The night is as dark as ink, deep and tranquil, with dim lights flickering within the palace.
In the imperial study, candle flames flickered, casting shadows on Emperor Xuanwu's furrowed brow and his tightly clenched petitions.
At this moment, the moon's shadow quietly appeared. He stood before the imperial desk, respectfully knelt down and saluted, "Your Majesty, Moon Shadow has something to report."
Emperor Xuanwu raised his head and looked through the flickering candles, directly at Moon Shadow, "I did not order you to secretly follow Master Xuanqi's whereabouts. Why did you return so suddenly? Must there be some news?"
Moon Shadow nodded slightly, raised his head and looked at Emperor Xuanwu. His tone was excited, "Your Majesty, Moon Shadow has indeed made an important discovery. Moon Shadow trailed Master Xuanqi all the way to Lin Village. It was only then that Moon Shadow discovered Yun Yan hiding in Lin Village and marrying a man and having children. Master Xuanqi and Yun Yan spoke for a long time in the room. Moon Shadow did manage to overhear some key information."
Hearing this, Emperor Xuanwu halted his brush in his hand, and the ink dropped onto the petition, but he was completely unaware of it.
He stared at Moon Shadow intently, eagerly asking, "Continue."
Moon Shadow took a deep breath, did not dare to conceal, said the process of hearing what they said truthfully.
Hearing that Xuanqi was the son they had borne with the Empress and her Consort, Emperor Xuanwu was extremely emotional. He had thought that he had died, but unexpectedly, he was still alive and had become a great monk.
"Moon Shadow, is this absolutely true? The identity of Master Xuanqi has not been mistaken?"
Though his emotions were overwhelming and hard to control, he asked in a low voice, as the matter was of great significance.
Moon Shadow nodded seriously, "Your Majesty, Moon Shadow was indeed hiding in the shadows at the time, but I did witness Master Xuanqi pulling out a jade pendant with dragon patterns, which is exactly the same as the ones worn by the princes in the palace and also by Prince Taizong."
Emperor Xuanwu felt a mix of emotions—joy at regaining his lost son, anger over the past events, "My Consort, it turned out that she did not die of childbirth; instead, she was poisoned by a bowl of ginseng soup."
As he said this, his voice was already choked up.
"Where is Yun Yan? Where is she?"
Emperor Xuanwu shifted the topic and asked again.
Moon Shadow replied truthfully, "Yun Yan was brought back by the subordinate and is currently being held in a dungeon."
"Take me to the dungeon."
Emperor Xuanwu said with a frown, "I want to ask about the past myself."
As he spoke, he had already stood up from his throne and was taking his first steps out of the door.
He suddenly remembered something and instructed Moon Shadow, "Quickly have someone go to Wanfo Temple to verify it. Check if the baby is truly Xuanqi."
Although the matter is almost certain, it's still necessary to confirm it. The royal bloodline cannot be mixed up.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Moon Shadow respectfully accepted the order.
He gestured to summon someone over and instructed him to hurry to Wanfo Temple for verification.
Later, he led Emperor Xuanwu to the dungeon to see Yun Yan.
In the dungeon, the candlelight was dim, and the shadows flickered. The air was filled with dampness and mildew.
Yun Yan was confined to a dark cell, her clothes tattered, and her face wan and haggard.
Seeing Emperor Xuanwu and Moon Shadow, she slightly hesitated, then lowered her head as if she had already expected them to come.
"Yun Yan, look up."
Emperor Xuanwu stopped in front of Yun Yan, his voice low and authoritative.
Yun Yan slowly raised her head, her gaze meeting Emperor Xuanwu's. For a moment, it felt like she had traveled back in time to when she was still in the palace all those years ago.
Her voice was hoarse, "Your Majesty, you've finally arrived."
"Tell me, what exactly happened back then?"
Emperor Xuanwu's gaze was sharp as a knife, as if it was trying to pierce through Yun Yan's heart, straight to the hidden secret.
Yun Yan had expected Emperor Xuanwu to ask, and so she calmly recounted the past.
"Your Majesty, the truth of the matter is as follows. Although I didn't know who killed the Consort, I've had a suspicion for many years that this had something to do with the Empress."
Emperor Xuanwu furrowed his brow and asked, "The Empress? Why?"
Yun Yan's face turned pale and she smiled, "Your Majesty loved the Consort so much, but she was trapped by something the night before she gave birth and couldn't return to the palace. And who suggested that Her Majesty the Empress go to Five Taishan to pray for blessings? Finally, who ordered that the child be saved rather than the mother, leading to her death from excessive bleeding?"
Her gaze met Emperor Xuanwu's eyes, and her voice was filled with emotion as she continued:
"Your Majesty, Your love for the Consort is not wrong. The mistake is that Your Majesty doesn't know how to protect the Consort. Your love for her is like a sweet knife covered in honey, but there are so many women in the palace, and the Empress is also your wife. You treat them like air, not even looking at them, with only the Consort in your eyes. Have you ever thought about their feelings?"
Tears streamed down Yun Yan's face as her emotion escalated, her voice becoming shrill, "To put it bluntly, the Consort was killed by Your Majesty. It was Your love that killed her."
She didn't know where she found the courage; she just felt a burst of anger in her heart. It was unbearable to keep it inside.
"Was it You who killed the Consort?"
Emperor Xuanwu, after hearing Yun Yan's words, paled and staggered backward, swaying as if he were about to fall. His face was twisted in pain and regret.
"Your Majesty, are you all right?"
Behind him, Moon Shadow was shocked and quickly reached out to support him, worried that he might fall.
"I'm fine…"
Emperor Xuanwu shook his head and looked back at Yun Yan, his voice slightly hoarse: "Even if I am at fault, the person who harmed the Consort cannot go free. Yun Yan, do you have any evidence pointing to the Empress?"
Yun Yan remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head: "Your Majesty, I have no solid evidence, just long-standing speculation. However, there are indeed many clues pointing to the Empress in those events."
Emperor Xuanwu furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought.
Moon Shadow stepped forward suddenly and said softly, "Your Majesty, the verification at Wanfo Temple has not returned yet, and Prince Taizong is also investigating this matter. Perhaps we should wait for more clues before making a decision."
Emperor Xuanwu nodded slightly and looked at Yun Yan again, "You have saved my son's life, and I will not mistreat you. However, for now, you cannot be released from the dungeon. You should stay here until the matter is resolved. After this is over, I will let you go."
After saying this, he turned and left the dungeon, with Moon Shadow closely following behind.
Returning to the Imperial Study, Emperor Xuanwu's mind was unsettled.
He recalled all the past events with his Consort, filled with sorrow and anger, as well as deep self-blame.
"Moon Shadow, send someone to secretly investigate the Empress's every move. No detail should be overlooked."
Emperor Xuanwu's expression was fierce, and his voice was as cold as ice.
Moon Shadow respectfully accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty."
After saying this, he respectfully withdrew and quickly set about arranging the investigation into the Empress.
Alone in the Imperial Study, Emperor Xuanwu pondered. He remembered the tenderness and kindness of the Consort during her lifetime, remembered their happy times together, and felt more and more sorrowful and blameworthy.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuwei ultimately failed to catch up with Master Xuanqi and decided to seek help at Wanfo Temple instead.
After leaving Lin Village, Master Xuanqi did not return to Wanfo Temple; instead, he directly headed for Lianhua County.
After being away for so long, he wondered how she and the two children were doing.
He smiled gently as he thought about it, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.
After days of journeying, Master Xuanqi finally returned to Lianhua County, dusty and weary. His steps were hurried, but they could not conceal his longing for home.
"Zhou Elder, I'm back."
Master Xuanqi lightly knocked on the door, his expression betraying a subtle sense of urgency.
Zhou Elder, upon hearing the knock, hurried out and opened the door. Seeing Master Xuanqi, the confusion in his eyes was impossible to hide as he asked anxiously, "Master, weren't you going to the capital? How come you're back so soon..."
His words were hesitant, as if he were searching for the right words.
The lady had been feverishly involved with Gongzi Du Lu these past few days, engaging in passionate and unrestrained sexual activities day and night. The intense noises made even an old man like him blush and feel his heart race.
But Master Xuanqi returned at this time...
Master Xuanqi noticed Zhou Elder's unusual behavior and furrowed his brow, "Zhou Elder, is there something wrong at home? Why do you look so worried?"
Zhou Elder hurriedly shook his head and his anxiety only intensified, "No no no..."
He looked embarrassed and was sweating profusely, but he dared not speak directly, only hemming and hawing, "The lady... she's busy at the moment. It's probably not convenient for you to see her."
Although there was some doubt in Master Xuanqi's heart, he thought that Yao Er needed to take care of the children and handle the shop's business, so he didn't dwell on it and instead said, "Then I'll go see the children first."
As he spoke, he lifted his foot and entered the courtyard, heading directly to Yu Yao's room.
The children had always been with her, so he moved instinctively in that direction.
Zhou Elder watched Master Xuanqi heading in the direction of the lady's courtyard and felt scared out of his wits.
The lady was currently in the room engaging in intimate activities with Gongzi Du Lu. It had been quite a while since she emerged, and he wondered how a young man could have so much energy.
If Master Xuanqi went there at this moment, the situation would be impossible to handle.
Zhou Elder's expression was panic-stricken, and he quickly stepped forward to pull him back. His reminder was somewhat awkward, "Master... the young master and miss are in the lady's room right now, and she is watching them."
Master Xuanqi was slightly taken aback, but he didn't think much about it. He simply assumed that Yao Er had something to do and left the children in the care of Aunt Zhou.
He turned his steps and walked towards Aunt Zhou's residence.
Zhou Elder saw this and breathed a sigh of relief, silently praying that the lady would finish her intimate matter as soon as possible.
He pondered for a moment and still felt it was better to go remind her.
But just as he reached the doorway of the lady's courtyard, he heard the intense noises inside, which made him blush and his heart race.
His old face turned red, and he could only force himself to walk into the courtyard, where the noises inside became clearer and clearer.
He felt so embarrassed that he didn't know how to put his hands and feet.
"H cough cough... Lady, Master Xuanqi has returned."
He lightly knocked on the door and whispered the reminder inside.
