PFC Chapter 212 The truth comes out
Chapter 212 The truth comes out
The Imperial Noble Consort collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and said, "Your Majesty, I truly know nothing. Perhaps... perhaps someone deliberately framed me."
This palace had been inhabited by many concubines before I, the Dowager Empress, even moved in. Perhaps one of them dug it up! You can't wrongly accuse me like that!
Su Yinyin's gaze was sharp, and she said in a sharp tone, "Your Highness, this accusation of framing is far-fetched. Such a meticulously planned scheme could not be easily fabricated."
The Imperial Noble Consort gritted her teeth and glared at Su Yinyin, roaring, "You brat, it must be you who's causing trouble!"
Su Yinyin remained composed and said calmly, "Your Highness, you have truly wronged me! I am only trying to find out the truth, and I hope Your Highness will not make false accusations."
Furthermore, if it was the former concubine who dug it up, why would there be someone in the secret room who looks exactly like the Regent?
Everyone heard the exact same name. What else was unclear? This was definitely the Dowager Consort's doing; as for why, they would have to see what that person had to say.
As the two were arguing, the guards brought in a man who looked exactly like the regent. This man had his eyes closed and was unconscious.
The emperor examined the man closely and was greatly shocked to find that not only did the man's appearance resemble the emperor's, but his demeanor was also remarkably similar.
Su Yinyin said, "Your Majesty, I have observed that this person is unconscious. Please ask the imperial physician to treat him."
Once a person wakes up, they're not far from the truth. But the matter is becoming increasingly perplexing, and there must be a huge conspiracy behind it.
The emperor nodded and immediately ordered, "Summon the imperial physician at once!"
The imperial physician arrived quickly and, after examining the patient, frowned and said, "Your Majesty, this man's pulse is disordered, it seems he has been drugged. I will administer acupuncture to see if he can wake up."
After the imperial physicians had been busy preparing, the man finally slowly woke up.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking around in confusion, and asked in a trembling voice, "Where is this?"
The emperor roared, "Tell me honestly, who are you? Why are you here?"
When that person heard "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "I"), he knew that the person standing in front of him was the emperor, and that he might have a chance to survive.
If I were to reveal everything, and the Regent still considered that the Dowager Consort was his birth mother and judged that I had deliberately framed her, then I would still face certain death.
Terrified, he quickly kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, spare my life! I am just an ordinary citizen and do not know why I was captured and brought here."
Su Yinyin stepped forward, her gaze resolute, and said, "You look so much like the Regent; it's no coincidence. You must tell the truth!"
The man trembled and said in a tearful voice, "I really didn't know. I've always been farming in the countryside and have never done anything wrong."
The Imperial Noble Consort shouted loudly, "Someone must be deliberately framing me!"
The emperor glared at her and said angrily, "Even now, you're still trying to argue!"
Just then, Zhou Yuan, who had been silent all along, woke up and was helped in by the guards.
Zhou Yuan was also shocked by the scene before him.
Although there had been some clues suggesting the existence of such a person, this person was either in disguise or truly looked exactly like him.
He also used his position to commit illicit acts with Li Anyang, but unfortunately, he could not find this person.
He was ambushed in his mother's palace today, and he was sure it was this person who had done it. But who was his accomplice? Could it be his mother? Why would she scheme against him like this? All sorts of thoughts kept swirling in Zhou Yuan's mind.
The emperor hurriedly asked, "Brother Yuan, how are you feeling?"
Zhou Yuan shook his head slightly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am now fine. But... what exactly happened?"
Su Yinyin looked at Zhou Yuan with a probing gaze, secretly thinking, "I wonder if Zhou Yuan is genuinely ignorant, pretending, or just playing dumb!"
The man who resembled Zhou Yuan suddenly looked terrified upon seeing him and cried out, "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life!"
Zhou Yuan frowned and asked in confusion, "Why are you so afraid of me?"
The man glanced at the Imperial Noble Consort, then quickly lowered his head and stammered, "I dare not say, I dare not say..."
Su Yinyin said, "If you tell the truth, His Majesty will surely protect you."
The emperor nodded and solemnly said, "I hereby promise that I will protect you completely."
After hesitating for a long time, the man finally mustered up his courage and said, "It was the nanny from the Empress Dowager's side who found me...!"
The man stammered, "Your Highness, I was forced into this. Someone threatened me to impersonate you..."
The Imperial Noble Consort shouted, "Shut up! Stop talking nonsense!"
The Emperor said coldly, "Your Highness, do not interrupt!"
The man continued, "When I was ten years younger, I was abducted from my home by human traffickers and sold to the Dowager Princess."
There were about ten others who looked almost exactly like me. We were placed in a manor on the outskirts of Beijing. We were forced to study non-stop every day.
We are to be made to imitate the prince's words and actions, and we are also to be given poison on schedule. If we disobey, we will be tortured to death by the poison.
In the days that followed, anyone whose appearance, height, or weight differed even slightly from the Regent was eliminated. In the end, only two people survived, one of whom was me.
Upon hearing this, the emperor was furious and slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming, "How could the Empress Dowager be so ruthless?"
The Imperial Noble Consort collapsed to the ground, screaming hysterically, "You're talking nonsense! You're spouting lies!"
The emperor roared, "The evidence is irrefutable, how dare you deny it!"
Zhou Yuan's face turned ashen, and he said with deep sorrow, "Mother, how could you do such a thing?"
The Imperial Noble Consort cried out, "Yuan'er, your mother did all this for you!"
Su Yinyin said, "Your Highness, do you think such an absurd reason can be convincing?"
The Imperial Noble Consort glared fiercely at Su Yinyin and cursed, "It's all because of you, you vile woman, who caused all this trouble!"
The emperor roared, "Enough! The Empress Dowager has committed such a grave error. From this day forward, she shall be confined to the Cold Palace to reflect on her actions!"
Su Yinyin spoke up to stop him, saying, "Wait, Your Majesty, we haven't asked about Li Anyang's matter yet. I think we should invite Li Anyang himself to come and assess it. Oh, and we should also invite Prime Minister Li himself to come."
Upon hearing Su Yinyin's words, the Emperor nodded in agreement: "Did you hear what the Princess said? Go and see if Li Anyang has woken up yet. If he hasn't, you must find a way to wake him up for me."