Chapter 111 Her Pillow Talk

Tinglu's loyalty was unexpected by Shuixian.

Since Narcissus was reborn, everyone around her has been someone she trusts from the bottom of her heart.

Both Yinzhu and Pei Jichuan were people she knew very well.

However, seeing the undisguised ambition and drive in Tinglu's eyes, Shuixian was genuinely moved to cherish her talent.

She got up and personally helped Tinglu up from the ground.

"If you do one thing for me, I will use you."

Tinglu's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously, "Please speak."

"Go find Yinzhu in Kunning Palace and tell her... the inkstone's warmth melts the frozen ink, and the bottle's warmth turns it into spring water."

Tinglu clearly did not understand what Narcissus meant.

Narcissus smiled but didn't say much. She simply repeated the line "The warmth of the inkstone melts the frozen ink, and the warmth of the bottle turns it into spring water" in a low voice.

After confirming that Tinglu had memorized it, he told her to find an opportunity to leave the Cold Palace.

After Xiao Lizi and Tinglu went out and confirmed that Tinglu had left the Cold Palace without disturbing anyone, he turned back and returned to the palace.

Looking at the narcissus sitting at the table, a hint of doubt flashed across his handsome face, and he said in a low voice:

"Although Tinglu seems clever, her background is still unclear. If she can't be trusted and leaks this information..."

"Go and help me find out the origin of this dew."

Narcissus was clearly not entirely without suspicion; she had been sitting at the table thinking for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the surface.

This gesture was clearly one that Emperor Zhaoheng liked to use.

At some point, her behavior began to resemble that of Emperor Zhaoheng.

Narcissus said, "What I told her was just an ordinary line of poetry, without beginning or end."

"Even if she is truly unreliable, what can others glean from what she says? At most, they'll just think that I, a deposed concubine, am bored in the cold palace."

Xiao Lizi thought for a moment and then asked, "Then... how can we know if she really found the silver bead and delivered the message?"

Narcissus smiled slightly, revealing a confident expression.

She said mysteriously, "We'll find out."

——

Inside Kunning Palace, Yinzhu was quietly helping the wet nurse prepare her daily meals.

Although she was assigned to serve Princess Yongning, the princess was surrounded by wet nurses and trusted nannies arranged by the Empress, so she could not easily get close to her and spent most of her time doing these peripheral tasks.

Fortunately, the Emperor gave his word and granted her the rank of a high-ranking palace maid, so no one dared to mistreat her openly.

However, Yinzhu didn't care about any of that. She only remembered the words of advice that Shuixian whispered in her ear on the night of the 100-day celebration...

"No matter what happens, stay by Yongning's side and protect Yongning for me."

At that time, Yinzhu had no idea what was about to happen.

It wasn't until later, when the Imperial Observatory framed Shui Xian for bringing disaster to the country and Yong Ning for questionable bloodlines, that Yin Zhu realized her master had sensed the impending storm so early on.

She had made a promise to Narcissus, and for that reason, even though she couldn't get close to the princess, she remained steadfastly in Kunning Palace.

Even when preparing meals for the wet nurse and nanny, she would stay as close to the princess as possible.

On this day, a rough-looking palace maid with an unfamiliar face hurried over with her head down.

Yinzhu was oblivious and busy with her work when she suddenly heard the palace maid lean over and whisper in her ear, "The warmth of the inkstone melts the frozen ink, and the warmth of the bottle turns it into spring water."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhu shuddered almost imperceptibly, and looked up abruptly, only to see the slender back of the little palace maid quickly disappearing into the distance.

It's the Empress's man! News has come from the Empress!

Yinzhu suppressed her excitement and remained calm on the surface as she continued with her work, but her heart was already in turmoil.

As night deepened, Kunning Palace gradually quieted down.

Yinzhu used the excuse of going to the toilet to quietly slip away to a corner of the palace garden.

She carefully dug through the soil under some loose bricks in a corner of the wall...

Here lies a slender jade bottle that she secretly buried before leaving Yongle Palace, at the behest of Shui Xian.

Under the moonlight, the jade bottle gleamed with a cool, clear luster.

Yinzhu quickly took it out and hid it in her sleeve, then covered the soil back to its original state before leaving hurriedly with her head down.

A few days later, the day arrived when some palace maids were allowed to return home.

After applying to leave the palace, Yinzhu first went home, then changed into her mother's clothes, covered her head with a cloth, left through a small door, and very carefully took a detour to Dengdi Inn.

The shopkeeper, Zhou Yan, was fiddling with his abacus when he caught a glimpse of Yinzhu entering out of the corner of his eye, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

He came out from behind the counter and, as was his habit, tried to lead her to a quiet room in the backyard.

In the past, news about Narcissus was usually exchanged there.

Yinzhu shook her head slightly to stop him.

She walked quickly to the counter, and taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she swiftly slipped the jade bottle from her sleeve into Zhou Yan's hand, whispering, "Entrusted by an old friend."

Zhou Yan gripped the jade bottle, still warm from her body, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help pulling her to a quiet, secluded spot. He whispered, "..."

"Miss Yinzhu, did you... did you suffer any punishment in the Censorate before?"

A few days ago, when he heard the news that she had been admitted to the Censorate, he was extremely anxious but powerless to do anything about it.

Yinzhu raised her eyes, glanced at him, and said with a distant expression, "Manager Zhou, this is none of your business."

After saying that, she looked around alertly, turned around without hesitation, and quickly disappeared into the crowd outside the inn.

Zhou Yan stared blankly at her resolute back, clutching the warm jade bottle in his hand, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This scene was witnessed by Narcissus's father, who came out from the backyard.

He walked to the side and couldn't help but tease, "Manager Zhou, your eyes are practically popping out of your head!"

Zhou Yan snapped back to reality, an awkward expression flashing across his face. He gripped the jade bottle tightly and walked silently toward his room in the backyard.

Narcissus's father followed behind him, continuing to laugh:

"Your mother was just talking about it the other day, always asking if the girl who often brings her tonics is engaged yet? If not..."

Zhou Yan paused, glanced back at Shui Xian's father, his eyes slightly complicated.

He and Yinzhu tacitly kept the news of Shuixian being banished to the cold palace a secret from Shuixian's family, fearing they wouldn't be able to bear it, which is why Shuixian's father was able to be so cheerful.

He interrupted Narcissus's father, his voice somewhat heavy: "Uncle, don't talk nonsense."

Zhou Yan led Shui Xian's father back to the room, closed the door tightly, and then carefully opened the jade bottle and poured out the only thing inside.

It was a strip of paper rolled up very thinly.

Narcissus's father came closer. He couldn't read and asked curiously, "What does this say? Why is it in such a precious bottle?"

Zhou Yan quickly glanced at the contents of the note, his expression instantly turning extremely serious.

He carefully put the note away and said in a deep voice, "Uncle, this is no ordinary note. This is... something that could cause a sensation in the imperial court!"

——

Half a month later, at a court assembly, Lian Chenxi and several other officials from humble backgrounds jointly submitted a memorial.

He directly accused the Grand Secretary Ruan Chen and his family of abusing their power, selling official positions, and engaging in corruption and self-interest!

Lian Chenxi did not make baseless accusations; instead, he presented several ledgers that he had obtained from an unknown source, as well as records of some of the embezzled funds' transactions!

An uproar immediately erupted in the imperial court!

Ruan Chen tried to refute, but faced with overwhelming evidence, he appeared weak and powerless.

Emperor Zhaoheng sat high on his dragon throne, his face ashen, and roared in fury, "The Ruan family case must be thoroughly investigated immediately!"

Such swift and decisive action rendered Ruan Chen's defenses utterly futile, even as he collapsed before the palace, tears streaming down his face, repeatedly proclaiming "I am innocent!", in the face of the evidence presented by Lian Chenxi and others.

The weather is about to change...

......

That same night after dealing with the Ruan family, Emperor Zhaoheng ignored Consort Li, who was kneeling outside the Qianqing Palace, crying and pleading.

He had Feng Shunxiang make arrangements, and after nightfall, he once again moved to the Cold Palace.

Late at night, Narcissus had already gone to sleep.

As she lay on the hard couch in the cold palace, she vaguely heard footsteps entering the room. As if anticipating this, she slightly curled the corners of her lips and then pretended to be in a drowsy state, as if she had been woken up by Emperor Zhaoheng.

"Your Majesty...why have you come so late?"

Emperor Zhaoheng was dressed in dark-colored casual clothes, the hem of which still carried the chill of the winter night.

However, he quickly walked to Narcissus's side, and with a long arm, embraced her as she lay on the couch.

The man buried his face in her slender shoulders and neck, inhaling her comforting fragrance.

"I... am very happy."

As the head of the aristocratic families, Emperor Zhaoheng was overjoyed to see them unable to deny the irrefutable evidence.

Without saying a word, he kissed Narcissus's lips, his actions inevitably carrying a hint of eagerness.

The urge that had been suppressed within him, he now only wanted to share with her.

"emperor......"

Shui Xian naturally did not refuse, and she let Emperor Zhaoheng vent his excitement.

In her previous life, shortly after she gave birth to a prince, the evidence of the Ruan family's crimes was uncovered by the Yi family.

The Ruan family's greed shocked almost the entire court and the public, and it was the talk of the town everywhere.

Ruan Chen, using his position as a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, could openly recommend talented individuals to the Emperor, and he could set a price for it.

During his more than twenty years in the government, the illicit gains he amassed could have bought almost half of the capital, and involved countless officials, including many high-ranking officials.

What Narcissus handed out through the silver beads was a list.

With this list as a breakthrough, she believed that Lian Chenxi and others could find evidence of Ruan Chen and his cronies' crimes.

As expected, Lian Chenxi did not disappoint her.

As Shui Xian looked over Emperor Zhao Heng's shoulder, she saw not only the swaying tent ceiling, but also the precarious state of the Ruan family.

Everything is getting more and more intense.

Finally, Narcissus closed her eyes and buried herself in Emperor Zhaoheng's sweaty embrace.

The Ruan family was just her first step.

The calmness of the body did not soothe the excited nerves.

Emperor Zhaoheng embraced Shuixian and told her in detail about the affairs of the court, his tone filled with frustration at not being able to do his best: "The Ruan family's foundation is too deep; moving one thread will affect the whole situation."

"Although I have brought down Ruan Chen, I have had to stabilize the situation for the time being and have not been able to... immediately take you out."

Narcissus nestled in his arms. After he finished speaking, she raised her slender hand and gently smoothed his furrowed brow, softly saying:

"His Majesty's ability to eliminate Ruan Chen in one fell swoop is already a great victory. Maintaining stability in the court is the natural course of action."

She offered him a suggestion in a soft voice.

"Your Majesty, since it is necessary to stabilize the remaining power of the Ruan family at this moment, why not..."

Emperor Zhaoheng looked down at her, meeting her bright eyes, and then heard her speak in a soft, gentle voice, yet her words were chilling.

"Why not... strip Consort Li of her title?"