Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

Unbelievable! I never imagined such a thing could happen!

Inside the study, having just heard Zhao Lian's story, Prefect Song's feelings could only be described as shock.

Unexpectedly, the current emperor was actually the son of the eunuch Gao Gonggong. This news was so shocking that it left Prefect Song completely bewildered.

It's unbelievable that the seemingly dignified Empress Dowager had such a chaotic private life. She actually had illicit relations with the palace, fathered a son with a eunuch, and was even placed on the throne. It's probably impossible to find another like her in history.

"Zhao Lian, how much of your story is true?" Prefect Song was still somewhat skeptical.

Zhao Lian said earnestly, "Godfather, you may not believe what others say, but what I say is absolutely true. I personally witnessed the conversation between the Princess and Eunuch Gao."

"The key issue is that there's no evidence whatsoever. Besides, the Princess has been missing for so many years. How can you expect me to believe this?" Prefect Song found the matter too unbelievable and couldn't be viewed with normal thinking.

A person who has been dead for so many years can actually appear and speak, and this is not a dream.

"Also, I have something here. Let me show you this." With that, Zhao Lian took something out of her pocket and handed it to Prefect Song.

Prefect Song quickly took it. It was made of ebony, oval in shape, with words engraved on it in gold lacquer on a black background, like a token.

Prefect Song examined it carefully and realized it was a token from the Imperial Household Department, with the character "Gao" engraved on it.

It seems that it really is Eunuch Gao's token. It is said that Eunuch Gao is the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, and he is in charge of the Empress Dowager's daily life and meals.

Moreover, based on Zhao Lian's description, Prefect Song was convinced that what she saw was indeed the Eldest Princess.

Because the disappearance of the eldest princess caused a sensation at the time, the rumors about her appearance and the description of Zhao Lian were exactly the same.

Most importantly, the Third Prince Zhu Yuanzhang had also told him about the appearance of the Eldest Princess, who looked exactly like the late Empress Dowager.

"Zhaolian, did the Princess give you any other instructions?" Prefect Song didn't know how much inside information Zhaolian knew, so his question was somewhat veiled.

"What does 'godfather' mean by those gold and silver treasures?"

Unexpectedly, Zhao Lian didn't hide anything and told everyone directly.

Hearing Zhao Lian say these words, Prefect Song became even more convinced.

It seems that she not only met the eldest princess, but the eldest princess also told her about these jewels, otherwise she would not have been so unsurprised.

"Godfather, the current emperor is not actually the son of the late emperor. What if that's true?" Zhao Lian's mind was a complete mess.

The eldest princess asked him to bring down the current emperor; only a fool would actually do that.

It makes no difference to me who becomes emperor, and I gain no benefit from it. On the contrary, it may even bring me death.

After thinking it over and over, Zhao Lian still felt that this matter had nothing to do with her.

But remembering the princess's instructions to him before she passed away, he felt that if he didn't follow them, he would be letting her down.

After all, she had possessed Xiaoqing's body and stayed by his side for ten years.

Prefect Song, with a grave expression, paced back and forth anxiously without uttering a word.

Not to mention Zhao Lian doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know what to do either!

It would have been better if we hadn't known about this. Now that we know, we can't pretend nothing happened. This concerns the royal bloodline and the stability of the country.

In the two years since His Majesty ascended the throne, a drought of the worst in a century has struck, causing widespread suffering among the people, yet His Majesty has done nothing about it.

Not only did he indulge in revelry and debauchery in his harem every day, but he also paid no attention to the suffering of the people. Instead, he increased taxes, causing the people to resent the heavens and dare not speak out against him.

For the famine victims who fled, the imperial court only issued famine relief documents, leaving all other specific implementation matters to the local officials to handle themselves.

"Godfather, say something!"

Seeing Prefect Song pacing back and forth anxiously like an ant on a hot pan, Zhao Lian couldn't sit still any longer.

Prefect Song turned around, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Zhaolian, think carefully, did the Princess say anything else to you? Did she mention anyone else?"

Zhao Lian scratched her head: "No, that's all she told me."

Undeterred, Prefect Song asked again, "Think about it carefully. Did the Princess really not mention anyone?"

Zhao Lian frowned and closed her eyes, carefully recalling the situation back then. She remembered that the Princess had only told her so much.

Suddenly, Zhao Lian had a flash of inspiration and her eyes widened: "That's right, she did mention someone, I think it was the Third Prince."

"That's right!" Prefect Song paced back and forth excitedly. "The Third Prince is virtuous and talented, and loves the people like his own children. The late Emperor praised him highly when he was alive. It seems that the Eldest Princess's choice for the Emperor is the Third Prince!"

Following that, one after another, Prefect Song began to tell Zhao Lian some of the secrets of the royal family.

When the topic turned to the other princes who had gone mad, Prefect Song's eyes began to dim.

The ones who have gone mad are the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince. They are twin brothers, and their mother is Consort Gao.

Having given birth to twins, and princes at that, Consort Gao became arrogant and disregarded everyone else.

These two princes had nannies to take care of them. The two princes were intelligent, steady and sensible, which was already evident when they were eight or nine years old.

Unfortunately, their good fortune didn't last long. For some reason, one day the two brothers disappeared together. Everyone searched the entire harem, but they couldn't find them.

After about a night, the two of them returned safely.

Although there were no external injuries, the two brothers seemed like completely different people, as if they had been frightened and had become mentally unstable. They would scream whenever someone approached.

Not only that, he was full of hostility towards the people around him, shouting and throwing things when someone approached.

The imperial physicians examined them but could not find the cause or cure them. From then on, the late emperor arranged a house for them and assigned someone to take care of them.

Consort Gao was a proud and arrogant person. After being hit hard, she became depressed and soon fell ill and died. From then on, the two princes were left without a mother, which made them even more pitiful.

Zhao Lian was shocked to learn that several princes were suffering from illnesses.

The only remaining prince, the Third Prince, seems to have perfectly escaped this calamity. It is said that the Third Prince lost his mother at a young age. He never fought or competed with anyone from childhood, so it must have been truly remarkable that he was able to grow up safely.

Although Zhao Lian had never lived in the palace, he had probably watched a lot of palace dramas before, and he knew that these princes must have been tricked.

According to her calculations, besides the Third Prince, the current Emperor is the biggest beneficiary, and the person behind the scenes must be related to Empress Dowager Wu Liana.