Ci Ning is dead, and the only person in the palace who knows the clues about the birth mother Lingfei is Empress Dowager Ci'an.
Zhu Youde did not have many interactions with the Queen Mothers of the East and West Palaces. If Cining had not committed an offense, he would hardly have gone to Changle Palace.
The last time he came to Ci'an's palace, it was to snatch the Phoenix Seal for Luo Xian. The old woman relied on her status as an elder and did not take him seriously at all, and bluntly said that she wanted to depose the emperor.
At that time, Zhu Youde had no one in the court and was struggling. If he wanted a phoenix seal, he had to snatch it by himself. Now if he wanted any object, someone would respectfully bring it to him as soon as he opened his mouth.
Zhu Youde looked at the magnificent Changle Palace in front of him, sneered, and sent someone to report.
But in a breath, the closed door of Changle Palace was pushed open, and Ci'an, dressed in the Queen Mother's fine clothes, walked out of the hall with small steps.
"I have met Your Majesty." Ci'an stepped forward to greet him personally.
This made Zhu Youde stunned. The Queen Mother's attitude was a 180-degree turn.
"I didn't know that Your Majesty was coming, but I couldn't greet you. Please forgive me!"
Ci'an let go of the palace maid's support and bowed.
"What does this mean, Queen Mother?"
Zhu Youde quickly stopped him and helped Empress Dowager Ci'an, who looked respectful, into Changle Palace.
The sudden change made him a little uncomfortable. He was used to being treated as a tyrant, so he felt a little embarrassed when faced with such obedience.
Changle Palace is luxuriously decorated, which is much more noble than the simplicity of Cining Palace, and even surpasses the decoration of Kunning Palace.
Because of the competition for the Phoenix Seal, Zhu Youde not only did not reduce the supply in the palace, but actually increased it a lot.
He was not interested in the women left behind by the late emperor, but he could not neglect them either.
Thinking about it, he had already arrived at the inner hall. Ci'an took the initiative to stop and respectfully invited Zhu Youde to take a seat: "Your Majesty, please take a seat."
Zhu Youde originally wanted to give in, but could not resist Ci'an's insistence, so he had no choice but to sit on the seat that should belong to the Queen Mother.
Daliang law has strict restrictions on clan rules. Even the emperor should sit second when facing the queen mother.
Zhu Youde saw Ci'an's goodwill in his eyes and remembered it in his heart, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Compared with the original attitude towards grabbing the Phoenix Seal, it can be said that it is completely different now. And the reason for all this is that Zhu Youde tightly grasped the imperial power.
Just like before, Zhu Youde was a little shrimp who could be bullied by the Queen Mother and her ministers. Today, he is a giant python of the abyss, intimidating the great beams.
"How is the Queen Mother lately?" Zhu Youde no longer had a sullen face and took the initiative to say hello.
Ci Ning's rebellion Although Ci'an signed the late emperor's will, he was forced to do so and he was not guilty.
"Your Majesty, everything is well." Ci'an replied respectfully. Facing the handsome and majestic little emperor, the contempt in her eyes turned into admiration at some point.
The iron means used to quell Cining's rebellion, purge the capital and stabilize the rule were something that even the late emperor had never been able to do during his reign.
When Ci Ning wanted to adopt this son as his adopted son, he really had a keen eye for recognizing people... Ci Ning calmly exchanged greetings with the little emperor, but he recalled the past in his heart.
"I came here today to ask about my birth mother..." Zhu Youde opened his mouth, put away his smile and said with a serious face.
Sure enough... Ci'an also put away her smile and nodded slowly, pretending to be thoughtful. After a moment, she said: "Your Majesty's biological mother is very close to me, but she doesn't dare to have a good relationship due to her status..."
"Is the biological mother from East Vietnam?"
"I heard that this was the case. Concubine Ling and the late emperor met outside the palace." Ci'an recounted the past:
"Back then, the late emperor left the palace to travel to the south of the Yangtze River. He met a beautiful woman at Shuiqiao... After returning, there were more concubines in the palace. Originally, Concubine Ling was deeply loved and accompanied the late emperor day and night. Until her identity was found out, she was left out in the cold.
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"Later, I asked Your Majesty and vaguely heard the word Dongyue. After that, the news that Concubine Ling was from Dongyue spread in the harem."
"The late emperor was furious and wanted to expel the royal family. Who would have thought that Concubine Ling was pregnant, so he had to give up."
Hearing this, Zhu Youde was slightly moved. The clues about his biological mother were extremely vague in his memory. This was the first time he heard someone tell his mother's story.
"After giving birth to the dragon son, the late emperor visited Ling Fei once, but he never came again. Until Cining appeared... He still went out to play in the palace, and he still brought back beautiful women. The difference was that the late emperor ignored everyone's objections and established her as the East Palace.
The Queen Mother is called Cining..."
"Cin Ning has no children, so he is looking for a prince in the palace to adopt as his adopted son. The unloved concubine Ling and the little prince become the best choices."
"Concubine Ling did not agree to Ci Ning's request and died in the palace after a period of time. The imperial doctor found out that she had taken poison and died. All clues pointed to Ci Ning. The late emperor was furious and wanted to demote her to Jie Yu, but several
The concubine jointly took out the letters between Concubine Ling and Dongyue, and accused her of collaborating with the enemy."
"In this way, the late emperor could only erase Concubine Ling's royal identity and declare to the public that Concubine Ling was depressed... but secretly ordered her to be buried in the imperial mausoleum."
"That prince was raised by his grandmother since he was a child. After the death of the late emperor, he ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor..."
The silent Changle Palace echoed with Ci'an's voice.
Zhu Youde has always been silent. His memory is not complete, and many pictures are blurred.
He originally had no feelings for his biological mother. But after hearing the sad story, he felt angry.
Nu Cining's cruel methods, and Emperor Nu's cowardice and stupidity. From the story alone, we can see that the emperor loved his biological mother, but he was alienated because of his country and status...
How could a commoner's daughter collaborate with the enemy?
If Cining were still alive, Zhu Youde would definitely make him understand what torture is.
"This is all I know..." Ci'an sighed.
Suddenly his eyes flashed, and he added: "One more thing. I heard that the late emperor once said that he had contact with the old woman outside the palace. It is said that your majesty even ordered my father-in-law to send money and food..."
Old woman?
An old woman worthy of the late emperor's attention?
Could it be a relative of the biological mother? Grandmother?
Zhu Youde came to Cining East Palace with confusion and doubts. Wang Zhonghou was directing his sons to search carefully.
The answer to the doubt I just had was found in the notes left by Ci Ning - the old woman is the mother of Concubine Ling. She is also Zhu Youde's grandmother.
The note only mentions his identity and does not give a detailed address. He only knows that he is in the capital.
"Wang Zhonghou, send Xichang Banzi to search carefully. We must find..."
Zhu Youde, who returned to Yangxin Hall, dismissed the maids and sat on the dragon chair staring out the window.
Although the cause of death of the biological mother is known, there are still many doubts.
Why did the late emperor no longer get close to him after he knew his identity?
Why did the concubines jointly submit a memorial to the concubine Ling and reveal her collusion with the enemy?
What is the connection between Concubine Ling and the East Yue Kingdom...?
Fortunately, the clues have not been interrupted. If we can find my grandmother, we will know the answer.
The sky was getting dark, and Zhu Youde did not move at all when the little eunuch brought dinner. He just sat on the dragon chair and thought quietly.
Although Ci Ning died, she left Bei Yan as a time bomb. The relationship between Daliang and Bei Yan was at a freezing point. If she had planted hidden dangers during her lifetime, it might have caused the two countries to become hostile.
Especially the sentence: "Beiyan cavalry will definitely defeat Jinling City..."
As he thought about it, Zhu Youde frowned again. He originally thought that eliminating Cining's rebellion would be a relaxing time, but the hidden dangers left behind made him nervous.
The truth about the biological mother is unknown, the Northern Yan is ready to make a move, the Xiongnu and the Western Region Allied Forces are eyeing the northern border...