Chapter 41 Verdant Greenery and Gentle Breeze (Part 1) "The Grand Eunuch is truly petty."...

Consort Ning rarely invited Yan Chao to Yongning Palace, so Yan Chao was somewhat surprised when her personal maid came to the East Palace.

The palace maid said there was no urgency, so Yan Chao calmed himself down. Thinking that he also had some things to discuss with Consort Ning, he put down his pen and left unhurriedly.

On the way, they encountered Prince Xin. He was always leisurely, his steps light and carefree, with several scrolls of books and paintings carried behind him by his attendants. Yan Chao had just rounded the corner when he saw that Prince Xin was already far away, so the two did not speak.

Xiao Jiu loved to gossip, and a few days ago he mentioned that Prince Xin also kept a thrush in his mansion, which was quite similar to the one that Yan Chao had deliberately shown him.

Yan Chao smiled lightly upon hearing this, not taking it to heart.

Although the incident at the Silkworm Altar had made Consort Ning's position in the harem delicate, Yongning Palace appeared largely unchanged on the surface. When Consort Li was under house arrest, the Emperor intended to entrust Consort Ning with the power over the six palaces, but she had always refused to touch these matters and instead recommended Consort Jing, who was also a consort. Consort Jing appreciated her gesture and treated Yongning Palace with considerable courtesy.

Currently, Consort Ning is using the excuse that Consort Lin is pregnant and needs to rest to decline the requests of the other concubines, making Yongning Palace quieter than before.

When Yan Chao met Consort Ning, she was still embroidering as usual, and when asked, she only said that it was for Consort Lin's child.

“When Imperial Physician Zhang took Consort Lin’s pulse last month, he said it was most likely a prince. Now the whole palace is watching her belly. I made these personal items myself, firstly to show my feelings, and secondly to put my mind at ease.” Consort Ning noticed that Consort Lin was staring at the embroidery frame in her hands. She turned her head and ordered the palace servants to bring tea, and then said to her.

Yan Chao nodded slightly, about to speak: "Your Majesty..."

Consort Ning interrupted her, looking up to ask, "How is your situation now regarding the assassination attempt at Funing Temple? I heard from Eunuch Lan that you spent half a day in the lake and caught a cold?"

Yan Chao frowned. What was Lan Huai'en telling Consort Ning?

“Your Majesty, rest assured, I am fine,” she replied, then paused and asked with pursed lips, “But… why did Lan Huai’en tell you all this?”

Consort Ning was slightly taken aback, then frowned and pondered for a moment before saying, "I asked casually, but he answered seriously. I find his answer more credible than the rumors circulating in private."

Soft sunlight streamed in through the window, gently illuminating her face, making her profile appear exceptionally graceful and gentle in the play of light and shadow. When she was deep in thought, her hands would slow down, the needle and thread moving slowly across the embroidery surface.

From a distance, it was impossible to see what was being embroidered; all that could be seen was that dazzling light was woven into the embroidery. Her gaze seemed fixed on that light, yet it encompassed all the brightness, settling into a serene tranquility.

Yan Chao occasionally had these thoughts. He thought that if Consort Ning were to find a family in Jiangnan to marry, her gentle and tender nature would surely make her popular. A harmonious and respectful marriage would be far better than wasting her youthful years in the palace.

She was lost in thought for a moment, then turned back to reality and said softly, "Lan Huai'en is treacherous and cunning, and his actions are always unpredictable. Your Majesty should be careful."

"I know."

"Regarding the matter of the First Silkworm Altar, I asked Lan Huaien, and he admitted that he was the one who secretly plotted to lure you there from beginning to end. Those days, everyone inside and outside the palace was discussing the matter of establishing an empress. You were pushed out in the eye of the storm, and he wanted to... wanted you to compete for the position of empress..." She turned her head slightly and couldn't help but frown.

Lan Huaien explained to her that Consort Ning's position in the harem was only one step away from that of the Empress. Even if Consort Ning had no intention of fighting for it herself, she could not be easily controlled by others.

The purpose of the incident at the Silkworm Altar was to give Consort Ning a chance to shine in front of everyone, so that if Lady Li were to make a comeback, Consort Ning would still have a chance to compete. Moreover, with the selection of consorts imminent, Consort Ning couldn't let the newcomers overshadow her.

She understood the meaning, but she didn't understand why Lan Huaien was suddenly showing such goodwill towards Consort Ning.

Lan Huaien only said that Li Shi and Ji Weixian were bound together by fate, and if he wanted to suppress Ji Weixian, he had to prevent Li Shi from taking over.

Yan Chao felt that something was a bit far-fetched, and she was unwilling to involve Consort Ning as well.

Consort Ning was indeed startled. She had always thought it was Consort Li's doing, and because she was too close to Consort Lin's miscarriage, she had secretly increased her defenses against Wan'an Palace.

She responded, stopped what she was doing, and said in a low voice, "Prince Xin has met with Lady Li privately many times under various pretexts."

Yan Chao took a sip of tea, not finding it surprising: "Prince Xin has visited the palace many times, mostly for the sake of Wan'an Palace. Since he has met with him multiple times, it naturally means that His Majesty has tacitly approved."

Consort Ning sighed, "His Majesty..."

Isn't this how the emperor always treats Wan'an Palace? I'm afraid that the confinement won't even last a year before he finds a reason to lift it.

What Yan Chao needs to do is to give Li a blow before she leaves Wan'an Palace, so that even if she regains her status, her situation will be far worse than before.

“I went to the Emperor’s court a few days ago, and His Majesty suddenly mentioned your wet nurse, Madam Ying, to me. He seemed rather unhappy. There are rumors circulating that Madam Ying did not die of illness, but was killed by you?”

Yan Chao paused for a moment, not answering her question, but instead asking, "Does Your Majesty believe it?"

“Of course I don’t believe it,” Consort Ning shook her head and chuckled easily. “Everyone says you’re cold and heartless, but you’ve been under my care for years. How could I not know you? You treat Ying Shi like your own mother…”

“It was indeed me who did it,” Yan Chao interrupted her, speaking gently.

Consort Ning's smile froze instantly. She looked at her with disbelief, and the cup in her hand fell to the table with a dull thud.

Yan Chao didn't explain, but asked again, "Your Majesty also mentioned my mother to you, didn't you?"

“Yes…” Consort Ning nodded blankly.

"In his eyes, his mother was always a dignified and indifferent empress. She could order the execution of palace servants without any explanation, watch her own sisters walk to the execution ground without any reaction, and even push her own flesh and blood to others. In her last few years, she refused to see her mother, who had traveled a long way to come to her death. On the day she passed away, all she murmured was, 'It's snowing...'"

She closed her eyes, her breathing heavy.

“But isn’t all of this his doing… Just like me now, he sometimes says that I look a lot like my mother,” she looked up at Consort Ning and chuckled softly, “Ying is secretly colluding with others. If I don’t take action, the next ones will be Liang Lu, Duan Shou, Xiao Jiu… until I’m the only one left.”

Very few people knew that Ying had secretly left the capital.

Consort Ning silently turned her head and showed her the embroidery. It simply depicted two peaches with a few scattered leaves. Consort Ning explained softly, "This will likely be worn close to the skin, so the needles, thread, and fabric were carefully selected. Too much embroidery might hurt the baby. When we make the outer garment in a couple of days, we can embroider more elaborate patterns..."

Yan Chao listened patiently. Suddenly, she said, "I know it's hard for Chao'er... and I don't mean to blame you at all. I just suddenly feel powerless. I can only watch and hope that you will get better."

Before leaving, Consort Ning insisted on seeing her to the door. Before Yan Chao turned around, she moved her lips and breathed out a sentence: "Take good care of yourself. If the Crown Prince is busy, please come to Yongning Palace less often in the future."

.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard, in collaboration with the Court of Judicial Review, investigated the case for three to five days, and the results were simple and ordinary. Qiu Cong reported that it was Lu Xun's brother, Lu Yan, who had colluded with a group of bandits in western Beijing.

Lu Yan presented a copy of his confession to the Crown Prince. Yan Chao glanced at it and found it to be reasonable.

When the Meng Huai incident was initially resolved, it was she who proposed the punishment for Lu Xun, and she was also the presiding judge in the Cao Fu case. The first time, Lu Xun lost his position in the Embroidered Uniform Guard because of this, and the second time, Lu Xun lost his life.

Lu Yan was not in the capital, but he took out all his anger on the Crown Prince.

She asked Qiu Cong for some more details. The timing of the assassination, the arrangement of the men, and the fact that the secret planning had begun half a month ago were all meticulously detailed.

However, Lu Yan's background had already been thoroughly investigated. He failed the military examination in the fourteenth year of Xuan Ning, then abandoned martial arts for literature, but failed again, so he turned to business. The Lu family was quite wealthy, and Lu Xun's entry into the Embroidered Uniform Guard brought even more honor to the clan.

Lu Yan often boasted to others about Lu Xun's success. His fellow villagers also said that besides being arrogant and conceited, Lu Yan was very reckless and impulsive, and that his business success was just a stroke of luck.

Such a person, planning such a meticulous scheme, was extremely cautious. Upon closer examination, the answer is simply that blood relatives are being careful.

Qiu Cong had also considered whether there was a mastermind behind this, but Lu Yan refused to budge.

When Yan Chao had some free time, he made a special trip to the Dali Temple, but he did not see the Dali Temple Minister. Instead, Deng Xun came to pay his respects.

Deng Xun handed her the relevant case file, and seeing her frowning in deep thought, he couldn't help but sigh, "This will surely cause endless trouble."

"So what are you planning to do? Even if you can figure it out, can you convict everyone without missing a single one?"

Deng Xunyi composed himself, lowered his head and said in a low voice, "I just really can't stand it."

Yan Chao tossed the book in her hand to him, and seeing that he caught it quickly, she said, "There are some things I already told you last time."

He was just unwilling to accept it.

Deng Xun simply said "Yes." His colleagues had already analyzed the pros and cons for him. He wasn't surprised, nor did he think he was wrong for being somewhat radical. The only thing he could understand was that perhaps the Crown Prince had her own considerations.

"Tell me your opinion," Yan Chao said after a moment's thought, throwing the question to him first.

Deng Xunyi dug up Lu Yan's family background and replied as he read: "Lu Yan has only been to the capital a few times in the past ten years, so it makes sense that he is familiar with the terrain of Funing Temple. However, His Highness brought a royal guard on this trip. According to the information from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the assassin bypassed the Eastern Palace guards and went directly to the back of the temple..."

"Do you think I have spies around me, working against me from the inside?"

Deng Xun nodded.

"But these confessions clearly state that he colluded with Huaiqing."

Deng Xunyi continued, "Your Highness also said that Huaiqing's timing in putting the poison in the cup coincided with the time when the thief was at work. If he had been bribed, it simply doesn't make sense... Moreover, the head of the Eastern Depot happened to be at Funing Temple at the time, and he filled in the gap caused by the conflict. I think this is more than just a coincidence..."

Yan Chao's gaze shifted. His suspicions were actually directed at Lan Huai'en.

"You want to investigate the Eastern Depot?" she asked calmly.

“Your Majesty, I believe it is necessary. Governor Lan is highly suspicious, and it was quite coincidental that he appeared later to save Your Highness,” Deng Xun nodded, narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment, but then waved his hand, “But I dare not…”

The Eastern Depot could kill people without them even realizing it. Sometimes, because the emperor hadn't made a statement, no one knew whether Lan Huai'en had killed those people or if the emperor had tacitly approved it. They could only remain wary and on guard against him.

Without Deng Xunyi saying anything, this conjecture gradually began to circulate among people in private.

Lu Yan had already vomited everything he needed to say, and now he was still on the verge of death in prison. Although some people suspected Lan Huaien, no evidence had been found. When the emperor asked him a few questions, Lan Huaien reacted violently, crying his heart out in front of the emperor and begging him to investigate thoroughly and clear his name.

Lan Huaien was soon dragged into the matter, but he quickly became the "inspector" of all sides, urging them to investigate quickly, and the first person he pressured was Deng Xunyi.

Yan Chao knew he was plotting revenge, so she specifically sought him out, but he only said that this was Deng Shaoqing's duty. She was at a loss, rubbing her temples, feeling a bit of a headache: "The Grand Eunuch is so petty."

Lan Huaien coughed, flicked the whisk in his arms, and said with a mix of innocence and grievance, "From beginning to end, I have treated you with utmost sincerity and unwavering loyalty."