My Promotion Story Through Time Travel

Chapter 30 Palace Secrets

Lin Ziping blinked his big, bright eyes at Ji Xun, signaling him to continue. "If only there were some sunflower seeds," he thought, "sigh, my mouth suddenly feels a bit idle."

Ignoring Lin Ziping's piercing gaze, Ji Xun slowly continued, "In the eighth year of Shunhua, a major event occurred in the court. The Cui family's rebellion was discovered by the emperor, and the entire family was executed. Consort Cui was also demoted to the Cold Palace. The following year, she gave birth to the sixth prince, but on the day of the birth, a fire broke out in the Cold Palace, and Consort Cui perished in the fire."

Is it possible to hear about these palace secrets without paying money?

I'm a little excited. Teacher Ji's explanation of the story of Emperor Taizu's ascension to the throne was a bit too rushed. Now it's finally starting to get a bit of the palace intrigue feel. Could it be that I was sent here to witness this palace intrigue?

Lin Ziping imagined that after Consort Cui perished in the fire, the Sixth Prince was rescued by either Consort Cui's loyal servant or her childhood sweetheart. He wandered among the common people, enduring numerous hardships, biding his time, and stirring up a storm in the court. The power struggles and infighting among the princes were all orchestrated by the Sixth Prince. At a certain moment, the Sixth Prince made a powerful return, proving everyone wrong. The old emperor suddenly realized that he had wronged Consort Cui and only after losing her did he discover that she was his true love. He also felt guilty for Consort Cui's death and decided to pass the throne to the Sixth Prince. During this time, he also encountered the conspiracies and schemes of other princes and ministers, but the Sixth Prince thwarted them all. In the end, the story concludes with the Sixth Prince becoming the new emperor and ruling over a vast empire.

I felt a surge of pride, realizing that after years of immersing myself in the world of books, I could guess the ending just by reading the beginning!

Although he had already mentally completed the process of the Sixth Prince transforming into an emperor, he still feigned shock and asked, "What about the Sixth Prince?"

“Consort Cui is a close friend of the Empress. Although she was banished to the Cold Palace, the Empress still arranged for people to secretly help her. The Sixth Prince was rescued by the Empress and is currently being raised by her side,” Ji Xun said.

Uh, there was a slight deviation in the plot just now... but the outcome should remain the same.

"But in the tenth year of Shunhua, rumors spread that the Empress had arranged for someone to set fire to the Cold Palace, killing Consort Cui. There were even rumors that the Sixth Prince was not Consort Cui's son. His Majesty was furious and ordered a thorough investigation, but nothing was found. His Majesty had to clean up the entire court and the harem to barely quell the rumors, and no one has discussed this matter since." Ji Xun looked at Lin Ziping and said, "What do you think about this?"

Lin Ziping was suddenly called out. He pointed to himself and, seeing that Ji Xun did not continue speaking, thought for a moment and said, "There is no discussion on the surface, but the doubts have not stopped in their hearts."

Ji Xun nodded: "Some people suspect that the Sixth Prince may have been sent out of the palace in the ninth year of Shunhua, and others suspect that Consort Cui gave birth to twins and the Sixth Prince was just pushed in front to take the fall."

Are these people's imaginations even wilder than mine? What makes them so sure that Consort Cui gave birth to twins? Thinking about this, Lin Ziping asked the same question: "The first kind of rumor is understandable, but why is this second one, which is completely unfounded, claiming that they are twins?"

"Who knows? It's just a rumor. Rumors are just things people say whatever they want, and it depends on whether the people who hear it believe it or not. Besides, with a royal descendant living among the common people, don't some people have another option?" Ji Xun's voice was slightly sarcastic.

"You said earlier that my uncle left the palace in the ninth year of Shunhua, so you're doubting me?" Lin Ziping didn't know what to say, but thinking of what Ji Xun had said earlier about when Lin Zhong left the palace, he changed the subject and asked suspiciously.

He chuckled to himself, wondering if he'd gotten himself caught up in the drama.

“Lin Ziping used to be so obsequious, but you’ve suddenly changed recently, which is bound to arouse suspicion.” Ji Xun stood up and looked into the distance.

"This, this!" Lin Ziping couldn't help but curse inwardly. Was this a way to prevent others from resisting or making changes through sudden enlightenment? Things are constantly changing, and who can guarantee that someone will remain unchanged?

Although I was dressed as a boy, I am essentially a girl, so I shouldn't have any connection with the royal family, right?

Ji Xun turned around and saw Lin Ziping's solemn expression. He laughed and said, "Look how scared you are. In the ninth year of Shunhua, more than two hundred people came out of the palace. It wasn't just Lin Zhong who brought the child. I was just telling you about the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty and also telling you a story."

……

I really want to kill him!

"I couldn't find anything about the Great Zhou Dynasty in the library. How did you know about it? Besides, it involves palace secrets. Why do you know so much about it, Young Master Ji?" Lin Ziping asked.

“My mother’s surname is Zhou,” Ji Xun said with a smile. “Starting from the founding emperor, the empresses have all come from the Zhou family.”

Oh, so that woman who resembled Wu Zetian also came from the Zhou family. That dynasty must have been quite friendly to women.

Lin Ziping nodded, deciding to give up and stop pretending. So what if she's different from the original owner? So what if she's different from before? What Ji Xunniang's surname is, or what her surname is, doesn't matter much to him. He casually remarked, "Oh, that's really impressive. →_→"

Upon hearing this, Ji Xun laughed and said, "You don't believe me? You can ask Fang Zhili. He is a descendant of the Fang family in the capital, so he should know a lot about this kind of thing. Or you can ask your uncle; he should know as well."

"Yes, yes, you're right. I didn't say I didn't believe you." Lin Ziping spread his hands, these things were too far removed from him, and even if they were true, what did they have to do with him now?

"Alright, believe it or not, it's up to you. If you don't like it, just treat it as a story." Ji Xun said, not taking it seriously. "Don't fight next time. He Jinbao won't bother you again. Consider it a thank you for helping me in the cave."

"Heh, didn't He Jinbao come to cause me trouble together with you guys?" Lin Ziping thought for a moment and added, "He only started bullying me after you and Fang Zhili came, right?"

Yes, the original owner was just a nobody before. He was only bullied after Ji Xun and Fang Zhili came. He was called "little eunuch". Before they came, how come no one knew Lin Zhong's identity and how come people bullied him?

Could this be one of the reasons why the original owner suffered humiliation? Was the original owner's probing started from that time? Are all the children of this era like honeycomb briquettes, so cunning?

Give yourself a hug. (?_?)

Ji Xun neither refuted nor admitted Lin Ziping's words, and said, "Let's go, it's time for class."

Seeing that Ji Xun did not give a direct answer, Lin Ziping did not care much. For many years, he believed in not dwelling on what had already happened and not worrying about what had not yet happened. He had been like this before and he was like this now.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and left with Ji Xun.

Behind me, a gentle breeze rippled the water, and tender lotus buds were quietly peeking out from beneath the surface.