tallest building

Chapter 371 Better to Kill the Wrong Person
"Grand Tutor Dong has entered the palace?" Wen Mingqian's expression subtly changed upon hearing this. "And he doesn't even want me to come and serve him."

"What? Is something wrong?" Consort Yun asked alertly.

Wen Mingqian didn't speak at first, then shook his head: "There's nothing wrong with it, and this is not unexpected."

The Empress was somewhat surprised by Grand Tutor Dong's arrival at the palace: "Father, is there something important that you need to come to the palace?"

"It's not a big deal," Grand Tutor Dong said casually, since there were people around. "It's just some family matters."

"Alright, you may all leave now that you have finished serving the tea," the Empress instructed the servants inside the room. "No outsiders are allowed to enter while I am speaking with the Grand Tutor. We can discuss anything else later."

Although Grand Tutor Dong said it wasn't particularly important, the Empress knew her father's temperament. He wouldn't have come to the palace at this time if it weren't something urgent.

"Father, what has happened?" A sense of foreboding crept into the Empress's heart.

"I heard that the Wen brothers have stayed in the capital." Grand Tutor Dong calmly took a sip of tea.

"That's true. One is in the Ministry of Revenue, and the other is in the Ministry of Justice." The Empress was certainly aware of this. "Does Father think something is amiss?"

"And I've also heard that His Majesty is now spending almost every night in Consort Wen's palace?" Grand Tutor Dong asked again.

“…Yes,” the Empress explained somewhat anxiously, “but Father need not worry, Consort Wen is no longer able to have children.”

She thought that saying this would put Grand Tutor Dong at ease.

“Empress, it doesn’t matter if she can have children,” said Grand Tutor Dong. “The important thing is that she has already given birth.”

The Empress was momentarily confused by Grand Tutor Dong's words: "What do you mean by that, Father? I don't understand."

"Your Majesty, Wen Mingqian is no good person. You have been deceived by her." Grand Tutor Dong sighed. "It is also my fault for being careless. I did not expect such a complication to arise."

"What did Father find out? Otherwise, why would he say such things about Consort Wen?" The Empress herself did not realize that there was anything wrong with Wen Mingqian.

“During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the troupe leader invited the wrong person. He should have invited Gong Chang’an into that box.” Grand Tutor Dong’s tone was somber. “That way, he would have been the one stung by the scorpion.”

"Wasn't that an accident?" The Empress exclaimed in shock. "Father..."

“I had someone do that,” Grand Tutor Dong glanced at the Empress, “the purpose was to get rid of Gong Chang’an, but unfortunately he was lucky and escaped it.”

If it had been Gong Chang'an who was stung by the scorpion, even if he hadn't died from the venom, Grand Tutor Dong would certainly have struck again when he was weakened, determined to take his life.

However, because Feng Tianzhu acted by accident, Grand Tutor Dong did not take any further countermeasures.

"Why did Father kill him?" The Empress truly couldn't understand. "Your words today are so cryptic, I really don't understand them."

"Empress, don't you think that Gong Chang'an looks like someone?" Grand Tutor Dong's old eyes gleamed with shrewdness.

"Who does he look like?" The Empress felt her brain wasn't working properly. "He looks like his father or his mother, who else could he look like?" "Does the Empress think Gong Chang'an looks like the Emperor?" Grand Tutor Dong's expression was tense.

"How could this be?" The Empress couldn't help but laugh, though it was a laugh that was three parts confusion and seven parts embarrassment. "He is the son of Gong Xu and Wen Mingqian, how could he resemble the Emperor?"

“What if he isn’t?” Grand Tutor Dong asked. “On what basis is the Empress certain that he is a child of the Gong family?”

"This..." The Empress was speechless. "If he's not a child of the Gong family, then who else could he be?"

"Your Majesty, do you know that Wen Mingqian gave birth to his child on the way to Shuangxi?" Grand Tutor Dong asked.

“I know! She told me herself! It was because of the bumpy journey and premature birth, and the lack of proper medical care, that she lost her fertility,” the Empress said.

"Does the Empress know that when Shen Fu and the others were fleeing, they met Wen Mingqian on the way, and the two of them gave birth in the same dilapidated temple..."

"What?!" The Empress gasped. "Father, where did you hear this from? Is it really true?"

“Consort Hui initially suspected Gong Chang’an and Zhang Ma, which is why she sent people to investigate. By the time her people found these clues, Consort Hui had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment,” said Grand Tutor Dong. “It’s a pity that she carried this stigma until her death.”

"Is what those people found reliable? Could it be that they deliberately made up a lie to avoid being implicated by Consort Hui?" the Empress asked.

“These two people could simply hide their identities and leave for distant lands, never to return to the capital, and they wouldn’t be implicated. Why go to such lengths to fabricate such a huge lie and come to the Dong family to swindle and deceive? Are they really tired of living?” Grand Tutor Dong said. “Back then, Shen Fu and Wen Mingqian both gave birth in the dilapidated temple and swapped babies. Shen Fu’s head steward, Wei Fu, left with Wen Mingqian; he is Zhang Ma.”

"This...this is real? How is this possible?" The Queen still couldn't believe it.

"Empress, do you remember when I last entered the palace, I suggested that you adopt Gong Chang'an as your godson? At the time, both he and Wen Mingqian strongly refused," said Grand Tutor Dong. "Didn't the Empress give it much thought?"

"You mean they refuse to acknowledge me as their godmother because she is Shen Fu's son?!" The Empress felt dizzy and disoriented. This news was a complete shock to her, and she couldn't accept it for a moment.

"Your Majesty, when I first learned of this news, I decided to keep it from you and find a way to get rid of Gong Chang'an. That way, those people would lose their hope, and the rest would be easier to handle."

But that little bastard was incredibly lucky; he actually escaped. I suspect the Emperor must already know the truth. They're definitely looking for a suitable opportunity, and we must seize it before them.” Grand Tutor Dong knew he could no longer hide it from the Empress.

Because Wen Mingqian and the others must have already realized what had happened, and given that the Emperor had been visiting her palace frequently lately, Grand Tutor Dong was even more certain.

"What should we do before them? Apart from Gong Chang'an, or should we wipe them all out in one fell swoop?" The Empress's hands trembled involuntarily.

"To catch the thief, you must first catch the king, so naturally we must get rid of Gong Chang'an first," said Grand Tutor Dong. "At the same time, we should secretly recall Prince Zhao back to the capital to prevent any unforeseen events."

"But what if we're wrong? What if Gong Chang'an really is Wen Mingqian's son?" The Empress still clung to a sliver of hope.

"So what? Even if we've made a mistake, it's better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free!" Grand Tutor Dong's hair and beard stood on end, his expression somewhat manic. "If we show any womanly compassion, we'll die without a burial place!"

He knew that although the Empress was ruthless, she could be indecisive at times. He needed to be firm in his stance.