Just then, the Prince of Dingnan entered, carrying a large saber. He kicked the black-clad man in the back, shouting, "Who dares commit murder in my Prince of Dingnan's mansion? Are you tired of living!"
The black-clad man fell, his dagger clattering to the ground. But he paid no mind to retrieving it. Seeing the Prince of Dingnan, as imposing as a mountain, and hearing the sounds of hurried footsteps from outside, he quickly hissed to his companion, "Let's go!"
The Prince of Dingnan took a few steps in pursuit, but then paused, concerned for the injured Steward Ji. He muttered to himself, "Damn it, if it weren't for this fellow possibly dying, I'd chase you down and pierce you twenty times over!"
He then bellowed, "Someone, call a doctor quickly!"
Steward Ji, having lost too much blood, had fainted. When he groggily awoke, he heard voices outside.
"Doctor, how is it?"
"The wound itself is not life-threatening, but the dagger was poisoned. I've administered medicine to temporarily suppress the toxin. If an antidote isn't found within seven days, I'm afraid..."
"Grand Tutor Wei is too cruel. Is he afraid people aren't dying thoroughly enough? Assassination and poison!"
Steward Ji paid no mind to what was said afterward.
He managed to prop himself up, feeling a throbbing pain in his waist. Looking down, he saw his waist bandaged. As he moved, his wound pulled, and bright red blood seeped through.
At that moment, the Prince of Dingnan entered. Noticing he was awake, he boomed, "Why are you up? Your wound hasn't healed yet!"
"I need to see the Prince of Ding'an and the Princess of Ding'an."
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin," the Prince of Dingnan grumbled. He ordered someone to fetch Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun, and then said to Steward Ji, "Recover well and then leave. Go wherever you please."
Steward Ji remained silent, his face drained of color.
Before long, Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun arrived.
Steward Ji, heartbroken by Grand Tutor Wei, slowly recounted a past event from over twenty years ago.
At that time, Empress Xiaoxian and Consort Wei were both pregnant. Empress Xiaoxian's due date was a month earlier than Consort Wei's.
From then on, Grand Tutor Wei began his scheme.
When it was a month before the due date, the Emperor was detained at a temporary palace by Grand Tutor Wei under a false pretense. He couldn't return in time for the Empress's delivery.
Grand Tutor Wei bribed the midwife. The moment the child was born, she smothered it, claiming the Empress had given birth to a stillborn.
Overwhelmed by grief, the Empress passed away before her postpartum confinement was even over.
Later, the palace maids and wet nurses who were present in the birthing room that day were also silenced by Grand Tutor Wei under various pretexts.
A month later, Consort Wei successfully gave birth to a prince, the Emperor's eldest son.
Grand Tutor Wei believed he had covered his tracks flawlessly, with no one knowing. Little did he know that over twenty years later, Wang Qingyao's novel, "The Tragic Love of the Deep Palace," would expose all his secrets.
This was why he had been relentlessly pursuing Wang Qingyao, trying to figure out how she knew about it.
He also meticulously investigated the events of that year. The investigation revealed that after the birth, someone had seen a palace maid carrying a swaddled infant escape amidst the chaos.
However, Grand Tutor Wei himself had personally examined the deceased child and confirmed it was utterly dead.
As for that palace maid, Grand Tutor Wei had still not found her.
Therefore, Grand Tutor Wei was also quite perplexed.
After Steward Ji finished speaking, silence fell upon the room.
Wang Qingyao and Xiao Yun exchanged glances. It was, as they had guessed, more or less the truth.
The Prince of Dingnan exclaimed, "Damn it, Grand Tutor Wei, that son of a bitch! How dark-hearted can he be, to harm such a young child?" He then turned to Wang Qingyao with confusion, "Girl, how did you know about this? And you even wrote it into a book and spread it around! You're bolder than I am!"
Wang Qingyao chuckled, "Heh heh heh, would you believe me if I said I didn't know?"
Steward Ji and the Prince of Dingnan clearly didn't believe her.
"Honestly, I really didn't know. Steward Ji, I wasn't lying to you from the start. I really made it up. Stories of a 'cat for a prince,' of consorts and empresses vying to be the birth mother of the eldest prince, those happen in every dynasty. It's really not new!"
Steward Ji was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. As he laughed, he clutched his wound and gasped in pain.
"Princess of Ding'an, Your Royal Highness, you are truly remarkable! Grand Tutor Wei probably never dreamed that all of this was your fabrication, that it was truly just a story! He spent all his efforts investigating, only to expose his greatest secret in the end! Hahaha!"
Steward Ji laughed heartily, clutching his wound and groaning, "Ouch, ouch."
"Do you have any news about the Emperor's eldest son from Grand Tutor Wei's side?"
Steward Ji shook his head, "Not a single clue. That's why Grand Tutor Wei has been clinging to you."
Wang Qingyao said, "Alright, you can recover here at the Prince of Dingnan's mansion. You don't need to worry about this matter anymore. Live a good life from now on, strive for progress every day, and stop doing evil deeds for others."
Steward Ji blushed and mumbled a barely audible "Mm."
As they left the room, the Prince of Dingnan asked curiously, "Princess of Ding'an, you really didn't know anything? It was all made up?"
"No," Wang Qingyao said mysteriously, "Actually, Empress Xiaoxian appeared to me in a dream! If you have any unfinished business when you die, you can also appear to me in a dream!"
The Prince of Dingnan: "..."
I'll believe that when pigs fly!