Chapter 526
【Exactly! The one who wanted Dayan destroyed naturally supported the faction backing the Sima family, while those who hoped Xie Zhilian would secure the throne were his maternal relatives.
But judging by the outcome, Xie Zhilian’s maternal family clearly failed!
Still, the faction supporting the Sima family didn’t win outright, either.】
“Why does this struggle for the realm look more and more like an internal power struggle within Panshan?”
The others had the same feeling. They had always considered themselves clever and exceptional, but now it seemed that an entire group of them had been toyed with by Panshan. Even the imperial family had been unable to escape its grasp.
“And you said Xie Zhilian’s maternal family? Consort Qin’s family has ties to Panshan as well? To be able to support their own grandson in ascending the throne, they must have held a fairly high position within Panshan!”
【Master, the Eighth Prince wasn’t Consort Qin’s biological son at all. When the Eighth Prince was born, his birth mother, Noble Lady Hu, died in childbirth. At the time, Consort Qin and Noble Lady Hu’s mother lived in the same palace and had a good relationship, so the emperor had Consort Qin adopt Xie Zhilian.】
“What sort of background did the Eighth Prince’s birth mother have?”
At that moment, Xie Zhilian stared at Emperor Mingxi in disbelief, hoping to see a denial on his face.
Emperor Mingxi simply gazed back at him, rigid and silent. Xie Zhilian’s heart lurched.
So it was true. He really wasn’t his mother’s biological child!
【Master, the palace records for Noble Lady Hu state that her father was Hu Zhongting, a minor sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Rites, and her mother was Lady Jiang.
But in truth, she wasn’t the Hu family’s biological daughter.】
“So this is another case of a switched child?”
【Not exactly. Noble Lady Hu was an adopted daughter of the Hu family. Hu Zhongting and Lady Jiang had been married for five years without having any children.
Afterward, he took two more concubines, but the result was the same.】
“So the problem with their infertility lay with Hu Zhongting.”
【Later, they heard someone say that adopting a girl would bring them a son, and that was how they came to have Noble Lady Hu.】
“Was the ‘someone’ they heard that from a member of Panshan? Did they start laying their plans this early?”
【Your guess is correct, Master. The Hu family was a household Panshan had carefully selected, and they were the ones who caused Hu Zhongting’s infertility.
As a result, within half a year of Noble Lady Hu entering the Hu family, Lady Jiang became pregnant and gave birth to a son.】
Yue Fuguang and the system discussed the matter in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, but Emperor Mingxi and the assembled officials were trembling with fear.
Panshan was not only deeply entrenched, with members from every walk of life. They were also masters of long-term schemes, making them nearly impossible to guard against. To uproot them completely would be an exceedingly difficult task.
Yue Fuguang: It’s not difficult. If it were, I wouldn’t have gone straight for their lair long ago!
【And this kind of scheme involved far more than just Noble Lady Hu, and far more than just one country.】
The system’s data shifted. It decided to use this opportunity to reveal to the ruler and officials of Dayan the locations of several important Panshan strongholds that they knew about.
【Look. Panshan’s stronghold in Southern Yue is located right in its capital, Gancheng. The one in Nanzhao is in Baihua City. Dayan’s isn’t in the capital, Shangjing, but it isn’t far away, either. It’s in Pingliang County, about a hundred li from here…】
The system proceeded to recount everything they had learned from searching the souls of Consort Liang, the old nanny by her side, Zhao Quanan, and several others regarding the locations of Panshan’s strongholds.
The minor official disguised as a palace recorder was writing so furiously that sparks seemed to fly from his brush. There was no helping it—the divine artifact had provided far too many details.
It had clearly explained who belonged to Panshan, exactly where the strongholds were, what mechanisms and traps they contained, where their treasure vaults were hidden, and how many people guarded them.
Emperor Mingxi and his officials exchanged a glance. If they simply followed the divine artifact’s instructions, how much trouble would they be spared?
Yue Fuguang: I don’t know whether the emperor and the others will have an easier time, but not having to do anything myself certainly makes things easier for me.
“All right, I don’t want to hear any more about that. Let’s get back to Little Eight and continue digging into the imperial family’s secrets.”
System: Pretend all you like. If you didn’t want to know, you wouldn’t have waited until I finished before telling me to stop!
【Master, Noble Lady Hu was able to enter the palace and become one of Emperor Mingxi’s consorts because Panshan exerted influence behind the scenes. At the time, the old emperor was on the verge of death. He doted on Prince Rong and wanted to give him the throne.
In the end, however, he failed to outmaneuver the Crown Prince—the current Emperor Mingxi.
In fact, both of them had members of Panshan backing them at the time. Although the Panshan faction behind Prince Rong failed to defeat the emperor, they still preserved a bloodline for him when he fell.
As for the Panshan faction behind Emperor Mingxi, this was when they sent Noble Lady Hu into the palace.】
By now, Emperor Mingxi and the officials were not only trembling with fear—they were breaking out in cold sweats.
Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that Panshan had also meddled in Dayan’s struggle for the throne. Their unseen hands truly reached everywhere.
“Panshan really is impossible to shake off. It’s as though the imperial authority of all six states lies beneath their enormous shadow.”
【Isn’t it? They have long controlled the succession struggles of every country, and this has caused many members of Panshan to develop delusions and selfish ambitions.
They want the one who controls the world to be their own descendant. It is another form of usurping imperial power from within.】
“Are the people of Panshan trying to become parasites?”
【More or less. Noble Lady Hu came about in precisely this way. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth when she gave birth to Xie Zhilian after becoming pregnant through fertility medication. Otherwise, Xie Zhilian would never have grown up as an unnoticed nobody among the imperial princes.】
“If Noble Lady Hu had lived, wouldn’t the imperial harem of Dayan have been even livelier?”
Emperor Mingxi: Who would want that kind of liveliness? Whoever wants it can have it. I certainly don’t!
【After Noble Lady Hu died, the newborn Xie Zhilian was adopted by Consort Qin. The people of Panshan then went into hiding and waited for him to grow up.
Some waited for him to seize the throne and take control of the government. Others waited for him to seize the throne and send Dayan to its destruction.】
“When did Xie Zhilian learn all this?”
【According to the timeline, it should have been when he turned fifteen. That’s only a few months away.】
“He believed it so easily? And what did he do after learning about his true origins?”
【His birth mother, Noble Lady Hu, had been adopted, and the circumstances of his birth were no great secret. Anyone could discover the truth with a little investigation.
Besides, the first people to approach him were his maternal grandfather and uncle. A nephew takes after his uncle, and Xie Zhilian looked very much like his maternal family.
Moreover, Panshan’s notorious reputation had yet to be exposed at that time. His maternal relatives were all old-timers within Panshan, and in terms of influence, they were far more useful than the Hu family.
Unfortunately, he didn’t know that his maternal grandfather’s family had few heirs. Though they were considered Panshan veterans, their actual influence was limited.
That was also why Dayan ultimately fell instead of Xie Zhilian truly securing the throne.】
Yue Fuguang glanced at Xie Zhilian, whose face had already gone deathly pale and whose entire body was trembling.
“However, according to the historical records, during the two years after Xie Zhilian ascended the throne, his actions didn’t exactly resemble those of someone who wanted to secure his position.”
Seeing Xie Zhilian’s expression, Yue Fuguang ultimately swallowed the words “what a foolish emperor” that had nearly escaped her lips.