Xie Yanci ordered the Imperial Preceptor to investigate the source of the poison. This action frightened the Queen first.
Although she did not participate in the poisoning, but only added fuel to the fire and gave the bowl of fish soup to Concubine Wen, she was not completely unaware of Meng Ruhui's previous instructions.
What she thought was a minor incident suddenly turned into an attempted murder, which made her feel uneasy. She was afraid that the powerful imperial teacher would figure out the whole story and bring people to Fengluan Palace to question her.
Jin Han noticed her master's uneasiness. "Don't be afraid, Queen! I'm very cautious and will definitely not be discovered. Besides, the poison has been used up, and the remaining paper package has been burned. How could they find it?"
"But, but...it's said that the Imperial Master is a divine being who can see the past and the future based on the stars. Could he have already..."
"Your Highness, don't be afraid!" Jin Han held her hand, his tone firm. "Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne, you have been hindered in every way. The first formidable enemy is Concubine Jin. The Prime Minister trusts me and has arranged for me to eliminate the daughter of the Qu family on your behalf. He must have made sufficient preparations and will never let you be implicated."
She was still trembling with fear: "Jinhan, do you know? I have never killed anyone in my life, let alone an unborn child..."
"I know that Your Majesty is kind-hearted and wouldn't have the heart to harm the heir to the throne. It's only to my dismay that he couldn't be reborn, and ended up in Qu Yuexi's womb! In the court, Qu Wenhe has repeatedly used his two favored daughters to attack Your Majesty. For the sake of our Meng family, I must do the same! If the Imperial Master really finds out, I will take the full responsibility for my actions. Don't worry!"
Jinhan was personally trained by Meng Ruhui and sent to be her personal maid.
She had long been accustomed to the existence of this girl, and would always consult Jin Han whenever she encountered any problems. What if...
Thinking about how Jin Han offended the emperor, tried to kill Concubine Wen, and put the blame on Concubine Jin, that was definitely a dead end!
The Queen couldn't help but shudder: "No, it won't happen. If you are discovered, I will protect you! Anyway, the evidence is gone, and there are no witnesses. I will just assume that they are framing Fengluan Palace!"
"Your Majesty, although according to the Master's intention, the two Qu sisters were to kill each other, their responses during the interrogation in Shoukang Palace were clearly inconsistent. We can start from this point and have Concubine Jin shift the target of suspicion and divert the blame to someone else!"
"who?"
"The person Concubine Jin dislikes the most and is also the concubine she fears the most is Concubine Yi of Lin'an Palace."
The Queen began to hesitate: "Noble Lady Yi is intelligent. Even if she is trapped in a dead end, she can find a way to escape. This is something that ordinary people cannot do. We cannot frame her!"
"How can we know the outcome if we don't try?" Jin Han continued to persuade her, "Your Majesty, if Imperial Concubine Jin intends to suppress Imperial Concubine Yi, they will choose to fight each other, and the one who will benefit is you! The Empress Dowager has suffered a series of blows, and her health is not as good as before. She will not be able to take care of the little princess. You truly love Princess Zhaohua, and you are the most suitable person in the palace to raise her. When the time comes..."
When she mentioned the delicate and graceful Zhaohua, she was really moved.
"Back then, my father asked me to tamper with her childbirth, but I couldn't bear to do it, leaving the child motherless at birth. Now, I firmly believe that Concubine Yi will not die at the hands of Concubine Jin. Therefore, deliberately creating some misunderstandings and taking advantage of the opportunity to snatch the princess away is not a mistake, right?"
"Yes! Queen, you saved her life! Besides, you are raising the princess, which is also a favor, not taking her away to abuse her. Why not?"
"Yes, that's what I should do." The Queen was completely convinced. "Just go ahead and do it. Remember to be subtle and don't let Noble Lady Yi notice!"
"Yes, I will arrange it right away."
——
There was also unrest in Chengqian Palace.
Concubine Jin was not worried that the emperor would suspect her, she was just waiting for him to clear her name.
However, Noble Lady Wen held a grudge and personally visited her: "Eldest sister, you really have a leisurely time. Didn't you usually love to count the number of gold hairpins bestowed by the emperor in your dressing box? Why are you watering the flowers today?"
"You are the same, aren't you? You're too ill to visit me morning and night, yet you have the time to come to me."
"Eldest sister, I'm a little curious." Noble Lady Wen also picked up a ladle. "Tell me, if I told my father about the near-poisoning incident and then reiterated what the Imperial Preceptor said, what would he think?"
"I didn't do this." Imperial Concubine Jin stood up straight and emphasized again, "I'm not so foolish as to poison the food I prepared myself and even give it to you. Besides, I care about the Qu family and would never drag them into this."
"Do you really care?"
Concubine Wen suddenly attacked and threw the bucket of water directly onto the nearby flowers and leaves!
The flowerpot fell to the ground and broke into pieces on the spot!
Qian Dai was eager to protect her master and stood in front of her: "Noble Lady Wen, what are you doing? You broke the Royal Concubine's flowers. Are you trying to commit insubordination?!"
"Slut, do you have the right to speak?"
She gave him a look, and Mu Tao pulled Qian Dai aside angrily. They confronted each other, and no one said a word.
Noble Lady Wen stepped over the petals, not caring about the dirt around her. She stared at Noble Lady Jin's face. "Insubordination? In the Qu Mansion, I'm younger than you, and my rank in the palace is lower than yours. So, should I be afraid of you?"
"You, what are you going to do?!"
"I came here today just to tell you. This child was hard-earned, and I cherish him deeply. I want him to be born healthy. If anyone targets me, or does anything untoward against my prince, I will repay them a thousandfold! Don't say you're just a concubine. Even if you were the current queen, in my eyes, you'd be nothing more than a corpse."
Imperial Concubine Jin took a deep breath and looked him in the eye with difficulty: "Do you know what kind of outrageous words you are saying?"
"I shouldn't have said it, but I've already said it. It's too late to take it back!" She smiled innocently again. "Sister, you weren't the murderer anyway, so why are you afraid? We're sisters, and I'm speaking to you in confidence. I want to tell you how much I cherish this child. Don't be afraid."
After saying that, he glanced at the flowers that were trampled into pieces and lazily ordered, "Mu Tao, ask the people in the flower room to pick out the best pot and give it to my eldest sister as compensation."
"Yes, I've made note of it."
"Then the elder sister continues watering the flowers, and I won't disturb the younger sister."
Noble Lady Wen did not bow, but glanced at him provocatively and then turned and left.
Qian Dai quickly rushed to the side of Concubine Jin——
"My lady, are you okay? Did she do anything to you?"
"It doesn't matter. She doesn't dare."
"This is outrageous! How dare a mere nobleman cause trouble in your palace... Hey, Your Majesty! What's wrong with you? Someone come quickly!"
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