frightfiction Chapter 1775 The Cruel Turmoil of the Succession Struggle in History
Chapter 1775 The Cruel Turmoil of the Succession Struggle in History
Consort Zhuang said, "Xiao Yizi's accusations against me just now were baseless."
"But now, what Steward Su has discovered is real money transactions. The real gold and silver flowing out of the Xia family's silk shop went into the home of the servant who plotted to murder the imperial heir."
"How can the nature of the two be confused?"
At this point, Consort Zhuang paused, glanced at Xiao Yizi, and continued, "Besides, what kind of power does the Imperial Noble Consort wield in the harem?"
“Xiao Yizi is a lowly servant who fears the Imperial Noble Consort. How could he dare to easily reveal the real person who instigated him? He must be trying to cover it up and make up some false accusations in an attempt to deceive her.”
"Now that His Majesty has seen through everything and found out about the Xia family, he knew he could no longer hide it, so he had no choice but to reveal the truth."
Her words were highly suggestive.
Xiao Yizi kowtowed repeatedly, crying, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"This servant...this servant was afraid! Afraid that if I spoke out, I would lose my life!"
"Now...now this servant dares not hide it any longer, it was indeed the Xia family! It was the Xia family who forced this servant to do it!"
"Your Majesty, please investigate and spare my life!"
As he said this, tears streamed down his face, and he looked like he had been forced into a corner by those in power.
To an uninformed person, it actually seemed somewhat believable.
Consort Xuan was momentarily speechless after Consort Zhuang's words, which were both deflecting and attacking.
She composed herself and immediately retorted, "Your Highness is mistaken!"
"Even if... even if Steward Su has found out about the Xia family's money, what direct connection does that have with the Imperial Noble Consort?"
"The Xia family are merchants with a large number of employees and numerous accounts. It's possible that their subordinates are exchanging favors privately, or that they are being used or framed."
"Furthermore..."
Consort Xuan looked at Nangong Xuanyu and pleaded, "Your Majesty, why would the Imperial Noble Consort want to harm the Third Prince? This just doesn't make sense!"
"My sister already has the fourth prince, who is intelligent and healthy, and is favored by the Emperor. Moreover, she is carrying the one whom His Majesty himself has acknowledged as a blessed star!"
"The Imperial Noble Consort's position in the harem is secure, she enjoys His Majesty's deep trust, and everyone in the six palaces respects her. What reason would she have to risk harming the Third Prince?"
"It's neither morally nor logically beneficial!"
"It's obvious that Xiao Yizi, seeing that things were going to be exposed, started making baseless accusations in an attempt to muddy the waters."
"Or...or perhaps they were instructed by the real culprit to deliberately shift the blame onto the Imperial Noble Consort!"
Consort Xuan's words immediately garnered nods of approval from many people.
indeed.
Compared to the childless Consort Gui, whose favor with the Emperor was waning, the Imperial Noble Consort currently held an overwhelming advantage in the harem.
The fourth prince was healthy and favored, and she was pregnant with the much-anticipated imperial child, just one step away from becoming empress.
Why would she want to harm a sickly prince who poses no threat to her?
Some of the concubines who had initially harbored doubts because of the evidence related to the Xia family now showed signs of hesitation.
Yes, the Imperial Noble Consort doesn't seem like the type to do something so foolish.
Many lower-ranking concubines who genuinely admired Shen Zhinian, or who wanted to curry favor with her, chimed in, "Consort Xuan is right. Why does the Imperial Noble Consort have to do this?"
"The Fourth Prince has a bright future, and the Empress is pregnant with the Emperor's child. There's really no reason for this."
"This wicked servant must be making baseless accusations, or there must be another hidden story!"
"The Xia family is a big tree that attracts the wind; perhaps they have been taken advantage of."
"..."
Consort Tong felt her head buzzing as she listened to these chaotic discussions.
After a while, I realized that what Consort Zhuang said made sense and was well-founded.
Then she thought that the Imperial Noble Consort really didn't seem like a bad person, and Consort Xuan's words made sense.
She felt completely lost...
It turns out that raising the eldest prince brought not glory, but burden.
She dared not offend Consort Zhuang, nor did she dare offend the Imperial Noble Consort, who had been pushed into the limelight but remained unfathomable.
Consort Tong could only bury her head even lower, wishing she could disappear on the spot.
Consort Zhuang listened to the crowd's discussion, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
That's exactly what she was waiting for!
Consort Xuan, that fool, was loyal to the Imperial Noble Consort, but unfortunately lacked shrewdness and fell right into her trap.
Consort Zhuang subtly gave Consort Mei a look.
Consort Mei was taken aback at first, but then a sudden realization dawned on her, and she understood her cousin's intention!
She took a deep breath and mustered her courage to say, "Your Highness, Consort Xuan, you are mistaken."
"The Imperial Noble Consort is indeed favored by the Emperor, and the Fourth Prince is indeed an outstanding individual. But... but have you sisters forgotten what the Third Prince's status is?"
"He holds the title of 'eldest,' meaning he is His Majesty's eldest son in terms of birth order!"
Upon hearing this, the expressions of many people in the hall changed slightly.
Consort Mei continued, "The Imperial Noble Consort is now the Vice Empress, in charge of the affairs of the six palaces. But the Vice Empress is ultimately not the Empress."
"If the Imperial Noble Consort were to become Empress in the future, the Fourth Prince would be the rightful heir. However... while the heir is noble, what if there is an elder brother born out of wedlock who holds the title of 'eldest'..."
Throughout history, how many conflicts have arisen from the struggle between the legitimate heir and the eldest son?
"The Third Prince is currently in poor health, but what if, what if, his condition improves in the future?"
"Or, even if he has always been weak, as long as he holds the title of the eldest son, he will always be a hidden danger in terms of etiquette and law for the fourth prince, and may be taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives."
"Her Imperial Noble Consort is far-sighted and has eliminated all possible risks for the sake of the Fourth Prince's future."
"Therefore, taking advantage of the height of his power, he devised a plan to eliminate the Third Prince as an obstacle, making the Fourth Prince the undisputed eldest son..."
"Isn't this reason reasonable?"
Yes, if we look at it from this perspective, the Imperial Noble Consort was not entirely without motive!
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point!
Even Consort Xuan was speechless for a moment, unable to refute these words.
Because she cannot deny the cruel turmoil of the primogeniture struggle in history.
Consort Zhuang lowered her eyes, concealing the fleeting coldness in them.
This is exactly the effect she wanted!
There's no need for solid evidence to condemn the Imperial Noble Consort; all that's needed is to plant a seed of doubt in His Majesty's heart.
We are just waiting for the right opportunity to let this seed take root and sprout...
Then the evidence previously pointing to her would become weak and ineffective. It would be reinterpreted as the Imperial Noble Consort framing her.
Nangong Xuanyu's face was already ashen!
This is simply nonsense!
After three or four years of getting to know each other, he had long known that Nian Nian's initial innocence was all a facade. But he would never believe that Nian Nian would harm an abnormal child for the sake of the so-called threat to the eldest son.
Because he understands Nian Nian.
She is intelligent, patient, and far-sighted. She always plans carefully before acting and strives for stability and thoroughness.
Only a woman like this is worthy of the position of Empress of the Great Zhou!
If Nian Nian truly feared the Third Prince's status as the eldest son, she would have a thousand more secretive ways to plot against him.