Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

Chapter 264 The Truth Behind Palace Secrets!

What Zhou Wei could think of, the Eldest Princess could naturally think of as well.

Therefore, she fell silent as she spoke.

The eldest princess looked more bewildered than ever before; she had never imagined that her father would be so infatuated.

To build a palace for a woman and hide her inside!

However, the Hexi Palace, which was a golden house for keeping a beauty, eventually became the woman's tomb.

Tan Lin's arrival brought about a breakthrough in the situation, and Jiang Yueli wanted to know more.

"Mr. Tan, who do you think that woman is? Could she be my birth mother?"

Tan Lin didn't mince words and said directly, "Judging from the timing, it's quite possible."

"Consort Li became pregnant in the second year of the reign of Emperor Da Zhou, and that woman also entered Hexi Palace in the second year of the reign of Emperor Da Zhou."

"Furthermore, a mother is always different; she can compromise herself, but she cannot compromise her child."

"She could hide her identity in the Hexi Palace, but she couldn't let her child live that kind of life, so she had to find a way to give her child an identity."

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess couldn't help but tremble all over.

A wave of sorrow washed over me; what if the woman who was killed really was my own mother…

She died in such agony that even in her dying moments she believed that the person she deeply loved had killed her; she died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.

Zhou Wei, based on Tan Lin's guess, connected it to an unrelated person.

Ji Zhengyao, who looks remarkably like the eldest princess!

Ji Zhengyao came from Tianji Pavilion. Back then, he studied at Zhengshan Academy with Tan Lin.

Later, due to the closure of the academy's gates, he descended the mountain with many other students.

Thinking of this, Zhou Wei asked directly, "Mr. Tan, what do you think is the relationship between that woman and Ji Zhengyao?"

Tan Lin was taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting Zhou Wei to react so quickly.

He pondered for a moment and said, "I can't be sure about that. Although I was on good terms with Ji Zhengyao back then, I never heard him mention that he had sisters at home."

"If he really has a relationship with the Eldest Princess, then the woman in Hexi Palace probably has some connection with the Tianji Pavilion!"

As Tan Lin spoke, his thoughts were also opened up.

He couldn't help but stand up and pace back and forth: "Back when war broke out everywhere, various forces were fighting each other, and the people were suffering, the blessed land sent people into the world to help those with ambition to end the chaos."

"The Jiang family of the Great Zhou is also one of these forces. Jiang Zhou himself has the bearing of an emperor. In this chaotic world, he might receive assistance from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

Zhou Wei nodded slowly as she listened. It seemed that the Great Zhou Emperor had a chance to make contact with the geniuses who came from the blessed lands.

It was probably around that time that he met the mistress of Hexi Palace!

However, that woman must have a special status, making it impossible for her to openly and honestly be with the Great Zhou Emperor.

That's how the Hexi Palace came to house a beauty!

After sorting out all the clues, Zhou Wei looked back at this past event and found that many things became clear.

The real and fake emperors switched places, and the fake emperor killed the mistress of Hexi Palace.

This woman is very likely the birth mother of the eldest princess and has connections with the Tianji Pavilion.

Because Ji Zhengyao and the eldest princess look alike, this woman is most likely from the Ji family of the Tianji Pavilion!

Tan Lin had never heard of this Miss Ji before, probably because of her special status, and the Ji family never revealed her existence to outsiders!

It was precisely because of her special status that she fell in love with a secular emperor, which made her unacceptable to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion.

Zhou Wei took a deep breath, processing this information.

She never expected that simply watching the two princes sleepwalk would reveal so much hidden information.

However, these things were not in the original storyline.

It's a hidden gem!

It is absolutely impossible for him and the eldest princess to uncover the truth on their own.

Tan Lin's appearance was just in time.

The eldest princess then asked, "If I am not Consort Li's biological child, then where did the child Consort Li gave birth to go?"

Tan Lin sighed: "It's true that Consort Li was pregnant for ten months. Since the princess was able to take the place of that child, it's very likely that the child died shortly after birth."

The eldest princess seemed to be deep in thought. No wonder Consort Li had been so favored since then.

Jiang Yueli also gained the favor of the Great Zhou Emperor.

The Great Zhou Emperor felt guilty towards Consort Li, but his feelings for Jiang Yueli were entirely due to his affection for her.

After all, the child was born to his beloved woman, so naturally he wanted to give her all the good things in the world.

However, there was still one thing the eldest princess didn't understand.

When exactly did the real and fake emperors switch places?

“Mr. Tan, I know this is a difficult matter, since no one knows what happened back then and we can only speculate.”

"Sir, you have done your best to help me deduce so much truth, but I still have a wish to know when my father was replaced."

Zhou Wei also looked at Tan Lin with anticipation.

She had witnessed the abilities of the legitimate successors of Zhengshan Academy.

This is truly extraordinary!

However, Tan Lin said, "Princess, if you ask me to guess, I can say a time, but I can't be sure, since we know too little."

The princess immediately said, "It's alright, sir, please speak freely whatever you have in mind."

Tan Lin pondered for a moment before speaking: "I believe that the exchange between the real and fake emperors took place shortly after the princess's birth, before Consort Li's second pregnancy."

The princess froze, unable to recover for a long time.

She had made many guesses about when the exchange would take place, but she never imagined it would be in the third year of the Dae San era!

Zhou Wei immediately raised a question: "Mr. Tan, this timing seems inappropriate."

"At the beginning of the third year of the reign, the eldest princess was born. Consort Li, having just finished her postpartum confinement, immediately competed for the emperor's favor and became pregnant again. Subsequently, the third and fourth princes were born."

"The eldest prince and the second prince were sent away by the fake emperor in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor Dali. Before they were sent away, their birth mother, Consort Rong, fell out of favor. The two princes witnessed the fake emperor torture and kill Miss Ji."

"That's a period of three years. The concubines in the harem, and that Miss Ji, were spending every day with the fake emperor. Didn't they notice anything?"

Faced with the questions, Tan Lin did not rush to explain, but instead looked at the eldest princess.

“Princess, General Zhou is not familiar with the situation in the palace back then, but you should be able to understand the reasons, right?”

The eldest princess took a deep breath and pressed Zhou Wei's hand.

“Weiwei, three years might actually be possible. Consort Rong’s fate has already shown us the answer.”

"Consort Li and the Empress, who was formerly Consort De Jian Xiyan, were not favored after entering the palace. In Consort Li's words, they could not see their father even once a year."

“After I was born in the third year of the Da Zhou dynasty, these two gradually gained favor, so they were initially familiar with the fake emperor.”

“Consort Rong is completely different. Over the past three years, Consort Rong has gradually fallen out of favor, probably because the fake emperor did not want to have too much contact with her, lest he expose his true colors.”

"But Consort Rong was a woman who had been by my father's side since he was conquering the world. She was very familiar with my father and must have seen through the problem of the fake emperor."

"Therefore, Consort Rong was banished to the Cold Palace and eventually died suddenly. The two princes were also sent to their fiefdoms after witnessing the fake emperor torture and kill my birth mother."

Zhou Wei thought about it carefully and realized that this explanation was reasonable.

But is Miss Ji the same?

If Miss Ji truly comes from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, she must be a cultivator; she certainly wouldn't need three years to discover the fake emperor's problem.

How did the fake emperor manage to deceive her for those three years?

Tan Lin reminded him at the right moment: "Zhou Dianjun, don't forget, the capital is not Miss Ji's home. Her home is in a paradise."

"After giving birth to the princess, she most likely returned to the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. This trip took quite a while, giving the fake emperor an opportunity to take advantage of her."

"When she returned, she was caught completely off guard and fell victim to the fake emperor's poison."

The three of them chimed in, each offering their own opinion.

Gradually, the truth about the switch between the real and fake emperors, the sudden death of Consort Rong, and the death of Miss Ji is pieced together!

The impact of these truths was so great that Zhou Wei and the Princess were unable to recover for a long time.

When Tan Lin's voice came again, it completely shocked the two of them.

“Princess, these palace secrets have given me some inspiration.”

"If the princess could recall more of what happened back then, I might be able to deduce the identity of the fake emperor!"