Chapter 1681: Usurpation Truth

Zu'an's heart tightened; he had never expected this to be connected to the previous dynasty.

Zhang Zitong, standing beside him, also widened her eyes. She had never known the full story behind her parents' murder and the extermination of the Zhang family; this was the first time she was hearing it.

"Since you're a Gold Embroidered Guard, you must have heard of Grand Councilor Dongfang Bai, right?" Zhang Xie asked.

Zu'an nodded. There were four Grand Councilors in the current dynasty, with Dongfang Bai as their head. His son, Dongfang Han, was a Yellow Gate Imperial Secretary, with whom Zu'an had interacted in the palace before.

Yet, Dongfang Bai had little presence. Instead, the more famous and powerful Grand Councilor was Duke Linhai, Pei Zheng, who was also Big Manman's grandfather. However, since Big Manman was not a legitimate daughter and her father was only Pei Zheng's fifth son, her standing within the family was not particularly high.

Zhang Xie seemed to read his thoughts. "Haven't you ever wondered why Dongfang Bai, despite being named the head of the four Grand Councilors, has such a low presence?"

"Why?" Zu'an hadn't been concerned with such matters before, as they had no connection. But now, with the apparent involvement of Zhang Zitong's parents' deaths and the previous dynasty, he couldn't help but be interested.

"Dongfang Bai's wife is Princess Qi of the previous dynasty," Zhang Xie replied. "Princess Qi was the daughter of Emperor Zhao of the previous dynasty."

Zu'an was familiar with Emperor Zhao of the Meng Dynasty, who could be considered the last effective emperor of that dynasty. The subsequent emperors were all young, and the government was controlled by powerful ministers, leading to the eventual replacement of the Meng Dynasty by the Zhou Dynasty.

"However, Dongfang Bai was not Princess Qi's first husband," Zhang Xie continued, his expression tinged with sympathy.

"Oh, who was her first husband?" Zu'an was unfamiliar with these specifics concerning the previous dynasty, though he wasn't particularly surprised by her remarrying.

After all, as a princess and a noble descendant, she couldn't possibly remain a widow forever.

"It was the son of Qian Xuan, then the Grand Secretary of the Meng Dynasty," Zhang Xie explained. "That year, Qian Xuan opposed Emperor Taizong of the current dynasty and sought to ally with imperial relatives to stage a coup. However, the plot was leaked, and he was executed, and the Qian family was exterminated to the third degree of kinship. Of course, given Princess Qi's noble status, she was naturally exempted from the family execution. She was later arranged to marry Dongfang Bai." Zhang Xie recounted this past event with a great deal of melancholy.

Zu'an knew that the Emperor Taizong Zhang Xie referred to would have still been a minister of the Meng Dynasty at that time. In fact, both Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, despite being the de facto rulers of the country, only formally established the Zhou Dynasty under the current Emperor Zhao Hao.

The titles of Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong were posthumously conferred by Zhao Hao.

"Is Dongfang Bai not valued by the current dynasty simply because he married Princess Qi of the previous dynasty?" Zu'an asked, feeling curious and not understanding the connection between all these details and the present situation.

"Of course, it's not just for that reason," Zhang Xie continued. "You know Zhen Xueyi, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court in this dynasty, don't you?"

Zu'an nodded. The Minister of the Imperial Clan Court managed all matters concerning the imperial clan. Speaking of which, Zu'an had even interacted with him before.

At that time, due to some rumors about himself and the Crown Princess, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court, the Minister of Rites, and others had come forward to question him to verify his innocence.

However, his impression of Zhen Xueyi wasn't deep; he only remembered him as an old fox who was good at shifting blame.

"He doesn't actually have the surname Zhen," Zhang Xie said. "He's a clansman of Empress Huang, Emperor Zhao of the Meng Dynasty's wife. Because the Zhen family had no heirs, he was adopted into their family, but his Huang family bloodline cannot be changed. His connection to the previous dynasty is no more distant than Dongfang Bai's, yet he is highly favored and entrusted with important positions. What do you think is the reason?" Zhang Xie looked at Zu'an with a cold smile.

Zu'an shook his head. Many matters concerning the previous dynasty had been sealed off, making them impossible to investigate.

Fortunately, some elders from the previous dynasty were still alive, allowing certain matters to be passed down orally.

"Why do you think the great foundation of the Meng Dynasty ended up in the hands of the Zhao family of this dynasty?" Zhang Xie did not answer directly; instead, he posed another question.

Zu'an pondered for a moment before replying, "It's likely because several emperors of the Meng Dynasty didn't live long. Coupled with the succession struggles back then, the Meng Dynasty became extremely wary of and suppressed imperial clan members, which gave Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of this dynasty an opportune moment."

Hearing his answer, Zhang Xie was somewhat surprised. "You speak so frankly, unlike other Embroidered Guards who try to gloss over things for the current dynasty. I wonder how you even passed your political review."

Zu'an was startled. As a transmigrator, he naturally viewed everything from a detached perspective, but he hadn't realized how unconventional that might seem to others.

"Good, good, good, you've got a rebellious streak," Zhang Xie said, suddenly looking pleased. "It seems I haven't wasted my words telling you all this."

Zu'an's brow furrowed as he listened. "You've been rambling on and on without saying anything truly valuable. Are you deliberately stalling? My patience is limited."

Zhang Xie chuckled. "Calm down. The reasons you just mentioned are indeed important, but there's an even more crucial point: Emperor Zhao of the Meng Dynasty's sons all died prematurely. This meant he had no adult sons to succeed to the throne, forcing him to find young children from the imperial clan to inherit the imperial line."

"Princes dying young isn't uncommon," Zu'an replied. "Moreover, Emperor Zhao himself didn't live very long, which proves he had some genetic issues."

"Genes?" Zhang Xie was startled.

He clearly hadn't heard that word before. "Premature death is indeed not uncommon, but what if it wasn't an accident, but deliberate?"

"Deliberate?" Zu'an exclaimed, surprised. "Who would dare to do such a thing?"

"According to what you just said, whoever benefits has the greatest suspicion," Zhang Xie scoffed.

"Are you referring to Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong of this dynasty?" Zhang Zitong, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but interject, as this concerned the massacre of the Zhang family back then.

"Precisely," Zhang Xie said directly. "Strictly speaking, it was Emperor Taizu; only he had that capability at the time."

"That's not right," Zu'an countered, puzzled. "Although information is limited, Emperor Zhao of Meng had a good reputation and was considered an enlightened ruler. How would Emperor Taizu have dared to do such a thing then? According to historical records, when Emperor Zhao of Meng was alive, Emperor Taizu still acted as a loyal minister. It wasn't until several young emperors ascended the throne later that his power completely spun out of control."

"Emperor Taizu alone naturally couldn't have done it at that time," Zhang Xie sneered. "But what if Empress Huang, Emperor Zhao's wife, cooperated?"

"Empress Huang?" Zu'an was a bit stunned. She was already the Empress; why would she conspire with an outside minister against her own husband?

However, thinking of his relationship with the current Empress in the palace, his expression suddenly turned strange.

"Empress Huang herself had no sons," Zhang Xie slowly explained. "And she was jealous, unable to bear seeing other imperial concubines give birth. Her relationship with Emperor Taizu was also very good at the time, so they hit it off immediately. Within a few years, several of Emperor Zhao's princes all died prematurely. He thought it was due to his own misfortune and didn't suspect anything else."

"However, when dealing with the fourth prince, the imperial physician and eunuch involved at the time feared exposure, and their consciences troubled them."

"So they secretly sent the fourth prince out of the palace, while publicly announcing that the prince had died prematurely. The imperial physician contacted a friend outside the palace, who was Zitong's father, Zhang Zhiquan. Known for his upright character, Zhang Zhiquan generously offered help, assisting the fourth prince in being received outside the palace. From then on, although the fourth prince lived among the common people, he at least survived."

"At that time, everyone thought that if the truth ever came to light, the fourth prince could be sent back to the palace to become emperor, and their group would not only avoid punishment but would also have rendered great service. However, later, Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong grew powerful and successfully usurped the Meng Dynasty's throne, so this matter naturally came to nothing."

"As for that fourth prince, it's unknown whether he died prematurely due to this reason later on. However, he did leave a descendant among the common people, who is the imperial grandson I just mentioned."

Speaking of this past event, Zhang Xie sighed repeatedly. "However, later, the truth could not be kept hidden; the Zhao family eventually found out about this matter. Because it was a matter of great importance and inconvenient to try publicly, they ordered Gold Badge Number Seven to lead people to exterminate the families of those involved while simultaneously interrogating them for the whereabouts of the imperial grandson."

Zhang Zitong gasped, and tears streamed down her face. After so many years, she finally learned the truth behind her parents' deaths.

Zu'an also felt a sense of emotion. Previously, he had doubted that the Gold Embroidered Guards would execute a sitting Imperial Censor in such a manner, but if it involved a struggle for the throne, it made perfect sense.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, "What about the imperial grandson's whereabouts?"