Chapter 372: The Cui Clan’s Eldest Daughter
Empress Dowager Cining had been sold into slavery when she was very young and had eventually made her way into the then Prince Donghai’s manor. She could not remember anything about her family situation, and wasn’t even certain whether her surname Wang was real.
She thought the trail had gone cold and it would be impossible to find her family again, so she had never made any attempts.
Someone was keeping this matter in mind for the Emperor’s birth mother.
After receiving Prince Donghai’s reminder, Marchioness Ping’en did not return directly to the Capital after she had left Jincheng City . Instead, she made a detour to Donghai. With the help of the Cui clan and her husband’s family’s influence, she received excellent treatment. Although she was a woman, she could still wield considerable power, though she needed to work through the local officials’ wives to relay messages.
Donghai had just recovered from rebellion and was eager to rebuild. It was particularly anxious to curry favor with the court, so the arrival of Marchioness Ping’en was seen by local officials as a hint, assuming this was all at the behest of the Emperor and his birth mother.
Marchioness Ping’en naturally did not clarify this, but she made two demands: first, secrecy – no one was to mention this to anyone; second, all leads must be sent to her first, and only after receiving her confirmation could they be reported up the chain of command.
The officials understood tacitly. The Emperor’s birth mother had an unclear background, and if they ultimately discovered she came from a lowly family, it would be embarrassing. Therefore, they were happy to let Marchioness Ping’en take responsibility.
Progress was not particularly smooth at first – it was like looking for a needle in a haystack with no place to start. They couldn’t publicly post notices, so they could only send out capable agents to make discreet inquiries.
When the Emperor had traveled south from the north, he had stopped in Donghai for one day, causing a sensation. After that, the situation changed, and almost every day people came to the government offices claiming to be the Emperor’s maternal relatives. Their stories were quite complete but couldn’t withstand scrutiny – upon investigation, they were full of holes, and inevitably resulted in beatings as punishment.