The Prime Minister's Darling novel Chapter 1181

Chapter 1181: 573 Water recedes and rocks emerge (Part 2)

Long Yi took the Crown Prince to a deserted place and spanked him, not harshly, but enough to give him a taste of his own medicine.

After returning to Kunning Palace, the Empress Xiao sent for Xiao Hen to be brought into the palace.

As an outsider male, it was inconvenient for Xiao Hen to enter Kunning Palace, so Empress Xiao met with him in a side hall of the Huaqing Palace.

Ever since she left Jinluan Hall, Empress Xiao’s mind had been filled with doubts.

From the moment Xiao Hen received the summons, he knew that the truth couldn’t be concealed forever. Some things were bound to surface sooner or later, and at this stage, there was no longer any need to hide anything from Empress Xiao.

Xiao Hen first reported all of the deeds of the late Empress Jing, including things that Princess Xinyang hadn’t mentioned, such as the fact that she was put to death by the Emperor.

During the hour that Empress Xiao waited for Xiao Hen, she had already managed to calm herself. Now, hearing that the Emperor had actually put to death the once most revered Empress Jing, she felt surprisingly little turmoil within.

She felt only a sense of lament.

They say that the imperial family is heartless, but Empress Xiao understood the Emperor to be a man of deep feelings. The Crown Prince perfectly inherited his sentimentality, which was why he had fallen so deeply for Wo Linlang.

"Then what about Princess Ning An? What’s her story?"

Compared to the already resolved matter of Empress Jing, Empress Xiao was more concerned about this living Royal Princess. "Ning An... she truly wanted to harm Xinyang?"

Xiao Hen shook his head, "No, that’s not it."

Princess Ning An was back for revenge, but her target was not Princess Xinyang.

The Emperor, the imperial aunt, Gu Jiao, and the Gu Family... they were her true targets for revenge. In Ning An’s eyes, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had caused the death of Empress Jing, while Gu Jiao and Gu Changqing were responsible for the death of the heir’s husband.

Empress Xiao frowned, "What does this have to do with the Gu girl?" She could understand the involvement of the other three, but wasn’t the heir’s husband killed by Gu Changqing?

Xiao Hen explained, "When we were at the frontier, remnants from the previous dynasty brought plague victims to try to poison the Gu army. Jiaojiao got infected while treating one of them without being aware. She fainted during an operation and was taken back by the heir’s husband, who then became infected. Jiaojiao didn’t give him the medicine."

Indignant, Empress Xiao said, "Of course she shouldn’t have given the medicine to that kind of scoundrel! So then? She blames the Gu girl for all this? But the plague was brought by themselves! Getting infected was merely reaping what they sowed! What has the Gu girl got to do with it!"

Xiao Hen calmly said, "Some people are unreasonable. If they were reasonable, they wouldn’t be those kinds of people."

Empress Xiao sighed, "You’re right. It seems that her abandonment of the heir’s husband was not truly out of righteous indignation against kin, but because she had no choice."

Xiao Hen continued, "According to Jiaojiao, her relationship with the heir’s husband had already soured before he was diagnosed with the plague. Thinking about it now, she probably had thought through every step of her retreat very early on."

Even the heir’s husband couldn’t understand her thoughts, assuming she truly had become distant from him.

"This person’s thoughts are too profound... How come I never realized she was so cunning before?" Empress Xiao’s brows furrowed as flashes of the bright smiles of the young Ning An passed through her mind, and she found it hard to believe.

Next, Xiao Hen told Empress Xiao about the Xianle Inn case, and how Princess Ning An had killed Sun Ping, persecuted the Emperor, bribed Minister Li to slander Minister Xing and Empress Dowager Zhuang.

Of course, he also spoke of how Princess Ning An had forged two imperial edicts.

Empress Xiao turned blue with rage, "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

She was so angry she wanted to gnash her teeth, and it took a long time for her to suppress her fury before she asked Xiao Hen, "Is the Empress Dowager unharmed?"

Xiao Hen replied, "She’s fine. The Empress Dowager is staying in Bishui Alley, quite safe."

"That’s good," Empress Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, "Do take care of yourselves as well."

Xiao Hen nodded, "We will."

Empress Xiao looked at him again, her gaze complicated, "Speaking of which, you lot are very bold, not only forging edicts like Ning An but actually finding someone to impersonate Princess Xinyang!"

She knew something was off about Princess Xinyang yesterday, who spoke in a strange tone and hurled herself to the ground right in front of her! The whole Imperial Harem had seen it!

If Xinyang knew about this, they would be skinned alive!

Empress Xiao shuddered at the thought of their impending doom.

Empress Xiao then said, "Moreover, if your mother hadn’t rushed back in time, facing today’s scenario in Jinluan Hall, how would you have dealt with it?"

This was something Xiao Hen had indeed considered.

Yesterday, after Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng followed Ning An back, they discovered a piece of golden gauze torn from Gu Chengfeng’s dress, and they speculated that their identities might have been exposed.

Ning An would surely expose them, the sooner the better.

And the most convincing opportunity would be the "Princess Xinyang’s" first appearance in court.

While they were contemplating their strategy, Princess Xinyang returned.

She came back quietly, without alarming anyone.

It’s worth mentioning that the identity Gu Jiao impersonated wasn’t fabricated out of thin air. There really was a maid named Yuyu in the mansion on Vermilion Bird Avenue, and the human skin mask that Gu Jiao wore was made to resemble her face.

A graduate of the top rank of the imperial examination and a Hanlin official certainly maintained this level of scrupulousness.

With today’s performance before the court, Ning An had completely capsized her boat. Princess Xinyang was not someone to be trifled with; just because she didn’t play schemes didn’t mean she couldn’t—it just wasn’t her style.

Empress Xiao marveled at how these young people were fearless like newborn calves, courting death at every turn, yet managed to defeat the master with their wild punches.

It was hard to say whether they were lucky or if Ning An was just unlucky. _{free𝑤ebnovel.com}