"The key to the Empress's private treasury is either on her or on someone close to her. Even if there is no key, these ancient locks are easy to open. It's just that there are too many people in the palace today, so it's not advisable to make a move!"

I came out late tonight, and soon I heard the rooster crowing.

Ning Yao left quietly, just as she had come.

"Your Majesty, big news!" Zhilan rushed in.

Ning Yao swallowed a mouthful of food: "What?"

Zhilan whispered in her ear, "That one in the Empress's palace is bald!"

Ning Yao paused for a moment, then continued eating.

Zhilan continued, "It's not just the Empress; many people in the Empress's palace have gone bald! There are rumors that an epidemic has broken out in the Empress's palace, and even the people from the Imperial Hospital are advising the Empress to close the palace gates!"

Ning Yao's eyes lit up: "Do we need the concubines to attend to my illness?"

Zhilan was taken aback: "Yes, there is, but..."

Ning Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks, refusing to eat any more, and pulled Zhi Lan to run outside, saying, "Go register your young lady! It's our honor to serve the Empress!"

Ning Yao's words quickly reached the inner palace.

"Consort Rong, who only entered the palace yesterday, is now eagerly preparing to attend to the Empress's illness!"

"Consort Rong is the Empress's mortal enemy and a thorn in her side. Who knows what her younger sister is thinking!"

"It seems that this Consort Rong is also incredibly foolish!"

Regardless of how the palace views her, Ning Yao has now successfully joined the ranks of those attending to the sick!

Looking left and right, it seemed that she was the only one who came voluntarily.

Ning Yao narrowed her eyes. Of course, she had to be willing and proactive. Otherwise, when would this Empress's private treasury ever end up in her pocket?

Empress Zhang knew that Ning Yao had also come, but she didn't think much of it. Now that she was almost bald from hair loss, she had no interest in caring about anything else!

Ning Yao, on the other hand, moved freely within the central palace and even managed to obtain the key to the private treasury.

Empress Zhang became increasingly irritable, appearing to have aged more than ten years in just a few days. Everyone in the palace lived in fear, terrified that they would be the next to die.

Ning Yao disliked that Empress Zhang didn't sleep day or night, so she gave her some medicine.

"If the moon doesn't sleep, you don't sleep either. If you're not a bald little baby, then who is?"

Empress Zhang fell asleep, and the entire palace relaxed considerably.

A dark and windy night is the perfect time to make a move.

They bypassed the guards and sneaked into the private vault, where it was pitch black and they couldn't see anything.

Ning Yao waved her hand, ignoring all that! She put them all into the secret realm!

Once she succeeded, Ning Yao's mood improved more and more.

With another wave of his hand, Empress Zhang's hair was no longer bald.

Ning Yao left the central palace and entered Qionghua Palace without looking back. She then claimed to the outside world that she was ill and needed to recuperate in seclusion.

From that moment on, the gates of Qionghua Palace remained tightly shut, and the women in the inner palace looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what she meant.

Did he make himself sick while attending to the ailing emperor? Is this blaming the empress?

Then another strange thing happened in the palace. The empress woke up to find that her hair was no longer falling out. She was happy for only two minutes when a stench came over her, which made all the palace servants around her vomit.

Empress Zhang's face turned green, and she flew into a rage once again!

This time, there was no need for the Imperial Hospital to make a diagnosis; everyone simply walked around the central palace.

When the imperial concubines were sent to attend to the ailing emperor, they fainted the moment they stepped into the palace.

Suddenly, the Empress became the target of everyone's criticism.

Zhang Momo remembered that there was a secret medicine in the Empress's dowry that could mask all odors and make the user smell fragrant.

The emperor and empress relied entirely on this secret medicine on their wedding night.

Zhang Momo excitedly opened her private account, only to be dumbfounded the next second.

The Empress's private treasury is empty!

Upon hearing this news, Empress Zhang's eyes rolled back and she fainted.

The imperial physicians couldn't get close and had to wait for her to wake up on her own.

"Investigate this thoroughly! Who dares to steal from me!"

Empress Zhang was so angry that she saw stars, felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, and couldn't get out of bed.

Meanwhile, the culprit was lounging on a chaise lounge, wearing a face mask and enjoying chilled fruit, completely at ease.

Zhilan lay beside her and asked, "Miss, is this sticky stuff really useful?"

Ning Yao closed her eyes and said, "You're fifteen already, it's time to start taking care of your skin. Don't worry, would I lie to you?"

"Oh." Although Zhilan was a little unaccustomed to it, she could tolerate it.

A short while later, a palace maid came in from outside: "Your Highness, Consort Shu requests an audience."

"I am seriously ill, and my illness is contagious. I will not see you!"

The palace maid reported the facts truthfully.

"Tsk, what's wrong with this little girl? I already said I wouldn't see anyone, so why is she still coming to report?"

Zhilan said, "They probably used money!"

Ning Yao asked, "What would you do if you were in that situation?"

Zhilan replied, "Of course, it's taking the money and not doing the service!"

"Well done! You truly are my personal maid!"

By the time I finished applying the face mask, the sun had already set.

After leading Zhilan in practicing martial arts for a while, Ning Yao returned to her palace to rest.

Half a month has passed since the last time the Empress's private treasury was emptied. The Empress's palace gates remain closed, but her actions have affected everyone.

Guards would occasionally enter the palaces to search, and Qionghua Palace was no exception.

The guards not only searched the place, but also took away the gifts bestowed upon them by the emperor, claiming that they were not worthy of their rank!

Knowing that it was Empress Zhang who instructed them, the concubines in the harem dared not speak out against their anger.

Tonight's target is Consort Shu, who visited during the day.

If Ning Qiong and Empress Zhang were mortal enemies, then Consort Shu was a smiling tiger.

When Ningqiong was pregnant, most of the tonics were sent by Consort Shu.

Ning Yao found out exactly what was mixed in with it.

Consort Shu's maiden name was Lin, and she came from a merchant family. She entered the palace during the imperial selection process in the second year after the emperor ascended the throne.

Although the dowry was not as rare as Empress Zhang's, it was still made of real gold and silver.

Yellow and white items are easier to circulate in the market than jade artifacts!

When Ning Yao arrived, Consort Shu had not yet rested and was complaining to her subordinates.

"What kind of thing is she? A mere concubine dares to refuse me! She truly doesn't take me seriously!"

"Doesn't Your Majesty understand? She has already pledged allegiance to the Empress. A servant cannot serve two masters. She is not stupid. Your Majesty need not be angry. If you can bring down Consort Rong, you can bring down the second one. His Majesty is not in the palace right now, so things are much easier to handle."

Consort Shu raised a flirtatious eyebrow: "You're right. There's no need for me to hold a grudge against a mere concubine. The most important thing is to give birth to the prince in my womb!"

Ning Yao, who was eavesdropping, thought: "Tsk, pregnant? And trying to secretly give birth? Absolutely not!"

After Consort Shu fell asleep, Ning Yao appeared before her bed like a ghost, put the stench pills into the water, and then emptied Consort Shu's private treasury and ransacked the other palaces as well.

As usual, Consort Shu asked for water in the middle of the night.

The odor pills are colorless and odorless; they only emit a foul smell when inside the body and have no effect on the fetus.

The next morning, a terrifying scream echoed from Consort Shu's palace. She then stormed into the Empress's palace alone, accusing Empress Zhang of plotting to murder the prince! In the end, Empress Zhang confined her to her quarters on charges of disrespect.