After she finished speaking, she ran away crying. The Crown Prince lowered his head, and Hai Ling couldn't help but call out, "Yuan'er, Yuan'er."
Unfortunately, west Yuan had already left in tears. Inside the hall, the Empress Dowager stared at Hai Ling and slowly said, "Empress, Yuan'er is just a child. You should be advising her. How dare she come here to make a scene? Marriage is a major event, and it is still the parents' decision. How can she have the final say? She is my own niece. How could I possibly harm her?"
The Empress Dowager angrily questioned her, but Hai Ling was not angry and even tried to reason with the Empress Dowager.
"Mother, Ling'er didn't mean that. It's just that when it comes to marriage, it's better to marry someone you like, so that you can live a happier life."
"What's wrong with her? What's wrong with Prince Zhaoyang? He just has a lot of women, right? Is there any man in this world who only marries one woman?"
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she looked at Hai Ling with a melancholy gaze, as if she remembered how Hai Ling had made such a fuss back then, demanding that the Emperor marry only her. But now, hasn't the Emperor taken another concubine? There will probably be other women entering the palace later. So, women should never think that a man will only marry them; in the end, they will definitely become a laughing stock.
Hai Ling's face darkened slightly as she looked at the Empress Dowager at the head of the table, without saying a word.
Although she wanted to help west Yuan, judging from the Empress Dowager's expression, it seemed that the matter was already settled, and Xi Yuan was bound to marry that philandering Prince Zhaoyang. She really didn't know what would happen to Xi Yuan in the end. This was a matter for the west family, and she shouldn't interfere too much, but she could help Xi Yuan.
A dark glint flashed in Hai Ling's eyes. She rose to pay her respects and left Cining Palace.
The Empress Dowager was still angry, so Consort Rou, Shu Wanxing, quickly got up and went over to flatter her. After a few nice and agreeable words, the Empress Dowager's expression improved considerably.
Hai Ling returned to Liuyue Palace and ordered Shi Mei to take two people to the West Mansion that night to find west Yuan and ask her if she wanted to leave. If she did, she could be released; otherwise, she would not be able to escape the fate of marrying Prince Zhaoyang.
Hai Ling originally didn't want to get involved in the west family's affairs, but she was afraid that if she didn't intervene, west Yuan might become stubborn and do something foolish in the end. She couldn't just stand by and watch her get into trouble.
Shi Mei accepted the order and waited for the operation to take place that night.
Hai Ling went to rest in her bedroom in Liuyue Palace. After sleeping for a while, she heard a commotion outside the door and called someone in.
Why is it so noisy outside?
Shi Mei and Shi Lan looked somewhat gloomy and stepped forward to report what had happened outside to Hai Ling.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor's personal eunuch, Xiao Luzi, has been pulled out of a well. I just led people to see him, and he was strangled to death."
"Xiao Luzi has been murdered?"
Hai Ling's face darkened, and a chill emanated from her. What did this mean? Did it mean that the people at Lanyuan Palace had discovered something? If she wasn't certain before that the person in the palace was a fake emperor, Xiao Luzi's death made her 100% certain that he was a fake emperor.
What exactly is he planning to do while hiding in the palace?
"Shimei, Shilan, immediately and quietly summon General Ji and Shen Ruoxuan to the palace. I need to discuss matters with them."
She hadn't told anyone about her suspicions before because she wasn't sure, but now she was 100% certain that this person was a fake. So she sent Ji Shaocheng, Shen Ruoxuan, and others into the palace to devise a foolproof plan to expose the true face of this fake emperor.
"Yes, this servant will send someone to fetch them right away."
As the two maids, Shi Mei and Shi Lan, went out, they ran into Feng Qian and Nalan Mingzhu, who were hurrying in from outside the door.
As soon as the two entered, they anxiously asked, "Ling'er, what happened when we heard that a eunuch died in the palace?"
Hailing beckoned them over and whispered, "It's very likely that Xiao Luzi discovered the fake emperor's secret, so he killed him."
"ah."
The two women's faces darkened, and their expressions turned cold.
Feng Qian asked softly, "Won't he suspect that we've discovered him?"
Hai Ling frowned and thought for a moment, unsure of the situation: "I don't know. Let's see if he takes any action next. If he doesn't, it means he doesn't know we suspect him. If he does, it means he knows we suspect him, and he's probably about to take action."
Upon hearing Hai Ling's words, Feng Qian and Nalan Mingzhu both felt uneasy and cried out in unison.
"Ling'er".
"Don't worry, there's no use in worrying. Let's wait for General Ji and Doctor Shen to arrive so we can discuss what to do and how to make this person reveal his true form,"
"good."
Feng Qian and Nalan Mingzhu nodded at the same time. The two sat in the palace, where Shi Lan helped Hai Ling get up.
Soon, Ji Shaocheng and Shen Ruoxuan entered the palace. Hailing had already prepared herself. As soon as the two men saw Hailing, they nervously spoke.
"Ling'er, what happened?"
Ji Shaocheng looked Hailing up and down, and only felt relieved after confirming that she was alright. He had been hiding in the shadows recently. Although the emperor had returned to the palace and he could go back, he was still worried that Ling'er might encounter some danger, so he had not left to go back.
Hai Ling gestured for Ji Shaocheng and Shen Ruoxuan to sit down, and Feng Qian and Nalan Mingzhu also sat down together. Hai Ling instructed Shi Lan to stand guard outside the door and not let anyone approach.
Inside the palace, everyone looked at Hai Ling, noticing her cold and stern expression, as if something major had happened.
"Ling'er, what exactly happened?" Ji Shaocheng sensed unease and asked anxiously.
Hai Ling raised her hand to stop him and said calmly, "I called you here because there's something I need to tell you. Please don't get excited later."
Upon hearing her words, Ji Shaocheng and Shen Ruoxuan knew it must be something very important. The two of them remained silent, watching her quietly and waiting.
"Two nights ago, I went to Lanyuan Palace and saw the Emperor. Him?"
Hailin stopped, her whole body radiating coldness, her eyes filled with a cold, detached mist.
"He's a fake."
“He’s a fake,” Ji Shaocheng and Shen Ruoxuan repeated, then stood up in surprise and asked Hai Ling again, “You’re saying the emperor in the palace is a fake emperor?”
Hai Ling nodded steadily: "That's right. I wasn't sure before, so I summoned the Emperor's personal eunuch, Xiao Luzi, and asked him to keep an eye on the Emperor's movements. Who knew that Xiao Luzi would be killed in a well today? From this, I can confirm that the Emperor in Lanyuan Palace is an imposter. I summoned you here to discuss with you how to expose the Emperor's true colors."
"If the emperor in the palace is a fake, then where is the real emperor?"
Ji Shaocheng asked persistently.