They stepped into Wutong Yuan, and Li Qing arrived right behind them.
Holding a blood-stained envelope, his expression was grave. "Reporting to His Highness, this is a secret dispatch from Shen Tang Zhou, concerning Consort Ye."
Feng Xi Wu took it and upon reading, his calm expression completely fractured.
Lu Qing Wan, with a questioning gaze, leaned in to look and was also greatly shocked. "Consort Ye's ancestors were royalty of Nan Zhao, and she is a direct descendant of the Medicine King Valley? In that case, you were poisoned, and she was aware of it all along, wasn't she?"
She recalled that when she was at the Medicine King Valley, Liu Ru Yan had only glanced at Feng Xi Wu once and recognized he was afflicted with the Qing Jiang Symbiotic Poison. Consort Ye, as a descendant of Nan Zhao royalty and so close to Feng Xi Wu, would not have known?
Feng Xi Wu's face was grim, and he remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Lu Qing Wan dared not speak rashly to disturb him. Meanwhile, Li Yang said indignantly, "Of course she knew. The shaman she introduced to detoxify His Highness back then, perhaps it was at her instigation that the shaman administered this Qing Jiang Symbiotic Poison and the Ice Silkworm Toxin."
Li Yang's words were impulsive, yet the usually calm Li Jin and Li Qing did not stop him. Clearly, they agreed with Li Yang's assessment.
Lu Qing Wan was not surprised by the truth revealed in Li Yang's angry outburst. She merely felt a pang of sympathy for Feng Xi Wu, the pain of being harmed by someone he regarded as a mother could not be described with mere sadness.
She waved her hand at Li Qing and the others. "You all may leave. Whatever monumental matter it is, we can discuss it tomorrow." A night's time should be enough for Feng Xi Wu to make a more rational decision.
Li Qing and the others quietly withdrew. As Lu Qing Wan was about to offer Feng Xi Wu a few words of comfort, he spoke first.
"Today, the ministers jointly submitted a memorial to my imperial brother, requesting the establishment of a Crown Prince. What do you think my imperial brother's reaction would be if he knew that neither Prince Ning nor Prince Jing can have heirs for the Great Yan dynasty?"
As an emperor, one must not only govern the nation and protect the realm but also ensure the imperial family's continuation, guaranteeing a successor for the throne. Yet, Consort Ye, by her own hand, had ruined two strong contenders for the Crown Prince. Even though Lu Qing Wan had only transmigrated recently, she knew that someone without offspring could not be made Crown Prince. Prince Ning and Prince Jing were out. As sons of the emperor, Prince Chen was unharmed. She couldn't help but ask, "Consort Ye targeted Prince Ning and Prince Jing, presumably for revenge against His Majesty, right? But Feng Qing Heng is also His Majesty's child; why did she not target Feng Qing Heng? Also, Prince Jing is the eighth prince. Where are the princes and princesses before him?"
This was a question she had wanted to ask for a long time but always forgot. Prince Ning was the eldest son, Prince Chen the third, and Prince Jing the eighth. It was one thing that the princes and princesses in between had never appeared, but for the Great Qian imperial family to have had no new imperial heirs in the fifteen years since Prince Jing's birth, that was too strange. Lu Qing Wan suddenly had a horrifying thought. "Could it be that His Majesty, like Prince Jing, suffers from azoospermia?"
Feng Xi Wu's face darkened as he defended his imperial brother's purity. "The Second Princess, Fourth Princess, and Fifth Princess were married off to vassal states and provincial territories. The Sixth Prince and Seventh Prince died in infancy. Consort Ye and Xu Zhi Huan had not yet met at that time."
Lu Qing Wan pursed her lips. "Then how do you explain that in the fifteen years after the Eighth Prince's birth, no imperial concubine in the palace gave birth to an heir?"
Feng Xi Wu: ...
"Tomorrow, you will accompany me to the palace and find an opportunity to take the pulse of my imperial brother and Prince Chen again."
Lu Qing Wan's eyes widened. "If Prince Chen can still conceive an heir, does that mean he is the only one who can inherit the throne?"
Feng Xi Wu nodded helplessly. "In principle, that is indeed the case."
Lu Qing Wan leaped up. "Impossible. You know he nearly killed me. I absolutely will not allow him to become emperor with smug satisfaction. Otherwise, what was the point of all the suffering I endured?" Feng Qing Heng and Lu Si Wan were the culprits who caused the original body's death. Lu Si Wan had long since returned to dust. Feng Qing Heng was still alive, merely due to his special status. Lu Qing Wan knew her own strength was insufficient to kill him anytime soon. She could allow Feng Qing Heng to live a little longer, but she would never allow him to become emperor and live a carefree life with smug satisfaction. Having occupied the original body, if she couldn't even avenge her, she feared she would have nightmares.
"Calm yourself." Feng Xi Wu held her down. "I do not agree with Prince Chen inheriting the throne either, but you must understand that Prince Ning and Prince Jing are no longer capable of having heirs. They can never be made Crown Prince. Only Prince Chen can inherit the throne, unless..."
Lu Qing Wan, understanding implicitly, answered quickly, "Unless I can cure Prince Ning and Prince Jing's ailments?"
Feng Xi Wu shook his head. "Unless I break my word and seize the imperial throne that rightfully belongs to Prince Chen." Such a shocking statement would have sent anyone else into a state of utter terror. Lu Qing Wan, however, remained remarkably calm. "But you will not break your word, nor will you seize his throne, is that right?"
"Yes." Feng Xi Wu's face showed guilt. "This is a debt I owe to a life-saving benefactor. I promised him that as long as I am the regent of Great Yan, I will never do anything that endangers the empire." Though naturally steady, he rarely appeared so serious with Lu Qing Wan.
Lu Qing Wan unconsciously became solemn as well. "If Prince Ning and Prince Jing's illnesses truly cannot be cured, and you cannot be emperor, then must I simply watch Feng Qing Heng ascend to a high position and flaunt his power before me?" In that moment, Lu Qing Wan contemplated eight hundred ways to poison Feng Qing Heng without Feng Xi Wu discovering it.
However, Feng Xi Wu's words suppressed all her violent thoughts. He said, "Can the revenge wait a little longer? I guarantee Feng Qing Heng will suffer a punishment far more agonizing than losing the throne. It may just be a little later than you think, and he will first get his wish."
Lu Qing Wan was confused. "What do you mean?"
"The promise I made, I will naturally keep, but I will not let go of those who wronged you. However, preventing him from obtaining the throne is too easy for him. First, I will lift him to the clouds, let him personally experience the supreme power of the throne, and then let him fall into the mud. Do you not think that would be more satisfying?" He spoke with frankness, and after saying these words, he directly added, "Of course, ultimately, it's because I need some time to fulfill my promise. Right now, I might need your help. My Princess Consort, can you help me this once?"
Never obtaining something is naturally more despairing than losing it after obtaining it. Lu Qing Wan wholeheartedly agreed with Feng Xi Wu's plan for revenge. However, "The promise that Your Highness values so highly, may I know who it is?" To watch her husband support her enemy to become emperor, she at least needed to understand why.