Emperor Mingxi narrowed his eyes, growing increasingly curious about why some could hear the mysterious voices while others couldn’t.
Apart from being human, there seemed to be no other commonality among those who could hear them.
Take today’s incident, for example—though it involved all three people present, only Lady Feng had heard the voices. Previous instances had also shown that not everyone mentioned in the voices could hear them.
Emperor Mingxi silently hoped the person he had sent for would arrive soon. If no pattern was discovered before the Longevity Festival, he feared even foreign envoys might start hearing them!
Meanwhile, Lady Feng, her head lowered, gradually steadied her mind. Upon reflection, she suddenly realized she should have recognized the female voice—it was none other than the voice of the Junior Mentor, Yue Fuguang, whom she had once heard during the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet!
As for the younger, more childlike voice, this was her first time hearing it.
What was even more eerie was that aside from the Junior Mentor, there wasn’t a single child present in the hall.
Lady Feng shuddered involuntarily, her thoughts inevitably drifting toward the supernatural—more toward ghosts than deities, judging by her terrified expression.
Moreover, the mysterious voice had mentioned Prince Qi’s rebellion and her daughter’s involvement. A chilling dread seeped into her bones, freezing her to the core.
The Empress’s earlier reaction, along with the composed expressions of the imperial family, made it clear that the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and even the Crown Prince had all heard the voice.
Yet, unlike her, they showed no surprise—meaning this wasn’t their first time. Connecting this to Yue Fuguang’s sudden rise in favor, the reason was obvious.
"As a mother, Princess Consort Qi understands her daughter less than Prince Qi does?"
[Princess Consort Qi is a second wife. The first Princess Consort died in childbirth during her first delivery. The current Princess Consort Qi and Prince Qi had been married for many years but only had one daughter, Xie Zhiyao.
Naturally, she doted on her, but Xie Zhiyao was a born schemer and ambitious to the core. The kind-hearted Princess Consort Qi could never see eye-to-eye with her own daughter.
Without a son, her influence in Prince Qi’s household was even weaker than her daughter’s and that of the wife of Prince Qi’s heir.]
"How much does she know about Prince Qi’s rebellion?"
Yue Fuguang deliberately asked this, hoping to salvage something for the poor woman.
[She knows nothing. In fact, among Prince Qi’s household, aside from the children, she is the only one completely in the dark.]
"Isn’t Prince Qi’s heir, Xie Zhiting, Princess Consort Qi’s son? Was he the child of the first Princess Consort?"
[No. Though Xie Zhiting holds the status of the legitimate heir, he isn’t the child of the main wife. He was born two years after Lady Feng became Princess Consort Qi, the son of Prince Qi’s favored concubine.
At the time, Princess Consort Qi had not conceived in two years. After Xie Zhiting’s birth, she finally became pregnant with Xie Zhiyao. However, a difficult delivery left her body weakened, and the imperial physician declared she would likely never conceive again.
Using this as justification, Prince Qi had the one-year-old Xie Zhiting registered under her name.]
"And Princess Consort Qi just agreed? Another difficult birth? Was Prince Qi behind this too?"
Lady Feng thought to herself—she hadn’t wanted to agree at first. But her lord adored this son who resembled him so much. To ensure she would accept the child, he proposed a ruthless plan.
[Eliminate the mother, keep the child—this was Prince Qi’s decision to secure the heir’s legitimacy under Princess Consort Qi’s name. As for the difficult birth, Prince Qi likely took inspiration from the first Princess Consort’s death in childbirth.
He did instruct the midwife to tamper with the delivery!]
Hearing this, Princess Consort Qi swayed on her feet. So, it had all been Xie Qi’s scheme!
He had ruined her health, ensuring she could never bear another child, just to secure a noble status for his son.
If that was the case, why had he even married her? After the first Princess Consort’s death, why not simply wed his favored concubine, Lady Hu?
If she recalled correctly, she and Lady Hu had entered the household around the same time.
Lady Feng laughed bitterly to herself. She had always pitied Lady Hu, never wanting to tear mother and son apart or condemn them to a life-and-death separation over a mere title.
If she wanted to raise a child, there were plenty of other concubines in Prince Qi’s household to choose from.
But alas, though she was Princess Consort Qi, from the moment she married into the household, she had wielded little real authority.
"Eliminate the mother, keep the child—but didn’t you say Xie Zhiting’s birth mother was Prince Qi’s favored concubine? He was willing to kill even his favorite?"
[The ‘elimination’ was just a lie to deceive Princess Consort Qi. The concubine was said to have died of illness, but in truth, she went into hiding.
She now lives in a grand four-courtyard mansion, managing Prince Qi’s covert assets and contributing to his rebellion.
Xie Zhiting knew about the ‘elimination’ scheme, which is why he remained cold toward his nominal mother.
In truth, he simply didn’t want to fulfill his filial duties. He used this to manipulate Princess Consort Qi, constantly reminding her of the past to guilt her into showering him with favors.
By the age of five, he already knew his birth mother was alive.
She lived comfortably under Prince Qi’s protection, even more luxuriously than Princess Consort Qi.
Xie Zhiyao had also known since she was twelve.
Instead of telling her mother, she used the secret as leverage to join Prince Qi’s rebellion.]
"Prince Qi’s household is a den of wolves! What if we find a way to have Princess Consort Qi divorce him?"
[Does Master pity Princess Consort Qi?]
"A little. This woman has suffered too much. Her only daughter is heartless. Others reap the benefits, while she’s left to perish alongside these scoundrels—hardly fair!"
[Master, there’s even worse I haven’t mentioned yet.]
"Then say it now!"
Hearing this, Emperor Mingxi knew he had to say something to break the unnatural silence in the hall.
"Prince Qi, whether this is true or not, I’ve already sent men to investigate. Results will come soon. For now, step aside and wait."
Just then, the palace maid Yuqiu entered with trays of pastries. The Empress Dowager gestured for Yue Fuguang to help herself.
For a moment, the four imperial family members and Yue Fuguang sat enjoying tea and pastries, while the three below could only watch.
The system’s voice spoke again:
[The reason Lady Feng was able to marry Prince Qi as his second wife was because her father was a lieutenant general, commanding an army of over ten thousand.
At the time, the old emperor was still alive. Though Prince Qi was an overlooked son, as a descendant of the imperial line, he still harbored ambitions for the throne.
Aside from support from civil officials, military power was crucial. He set his sights on families with military influence, and after much deliberation, the Feng family was the best he could secure at the time.
Marriage was the most effective way to solidify their alliance. So, after his first Princess Consort died in childbirth, he proposed to Lady Feng—who was already betrothed to another.]
"And Lady Feng just agreed?"
[It was the Feng family who agreed, not Lady Feng.]
