strictlysupreme Chapter 222 The Truth
Chapter 222 The Truth
In a small garden, a maid was kneeling. Qiao Qingshu sat in front of a stone bench and slowly asked,
"Are you the maid who serves Young Master Xiao during his bath?"
The little girl nodded and said...
"Yes, this servant serves the young master bathing and changing clothes every day."
"Do you know if Second Master has any birthmarks on his back?"
The little maid suddenly smiled and said,
"Second Master's back is smooth and white, there's nothing there, not even a mole."
Qiao Qingshu immediately pulled a hairpin from her hair and held it to the maid's face, saying fiercely,
"If you don't tell the truth, I'll scratch your face."
His tone was icy and terrifying, so frightening that the little maid trembled and collapsed to the ground, her skirt instantly becoming half-wet.
She said, trembling.
“It’s the truth! It’s the truth, Madam. I wouldn’t dare lie to you. I swear on my life that there’s really nothing on Second Master’s back. If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death.”
Seeing that the honest little maid didn't seem like someone who was lying, he put the dagger away.
But is it really not true?
Qiao Qingshu was still a little unsure; she could only believe it if she saw it with her own eyes.
that day.
She waited specifically on the road that Xiao Chengyan always took. As soon as Xiao Chengyan arrived, she hid behind the artificial hill and had her maid, Wanqiu, pretend to be looking for something by the roadside.
Upon seeing that it was Wanqiu, Xiao Chengyan, who had always admired her charming appearance, couldn't resist going up to strike up a conversation.
"What are you looking for? You seem so lost in thought."
Wanqiu turned her head in shock and said,
"Young Master, don't go any further. I just saw a huge poisonous spider crawling around, and it scared me so much that my face turned white. I don't know where it went now."
Upon hearing that it was just a spider, Xiao Chengyan couldn't help but laugh. After all, she was a woman, yet she was afraid of such things.
"I'm not afraid of these things."
After saying that, she was about to walk forward when Wanqiu cried out in fear again.
"That spider is poisonous, Young Master is really brave."
Xiao Chengyan was also in a hurry to leave, so he ignored her and walked straight ahead. He had only taken a couple of steps when he heard a delicate cry.
"Ah! Young Master San! It's on your back! Oh dear, it's crawled inside! It's crawled inside your clothes."
Xiao Chengyan was startled and jumped up, shaking his clothes.
Late autumn continues its incessant clamor.
"It crawled into my lower back! I saw it! It crawled in! That spider is poisonous!"
Xiao Chengyan was also startled. He quickly jumped up, unbuttoned his outer garment, and lifted his inner garment at the back of his waist, looking at Wanqiu in horror as he said...
"Look, where is it? Is it still there?!"
Late Autumn teased him for a while before shouting,
"It shook off, it shook off, and it ran into the bushes."
Qiao Qingshu, standing behind the artificial hill, carefully observed Xiao Chengyan's back and saw it clearly.
Xiao Chengyan's back was completely white, with absolutely nothing on it.
Was Xiao Chengyan's birthmark from his previous life added on later?
Qiao Qingshu finally frowned deeply and muttered to herself, "It really was Xiao Chengyan who was behind this."
She slowly sat down on a rock in the artificial hill and began to try to figure out what had happened.
Many of the questions that I had before have now been answered.
No wonder that at the banquet during the Imperial Concubine's visit home, the Imperial Concubine Xiande looked at Xiao Zhijie with such captivating eyes, but was indifferent to Xiao Chengyan.
She was puzzled at first, since Xiao Chengyan was a prince, Consort Xiande should have been moved by him.
Later, Madam Xiao was extremely reluctant to let Xiao Zhijie join the army. If he were truly an illegitimate son, why would the old lady be so heartbroken and troubled by him?
It seems that the real prince was actually Xiao Zhijie. The eldest son's family must have learned of this secret later. After Consort Xiande died, there was naturally no way to verify it.
The eldest son then pushed Xiao Chengyan forward, replacing Xiao Zhijie as a prince, who would later become the emperor of the Southern Zhao Kingdom.
The real prince, however, died on the northwestern battlefield, his body never to be found...
Qiao Qingshu felt a sense of clarity and understanding. She stood up resolutely and walked towards her courtyard.
On the way, they met Princess Yongxian, who was dressed neatly and about to go out.
Qiao Qingshu quickly took two steps back, intending to let the princess go first, but then she saw Yongxian stop and say...
"Hey, Qingshu, what are you doing?"
Qiao Qingshu said with a smile,
"Nothing much, just browsing around."
Princess Yongxian grasped his hand and said...
"Since there's nothing else, come with me back to the palace for a while. My mother said that a batch of fresh fruit from a foreign country has entered the palace, and she wants me to go and pick some myself. You can come with me."
Qiao Qingshu wanted to refuse, but when she thought about being able to see Consort Xiande in the palace, she couldn't help but nod.
The two rode together in Princess Yongxian's phoenix sedan chair and entered the palace without any hindrance. As they were about to get off the sedan chair and cross the Imperial Garden, Qiao Qingshu said that she had a stomachache and needed to relieve herself.
Yongxian was eager to eat the fruit, so she waved her hand and told her to go by herself, and called a little palace maid to accompany her.
Qiao Qingshu entered the room, then went around through the back door and headed towards Consort Xiande's palace. Having lived in this palace for several years in her previous life, she was extremely familiar with every plant and tree here, so she walked very quickly.
She had been summoned to the palace by Consort Xiande before the New Year to receive a reward, so she naturally knew where Consort Xiande's palace was.
A young eunuch stopped her at the entrance of Fengyi Palace, glaring at her and saying...
"What are you doing!"
Qiao Qingshu smiled and took out the jade pendant that Consort Xiande had given her last time.
"I am Qiao Qingshu, the adopted daughter of the Imperial Concubine. I have come today to pay my respects to Her Highness the Imperial Concubine. I hope you will grant me permission."
After saying that, he chuckled and stuffed a silver ingot into the eunuch's hand.
The eunuch was naturally delighted and happily went in to announce the arrival. Soon after, he led Qiao Qingshu inside.
Upon entering the room, she saw Consort Xiande sitting at the kang table playing chess by herself. When she saw her, she waved for her to come over.
"Little girl, how did you end up in the palace today? You're quite something, managing to find your way here all by yourself. Didn't Zhijie come with you?"
Qiao Qingshu slowly approached and knelt down to pay her respects. Consort Xiande warmly helped her up and pointed to the opposite side, saying...
"Sit down and play the next game with me."
Qiao Qingshu slowly sat down, looking at the dignified and natural-looking imperial concubine before her. Her Adam's apple bobbed a thousand times before she finally spoke, asking her question.
"Your Majesty, Zhijie is your biological child, isn't she?"
The chess piece between his fingers suddenly fell onto the chessboard, disrupting the existing game.
A moment of panic flashed in Consort Xiande's eyes, but perhaps because she was too experienced and intelligent, the panic disappeared in an instant.
But Qiao Qingshu still noticed the change in the Consort's expression; it turned out that Xiao Zhijie really was her biological son.
The Imperial Concubine's eye twitched involuntarily. She took a deep breath before slowly speaking.
"Who told you that, kid?"
His tone carried a mocking smile, clearly indicating that he was trying to cover something up.
Qiao Qingshu, however, had no intention of beating around the bush any longer, and simply said in a serious tone,
"The truth will eventually come out, Your Majesty. Have you thought about what will happen in the future?"