"What? How do you know?" Mu Shaoling was surprised for a mont, then thought briefly and said, "Did that old woman reveal it during the interrogation?"
"Yes, Prince Le is ill..." Then Ye Zi’an relayed the results of last night’s interrogation to Mu Shaoling, "How much of it do you think is true? And when did it beco like this?"
"So of it is quite unbelievable."
Mu Shaoling thought for a mont and said, "But it’s not impossible, as Prince Le now is vastly different from before. You didn’t see him back then. We were both young, once when I went to the palace to find Prince Zhuang, I encountered a palace hall where several young eunuchs surrounded him, forcing him to kneel and crawl, threatening to throw him into the lotus pond if he didn’t comply. Those despicable eunuchs even wanted him to crawl through their legs."
After taking a sip of tea, Mu Shaoling continued, "You know, everyone in the palace knew that the Emperor didn’t like him and ignored him, allowing maids and eunuchs to bully him as they pleased. If the eunuchs were the imperial family’s slaves, during that ti, he was their plaything. In addition, the sudden death of the Empress caused chaos in the palace managent, leaving no one to care for him."
"When I saw it, I couldn’t stand it and kicked those eunuchs into the water."
Recalling the past, Mu Shaoling felt that Prince Le’s previous life was beyond miserable.
"After sending him back to his residence, such a large palace had only three people in total, making it almost like a cold palace. Luckily, it was sumr; if it had been winter, he probably wouldn’t have survived until now. His state of being bullied lasted until he was sent to Lantai Palace to live with the other princes. When his mother was alive, he was timid and cowardly; after her death, his timidity only worsened. After leaving the palace and establishing his own residence, he rarely went out, appearing almost only at the annual palace banquets. Each ti, he would always have his head bowed."
"I rember telling you he once had a girl he was fond of."
Ye Zi’an nodded, "I rember."
Recalling this, Mu Shaoling felt he was quite kind-hearted back then. What a waste on such a lousy person.
"You don’t know how much I despised him back then. The girl he liked ca from a minor official’s family, and she was the one who first took a liking to him. I was young and reckless as well, so Prince Zhuang and I encouraged him to go and speak to the Emperor. Do you think the Emperor, even if he disliked this son, would allow a minister’s son to take his son’s woman? But he wouldn’t go, he absolutely refused! I even got him almost drunk and took him to the palace gate, but he ended up running back himself."
"You know what happened later, a minor official’s family couldn’t withstand the pressure from a General’s son and she was forced to marry soone else. From then on, Prince Zhuang and I completely disregarded him."
"Oh wow, who would’ve thought?" Ye Zi’an laughed, "You had a ti of ddling in others’ affairs?"
"I couldn’t help it; who hasn’t had a ti of youthful recklessness? Young and hot-headed," Mu Shaoling shook his head, "Prince Zhuang and I pitied him, who knew he would beco like this? If I’d known, I should’ve watched as he was thrown into the pond and maybe even stomped on him, ending him. It would’ve spared many people from suffering."
"Saying all this now is pointless," Ye Zi’an said, "Today’s events didn’t form overnight."
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