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Inside the imperial study at this moment, the Emperor was still unaware of the turmoil in the imperial garden. He explained Ning Wang's deeds to Princess Xinyang.
Why use the word "explain"? The Emperor couldn't help but wonder as well.
She was his younger sister, not his elder sister. He was too spineless!
In the end, the Emperor blamed his son for Princess Xinyang's son's death, feeling guilty and remorseful.
At first, the Emperor didn't mention the entanglement between Ning Wang and the East Palace. He only spoke of the fire four years ago, which wasn’t an accident but orchestrated by Ning Wang. He expressed how deeply ashamed and guilty he was for raising such a son.
"How does Your Majesty know it was Ning Wang?" Princess Xinyang asked.
"Well..." The Emperor hesitated, then said, "Zhen interrogated his subordinates, and they confessed to plotting against Ah Heng."
Princess Xinyang was puzzled, "Why would Your Majesty suddenly investigate Ning Wang?”
Wasn't all of this because of the entanglement between Ning Wang and the East Palace, which almost led to Ning Wang killing the Crown Prince? He discovered Ning Wang's intentions towards Wen Linlang and, following the trail, unearthed the events of four years ago?
Hold on, why does your focus seem a bit off?
The Emperor, who didn't want to expose his family’s dirty laundry, flashed a trace of bitterness in his eyes.
Princess Xinyang simply watched the Emperor, showing no intention of delving further into the matter. The Emperor was perplexed. Don’t you care about the cause of your own son's death? Why are you so concerned about the trivial matters of Zhen’s son?
Helpless, the Emperor had to tell her about the incident at the inn where they witnessed Ning Wang almost murdering his younger brother.
Princess Xinyang was still confused, "So, because he wanted to kill the Crown Prince, Your Majesty suspects that he also killed Xiao Heng back then? Just because he's a bad person, all the bad things are automatically his fault?"
The Emperor: ...Seriously, if we don't discuss this, we can still be siblings!
No, wait, shouldn’t you be curious about why Ning Wang tried to kill the Crown Prince this time?
Is your focus always this unpredictable?
Forget it. Embarrassment was embarrassment. Anyway, there wasn’t much face to speak of when your son did something like fratricide.
The Emperor proceeded to explain the entanglement between Ning Wang and the Crown Princess in detail.
Princess Xinyang let out an ‘oh’ and said in response, "So, they were caught in the act by the Crown Prince?"
The Emperor: Can your focus be any more skewed?!
"Hm, sort of." The Emperor replied vaguely.
Princess Xinyang fell silent.
Seeing that she didn’t speak, the Emperor didn't know how to console her. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed and said, "Zhen is deeply sorry and saddened about Ah Heng's fate. Ning Wang committed an unforgivable crime, and it's Zhen’s fault as his father for not raising him properly. Zhen can't absolve myself of blame, and Zhen doesn't expect you to forgive me. Zhen just hopes you won't torment yourself any further. You've always blamed yourself for not looking after Ah Heng properly, leading to his death in the fire. But now that the truth is revealed, it was someone... It was Zhen’s own son who did it intentionally. It's Zhen’s fault, Ning Wang's fault, not yours."
These words came straight from the Emperor's heart. Since Xiao Heng's death, Princess Xinyang had been deeply affected and even left the capital. Although her relationship with the Emperor wasn’t as close as Princess Ning'an’s, he was still relatively closer to her compared to their other siblings.
He hoped she wouldn't be too grief-stricken.
"Your Majesty, may I see Ning Wang?" Princess Xinyang suddenly spoke up.
The Emperor was momentarily stunned.
As the family member of the victim, it did seem reasonable to request to meet the perpetrator. The Emperor had no reason to refuse.
"Zhen... will strip him of his imperial prince title, exile him from the capital to a desolate place, and..." The Emperor couldn't say another word as a pang of pain struck his chest. This was his own son, the eldest son he had raised. To talk about giving him up was one thing, but who could truly let go?
Yet, it was precisely because he had tasted the "grief of losing a child" that he could better understand the pain Princess Xinyang had endured. He couldn't bring himself to ask her for forgiveness for Ning Wang.
Even if Princess Xinyang wanted to kill Ning Wang, what could he say?
Only Ning Wang was allowed to kill her son, but she couldn’t seek revenge for her child?
The Emperor's eyes reddened, and restrainedly said, "Zhen will have Eunuch Wei escort you there."
Princess Xinyang stood up, nodded respectfully to the Emperor, and under Eunuch Wei's guidance, she headed to the side chamber where Ning Wang was detained.
In the dimly lit chamber, Ning Wang appeared disheveled and battered, with a faint bruise around his lips. His eyes seemed vacant and indifferent.
"Princess, please." Eunuch Wei stood outside the door and gestured for Princess Xinyang to enter.
Princess Xinyang stepped inside.
Yu Jin followed her, intending to go with her too.
"You wait outside." Princess Xinyang told Yu Jin.
Yu Jin paused for a moment and said, "Alright."
Yu Jin and Eunuch Wei waited outside with the door open
Watching Princess Xinyang approach Ning Wang in the corner, Eunuch Wei had the urge to remind her not to get too close but refrained.
If Ning Wang truly had no fear of death, he could take Princess Xinyang hostage. If he did that, even the Emperor couldn't guarantee Ning Wang's safety when Marquis Xuanping sought justice.
Ning Wang sat on the floor in the corner, his back against the wall, his face shrouded in shadow.
With his eyes half-closed, he either didn't hear the footsteps of the approaching person or didn't care.
Princess Xinyang halted in front of him and looked down at Ning Wang from a position of authority, "Who were those people?"
Ning Wang had been numbed in body and mind during his detainment in Huaqing Palace these past few days. He had ignored everyone and had no intention of engaging with yet another palace servant who had suddenly come to question him.
But when he heard a familiar voice, he instinctively opened his eyes and indeed saw the cold and frosty face of Princess Xinyang.
Half of Princess Xinyang's face was bathed in sunlight, while the other half remained in shadow, giving her a somewhat stern and eerie appearance.
Ning Wang could ignore anyone else, but not Princess Xinyang.
His gaze lingered on Princess Xinyang's face for a moment before he lowered his eyes and said, "I don't understand what Aunt is saying."
"Don't understand? Fine, Aunt will explain it to you in detail until you understand, because Aunt has plenty of time." Princess Xinyang sat down in a chair opposite him, looking at him from a distance. "Do you really have the courage to kill Xiao Heng?"
Ning Wang gave a faint smile, "It seems Aunt already knows everything. Why won’t I have the courage to kill him? Is Aunt here to condemn me? If Aunt wants to kill me or mutilate me, do as you wish."
Princess Xinyang stared at him without blinking, "You killed Xiao Heng, and then what? Just to benefit the Crown Prince?"
Ning Wang replied, "I originally intended to take her as my side consort."
Princess Xinyang sneered, "Is that so? Could you?"
Of course... He couldn't.
His grandfather wouldn't agree, and neither would Empress Dowager Zhuang or the Emperor.
He wasn’t like the Crown Prince, who was willing to marry Wen Linlang even if it meant forgoing the position of the Crown Prince. Empress Xiao couldn't persuade her son and had to persuade His Majesty and Marquis Xuanping to agree to this marriage.
From the beginning, he knew that killing Xiao Heng would serve no purpose. Wen Linlang and him could only remain hidden in the shadows.
Princess Xinyang analyzed for him, "You did indeed have murderous intent towards Xiao Heng, but to kill the beloved legitimate son of Marquis Xuanping and this princess just for a clandestine affair? It's not that Aunt underestimates you, it's just that you don't have the courage, nor you are that foolish. Unless..."
Pausing, Princess Xinyang continued, and Ning Wang's fingers tightened slightly.
"Unless you knew he wasn't the legitimate son of Marquis Xuanping and this princess at all, but a bastard used to impersonate the legitimate son. And not just any bastard, but one I would gladly get rid of."
Marquis Xuanping was known for his romantic exploits, and there were two acknowledged illegitimate sons in his household, but those were all with her consent.
As for whether there were other illegitimate children outside, she didn't care. But only Xiao Heng's life was exchanged with her son's.
Once she learned this truth, Xiao Heng's life or death became irrelevant to her.
Moreover, Marquis Xuanping might even think she had orchestrated it, allowing Ning Wang to easily conceal himself from this conspiracy.
"Who told you about Xiao Heng's true identity?" Princess Xinyang fixed her gaze on him.
Ning Wang was momentarily stunned, slowly recovering from the shock of Princess Xinyang seeming to know everything. After a while, he averted his gaze and said, "I discovered it upon investigation."
Princess Xinyang let out a small chuckle, "You don't stumble upon this kind of information by accident. There's not so many coincidences in this world, and you don't have that kind of luck."
Ning Wang suddenly remembered the advice Grand Preceptor Zhuang had given him—— never underestimate anyone in the imperial family, especially not Princess Xinyang, an imperial princess who had never suffered any setbacks even without her mother's protection.
"I don't know." Ning Wang said.
"What do you mean by 'I don't know'?" Princess Xinyang furrowed her brow.
Ning Wang thought for a moment before explaining, "It means, I didn't know who those people were, but they knew me. They initially approached me under the guise of seeking refuge with me and working as advisers in my household. They did provide me with some very useful information, and I began to value and trust them. A few months later, they claimed to have found a lead that could bring down Marquis Xuanping, and I was intrigued, because Marquis Xuanping is the greatest support for Empress Xiao and the Crown Prince. If we could bring him down, I would be one step closer to the Crown Prince's position."
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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