hurried on her short legs, heading towards the Palace of Gentle Blessings where Noble Consort Wan resided. Shen Weiqing and the others hurried after her.

---

At the Phoenix Palace, the Empress ordered someone to summon the imperial physician.

The physician arrived quickly and, after confirming that Consort Kang could be moved, the Empress ordered her to be carried to a side chamber for treatment.

After taking her pulse, the physician diagnosed her with a sudden surge of anger that caused her to faint. After giving her acupuncture and medicine, Consort Kang eventually regained consciousness.

Once she saw that Consort Kang was fine, the Empress dismissed the physician.

After the physician left, the Empress dismissed the palace attendants and had Nanny Fang leave as well. She then tossed the pill that Nanny Fang had gotten from Nanny Dou in front of Consort Kang and coldly stared at her: "Do you have anything to say?"

Consort Kang got up from the couch and knelt before the Empress: "Your Majesty already knows everything I’ve done, so there's no need for me to say more. Whether you kill me or punish me, I won’t complain."

"However, Your Majesty, you told me to go and ask Noble Consort Wan for an explanation, why did she lie to me for so many years?"

The Empress: "All these years, you thought I was the one who harmed the Ninth Prince?"

Consort Kang answered with hidden bitterness: "Yes."

The Empress: "Why?"

Consort Kang gritted her teeth: "Noble Consort Wan was the one who told me."

The Empress pondered for a moment and called Nanny Fang to instruct: "Go to the Palace of Gentle Blessings and summon Noble Consort Wan here."

Nanny Fang nodded and left.

---

The kids walked toward the Palace of Gentle Blessings, halfway through, they saw a concubine wearing a veil accompanied by two palace maids appear at the intersection ahead.

Shen Zhinuo didn’t recognize her right away and continued to walk quickly, swinging her little hands. Shen Weiqing, though, had sharp eyes and deliberately chatted with the Eighteenth Princess: "Auntie, isn’t that Noble Consort Wan over there?"

The Eighteenth Princess also recognized her and nodded: "Indeed, but I wonder where Noble Consort Wan is hurrying to."

When she heard it was Noble Consort Wan, Shen Zhinuo started running on her short legs: "Puppy, hurry, let’s go scan her face."

The little black dog couldn’t fly over on its own and wagged its tail: "You can do it, Young Master."

Ahead, Noble Consort Wan also noticed the children and paused, then tightened the veil on her face, turned around and headed down another path, disappearing in a blink.

Shen Weiqing and the Eighteenth Princess looked at each other, silently noting that Noble Consort Wan was clearly hiding something.

Shen Weiqing was sure Noble Consort Wan was hiding something, but before things were clear, as a junior, he couldn’t chase after her to stop her, and could only watch her leave.

Shen Zhinuo’s short legs moved as fast as they could but still couldn’t catch up, making the little girl stop in frustration and stomp her little foot: "Ah, I hate my short legs."

The little black dog circled the little girl twice, wagging its tail to comfort: "Don’t be angry, Young Master, you’re still young, your legs will grow long eventually."

The chubby little girl turned around angrily and walked towards the Phoenix Palace, "If I wait for my legs to grow, it’ll be too late. Let’s go back to my grandmother’s palace first and see if that Consort Kang is better."

---

At the Phoenix Palace, the Empress took Consort Kang to the main hall to wait.

Not long after, Noble Consort Wan arrived wearing a veil, entered the door and glanced at Consort Kang, who was looking at her with resentment. Her face changed, and she guiltily avoided eye contact, then stepped forward to greet the Empress.

Seeing Noble Consort Wan wearing a veil, the Empress sneered in her heart. What kind of trick is this, does she think wearing a veil can block A Tong from scanning her face?

The Empress didn’t let her rise and got straight to the point: "Noble Consort Wan, regarding the Ninth Prince and Consort Kang, do you have anything to say to me?"

Noble Consort Wan looked puzzled: "What is Your Majesty referring to?"

The Empress, seeing her still feigning innocence, directly said: "A Tong revealed that back then, the Ninth Prince was pushed into the lake by the nanny in your palace, which led to his drowning."

Noble Consort Wan paled. It was well known that what A Tong said must be true.

Since A Tong had already spoken, she couldn’t possibly deny it. It was better to confess her mistake proactively, perhaps she could receive a lighter punishment.

After all, it wasn’t her who directly pushed the prince into the lake.

Thinking this, Noble Consort Wan kowtowed to the Empress: "Your servant is at fault for failing to oversee the servants in my palace, causing the Ninth Prince to lose his life at such a young age. Your servant is deeply remorseful."

Seeing Noble Consort Wan admit it without even trying to defend herself, Consort Kang’s blood boiled. She was so furious she nearly fainted again but managed to steady herself. She rushed over, swung her arm, and delivered a hard slap to Noble Consort Wan.

Her voice trembled as she spoke: "You wretch, you’ve been deceiving me for years. I thought you were genuinely on my side, but it turns out you were the real culprit."

The powerful slap sent Noble Consort Wan sprawling to the ground, and her veil fell off, revealing a face covered in large red blotches.

Consort Kang was startled and instinctively took two steps back.

The Empress frowned: "What’s wrong with your face?"

Noble Consort Wan gritted her teeth, got up from the ground, knelt again, and covered her face with her hands: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I don’t know. Perhaps I ate something I shouldn’t have. This morning when I woke up, my face was like this."

The Empress: "Have you consulted a physician? Is it contagious?"

Noble Consort Wan: "Not yet."

The Empress was about to order someone to call for a physician when Wei Qing walked in with two little girls, followed by the Eighteenth Princess.

Shen Zhinuo thought she wouldn’t have the chance to scan Noble Consort Wan today, but to her surprise, as soon as she entered, she saw Noble Consort Wan. She quickly called to her system: "Doggy, what a coincidence! Noble Consort Wan is actually here at my grandmother’s palace. Go quickly and scan her face."

Hearing this, Noble Consort Wan’s shoulders gave an almost imperceptible tremble. She instinctively reached for the veil on the ground, but before she could grab it, Consort Kang, who was standing nearby, bent down and snatched it up.

"Alright, Young Master," the little black dog responded, hopping and flying over. To ensure the dog could scan successfully, Shen Zhinuo ran over in that direction.

The Empress, unsure of what was wrong with Noble Consort Wan’s face, didn’t dare let the children get too close. She quickly got up from the couch, hurried forward, scooped up the chubby little girl, and retreated to sit by the couch.

Fortunately, the little black dog had already swiftly circled Noble Consort Wan’s face once, then hopped back onto Shen Zhinuo’s shoulder: "Scan complete, Young Master."

Noble Consort Wan thought it was over. Her shoulders slumped, and she seemed to collapse inwardly.

Thinking that the truth was finally about to come out, Consort Kang’s pent-up resentment was on the verge of exploding. The veil in her hand was twisted beyond recognition.

Shen Zhinuo: "Doggy, you first tell me, why did Noble Consort Wan frame my grandmother for harming my Ninth Imperial Uncle?"

The system pulled up Noble Consort Wan’s storyline: "It was like this. Back then, when the 12th Prince was carried back by the nanny and the maid, Noble Consort Wan noticed her son had been crying. Upon closer inspection, she saw he was also injured on his hand, so she asked what had happened. Of course, the two didn’t dare hide it and told her the truth."

"Just as the two had expected, Noble Consort Wan first treated her son’s wound and coaxed him to sleep. Then she flew into a rage, ordering the two to be slapped hard. After slapping them, she still wasn’t satisfied and ordered them to be dragged out and beaten with a board."

"The nanny, who had caused the prince’s death, was originally too afraid to speak up. But fearing she might be beaten to death, she knelt and begged Noble Consort Wan, saying she had something to say. After Noble Consort Wan dismissed the other palace servants, the nanny confessed to pushing the Ninth Prince into the water."

Shen Zhinuo: "So, Noble Consort Wan knew that the Ninth Prince was pushed into the water and drowned by the nanny from her palace."

System: "Yes."

Shen Zhinuo: "Then why didn’t she say anything?"

System: "Although it was the nanny who did it, the root cause was the dispute between the 12th Prince and the Ninth Prince. If it were truly investigated, the 12th Prince would inevitably be punished."

"Moreover, Noble Consort Wan was still Consort Wan at the time. Both positions of Noble Consort in the harem were still vacant. Consort Wan had two sons, and her family was influential in the court. She had a strong chance of being promoted to Noble Consort. If, at that critical moment, it was revealed that she had failed to maintain strict control, leading to the death of a prince, she would most likely lose her chance at the position of Noble Consort, and might even be demoted."

"For multiple reasons, she chose to conceal it. She strictly forbade the two from ever revealing that the 12th Prince went to the lakeside to play and had a dispute with the Ninth Prince."

Shen Zhinuo: "Did my 12th Imperial Uncle know about it?"

System: "When the 12th Prince was brought back, the Ninth Prince was still playing. After he returned, he was quickly put to sleep by Noble Consort Wan."

"Later, fearing her son might wake up and blurt something out, revealing the truth, Noble Consort Wan secretly applied some allergy-inducing herbs to the 12th Prince's hands and feet, causing him to develop rashes. She used this as an excuse to confine him indoors, not allowing anyone to approach, claiming it was to prevent the disease from spreading. She took care of him herself. The 12th Prince only learned of the Ninth Prince's accidental death after he was buried."

"Noble Consort Wan deliberately obscured the timing of the Ninth Prince's death, so from beginning to end, the 12th Prince never knew that the Ninth Prince died because of their dispute."

Shen Zhinuo: "Did my Imperial Grandfather send anyone to investigate?"

System: "He did, but no evidence was found. It was a scorching summer noon, and most people were taking their midday naps. Besides, the Ninth Prince often roamed the hills alone during that time. Who would harm a prince without cause? So, in the end, the Ninth Prince's death was ruled as an accidental drowning. Emperor Chengwu ordered the execution of the two eunuchs who were supposed to look after the Ninth Prince, and the matter was considered settled."

Shen Zhinuo: "But, doggy, you still haven't clarified why Consort Kang thought it was my grandmother who did it. Since my Imperial Grandfather had already investigated, she had even less reason to suspect my grandmother."

System: "Consort Kang was devastated by the loss of her son. Whether it was a mother's intuition or her keen instincts, she simply didn't believe the Old Emperor's investigation results. She was convinced that the Ninth Prince had been murdered. She became obsessed, constantly suspicious, and scoured everywhere for evidence."

"Once, she even secretly spied outside Noble Consort Wan's palace, and Noble Consort Wan saw her. Another time, she tried to approach the 12th Prince, and Noble Consort Wan caught her."

"Feeling guilty, Noble Consort Wan couldn't bring herself to be harsh with Consort Kang or deliberately avoid her. She feared that if Consort Kang kept this up, something would eventually blow up. So, she took the initiative to approach Consort Kang and told her that on that day, her maid happened to be passing by the lakeside and saw a figure from behind, resembling Nanny Fang from the Empress's palace."

Shen Zhinuo clenched her little fist: "Why did she pin it on my grandmother? Why not someone else?"

System: "Noble Consort Wan implicated Nanny Fang from the Empress's palace because she was certain that Consort Kang wouldn't dare confront the Empress. If it were someone else, it would be harder to predict."

"Moreover, Noble Consort Wan had ambitions. She figured that if she could overthrow the Empress, she might one day ascend to the position of Empress herself. Since your grandmother was the Old Emperor's original wife, as long as she was around, the position of Empress was hers. If your grandmother was toppled, whether it was the Imperial Noble Consort or another Noble Consort, they were all concubines, and it wouldn't matter who was promoted."

Shen Zhinuo tilted her head, puzzled: "Doggy, I don't understand. If Consort Kang didn't even dare to confront my grandmother, how could Noble Consort Wan think that Consort Kang could use this fabricated incident to overthrow my grandmother?"

System: "Because Noble Consort Wan never intended to act openly. She planned to sow a seed of hatred in Consort Kang's heart, making Consort Kang secretly harm your grandmother."

Shen Zhinuo suddenly realized: "Right, in the original plot, she did harm Nanny Fang, who was close to my grandmother. If Nanny Fang hadn't been harmed, perhaps my grandmother wouldn't have been brought down so easily."

System: "Exactly."

Shen Zhinuo asked again: "What happened to the evil nanny who pushed my Ninth Uncle?"

System: "She died. Noble Consort Wan, for the sake of her son, certainly couldn't let her live. The maid who was there that day also died later. Both were killed by Noble Consort Wan, but she was very cautious. She waited for half a year after the Ninth Prince's death before acting, and the two were not killed at the same time."

Shen Zhinuo: "How did they die?"

System: "Poison."

Shen Zhinuo: "Why does Noble Consort Wan always like to use poison?"

System: "Because she knows herbs and pharmacology."

Shen Zhinuo wanted to hit someone: "With that knowledge, she could have done good by treating people, but instead, she used it to harm them."

System: "There's more, Young Master. The poison Nanny Dou gave to Nanny Fang to harm your grandmother was concocted by Noble Consort Wan herself."

Shen Zhinuo was stunned: "So, it was Noble Consort Wan who wanted to harm my grandmother?"