EBE Chapter 362 The inside story of that year
Chapter 362 The inside story of that year
The Queen Mother lowered her eyes, her kind face filled with sorrow. She looked up at Qin Wan in front of her, "Noble Concubine Wan, you only know about the tragedy of that year, but you don't know the story behind it. The extermination of the Qin family is not what you imagined at all. At the beginning, His Majesty was preparing to appoint a crown prince, and the situation in the court was divided into two, neither willing to give in. And at this time, your brother actually led his troops to break into the palace at night and force His Majesty. His Majesty had no choice but to completely eliminate the Qin family!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Qin Wan clearly didn't believe the Queen Mother's words. "You're just trying to make excuses for yourself. My brother is an upright person. How could he do such a thing?"
"So what if he's aboveboard? Didn't he become someone else's prey due to his impulsiveness? If you don't believe me, you can go check. By the way, I remember that Liu Gongquan should have some knowledge of this matter. Although it's not comprehensive, it can still resolve your doubts."
Qin Wan opened her eyes wide and took two steps back involuntarily. Qingluan supported her in time.
After a while, Qin Wan calmed down and stood up straight. "You said my brother was used by someone, so who was the person who used her in the first place?"
"If I tell you, will you let me go?"
Qin Wan looked at the Queen Mother with disdain, "Sister, why are you going backwards as you grow older? Do you think there's still room for bargaining now?"
The Queen Mother was silent for a moment. "Well, now that things have come to this, there's no need for me to hide it. Back then, it was Yu Zhengsha who instigated your eldest brother to enter the palace!"
"How can this be?!"
Qin Wan was extremely shocked. Yu Zhengsha was just a commander of the Censorate back then. How could he possibly convince her brother?
Seeing Qin Wan's shocked expression, the Queen Mother said seriously, "I know you might not believe this, but this is indeed the truth. Do you know how Yu Zhengsha climbed to the position of Prime Minister?"
"Naturally, the previous Prime Minister was old and frail and had to retire to the countryside, so he recommended Yu Zhengsha."
"That was merely an order issued by the late emperor to appear more presentable. In reality, it was Yu Zhengsha who instigated your eldest brother to abdicate, and then pinned the blame on the former prime minister. Your Majesty had many concerns, and the former prime minister was suddenly poisoned at that time. To avoid the consequences, his family voluntarily resigned on the prime minister's behalf. After that, Yu Zhengsha naturally became prime minister, and he has been so until now."
Qin Wan had never expected the inside story of this. She thought her only enemy was the former queen, but she didn't expect that another person, Yu Zhengsha, was involved!
Qin Wan suddenly remembered that when she was still living among the people, she had heard that Yu Zhengsha was on good terms with her brother. At that time, she did not care too much. After all, Yu Zhengsha had a good reputation and should not harm her brother. At that time, she was trying her best to return to the palace, so she naturally neglected this matter. It was not until the Qin family was massacred that she regretted it.
Qin Wan fell silent. If what the woman in front of her said was true, then she would have to rearrange many things. She would never let go of those who had harmed her family!
"Is that all you have to say?" Qin Wan glanced at the Queen Mother and sneered, "Since you've already said everything you need to say, there's no point in keeping you around! Qingluan!"
"Wait!" The Queen Mother suddenly spoke, her expression remaining unchanged. "Noble Concubine Wan, I know you hate me, but if you kill me now, aren't you worried that your son will die of the poison someday?"
"What do you mean?" Qin Wan was surprised to hear this, but also became more and more angry. She stepped forward, stretched out her hands and grabbed the empress dowager's neck, with murderous intent in her eyes.
The Queen Mother's face gradually turned red and then blue-purple due to difficulty breathing. She held Qin Wan's hands tightly with both hands, but she had no strength because she had not eaten for many days.
The Queen Mother's body began to twitch, and she was about to be strangled to death. Qing Luan stepped forward and said, "Master, don't be impulsive. She can't die now!"
Qin Wan then let go of her hand, and the empress dowager suddenly fell to the ground. There were deep finger marks on her neck, and her expression was a little frightened, a fear of death. Only when she was so close did she realize that she was just a mortal.
"Remember this: right now, I'm the Queen Mother, and one day, I'll return Hui'er's possessions to him. As for the poison you mentioned, I advise you to tell me as soon as possible. Perhaps, I can still leave you with an intact body. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude! I have at least a thousand ways to kill you!"
Qin Wan's tone was cold and her eyes were fierce, which made the Queen Mother afraid. She believed that what Qin Wan said was true.
"Master, let this servant interrogate me next!"
Qin Wan then took two steps back, closed her eyes, and felt a little headache. She was actually very anxious in her heart. It was Hui'er's safety that concerned her, and she couldn't calm down.
Qing Luan took a step forward and looked at the Queen Mother with cold eyes, "You just said that the prince was poisoned, what's going on?"
"Cough cough cough..."
The Queen Mother coughed violently, probably because her throat was injured just now. She was unable to speak for a while, but Qingluan was not in a hurry and just waited patiently.
The Queen Mother seemed to know that she could not escape, so she decided to cooperate with Qin Wan, and maybe she would have a chance to escape.
"Murong Yanhui has been poisoned. He won't live past thirty!"
"when did it happen?"
"You didn't really think I would just do nothing and keep Murong Yanhui here, did you? At the beginning, His Majesty was determined to keep Murong Yanhui here, and I tried to persuade him to no avail, so I had no choice but to compromise. However, I was also worried that Murong Yanhui would threaten Murong Shiling's position in the future, so I added a slow-acting poison to his daily diet."
Qing Luan sternly said, "Impossible! You're lying! I'm responsible for the prince's daily diet. There's no way it could be poisonous."
The Queen Mother suddenly burst into laughter. "Qingluan, although you are smart and quick-witted, and you are very cautious in your actions, you can't be infallible, right? I might as well tell you another secret. There are people from my family living in that small kitchen of yours!"
Qingluan was horrified. No one except her should know that the prince had a special small kitchen, unless it was true as the empress dowager said that there were her people in the small kitchen?
"What kind of poison did you give the prince?"
The Queen Mother kept silent, only looking at Qin Wan with a sneer, "Why? Do you believe what I said now? But, unfortunately, I can't tell you."
"Aren't you afraid that I will kill you?" As Qingluan spoke, a silver hairpin was placed against the empress dowager's neck.
Perhaps because she had already experienced a brush with death before, this time, the Queen Mother didn't even beg for mercy. Instead, she sneered, "If I die, Murong Yanhui will naturally not live past thirty. I'm taking someone with me before I die, and your most beloved son. I don't feel wronged. It's just a pity that you've endured humiliation for so many years, but in the end, you can't even recognize your own son!"
Qin Wan's face turned ugly. She raised her hand to signal Qingluan to remove the hairpin. She then stepped forward and ordered in a cold voice, "Qingluan, from today on, cut off a piece of her flesh every day until she is willing to remove the poison from Hui'er!"
Qingluan put the hairpin back into her head and pulled out a sharp dagger from the boots beside her legs. The sharp and cold tip of the knife gently scratched the empress dowager's face, causing a sudden pain and a bloody smell.
Qing Luan's eyes were icy, and she spoke in a cold voice, "I'm so sorry, my hand just slipped! However, I'm afraid the Empress Dowager's well-maintained face will be ruined. By the way, where should I start?"
The pain made the Queen Mother's face pale. She shouted loudly: "Noble Concubine Wan, you are crazy! You actually resorted to lynching me!"
Qin Wan sneered, "You're right. I'm crazy. I've been crazy since the moment I was framed and became a faceless person. I watched my own child being killed but couldn't recognize him. I watched my family being killed but couldn't take revenge. At that time, I was already crazy!"
The Queen Mother looked at Qin Wan's slightly crazy expression and couldn't help feeling frightened. Looking at the situation, if she didn't think of a way, she might really be tortured to death!
Although the Queen Mother was cruel and ruthless when she was young, perhaps because of this, she has become more and more afraid of death over the years. She is always haunted by nightmares in the middle of the night. It is for this reason that she built a Buddhist temple in the palace and built such a secret room under the temple.
However, she never imagined that one day this place would become the place where she would be imprisoned. Does this count as tying herself up in her own web?
"Queen Mother, I advise you to cooperate with us as soon as possible. The Master has always been kind and benevolent, as you must know."
The Queen Mother gritted her teeth. The wound on her face, exposed to the slightly cold air, seemed even more painful. She could even see some red marks on the silver-white blade out of the corner of her eye. The thought that she might be tortured to death in this way made her feel terrified from the bottom of her heart.
However, after years of being in a high position, the Queen Mother has long been accustomed to hiding her weakness. Moreover, she must negotiate terms with the person in front of her, otherwise, she might really die here.
The Queen Mother lowered her eyes slightly, a gleam of light flashed across her eyes, and when she raised her eyes again, her expression had become much calmer.
"Noble Concubine Wan, I've lived for most of my life and have seen countless intrigues. My hands are already stained with blood. It wouldn't be unfair for me to die at your hands today. However, your son is only in his early twenties and has no offspring. Can you bear to see him die like this? How about we have a deal?"
As soon as the empress dowager finished speaking, she felt a sharp pain in her arm. She screamed subconsciously and turned her head to look. She saw Qingluan cutting her arm with a knife with a cold face.