Despite her eccentric personality, Xi Xi held Madam Wei in the highest esteem.
She is a dutiful and good daughter, and a good daughter cannot stand anyone saying a bad word about her mother.
Furthermore...
Yu Zhi dared not imagine what the consequences would be if this guess were true.
From beginning to end, Xi Xi was probably the one who was in the most difficult, hurt, and embarrassed.
Wei Pingxi sat alone in his study.
She was almost mesmerized by the pair of porcelain dolls on the table.
The porcelain doll was a gift from the Empress, as was the jade rabbit.
Looking at the white rabbit that resembled Yu Zhi, she smiled and put down the jade carving. She then picked up the white porcelain doll with the name 'Xi Xi' written on its back and ran her fingertips over the tiny characters.
The characters were carved by my aunt.
Seeing these words is like seeing the person in person.
She secretly called out "Mother" in her heart, carefully put away the porcelain doll and jade carving, and fell into a long daze.
...
Inside the Gan Ning Palace, Yan Xiu was awakened by a nightmare once again, her forehead covered in sweat.
"Your Majesty?"
The head palace maid, Ning You, called out from the outer room.
Yan Xiu sat on the bed, her inner shirt soaked with cold sweat—she had dreamt that her daughter was dead, lying alone in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open in death.
The dream came so suddenly that her limbs went weak, and she gasped for breath twice.
It was a dream, and dreams are always the opposite of reality.
It's the opposite.
Yan Xiu's face was pale.
"Your Majesty?"
"Don't come in!"
Ning You stood there, not daring to take a step forward, wondering where his master's anger came from.
"Go and call Yao'er."
"yes……"
"Wait!"
Yan Xiu held her forehead, weakly saying, "Don't go..."
"What's wrong with Your Majesty? Are you having a nightmare? Should I go and call His Majesty?"
The Empress wiped away the tears streaming down her face and forced herself to regain her usual composure: "It's alright, go to sleep."
"yes."
Ning You wisely withdrew.
The excruciating pain dissipated upon waking, but Yan Xiu's lips trembled as she thought about the recurring nightmares she had these past few days.
At dawn, the Empress went alone to the side hall.
The female physician, Song, lived in a side hall and treated Granny Nian's illness. When she saw her, she bowed and greeted her.
"Get out of here."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After more than ten days of careful recuperation, Granny Nian's complexion improved, she wore clean clothes, the dirt under her fingernails was gone, and she looked completely refreshed.
"Little butterfly, flying... flying..."
She uttered nonsensical words without even glancing at Yan Xiu.
Yan Xiu moved a round stool and sat down in front of her: "Nanny, I dreamt that my daughter died, her eyes wide open in death..."
Nian Jiaojiao didn't react at all, and muttered "Butterfly Flying" with her head down.
"Blood was flowing out of her body little by little. She was crying out in pain to me, calling out 'Mother, save me, save me' over and over again. I wished I could die in her place, rather than suffer this torment."
“Nanny, I grew up drinking your milk and I don’t want to torture you. You were a mother yourself, so put yourself in my shoes and you should understand my pain.”
“I don’t blame you, and I’m even grateful to you. If it weren’t for your mysterious disappearance, Ah Ying and I might still be in the dark and wouldn’t suspect Yao’er’s background.”
"You've been on the run for eighteen years, and this eighteen-year-old unsolved case still won't be solved for us? Is your heart made of stone?"
She sobbed, her voice trembling with suppressed tears, "I'm begging you, Nanny, isn't Xixi my own flesh and blood? Say something! Say something!"
Nian was grabbed by the collar and ran around frantically, covering her head, crying, "Don't hit me, don't hit me..."
The light in Yan Xiu's eyes dimmed, and she lowered her head in anguish.
"I won't hit you, I won't hit you..."
The old woman looked at her with fear, watching her sit there listlessly, her elegant, straight back slumping, her mouth opening and closing again.
...
The head palace maid Ning You searched left and right but couldn't find her master, which she found very strange.
What has Your Majesty been doing these days?
As the empress's confidante, she felt uneasy because she could not see the empress at all.
...
"Nanny, lie down, I'll wash your hair for you."
Yan Xiu helped the lame Nian Shi.
Lady Nian lay on the small couch in a panic, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes. She dared not even dream of having the noble and precious Empress Dowager serve her.
But that's exactly what happened.
Her dry, frizzy hair was washed, and her fair fingers gently massaged her scalp.
Having spent half her life as a slave and the other half on the run, she suddenly tasted such warmth, and Nian silently shed tears.
"Your Majesty..."
A hoarse voice rang out, and Yan Xiu froze: "Nanny?"
...
The chief eunuch Yang Ruo bowed and stepped forward: "Your Majesty, she is willing to talk."
Ji Yingyu paused, stopping what she was doing: "If this old hag doesn't speak up soon, how can I tolerate her!"
They rushed to Ganning Palace.
...
In the side hall, the Emperor and Empress were above, while Granny Nian knelt prostrate on the ground: "This old servant is ashamed!"
After waiting for eighteen years, the day when the truth finally came to light finally arrived. Yan Xiu composed herself and said softly, "Nanny, tell us what you know and what you have seen. The Empress and His Majesty will not hold you accountable."
Ji Ying said coldly, "I forgive you for your crime, but if you utter even half a word that is untrue, you should know the consequences."
"yes……"
Nian Jiaojiao stood trembling with fear, her hands hanging at her sides: "There's a spy by Your Majesty's side..."
The hall was quiet, with only Granny Nian's voice echoing slowly.
In early spring, the weather was still cold, and a sudden gust of wind swept through the capital.
The head palace maid, Ning Youhe, paced around aimlessly like a headless fly, sometimes patting her chest, sometimes frowning and sighing, as if she had a huge worry on her mind.
"...The Empress had a difficult childbirth that year, and she fainted after giving birth to the princess."
"The situation was extremely chaotic that day. His Majesty was assassinated and could not arrive in time. Not only was the palace in chaos, but the Gan Ning Palace was also in chaos."
"The Empress and the Second Miss went into labor one after the other, and the Second Miss also gave birth to a daughter."
"The princess was different from other babies when she was born. She wasn't wrinkled at all, and she was naturally beautiful. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen. But when I went to check on her again after breastfeeding, I found that the princess had been switched with someone else."
Ning You conspired with the second young lady to switch the little princess.
"With the Empress in a coma and His Majesty assassinated, the palace is in complete chaos. I am but a lowly person with little power. I had the intention of leaving the palace to inform the old lady, but then I thought, since it was the Second Miss who did it, would the old lady believe her own daughter or me, a mere servant?"
"I hesitated, and Ningyou was keeping a close eye on me, so I didn't dare to act rashly."
"The matter isn't over yet; the Fushou Palace has also gotten involved..."
Ji Ying's breath hitched slightly.
Recalling the danger of that day, Granny Nian's voice trembled: "I was worried about the little princess's safety and wanted to get close to the second young lady. Perhaps she suspected me, because she wouldn't allow me to get near Her Highness the princess."
"I didn't know what to do. In less than a quarter of an hour, people from Fushou Palace came and forcefully took away the 'little princess.' But that wasn't a little princess at all; it was clearly the second young lady's child!"
"But they still snatched it away. I wasn't comfortable with that, so I secretly slipped away to take a look."
"The people at Fushou Palace never expected me to have such audacity. I hid and saw the Empress Dowager's attendants strangle that child to death, and then they brought in a newborn baby from somewhere..."
The old woman's face was as white as paper: "This matter involves the Empress Dowager, and it involves secrets of the imperial family. This old servant was terrified that day."
"The palace was in chaos, many people died. I escaped through a dog hole while Ning You was not paying attention. I broke my leg during the escape. In order to survive, I cruelly slashed this face with a knife..."
Tears streaming down her face, she cried, "The Second Miss's child died long ago. The Fourth Miss, who is now in the capital, is His Majesty and the Empress's biological daughter. This old servant is ashamed before the Empress and His Majesty. I beg Your Majesty and the Empress... to have mercy!"
Chapter 62 Attack on the Long Street
"Useless! Why haven't they caught the person yet?!"
At the Bright Moon Palace, Princess Ji Qingyao was furious. All the palace maids knelt on the ground, and Ji Qingyao was enraged.
As long as the old woman lives, that knife hangs over her head, never knowing when it might fall.
She now relies on the Empress Dowager, but how could that old hag let her have an easy time?