The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 364 - 356: Relations
Gu Yifeng knew that he didn’t need to ask any more questions, Chancellor Liu would certainly reveal the truth of the matter.
"This matter, of course, is related to the current struggle for the throne. I have always suspected that the Jade Pendant Brother Sheng obtained was not acquired elsewhere, but given to him by his father," Chancellor Liu said, his words not seeming like a lie. "If I’m not mistaken, the Prince Shou who left the palace back then is actually the biological father of Sister Ning and her family. Prince Shou had a unique hobby of carving things. At that time, because I loved Sister Ning’s mother so dearly, I couldn’t bear the thought of a craftsman trying to take my most beloved daughter, and I didn’t consider anything else. Now the Holy Emperor has found me again, asking me to search for Prince Shou. Upon hearing the circumstances of Prince Shou, I finally understood. Perhaps back then, because I oversimplified things, I didn’t notice these details and failed to discover the identity of Prince Shou."
At that time, Gu Yifeng was not yet around, so he naturally was unaware of these circumstances.
"At that time, Prince Shou did not stand out in the palace, even though he was the first son of the Holy Emperor. However, since he was born of a Foreign Princess, he was always excluded. Eventually, as the foreigner’s Princess’s health declined, the Holy Emperor forgot about this person, and Prince Shou was even less favored. It seemed like this person no longer existed in the palace. People’s attention shifted to the newly born Crown Prince until the news eventually spread that Prince Shou had died from depression. Now the Eldest Prince continually focuses on Prince Shou, wanting to dig into the connection between Prince Shou and the Crown Prince, aiming to bring down the Crown Prince," Chancellor Liu knew that as he spoke these matters, the Dingyuan Marquis before him might not entirely understand, as some things were yet to be clarified.
Gu Yifeng, however, had already grasped a few key points, "Did the Foreign Princess die after the Crown Prince was born? Is the Eldest Prince suspecting that the Crown Prince was born of the Foreign Princess and is actually Prince Shou’s biological brother?"
Chancellor Liu’s eyes lit up, showing appreciation. With just a few words, Dingyuan Marquis had immediately guessed the underlying connections - indeed, a rare talent.
And such a person happened to be his grandson-in-law, causing a small sense of pride to rise in Chancellor Liu’s heart.
"The Holy Emperor knows you are my grandson-in-law and has mentioned this to me. He is very pleased," Chancellor Liu thought of this and said it directly.
Clearly, having just been discussing official matters, this sudden change of topic surprised Gu Yifeng for a moment, but he quickly smiled.
"Though the Holy Emperor is old, he has always been clear-minded. Now with such matters involving Sister Ning, the Eldest Prince is focusing keenly on the Jade Pendant and targeting Housheng through it?" Gu Yifeng, not having been close to anyone, found himself unsure how to respond when faced with Chancellor Liu’s elder posture.
Chancellor Liu could understand where his awkwardness came from and didn’t mind, smiling, "So it can be said that the Eldest Prince indeed has the ability to compete with the Crown Prince. Although the Eldest Prince is young, he can manage to weave such matters from the smallest details. Originally, Prince Shou could have been the Eldest Prince, but as he was born of the Foreign Princess, he was long stripped of his name from the Imperial Family. Now the Eldest Prince holds the title of the eldest son; if he were truly a legitimate son, the Crown Prince would have no ability to contend with him. Now, the Holy Emperor is secretly searching for Prince Shou, and this is a constant concern for the Eldest Prince. If he can’t even hold onto the title of the eldest son, he would have no right to compete with the Crown Prince."
"If Prince Shou truly is Sister Ning’s biological father, though he is no longer in this world, the Eldest Prince continues to keep a close watch over there. When they fail to find the person, they will surely target Sister Ning and Housheng. What needs to be done right now is to make the Eldest Prince believe that Prince Shou is no longer of this world," Gu Yifeng immediately addressed the concern and the approach to handle it.
Chancellor Liu nodded, "But the Eldest Prince has always been inherently suspicious, so unless he sees that nanny in person or the corpse of Prince Shou, he won’t believe it. If the news of Prince Shou’s death were to come out, instead of believing it, he might suspect ulterior motives from us, making it troublesome."
"These matters are easily handled for now. If it can be confirmed that Prince Shou is indeed Sister Ning’s biological father, then find the nanny by Prince Shou’s side and present her directly before the Holy Emperor; this could alleviate the Eldest Prince’s vigilance, preventing further entanglement with Sister Ning or Brother Sheng, and from being dragged into Crown Prince affairs."
"What evidence does the Eldest Prince have that proves Prince Shou and the Crown Prince are biological brothers?" After all, these were events from the past, and Gu Yifeng had not been born yet; no one truly knew.
The Crown Prince has always conducted himself with humility, appearing very rarely in court in recent years. Gu Yifeng himself has not spent much time in the court, and even when attending court in the Capital, it’s infrequent, typically under the guise of poor health while recuperating at home. Consequently, he harbors a growing curiosity about the Crown Prince now.
"In these past years, besides having only the Crown Prince, the Empress has had no other offspring. As for the Foreign Princess, ever since it was said her health was unwell, she has not been seen by anyone. In the palace, some people even thought she no longer existed. Yet, everyone knows she was staying in the Empress’s quarters, always under the Empress’s care. Precisely during the Empress’s care, the Empress gave birth to the Crown Prince. Following the birth of the Crown Prince, the Foreign Princess died. Everything was so coincidental that, despite keeping it from the public, such matters cannot remain completely secret within the palace. Consort Zhou, being a shrewd woman, could not possibly be unaware. It was this series of events they saw as an opportunity to attempt to bring the Crown Prince down."
Gu Yifeng nodded, finally grasping where the connections lay. Hearing about these matters now, he too suspected whether the Crown Prince and Prince Shou were biological brothers.
Chancellor Liu remained silent, not saying more, and Gu Yifeng didn’t press further. Both being astute individuals, they knew that some truths, even if genuine, would always be buried, never to be spoken of.
"For now, all we can do is wait here for the message from Brother Sheng. Then we can know what steps to take next," Chancellor Liu stood up. "I took my family members and left the Capital to divert the Eldest Prince’s attention. Now that the Eldest Prince has already made a move against Sister Ning, I see a significant chance that the Dong Mansion will strike, for after all, their eldest daughter has been bestowed as a concubine to the Eldest Prince. Now that they are aligned with the Eldest Prince, they will naturally lean towards him."
