Su Wanwan paused.

The morning court session usually begins at 5:00 AM and ends at 7:00 AM.

From the time Emperor Yingzong ascended the throne as a child, the morning court sessions were often merely a formality.

Usually, eight things are prepared in advance, discussed briefly, and then the court session ends.

It has been going on for two and a half hours now, so it must have encountered some difficulties.

"What is it that the Empress Dowager summoned me to?"

Meng Yue had a lisp:

"This servant does not know. I heard that the Empress Dowager and the Empress have gone to Renshou Palace. It seems that something big has happened."

Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.

It turns out the Empress Dowager has already returned to the palace.

Why would these important figures in the harem need to invite a lowly palace maid like her over?

It's obviously not going to be a good thing.

"Can I not go?"

Su Wanwan just wanted to escape.

Meng Yue's words completely cut off her escape route:

"This servant has already sent someone to ask Steward Li, and he said that as long as you go there, you should be careful and wait for the Emperor to arrive."

Chief Steward Li went to the morning court with Lu Xingjian, and his meaning was probably the same as Lu Xingjian's.

Su Wanwan dawdled for a long time, but finally, unable to bear the urging of the eunuch who came to invite her, she slowly sat in her wheelchair and headed towards Renshou Palace.

Many palace maids and eunuchs stood in the palace corridors, constantly looking up at the sky and discussing amongst themselves.

"Look, why does the sun look strange?"

"The rising sun is accompanied by a reddish-yellow aura, which is an ominous sign, and it should be in the palace!"

"In the fifth year of the Jingtai reign, the sun was shining on the back of the head and the complexion was reddish-yellow. Officials from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau said that the country would suffer a loss within three years. As a result, in the first month of the eighth year of the Jingtai reign, the retired emperor was restored to the throne and the Jingtai Emperor died!"

People were filled with anxiety.

Su Wanwan frowned.

When she arrived at the entrance of the Renshou Palace, her heart was in her throat.

The main hall was filled not only with the Grand Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress, but also with the Grand Princess of Chun'an and the Imperial Son-in-Law, Cai Zhen.

Cai Zhen was the husband of the Grand Princess Chun'an and had been in charge of the Imperial Clan Court for more than ten years.

Thinking of the Grand Princess Chun'an's hostility towards her, Su Wanwan immediately sensed something was wrong.

Fortunately, the atmosphere in the main hall was tense, and no one paid much attention to her.

The Empress Dowager looked sickly, but her voice was filled with rage.

"How dare you plot against me! You are utterly depraved!"

Empress Dowager Zhang smiled awkwardly: "Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter is still under investigation, why rush to conclusions?"

Empress Dowager Wang paused for a moment, then sneered:

"Lady Ruian collapsed after being poisoned while testing medicine for me, and her life hangs in the balance. You still say that this matter is not yet settled?"

As she spoke, she wiped her eyes, her voice filled with sorrow:

"If she hadn't been so foolish as to insist on testing the medicine herself, I would already be in the underworld meeting my ancestors by now!"

At this moment, the imperial physician stepped forward: "Lady Ruian has been poisoned too severely. Please forgive me for being powerless to save her."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall was greatly shocked.

Lady Ruian is not only the sister-in-law of the Empress Dowager's brother, but also the daughter of the late Marquis of Anyuan, Liu Jing, and the elder sister of the current Marquis of Anyuan, Liu Wen.

The Marquis of Anyuan's family had served as generals for generations, guarding Guangdong and Guangxi. However, during the reign of the late emperor, Liu Jing committed a crime and was stripped of his military power, living in idleness for more than ten years, after which the Liu family declined.

Not long ago, the newly appointed Marquis of Anyuan, Liu Wengang, was appointed by Lu Xingjian as the new Commander-in-Chief of Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Liu family once again stood on the political stage.

The death of Lady Ruian in the palace, still caused by poisoning, was an absolutely serious matter.

After a moment of stunned silence, Empress Dowager Zhang angrily berated the imperial physicians:

"It must be because you, a quack doctor, didn't treat me properly! Someone, summon the head physician of the Imperial Medical Academy to treat me again!"

After a flurry of activity, the Imperial Medical Academy's diagnosis was even worse:

"The Lady of Ruian Marquis has passed away. Please accept our condolences, Your Majesty."

Empress Dowager Wang was so angry that she fainted immediately.

Empress Dowager Zhang panicked completely: "Mother, Mother, please take care of yourself! Imperial physician, come quickly to treat me!"

The death of Lady Ruian in the palace will not be easily forgiven by the Wang and Liu families.

If this matter is not handled properly, it will surely lead to endless troubles.

The impact was extremely negative.

If entering the palace could cost you your life, which noblewoman would dare to enter the palace to pay homage in the future?

If the Empress Dowager were to pass away at this critical juncture, how could she, as the Empress Dowager, continue to serve as the mother of the nation?

I'm afraid the whole world will condemn her for being heartless and venomous.

Princess Chun'an and her husband, Cai Zhen, both had grim expressions.

Xia Xueyi, who had been watching Empress Zhang's expression closely, was also like a frightened bird, shrinking to the side and remaining silent.

Empress Dowager Zhang entrusted her with all the affairs of the six palaces, and in the end, this became her fault.

Xia Xueyi had been restless and unable to eat or sleep well for the past few days, and looked extremely haggard.

Upon hearing someone outside the hall announce "The Emperor has arrived," he was so frightened that his legs went weak and he collapsed to the ground.

"Her Majesty the Empress has fainted!" the palace servants exclaimed.

Lu Xingjian happened to walk in through the main gate of Renshou Palace. Hearing the exclamations from inside the hall, he quickly entered the hall in a few strides.

Su Wanwan waited outside the palace, only to see him hurry past with a cold and stern expression, without noticing her at all.

Perhaps they saw her, but simply didn't give her any attention.

The Empress Dowager slowly awoke.

Empress Dowager Zhang cried and said:

"Yesterday I heard a high monk say that if there are any unusual omens in the sky recently, it means that there is an ominous person in the palace who is harming our royal family."

"The Ai family didn't believe it."

"Now that both the Empress Dowager and the Empress are ill, I have no choice but to believe it. Your Majesty, this ominous person must not be let off the hook!"

Princess Chun'an frowned and sternly asked the palace servants:

"Who are the people who have recently been in contact with the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Lady of Ruian Marquis?"

When Su Wanwan heard these words outside the palace, her blood froze.

The scent of conspiracy is too obvious.

really.

The palace servant knelt down and reported, "Only Su Wanwan!"

"She first lived in Renshou Palace for a long time, and later, after being transferred to the East Palace, she became restless and befriended the Lady of Rui'an Marquis. She even worked in Kunning Palace!"

The Grand Princess of Chun'an snorted coldly and said in a strong voice:

"It really is her. She caused the death of her own mother at birth, and her husband died after she got married. Now her evil aura is even stronger, and she can even bring misfortune to the Empress Dowager and the Empress!"

Su Wanwan sat in her wheelchair, completely frozen.

She knew that Empress Dowager Zhang would not let her off easily.

Unexpectedly, the blow came so quickly, catching everyone off guard.

Empress Dowager Zhang had calmed down by this time and had Su Wanwan brought in.

Her eyes were sharp and vicious:

"So it was you, the jinx, who was bringing misfortune upon us!"

"You killed Prince Dao at the age of three, my Xiuyi died at the age of nine, and the child in my womb was also killed by you!"

How many grievances and how many tears did Empress Dowager Zhang suffer over the years?

All the pent-up emotions found an outlet, and they came at Su Wanwan.

Su Wanwan's face was pale.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Lu Xingjian are not in the main hall; they should have gone to their sleeping quarters.

Xia Xueyi will probably cling to Lu Xingjian and not let go.

She has no powerful backers.

How could a lowly palace maid withstand the combined wrath of the Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess Chun'an?