Qingning, who was standing behind him, spoke softly. "Noble Lady Zhuang's older sister is named Zhuangjing. She is my senior martial sister and is highly skilled in compounding medicines, especially those that are extremely toxic yet undetectable to the average person. Even before she became an apprentice under my master's master, she already possessed some skill in this."
The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then asked, "So the Empress and she conspired together, first drugging Zhen'er, and then targeting Qingning?"
Song Chengze nodded. "Not only that, they secretly swapped Qingning out of the palace, then manufactured the illusion that he had accidentally fallen into the lake, drowned, and had his face eaten by fish. At first, the Crown Prince took advantage of his old ties with Prince Shen to have the Prince dispose of Qingning. However, because Prince Shen did not realize that the boy was of royal blood, and because he pitied Qingning for being so young and couldn't bear to harm him, he sent him to be raised by a decent family. Later, when the Crown Prince discovered Qingning's whereabouts, he sent men to hunt him down. It was then, while Zhou Yu’s foster father was rescuing him, that the Hermit of Yunling happened to pass by. He not only treated Qingning’s wounds but also took him in as his final disciple."
Chapter 231