Chapter 171 Evil Thoughts

Han Fang's aunt was once the head maid in Concubine Lan's palace. Concubine Lan murdered the eldest prince through the hands of the head maid.

Not long after the senior palace maid left the palace, she died in an "accident". Not only that, her entire family suffered an accident, and only Han Fang survived.

A few years ago, Han Fang found the second prince and told him about the eldest prince, hoping that the second prince could seek justice for her family.

Han Fang has been in the hands of the second prince all these years, and now he is going to use this line.

The Second Prince looked at his staff. "Han Fang?" He thought for a moment and said, "You mean..."

The staff nodded: "Let Concubine Lan take action first!"

The second prince nodded thoughtfully.

Emperor Qianyuan was indeed very frustrated. He had not been humiliated like this in many years, and the other party was just a small county magistrate whom he had never taken seriously.

In just over five years, the top scholar whose life and death he could easily decide in the past now has the strength to compete with him.

Emperor Qianyuan truly hated him. "This ungrateful fellow! If it weren't for me, how could he have become the top scholar among the top six! Now he dares to threaten me. He is so ungrateful and ambitious!"

In fact, Lu Chenyang's six-point ranking had nothing to do with Emperor Qianyuan. Lu Chenyang relied on his own strength. Aside from the palace examination, his top five rankings were achieved through sheer overwhelming strength, conquering every examiner. He was the undisputed number one.

Although Emperor Qianyuan personally selected him as the top scorer during the palace examination, Lu Chenyang had actually won five prizes in a row at that time. It was expected and reasonable that Emperor Qianyuan selected him as the top scorer.

Being ranked sixth in the imperial examinations was an auspicious sign. Such a talent had never appeared since the founding of the country, and it was a good story that it appeared in Emperor Qianyuan.

Unless Emperor Qianyuan was out of his mind, he would not refuse such a story of monarch and minister that could be passed down through the ages.

But unfortunately, Lu Chenyang was a famous minister, but Emperor Qianyuan was not a wise ruler, and he did not have the ability to control this capable minister.

Later, Lu Chenyang publicly expressed his support for the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and Emperor Qianyuan became displeased with Lu Chenyang. He then exiled him to Lingnan to fend for himself.

All of this was actually caused by Emperor Qianyuan himself. If he hadn't targeted the Duke of Zhenguo, Lu Chenyang wouldn't have spoken out for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion; if Emperor Qianyuan had been more tolerant and hadn't targeted Lu Chenyang, Lu Chenyang wouldn't have grown to his current strength under such circumstances.

Concubine Lan, who was tending to the sick, said softly, "It was Lu Chenyang who betrayed Your Majesty's sincerity. Why should he be so angry that he ruined his health? Your Majesty's health is the most important thing. If anything happens to Your Majesty, I...I will not live either."

As she spoke, a few tears fell.

Although she is already old, she still looks pitiful when she cries, and her tears seem sincere.

Emperor Qianyuan was deeply distressed and held her hand. His Lan'er had always been like this, relying solely on him. After all these years, he was still her heaven, and she had never changed a bit.

Emperor Qianyuan said guiltily, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. But this time, I'm going to wrong you and your son again."

Emperor Qianyuan wasn't really that stupid. Things had come to this point, and he had no way out. Could Emperor Qianyuan really have such power? If he could, he wouldn't have been unable to establish his beloved son as the crown prince for so many years.

There weren't many people who openly supported the Second Prince, but there were many who secretly supported the orthodox cause. Lu Chenyang was the first to speak out, so these people became his helpers.

Emperor Qianyuan also knew that this time he would have to appoint a crown prince.

When it comes to orthodoxy, there's no way people will get too serious about it. The Second Prince is the legitimate heir, and making him the Crown Prince complies with all the rules and etiquette, so Emperor Qianyuan can't ignore it.

Concubine Lan's eyes flickered, she lowered her gaze, and said softly, "Your Majesty, that's not right. As long as Your Majesty is well, I will not be wronged. I am where I am today because of Your Majesty. I am already blessed."

This was true. She had risen from a wet nurse's daughter to the empress who ruled the country, a remarkable ascent. But she said this, but she didn't really think so.

Wronged, yes, he wronged her again.

This is what he said when he decided to marry Yan Ning: "I need the support of the Zhenguo Mansion, so I have to marry Yan Ning. Lan'er, I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position. I'm sure you will understand me, right?"

Later, Yan Ning became pregnant and gave birth to his eldest son. He also said, "Lan'er, father said that my eldest son must be born by the principal wife. I know I have wronged you, but you are the only one in my heart."

He said this many times, and she heard it for many years.

But now she no longer wanted to endure this grievance. She was no longer the daughter of that lowly wet nurse. She was the mother of a country, her son commanded a large army, and he was already old. Why should she and her son suffer any more grievances?

Concubine Lan's eyes flashed, and she helped him lie down.

Concubine Lan had a bold idea in her mind, but the matter was too big, she didn't dare to make a decision on her own, and she was still very nervous.

Concubine Lan returned to her bedroom, then wrote a letter and had it delivered to the Fourth Prince at the front line.

Her fourth prince is still at the front line, thinking every day about how to achieve military merit and relieve his father's worries, but Emperor Qianyuan still has to treat him unfairly!

Concubine Lan became more and more angry.

The palace maid beside her massaged her shoulders. During this period, she had been serving the emperor every day and was very tired.

Concubine Lan said, "By the way, have someone send some medicinal herbs to the prince, and also bring some good leather, as it's cold over there."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the maid replied, then continued, "Your Majesty has also sent a batch of medicinal herbs to the Fourth Prince. I heard it was sent by Lord Lu. The hemostatic medicine of the Lu family army is a unique one, world-renowned. Your Majesty immediately sent it to the Fourth Prince after he obtained it. Your Majesty loves the Fourth Prince very much."

Concubine Lan sneered, "How can this be considered love? If he truly loves the prince, he should make him the crown prince!"

The head maid persuaded her, "Your Majesty, the entire court is urging His Majesty to appoint a crown prince, but His Majesty remains unmoved. This is all for the sake of His Majesty the Fourth Prince."

Concubine Lan's face darkened. "What do you mean by 'for the Fourth Prince'? He doesn't want to be coerced by a minister. He's doing it for his own face. However, he's so obsessed with saving face that Lu Chenyang has a lot to deal with. I'm afraid he'll have to compromise soon."

The head maid looked anxious: "What about our Fourth Prince? Our Fourth Prince, his precious body, has to go to such a dangerous place. Wouldn't it be a waste? Your Majesty, His Majesty has always loved you and the Fourth Prince. Is there no way around this?"

Concubine Lan sighed softly and said sarcastically, "He is the emperor. What can I do?"

The head maid's eyes flickered, and she murmured, "Yes, His Majesty is the Emperor." She sighed softly, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Majesty loves you the most. Even if the Second Prince becomes the Crown Prince in the future, he will make arrangements for you. His Majesty is ill now and in poor health. You should take care of yourself so that you can make plans in the future."

Concubine Lan's eyes flashed. Emperor Qianyuan is in poor health now, but what if he can't get better?

She couldn't help but clench her fingers, and the thoughts that had come to her mind today came back to her mind.

Evil thoughts are like seeds. Once they arise, it is like planting a seed in your heart. They will gradually take root and sprout, growing bigger and bigger until they can no longer be hidden.

But murdering the emperor was too serious a matter, and Concubine Lan did not dare to take action for the time being. She just waited for the Fourth Prince's reply.

One day, Concubine Lan was going to visit Emperor Qianyuan after waking up. After washing and dressing, she sat in front of the mirror and saw a comb on the dressing table.

She stood up in shock, "How did this comb get here?!" she demanded angrily. The maidservant immediately came in, and everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. No one admitted to having seen the comb before.

Concubine Lan was furious and called all the palace maids over to question them.

Concubine Lan was a kind-tempered person. Over the years, she had been a good master to the servants in the harem. She rarely beat or punished the people who served her. Even if they made minor mistakes, she would turn a blind eye and not pursue the matter.

She rarely got so angry, and all the palace maids were trembling with fear.

The head maid said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I was the one who helped you wash and dress last night. Your Majesty said last night that no one needed to watch over the night. No one has entered the bedroom since then, and the guards outside the door can prove it."

Concubine Lan was very tired from serving the Emperor these days, so she didn't want to be disturbed and didn't leave anyone to keep watch over her.

But the comb was not on her dressing table before she went to bed yesterday. Concubine Lan clearly remembered that she had gotten up to drink a cup of tea before going to bed. The palace maids around her were out at that time, and she got up to pour the water herself.

At that time, she took a look at the dressing table and did not see the comb, so the comb appeared out of thin air at night.