Cining Palace was not a place where one could speak freely, so Xiuning had to keep her thoughts to herself and return to the palace.
Interrupting Chunyu's words, which were about to spill out, Chunyu also quieted down.
Knowing how to read people's expressions, Chunyu firmly supported Xiuning's wrist, and the two of them tacitly quickened their pace until the sedan chair waiting outside Cining Palace was carried away by the eunuchs.
I breathed a sigh of relief
Xiu Ning patted her chest with one hand, her bright eyes sparkling.
"System, what's the situation at Cining Palace? Is the Empress Dowager unable to hold on any longer?"
Before leaving home, Xiuning had asked the system in her mind to investigate.
The Empress Dowager is unlike anyone else; her status and importance are self-evident. Unless the Empress Dowager has passed away and is no longer seen, Xiuning's wariness of this person will not end.
The system popped up in Xiu Ning's mind, "The host guessed correctly. Just now, the Empress Dowager suddenly fainted in her sleep."
The imperial physicians stationed at Cining Palace have begun emergency treatment, but the situation is not optimistic.
Xiuning lowered her head and pondered, "It's not optimistic. Is the chance of her opening her eyes again very low?"
The system's words were cold and ruthless: "There is basically no chance of you opening your eyes again."
It is highly likely that the Empress Dowager will pass away in her sleep, without even having the chance to leave a last message.
After hearing the system's words, Xiu Ning thought to herself that this was truly unexpected.
Even though the Empress Dowager had made many arrangements in advance, in the end, she would definitely have wanted to try to secure one more opportunity for her descendants. It's a pity that she didn't even get that chance (well done).
A smile unconsciously crept onto her lips; Xiu Ning was no saint.
Her relationship with the Empress Dowager will only worsen, not improve. Given this, why should she expect the Emperor to fulfill the Empress Dowager's wishes? Wouldn't that be putting pressure on her own power? It should be understood that things rise and fall, and all things are conserved and unchanging.
After thinking it over, Xiu Ning felt refreshed and invigorated.
call
In any case, it's a good thing for her that the Empress Dowager is no longer a major obstacle in the harem. Otherwise, she would have to be very careful and cautious in everything she did, for fear of accidentally getting herself into trouble and suffering heavy losses.
After all, the Empress Dowager was renowned, and quite a few people had been subdued by her. Just those that Xiu Ning knew, Tong Jia Rongyue and Consort Jia were no exception.
Especially Tong Jia Rongyue, whose relationship with the Empress Dowager was extremely tense because of the early death of Empress Xiaokangzhang. Tong Jia Rongyue even secretly investigated the cause of Empress Xiaokangzhang's death, but unfortunately, she made a mistake and had to give up after failing to find anything.
However, Xiu Ning knew that the Empress Dowager had intervened, so the cause of Empress Xiaokangzhang's death was by no means as simple as dying of illness.
As her thoughts drifted further and further away, Xiu Ning found herself thinking about more and more things. Some details that she had previously overlooked slowly surfaced. The large number of concubines involved were like a dense net, catching everyone in one fell swoop.
"Alight from the sedan chair—"
With a shout from the eunuch, Xiu Ning, sitting in the sedan chair, came to her senses and realized that Qixiang Palace was already very close.
Xiuning got up and got out of the sedan chair. She waved for the eunuchs to leave quickly, and then led Chunyu into the room.
Shortly after she returned to her room, a palace servant hurriedly reported that the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace was unconscious. The Emperor had decreed that Xiuning should temporarily assist Tongjia Rongyue, Consort Hui, and Consort Ping in handling the affairs of the inner palace, and that they should not be allowed to fall into chaos.
"Your Majesty, I obey the decree."
Xiu Ning curtsied and accepted the imperial edict sent from the Qianqing Palace.
She gestured for Chunyu to send the eunuch away, and Xiuning stood in the courtyard, clutching the imperial edict, pondering how she should proceed.
Although the Emperor asked her to help manage things, Tong Jia Rongyue and others had been holding power in the palace for several years. If she rashly intervened, it would definitely cause conflict with them.
Xiuning isn't afraid of being targeted, but she needs to figure out how to strike the right balance.
After all, what she wanted was to seize the opportunity to tear off some palace power and completely grasp it in her own hands, rather than temporarily helping as the decree stated.
"master"
After seeing the young eunuch off, Chunyu returned and walked to Xiuning's side, calling her name softly.
"Go and make the arrangements. Inform Consort Tong and the others first."
Xiu Ning waved her hand, her expression unchanged.
"yes"
Chunyu responded and turned to tell someone to inform Jingren Palace and other places.
As expected, although Tong Jiarongyue and the others received the message from Xiuning, they all tacitly refused Xiuning's interference and suppressed some arrangements that should have been sent to Qixiang Palace on the grounds that Xiuning had no involvement in palace affairs.
"Master, they've gone too far!"
Chunyu thought that even if the other party was unwilling, he would at least do a good job on the surface and not leave any handle to use against him, since he dared to disobey even the emperor's orders.
Unexpectedly, the other party didn't even bother to save face and just stared blankly at their master.
Tong Jia Rongyue is one thing, as the rank of Consort Gui is comparable to that of her mistress, but what about Consort Hui and Consort Ping? Wasn't the farce caused by Consort Hui's biological son and adopted son big enough? Consort Ping has raised a young prince, and now she's already acting arrogantly again?
Chunyu was dissatisfied, so she didn't leave much room for maneuver when she spoke.
Xiuning sat on the tatami mat, listening to the words, but remained calm on the surface.
"master"
Chunyu bowed and called out to Xiuning, her helplessness evident in her words.
It wouldn't be accurate to say that Chunyu was angry, but as a servant, she always had to express some emotion to vent her anger on behalf of her mistress when she appeared calm and composed.
But this time, seeing that her master remained unmoved even when she spoke, Chunyu was puzzled.
This shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, even if her master didn't speak up, he would at least allow her to retaliate in some way. But now he hasn't shown anything. Could it be that her master already anticipated this?
Xiu Ning had indeed anticipated the reactions of Tong Jia Rongyue and the others, but she hadn't expected that the three of them would be so straightforward and direct, without any roundabout tactics.
It was obvious that none of the three were afraid of offending her, even though Xiuning was the most powerful woman in the harem.
"I'm just thinking about where to start and who to target first."
Since the Emperor had issued an edict, she had no intention of relinquishing this power over palace affairs.
After all, such opportunities are rare, and Xiuning had been waiting for a long time, her patience completely exhausted.
Chunyu was startled by Xiuning's words, but then she suddenly realized that it wasn't that she had expressed anything wrong, but that her master was already thinking about the next step.
"Your Majesty, in my opinion, among these three, the easiest to target is Consort Hui first, then Consort Ping, and finally Consort Tong."
Consort Hui has fallen out of favor, and her two sons each have their own troubles. In addition, there is unrest in Chuxiu Palace. Beset by internal and external troubles, she is most likely to lose her power in the palace.
Consort Ping is neither favored nor out of favor, but she is backed by the Hesheli clan, who are related to the Crown Prince by blood. In addition, she is raising the newborn Thirteenth Prince. Given time, the Emperor will surely become wary of her.
Consort Tong gained favor and, after Consort Jia withdrew from the competition, could be said to be on par with her mistress. This woman had a family, power, and children, making her the most difficult to deal with.
“You’re right, then let’s start with Consort Hui.”
"Yes, I understand."
...
Another day, news came from Cining Palace that the Empress Dowager had passed away that night despite medical treatment.
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