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Chapter 259 Knowing the Hidden Story

"The reason I made you guess is because I didn't intend to hide this from you in the first place," the Princess sighed. "I know you hate the Empress and always want revenge. But let me ask you, are you confident you can succeed in your revenge?"

Princess Duanmin smiled bitterly after hearing this: "Aunt is right. I can neither take her life nor take away her position as empress. I can only make her unhappy in small matters. Even the marriage between Zhuolahan and the emperor was decided by Qisihe. My words do not count."

"But what if I told you that there is now an opportunity to seize the Empress's position and take her life? What would you do?" the eldest princess whispered in Princess Duanmin's ear.

To her, it sounded like thunder. She hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "Aunt, are you telling the truth? You know I can't take a joke like this."

“What I’m telling you is of course true. It’s not just you who hates the Dong family; there are many in the world who have suffered because of the Dong family!” The eldest princess sighed. “It’s just that we’re lacking an opportunity.”

"Aunt, please tell me what this opportunity is! I'm willing to die for the Dong family!" Princess Duanmin's voice trembled.

"Have you figured out the injustice done to Mingqian now?" The princess stared intently at her.

The incense in the burner had burned out, and the grayish-white embers lay scattered there, like the remnants of old stories.

Princess Duanmin suddenly felt cold and shivered.

She guessed it, but didn't dare to say it out loud for a moment.

The eldest princess did not urge her, but simply waited quietly.

After a long while, Princess Duanmin finally spoke, "Could it be that the injustice she suffered is also related to them?"

She didn't need to explain who "they" were, because the eldest princess knew in her heart, and nodded to Princess Duanmin.

“But…but how could she…” Princess Duanmin felt her thoughts were in turmoil. “She’s not…”

"This is a long story. What we don't know is that she and Shen Fu were like sisters since childhood. Later, she was framed by a concubine of the Gong family and had no choice but to return to Shuangxi. On the way, she happened to meet Shen Fu and Bu Yuegui."

She and Shen Fu both gave birth in the dilapidated temple. Shen Fu knew she was doomed and urged her to leave quickly to avoid being implicated.

She then secretly conspired with Wei Fu to switch the two children, in order to preserve Shen Fu's bloodline with the Emperor.

At this point in the Princess's speech, Princess Duanmin could no longer help but interrupt her: "Aunt... are you saying that Gong Chang'an is actually... actually... a prince?"

"Didn't you notice that the child bears a striking resemblance to Consort Shen in some ways?" the Princess said. "Ah, yes, that's true. Who would even think of that?"

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is... So that the bloodline of my Ying family has not been severed... The Emperor has a biological son..." Princess Duanmin was the Emperor's younger sister, how could she not be excited upon hearing this news?
"Don't cry, it won't be good if people notice something's wrong." The eldest princess quickly handed her a handkerchief. Princess Duanmin wiped her tears haphazardly, saying, "Yes, Aunt is right. Look at me, I can't even keep my composure, I'm such a useless person..."

"It's no wonder you're so upset. When I first found out about this, I couldn't sleep for several nights in a row." The princess recalled, "It was Wu Chou who told me, which is why I recognized Mingqian as my goddaughter, for the sake of convenience."

"If only we could clear the name of what happened back then and reveal Chang'an's true identity to the world!" Princess Duanmin's eyes shone even brighter with tears. "Let the whole world know that Consort Shen is innocent, and that Bu Yuegui died protecting the imperial heir..."

Bu Yuegui was her beloved, how could she let him bear the stigma and be cursed by the world?
He was originally so upright and honest, like the bright moon in the autumn sky.

“I didn’t tell you before because you just came back and needed to get familiar with things. Now that I’ve told you everything, we’ll have to work together.” The princess said, “Mingqian, our plan is to first make the King of Chu and the King of Zhao fight to the death, and also to help her gain the Empress’s trust.”

"Yes! The Dong family is deeply rooted, and the King of Chu and the King of Zhao are the two most powerful among these princes. Their sons are both in the palace, so it's inevitable that they might have designs on the family."

"Let them fight each other; eventually one of them will lose, and the victor will inevitably be weakened," Princess Duanmin said.

"Not only that, the King of Chu will definitely be defeated. After his defeat, he will naturally become irreconcilable enemies with the Dong family. Otherwise, their relationship will remain ambiguous, making it difficult to distinguish between friend and foe," the Princess said. "Mingqian and the others have been in Shuangxi for seven years and have already thoroughly analyzed the situation. Compared with the Dong family, we are inevitably outnumbered and outmatched. The best strategy is to first divide them and then defeat them one by one."

"Were all of these Mingqian's ideas?" Princess Duanmin had previously only thought of Wen Mingqian as a well-educated and polite young lady skilled in perfumery.

I never imagined she carried such a heavy secret, nor did I expect her to possess such strategic acumen and magnanimity.

"Yes! Who would have thought that she, who looks so docile and well-behaved, is actually doing such daring and treacherous things!" The eldest princess smiled. "But she has to be like this to achieve great things. Otherwise, everyone would see through her shrewdness and would be even more wary of her."

Putting everything else aside, Dong Xiangning is extremely suspicious and stubborn. Gaining her trust will not be easy.

"It's truly remarkable that a frail woman like her has come this far. Next time I see her, I must thank her properly," Princess Duanmin said emotionally. "I am truly ashamed of myself in comparison to her. Even as a princess, I am helpless against the Dong family."

"As the saying goes, unity of purpose can move mountains. As long as we think in the same direction and work together, we can always see the sun after the storm." The eldest princess gently patted the back of Princess Duanmin's hand to comfort her. "I know you have someone else in your heart and are always indifferent to Qisihe. But for the sake of the future, we still have to use him."

“Aunt, you don’t need to persuade me, I understand,” Princess Duanmin said. “Before, I thought that even if I obeyed him, he would never turn against the Dong family for my sake. Now it seems that as long as I can get his help, it’s good.”

It was dusk, the sky had cleared, and the setting sun cast a blood-red glow on the windowpanes.

Those long-forgotten stories and the souls of those who died unjustly have never truly perished.

They lie hidden in the hearts of some people, like seeds buried deep in the earth.

They will sprout, take root, and break through the soil when the spring breeze brings rain and the earth's energy rises...