Yuqiongyin

In the end, Wei Ming made a decision after weighing the pros and cons.

The queen was given a light punishment and imprisoned in the palace. At the same time, a thorough investigation was conducted on the harem and the concubines who participated in framing the queen were severely punished.

The child was brought back to the palace and his identity as a royal bloodline was acknowledged.

Although this decision could not satisfy everyone, it was a relatively balanced solution under the circumstances at the time.

It not only maintained the dignity of the royal family, but also took into account the queen's experience and public opinion, while also stabilizing the situation in the court and the army.

Although the queen received some punishment for giving birth to a child outside the palace, she retained custody of the child, and the child became a strong candidate for the throne.

All of this was part of Xie Chenning's plan, ever since he found out Ming He was pregnant with Wei Ming's child, or even earlier.

He and Wei Ke had already arranged everything. Now they just had to go back to the palace to get evidence of the empress dowager's false will.

*

The night fell over the majestic palace, and the moonlight was faintly visible behind the clouds.

The queen gave birth to a child outside the palace and returned to the palace today. The entire palace seems calm as usual, but in fact there are undercurrents.

This child, like a dazzling yet dangerous pearl, is coveted by all parties.

The Queen's procession slowly drove into the palace gate. Xie Chenning sat in the phoenix sedan chair, looking a little tired.

Living in the Duke Zhenguo's Mansion for several months kept her away from the court disputes, but she was still well aware of the situation in the palace.

The phoenix chariot stopped in front of Kunning Palace, and the palace maids and eunuchs were busy preparing for the Queen's return to the palace.

As soon as Xie Chenning stepped into Kunning Palace, the candlelight flickered, emitting a faint light. Before she had time to rest, she noticed a strange atmosphere.

The air around seemed too quiet, and there was a subtle panic in the eyes of the palace maids.

It seems that someone can't stand it anymore.

Not long after Xie Chenning pretended to be fine and fell asleep, thick smoke rose from the corner of the palace, followed by flames that quickly spread.

The fire was raging, like a devil's tongue, licking every inch of the palace. Thick smoke billowed, filling the sky above the entire palace.

The palace maids and eunuchs screamed and fled in all directions, and the entire Kunning Palace fell into chaos.

"Protect the emperor! Come and protect the emperor!" The shouts of the personal palace maid were drowned out by the roar of the fire.

Xie Chenning put on her coat and covered her mouth and nose in the thick smoke. She knew that this fire was not accidental, but someone must have deliberately started it to kill her.

In this palace, there are too many people who want her life, but the most likely one is the Queen Mother.

In the chaos, Xie Chenning, under the cover of Nanny Lu, ran towards a secret passage in Kunning Palace.

She discovered this secret passage by accident and had never told anyone else. Unexpectedly, it would become her life-saving way today.

In the secret passage, Xie Chenning quickly changed into the ordinary clothes prepared by the palace maids, smeared soot on her face, disguised herself as a palace maid who was escaping, and walked towards the imperial study.

The fire grew more and more intense, and the entire Kunning Palace was almost engulfed in flames, alarming the entire court.

The guards and eunuchs who came to put out the fire ran back and forth, pouring buckets of water on the fire, but it was too late and the fire showed no signs of abating.

After Wei Ming received the news, she and other concubines rushed to the scene, only to see ruins and smoking ruins.

He looked at the raging fire in front of him, his eyes full of shock and anxiety.

"Where's the prince? Where is the prince?!"

An eunuch came over holding the prince, "Your Majesty... the little prince is here."

"Where is the queen? Where is the queen?" Wei Ming took the prince and asked loudly.

The guards and eunuchs shook their heads. They only saw chaos and no trace of the queen.

Wei Ming was extremely anxious. He ignored everyone's attempts to stop him and wanted to rush into the sea of ​​fire to find Xie Chenning.

"Your Majesty, the fire is too big, you can't go in!" The ministers tried to persuade him.

At this time, Wei Ming was holding the prince, full of regret. He knew that the queen might encounter danger when she returned to the palace this time, but he did not expect the danger to come so quickly and so fiercely.

He thought of every moment with the Queen, all the tenderness and companionship they had once shared, which now seemed to be swallowed up by the fire.

The fire burned all night and was finally extinguished at dawn.

The Kunning Palace has become a ruin, and the charred ruins emit a pungent smell.

When the Queen Mother learned that the Queen had died, she was secretly happy, but on the surface she pretended to be heartbroken.

She came to the scene with her maids and eunuchs, pretended to cry, and accused the palace guards of failing to protect the queen.

Wei Ming ordered a thorough investigation of the matter, but the Queen Mother had already destroyed all clues and the investigation came to a standstill.

The Queen Mother pretended to be grief-stricken and claimed that she would raise the prince herself to continue the royal bloodline.

Wei Ming was immersed in the pain of losing the queen and did not notice the empress dowager's abnormality, so he handed the prince to the empress dowager, and she got the prince as she wished.

The queen's body was not found, and there were many rumors in the palace. Some said that the queen had died in the fire, while others said that the queen was lucky and might have escaped.

Wei Ming ordered a thorough investigation of the matter. He suspected that someone in the palace had deliberately set the fire and murdered the queen.

For a time, people in the palace were in panic, and every palace was searched again and again by the guards.

The death of the queen was like a huge rock thrown into a lake. The news of her death in the fire quickly spread throughout the dynasty, causing a huge uproar.

It is said that when they learned the news, the Duke of Zhenguo and his son rushed into the imperial study with knives in hand, demanding justice for Xie Chenning.

All parties were speculating about the queen's life or death, and Xie Chenning was secretly observing their every move.

At the same time, on the other side of the palace, the Queen Mother was smiling triumphantly in the Cining Palace.

"Xie Chenning, you are so smart. Unfortunately, you can't ruin my good deeds."

She had planned the fire, and she was thinking about it.

Now that the prince has been born, she will raise him and make him the next emperor.

*

On the night of the fire, flames shot up into the sky and the entire Kunning Palace was engulfed in flames.

Thick smoke billowed and flames raged, as if turning everything into ashes.

However, in the midst of this chaos, Xie Chenning and Wei Ke quietly moved forward along a little-known secret passage.

This secret passage is winding, dark and damp, and filled with a stale smell.

The two men groped their way forward cautiously, and finally, at the end of the secret passage, they saw a tightly closed stone door - that was the entrance to the secret room behind the imperial study.

Xie Chenning gently touched the cold metal parts with his fingers and turned a knob. With a slight "click" sound, the door of the secret room slowly opened.

It was pitch black inside the door, and a stale smell filled the air.

Xie Chenning and Wei Ke held torches and carefully stepped into the secret room.

…………