Emperor Luo stood with his hands behind his back, simply staring at Nanny Hua without saying a word.
Nanny Hua's heart pounded with fear under his gaze. Feeling extremely ill at ease, she could only brace herself and say, "Emperor, please ask whatever you wish to ask. This servant will surely tell you everything she knows without reservation."
What else could she do?
The Empress Dowager lost all reason whenever it came to the Third Prince. The only one she could rely on now was the Emperor. As for Princess Qingyang, she was about to give birth and had her own hands full.
Emperor Luo gave Nanny Hua an appreciative look. "Nanny Hua, you are indeed clever. I am well aware that in this vast Cining Palace, you are the only one who can help me shoulder these worries."
As for the others, who knew if they were ghosts or humans?
Nanny Hua was touched. It was her honor to be trusted by the Emperor.
Imperial Physician Huang's eyes darted around before he quickly stood up to take his leave. "Emperor, please permit this humble subject to return to the Imperial Medical Academy first to prepare the Empress Dowager's medicine."
Although he was a gossip, he knew his limits.
Emperor Luo nodded. "Mm, you may leave."
"Yes, right away!" Imperial Physician Huang swiftly packed up his medical kit, scurried out of Cining Palace, and only then rubbed his old back.
Time waits for no one. He was getting old, after all.
Inside the Empress Dowager's bedchamber.
Emperor Luo questioned Nanny Hua, "Nanny Hua, thirty years ago, when the Empress Dowager was giving birth, did anything unusual happen?"
Nanny Hua's brow furrowed as she carefully recalled the events of that year. "Emperor, Her Ladyship suffered a massive hemorrhage during childbirth back then. The situation was critical, but thankfully, the Senior Imperial Physicians' timely treatment saved her. At that time, this servant was solely focused on worrying about the Empress Dowager and paid no attention to our surroundings."
Emperor Luo frowned. "Nanny Hua, think carefully. After the child was born, did he remain in the delivery room? Or was he handed over to someone else to be cared for?"
Nanny Hua's expression changed drastically. Her eyes filled with horror, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Emperor, after the Third Prince was born, this servant had Cuiju take him to be cared for. But less than a month later, Cuiju angered the Late Emperor and was beaten to death on the spot.
"This servant… makes a bold guess.
"Perhaps Cuiju was instructed by someone to do something, and the person behind the scenes, fearing she would leak the secret, orchestrated her execution."
After all, the palace was rife with dark and secret affairs. One misstep could lead to eternal damnation.
Thinking back now, the Empress Dowager's hemorrhage was likely also part of a scheme by that person behind the scenes.
A cold aura emanated from Emperor Luo. He was beginning to understand.
"Nanny Hua, if I recall correctly, Consort Rou gave birth at the same time as the Empress Dowager back then. Except, her child was a stillborn."
Nanny Hua was aghast, her voice suddenly rising.
"Yes, yes, you remember correctly, Emperor! Consort Rou had originally become pregnant two months after Her Ladyship. She had a premature birth because of an accidental fall.
"And what a coincidence, the day Her Ladyship gave birth was the very day Consort Rou went into premature labor. It must be said, that is far too much of a coincidence!"
After speaking, Nanny Hua's face turned deathly pale. Perhaps… that stillborn infant was the Empress Dowager's real child!
This…
Heh, truth is stranger than fiction!
Emperor Luo's face was so dark it looked as if water could drip from it.
No wonder Consort Rou doted on Luo Fangjin so much after giving birth to a stillborn.
Even his Imperial Father and he had unanimously believed that Consort Rou, unable to accept the loss of her child, was treating Luo Fangjin as a substitute for her dead baby.
Who would have ever thought that Luo Fangjin was no substitute at all, but her very own child.
Empress Dowager, oh, Empress Dowager, do you have any idea that the son you dote on with all your heart is not your child at all?
"But…"
Nanny Hua pinched her own flesh hard, the pain making her mind exceptionally clear.
"But Emperor, Consort Rou was extremely favored by the Late Emperor back then. Given the extent of his favor, any child she bore would have likewise been doted on by the Late Emperor. So why would she swap her child with Her Ladyship's child?"
Emperor Luo's eyes were dark and profound, a sneer gracing the corner of his lips.
"Since ancient times, the imperial family has established the heir based on legitimacy and seniority, not on virtue, and chosen a son based on the status of his mother, not on his age. Consort Rou was quite ambitious, wanting her child to become the next emperor. It's just a pity that I was the one who ultimately ascended the throne."
Nanny Hua was suddenly enlightened. She had been shortsighted.
Consort Rou's scheming was simply terrifyingly deep.
No wonder when the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, he had been framed by the Third Prince countless times. The terrifying part was that the Empress Dowager was so muddle-headed that she single-mindedly protected the Third Prince, as if she were possessed.
If the Emperor had died, the position of Crown Prince would have logically fallen to the Third Prince. Heh, they had calculated everything so clearly.
But thankfully, the Late Emperor was wise and discerning, with a unique eye for people, and did not let the Third Prince's treacherous plot succeed.
At this thought, Nanny Hua gritted her teeth, her face a mask of fury directed at both Consort Rou and the Third Prince.
"Emperor, Consort Rou is so malicious! She swapped her own child with Her Ladyship's, yet couldn't tolerate the child Her Ladyship bore. She deserves a thousand deaths and to be sent to the eighteenth level of hell."
Emperor Luo was silent.
"Nanny Hua, after Imperial Father's death, Consort Rou already committed suicide by self-immolation in her chambers to follow him. Even if we wanted to find trouble with her now, there's nowhere to look."
His poor little brother.
He was harmed by a villain before he even had a chance to see the world. How could he not feel hatred? How could he not feel rage?
"No!"
Nanny Hua's eyes reddened, her aged voice full of certainty.
"Emperor, this servant understands Consort Rou. She loves only herself. She is an extremely selfish person who would do anything to achieve her goals. How could she follow the Late Emperor in death?"
Emperor Luo was speechless.
"Nanny Hua, are you saying that Consort Rou faked her death to escape and is still alive and well today?"
A cold sweat broke out on Emperor Luo's back.
A woman's heart is as deep as the ocean. Terrifying, truly terrifying.
Nanny Hua nodded with certainty. "Yes, Emperor. This servant dares to guarantee with her life that not only does Consort Rou love only herself, but she also cherishes her own life dearly. She would never die so easily."
"Perhaps she is living a carefree life somewhere right now, secretly directing the Third… no, directing that bastard Luo Fangjin to plot for your throne."
"I implore the Emperor to be careful. In Cining Palace now, besides this servant, no one can be trusted. Not even…"
Nanny Hua's pupils constricted. She quickly covered her mouth, her face a picture of terror and apprehension.
Emperor Luo sighed and stepped forward to help Nanny Hua up. "Nanny, I know what you mean. You're trying to remind me that not even the Empress Dowager can be trusted, is that right?"
Nanny Hua's heart jolted, and she then nodded cautiously.
"Well, Emperor, rest assured, my loyalty to you and the Empress Dowager can be witnessed by heaven and earth. It's just that…"
Emperor Luo: "Just what?"
Nanny Hua lowered her head, hesitating for a long while before finally speaking her mind. "Emperor, Her Ladyship has been very strange ever since giving birth to her second child. Whenever it involves that bastard, she completely loses her reason, as if she's been afflicted with Gu."
Afflicted with Gu!
Emperor Luo was horrified.
That's right. In this world, the things that could make a person completely lose their sanity were either going mad themselves, being poisoned with Gu, or being controlled by Sorcery.
No wonder the Empress Dowager had been so abnormal.
He clearly remembered that before he was four, the Empress Dowager had doted on him, giving him all her favor.
Until her second child was born…
Everything changed