BSI Chapter 59: The Truth Comes to Light?
Chapter 59: The Truth Comes to Light?
"Biao'er, I'll do as you say on this."
"But we need to find out exactly where our girl is."
Upon hearing this, Ma Wenxiang replied without hesitation, "Please rest assured, Your Highness and Your Majesty, the Empress is blessed with good fortune and a long life. As a member of the imperial family, she will naturally be safe and sound."
She is currently in Majia Village, Qingfeng County, Daming Prefecture, in the Central Plains.
Why do this?
Zhu Biao cast a glance at him, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment.
Ma Wenxiang gave a bitter smile; things had come to this point.
He could only apologize to the real Empress in his heart, and then spoke his true feelings: "This matter is a matter of gods and ghosts, and cannot be accomplished by human power."
"The only thing I can tell Your Highness is that both Your Highness and I are victims, and Your Highness knew about this several months ago. It can be said that Your Highness also agreed to it."
"Otherwise, this matter would probably have already reached the highest levels of government, and wouldn't it still be so calm today?"
Ma Wenxiang's words were logical and coherent, which naturally had a persuasive effect.
"I hope you're not lying to me, otherwise I might protect you this time, but I won't do it again."
Zhu Biao gave Ma Wenxiang a deep look, then turned and walked away.
Gradually, only Sun Miaoran and Su Qing'er remained in Kunning Palace.
The other palace maids and eunuchs continued to follow Ma Wenxiang's orders, not because of his status as "Empress," but because of Zhu Biao's instructions before his departure.
Although the Crown Prince is not yet the emperor, the current Crown Prince of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty is practically no different from an emperor.
Those outside the palace may not know, but every servant in the palace knows. In many cases, His Highness the Crown Prince's words carry more weight than His Majesty's.
Of course.
The Empress's words are the most effective, even more so than those of the Crown Prince.
"Who exactly are you?"
Su Qing'er's voice trembled with tears, her eyes welled up with moisture, and she sniffled, her displeasure palpable in the darkness.
The thought that the person she spent every day with was not her own mistress, but another stranger filled Su Qing'er with fear and mixed feelings.
Ma Wenxiang has heard this question several times today.
He didn't answer, but lay on the bed behind him, waiting for the day when they would switch bodies.
"Your Majesty, you'd better come back quickly."
"If they don't come soon, I, an ordinary citizen, really won't be able to hold on much longer. I can manage educating my children and taking care of my health, but I really can't handle the intricacies of power struggles."
"Your Majesty, everyone has their own expertise, please come back!"
No amount of prayer could help; they had to keep waiting, or they would just have to endure this endless suffering.
……
At this moment, inside the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yuanzhang returned in a rage, with Zhu Biao following closely behind, while Yun Qi served him carefully from further back.
"Biao'er, why did you stop us just now? Severe torture would surely reveal your mother's whereabouts to us. Are you really going to keep waiting like this?"
"If anything happens to the girl, that would be terrible."
Zhu Yuanzhang, furious, pressed him for answers.
If it had been someone else who stopped him, he would probably have lost his head by now. But it was Zhu Biao who stopped him, so even Zhu Yuanzhang had to endure it. He had no other choice.
"Does Father really think that person wasn't Mother?"
Zhu Biao asked calmly.
"nonsense."
Without a second thought, Zhu Yuanzhang replied, "How could I not know what my sister is like?"
"But wasn't that person really the Empress Dowager?"
Zhu Biao asked again.
At this point, no matter how furious Zhu Yuanzhang was, he gradually realized that something was amiss.
My son has never been one to act on emotion. Even if he remembers the good things he did for me, how could the kindness of others compare to the deep bond between mother and son?
Unless there's some hidden story he's unaware of.
"Biao'er, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"This person is indeed in the body of the Empress Dowager, but is not her person."
Seeing that his father had calmed down, Zhu Biao breathed a sigh of relief and then raised his hand.
The next moment, the other maids from Kunning Palace, besides Su Qing'er and Sun Miaoran, appeared in front of Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Biao let them speak one after another, recounting the situation inside Kunning Palace, especially the various details about the "Empress".
Gradually, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to realize a fact: the body of the woman in Kunning Palace at this moment seemed to be that of his sister, but the body inside was someone else.
"No wonder you didn't allow them to torture you earlier, Biao'er. If you damaged your health and it affected what happened later, wouldn't that be even more troublesome?"
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized, "As expected of my son, he does have some brains. I didn't spoil you for nothing."
"What's the next step?"
"We should simply observe and see how things unfold."
Zhu Biao replied, "Since that person just said it would only take ten days, and now there are only two days left, let's wait. After these two days, we'll see who he really is."
"Two days..."
Zhu Yuanzhang closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then finally nodded slightly, "Since these are the last two days, then we should wait a little longer."
"However, after these two days, we must get to the bottom of what we need to ask."
"In addition, send someone to Qingfeng County, Daming Prefecture immediately to see if there is a person named Ma Wenxiang there, and to verify whether what the person in Kunning Palace said earlier was true or false."
Zhu Yuanzhang gave the order, and the arrangements were made immediately.
At this moment, Zhu Biao left Qianqing Palace and returned to Wuying Hall.
When it reappears.
He held a memorial in his hand and placed it in Zhu Yuanzhang's hand. Zhu Biao then slowly said, "Just a month ago, a person appeared in Daming Prefecture. He was known as a man of auspicious omens, and his name was Ma Wenxiang."
"This is exactly what that person from Kunning Palace said earlier, even the timing matches perfectly."
At this point, with things having come to this, it seems there's no need to think about them any further; perhaps everything really is true.
Even so, Zhu Yuanzhang's doubts only grew: Could there really be such supernatural things in this world?
In a short time.
The father and son stared at each other, bewildered.
……
In just two days, one can only travel from Qingfeng County to Daming Prefecture at most. To think that one could return to the capital from Daming Prefecture is simply wishful thinking.
Even with the utmost urgency, the fastest possible speed, and tireless efforts day and night, it is absolutely impossible to accomplish.
At this moment, Ma Xiuying was unaware that such a big thing had happened in the palace, so she was not in a hurry.
She has that confidence.
When she returns to the capital, the truth will naturally come out; there is no need to rush.
She wasn't in a hurry, but Ma Wenxiang was already as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.