A wicked mother swaps her son and sucks his blood? The true legitimate daughter is reborn and goes o

Even after getting into the carriage, Song Qingning's mind was still replaying Minister Cui's words.

The prince treated her exceptionally well.

As Song Qingning reminisced about their past, she found herself staring intently at Xie Xuanjin, who was sitting opposite her.

The carriage lanterns cast a dim light inside, illuminating the handsome face with flickering light, adding a touch of allure to his resolute and righteous demeanor.

Song Qingning is looking at him!

She rarely looked at him so intently. Xie Xuanjin sat upright, deliberately looking to the side and remaining silent, afraid of disturbing her concentration.

Only when she arrived at the Yongning Marquis's residence did Song Qingning regain her composure.

She was startled to realize that she had been staring at Prince Huai the whole way. A strange sense of guilt welled up inside her. Then she saw that Prince Huai was looking away, as if he was thinking about something, and he didn't notice that she had been looking at him.

Song Qingning breathed a sigh of relief and immediately eased the awkwardness by getting down to business.

"Your Highness, today Minister Cui and several other officials have come forward, clearly indicating that they are Your Highness's men. If His Majesty seeks revenge later..." Song Qingning said with a hint of worry.

Emperor Yuan has suffered such a huge humiliation tonight; he probably won't be able to swallow this insult.

"He can't touch them!" Xie Xuanjin met Song Qingning's eyes. "He can't touch you either!"

His tone was firm.

When he said "you," his eyes were burning with passion.

Song Qingning felt a burning sensation from that gaze, her heart trembled slightly, and the pleasant woody scent emanating from him brought back a faint ache to her head.

The pain was only momentary, and then Song Qingning thought carefully about Xie Xuanjin's words, and the pain disappeared.

The officials present today, except for Minister Cui, all come from prominent families.

The powerful families of Dajing, with their deep roots in the military or numerous disciples, were people even the emperor had to be wary of.

Moreover, there are the Meng family and the Shence Army.

Even if Emperor Yuan wanted to settle scores later, he wouldn't do so without any scruples.

Relieved, Song Qingning then thought of Empress Meng, "Is Her Majesty the Empress safe in the palace?"

As soon as Song Qingning asked this question, she had a vague answer in her heart.

When I left Chuxiu Palace today, I noticed that the palace maids there, though seemingly ordinary, were all actually skilled martial artists.

"There's no need to worry about Mother. Back then, Mother joined the Meng family army and formed a women's battalion. After Emperor Yuan ascended the throne, he gradually dismantled the Meng family army, and that women's battalion was also dismantled."

"He ordered them to return home, but those women were either divorced by their husbands or mistreated at home. They could kill enemies on the battlefield, but once they entered the inner quarters, they were subject to all kinds of rules."

"The Empress Dowager secretly protected them. Some of them went to the capital to make a living, while others got married and had children."

"Six years ago, they returned to the capital one after another, either entering the palace themselves or sending their daughters into the palace. They hid in various corners of the palace."

Xie Xuanjin said.

It was roughly the same as Song Qingning's guess.

"Her Majesty the Empress was an extraordinary woman in her youth," Song Qingning said with admiration.

Then I thought of Emperor Yuan.

Emperor Yuan was not worthy of such an extraordinary woman!

Song Qingning recalled what Empress Meng had told Emperor Yuan before she left—the truth about Consort Shen's death—and her curiosity remained.

Prince Rui's Mansion.

Everyone has left.

Emperor Yuan reprimanded Shen Lin and Shen Yue, making them wait outside the door, leaving only himself and Xie Yuqi and his son.

The atmosphere in the hall was oppressive.

Emperor Yuan, his anger barely contained, finally grabbed a teacup from the side and smashed it at Xie Yuqi.

The teacup hit Xie Yuqi on the forehead, and blood flowed out instantly.

Xie Yuqi cried out in pain, the glaring crimson blood causing Emperor Yuan to frown, furious at his lack of self-control. "What happened to that dragon robe?!"

"Father, Emperor..." Xie Yuqi covered his forehead, not daring to hide the truth, "That dragon robe was originally intended to frame Xie Xuanjin..."

Just as Emperor Yuan had guessed.

"Frame him? Did you succeed in framing him? You've been used instead! You're truly as stupid as a pig! I am wise and mighty, and the Imperial Concubine is intelligent and capable; how could we have given birth to a son like you!"

His son with the imperial concubine is so foolish.

Meng Fu's sons, whether the deceased crown prince or the Prince of Huai, were all outstanding individuals.

Emperor Yuan felt defeated.

When he mentioned the Imperial Concubine, Xie Yuqi's mind was filled with Empress Meng's parting words, and he asked, almost as if possessed, "What is the truth behind Mother's death?"

Emperor Yuan's dark eyes flickered, then he roared, "What truth is there?!"

"But Empress Meng said..."

"She said that? Do you believe her or your mother?" Emperor Yuan glared at Xie Yuqi and coldly ordered, "From now on, you are not allowed to mention your mother's death again!"

"You, you should reflect on your actions!"

Emperor Yuan turned and left.

He resisted bringing up the matter, as if he were hiding something, and Xie Yuqi sensed the underlying guilt he revealed.

A guess popped into his mind, and he was terrified by it.

Unwilling to give up, Xie Yuqi called Shen Lin in.

"Uncle, you know exactly why Mother died, don't you?" Xie Yuqi stared at Shen Lin, his expression deep.

Shen Lin, equally guilty, avoided eye contact, saying, "Don't ask about this anymore."

Xie Yuqi felt increasingly suspicious about the matter.

Empress Meng spoke with such certainty, and the Emperor evaded the question so vehemently that Xie Yuqi became even more certain of his guess. "It was the Emperor..."

Shen Lin was startled and said with a look of fear, "Qi'er, don't talk nonsense."

"Nonsense? Is it really nonsense? Then tell me, what is the truth that Empress Meng is telling us!"

Xie Yuqi was determined to find out the truth.

Seeing that Shen Lin still looked troubled, Xie Yuqi turned and walked out, saying, "If you don't tell me, I'll go ask Empress Meng."

Sure enough, Shen Lin called out to him urgently.

"Qi'er!"

Shen Lin finally sighed. "You shouldn't be asking this. Why are you so fixated on the truth? If you want to know, I'll tell you. That accident back then wasn't an accident at all, but rather..."

Shen Lin paused abruptly at this point, finding it difficult to say some of his thoughts.

After a moment's hesitation, she said helplessly, "It was your mother herself. Empress Meng should have been seriously injured that day, but who knew..."

Shen Lin did not continue speaking.

Xie Yuqi's mind was still replaying what he had just heard, and his ears were ringing.

"Mother, myself..."

He muttered to himself, and it took him a great deal of difficulty to understand what it meant.

After realizing what had happened, his face turned deathly pale.

He thought that perhaps his father was trying to deal with Empress Meng and accidentally injured his mother, which was why his father felt guilty and his mother told him that Empress Meng had killed her.

But it was actually my mother herself...

Something inside him seemed to be collapsing, and Xie Yuqi swayed slightly. "Mother, why did you lie to me?"

"Your mother is not lying to you. She wants you to be wary of Empress Meng. She is afraid that after her death, she will not be able to protect you and Yuzhen. That is your mother's good intention."

These words seemed to give Xie Yuqi a helping hand.

"Yes, my mother loves me, she's not lying to me! She wouldn't lie to me!" Xie Yuqi took a deep breath and perked up again.

Suddenly, something occurred to him: "Does Father know?"

Shen Lin frowned.

The fact that the emperor forbade an investigation back then probably means he had already seen through the scheme.

The Emperor knows!

"His Majesty loves your mother deeply. Even if he knew the truth, he would only feel sorry for her."

……

The Yongning Marquis's Residence.

Song Qingning did not sleep all night.

The imperial decree conferring the marriage arrived at the Yongning Marquis's residence as scheduled early the next morning.

Even before the imperial decree of marriage arrived, it was Empress Meng's bestowal of gifts.

Before dawn, pieces of gold, jade, pearls, and precious fabrics were delivered to the Yongning Marquis's residence, alarming everyone there.