Chapter 28 Murderous Intent: Your position, no one can take away.
"The Crown Prince? The Crown Prince... The Crown Prince?!"
Galo Lin was extremely annoyed that his peaceful dream had been disturbed. He loosened his arms around Bai Lian and wished he could drag Lv Liu, who was clinging to the door frame and screaming, away to be castrated right now.
He got up, tucked the blanket around her, and watched her silently for a while, reluctant to leave.
Her long eyelashes were tightly closed, trembling slightly as if disturbed. Her slender limbs were curled up, and her soft, long hair covered her entire body. She looked frightened yet harmless, much like some small animal in dire need of protection...
Standing outside the door, Green Willow could only gaze at the hibiscus-embroidered curtains from afar.
He then felt waves of gentle aura emanating from his master...
Sigh, his young master probably doesn't even realize it himself! Every time he looks at the Crown Princess, he always has a sweet, cloying smile on his face and a deep, intoxicating gaze in his eyes! He's probably like that right now!
Bored, Green Willow squatted by the door, staring blankly at the ground, his mind wandering to the Five Elements. When he came back to his senses, he met a pair of eyes filled with anger, which perfectly conveyed the other party's strong killing intent, making Green Willow shudder involuntarily.
"Too...Prince!"
"If you open my door without permission again, I'll make you a real eunuch!"
"..." Green Willow thought to herself, feeling wronged, "I really didn't see anything," but her thoughts were just that—thoughts...
"My father... oh no, Minister Han requests an audience."
"Oh? When did you arrive?"
"He came straight here after court..."
Inside the palace, Minister Han, still in his official robes, hurriedly came to pay his respects to the Eastern Palace.
He was nearing fifty, and his hand holding the blue-and-white porcelain teacup trembled slightly with nervousness, but his back remained straight as he leaned against the carved rosewood chair.
He's making a gamble this time, a gamble concerning fame, fortune, and his daughter's happiness; he wants to win both.
"Minister Han." Jialuolin rushed over, his black satin robe with auspicious cloud patterns complementing his tall, tied-up black hair.
Minister Han hurriedly rose and knelt in worship, the purple silk fabric rustling as it rubbed against the ground.
"Your Highness, this humble subject pays respects!"
"Minister Han, please rise. There's no need for such formalities."
After the two were seated, Green Willow was reluctantly ordered around to serve tea. He kept his head down and quickly slipped away as soon as the tea was served.
Minister Han watched his departing figure and shook his head slightly.
"Your Majesty, I have a request."
"Speak frankly," Galorin said, taking a sip of tea.
"His Majesty is about to select concubines, and I fear that my three unmarried daughters will also be on the list. I am filled with trepidation..."
"What? You don't want to?"
"No, no, no, Your Highness, I only wish to ask for your opinion."
Minister Han pondered in his heart that he had seen Yue'er and the Crown Prince chatting happily last time. Yue'er was exceptionally beautiful, and the Crown Prince had not taken any concubines, so he must have developed feelings for her.
Galo Lin put down her teacup and looked at Minister Han with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
What? You don't want to marry the Emperor, so you're trying to force yourself into my marriage?
"Minister Han, I think it would be a great blessing for the Third Miss to be chosen by the Emperor."
"Your Highness, to be honest, my daughter Yue'er has long admired your demeanor. If she could enter the palace to serve you, it would be an immense blessing for her!"
Galo Lin frowned slightly. Was it truly as deep as he appeared, a love for his daughter? Or was he plotting something else...?
Galo Lin felt a bit disgusted, but with the big picture still unfinished, he couldn't let a small matter ruin everything. He tilted his head slightly, as if Han Shangshu's rather bold words had left him speechless for a moment, and the atmosphere fell silent.
Seeing this, Minister Han seemed somewhat uneasy. Could it be that he had misjudged the situation? That shouldn't be the case...
At this moment, Galo Lin was deep in thought when he glanced up and caught sight of Bai Lian bending down to caress the flowers in the garden not far away. The silhouette of her made his heart flutter.
Galorin blurted out almost without thinking:
"Minister Han, I appreciate your kindness, but I have no intention of taking a concubine at the moment. The Third Miss is beautiful and intelligent. If she could enter the palace to serve the Emperor, I believe she would bring glory to our family."
His words were so powerful that Minister Han was momentarily at a loss for words. He never expected the Crown Prince to refuse so decisively.
He looked up at the Crown Prince, but his gaze was already fixed on the courtyard outside the door.
Following the gaze of Minister Han, he saw a woman in plain clothes moving among the vibrant colors of the flowers.
Her cheeks were as white as ice, her hair as black as lacquer; even the most beautiful spring scenery could not compare to her captivating smile that lingered around her brows.
The red lotus of Bai Mansion in Luoyang is truly as beautiful as rumored; no, its beauty is renowned throughout the world.
If one could obtain such a woman, not only would all the beauties of the imperial harem pale in comparison.
Minister Han sighed deeply, finally finding a reason to convince himself of his previous depression.
It seems this matter needs further consideration.
"Your Highness, I shall take my leave now. I apologize for the trouble I have caused you today."
In the courtyard, Bai Lian strolled slowly, followed by Cui Zhu, without any other attendants.
The warm breeze of early spring caresses everything, leaving a rustling sound that masks the whispers.
Bai Lian raised her sleeve to cover her face, her eyes sparkling, and she smiled charmingly.
Cuizhu stepped forward to help her up, and secretly slipped a sachet into Bailian's sleeve. "Miss, be careful."
Cuizhu helped Bailian find a secluded spot. Since there were ears in the East Palace, they were extra careful.
"Indeed, it's diamond powder." Bai Lian examined the powder in the sachet.
She had long suspected the tableware Shangguan Yun had sent, but she couldn't find where she had tampered with it. She never expected that Shangguan Yun would use such a slow-acting poison that was hard to guard against.
But this diamond powder had long since disappeared from the scene in her time. The reason was simple: although this poison was not easy for others to detect, it was slow to take effect, which was a major taboo in their assassin world...
Wait, the assassin world... what's that organization called again?
Bai Lian's memories have not been fully restored; there are always gaps.
For example, how exactly did she become an assassin? ...I just couldn't remember that.
"Miss?" Cuizhu shook Bailian, who was slightly dazed. "What is diamond powder?"
"A kind of poison... If ingested, it will stick to the stomach wall and rub against it day after day until it wears through the stomach wall."
A poison that causes death from stomach bleeding; it's insidious and effective.
I can only blame myself for not realizing before that my stomach pain was caused by poison.
Upon hearing this, Cuizhu was clearly startled and looked anxiously at Bailian: "Miss, what about before..."
"It's alright. I only had a slight stomach upset earlier, but luckily it was discovered early and I'm fine now." Bai Lian smiled and patted Cui Zhu's head, as if to reassure her.
Cui Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, but then her big eyes suddenly lit up and she exclaimed, "I heard that His Majesty has been unwell recently. Could it be that the Empress... poisoned him?" Cui Zhu's tone changed as she leaned close to Bai Lian's ear and asked.
"I can't figure out why the Empress hurt me. Before we find out the truth, it's best to avoid making any speculations."
Bai Lian frowned. The former crown prince had passed away, and the empress was living a secluded life, her presence becoming increasingly faint. What exactly was she plotting?
If the Emperor was indeed poisoned by the Empress, the ancient method seemed to be to take some Glauber's salt and herbal medicine to cure the disease, but I have not yet obtained sufficient evidence... so I cannot act rashly.
As for Rin, how should I explain this to him, and how should I let him know?
He currently seems to lack support in court and has not yet cultivated his own power base. Openly provoking conflict with the Empress so early on...
Bai Lian had a premonition that her husband would soon be drawn into this turmoil, and she felt extremely troubled.
-
"Slap!" A crisp slapping sound suddenly rang out in Wangyun Palace.
Shangguan Yaohua collapsed to the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. She felt resentful, yet her eyes were filled with fear.
"Why wasn't Galorin poisoned?! I asked you to send two sets of tableware, and you only sent one set! You dared to lie to me? How dare you!"
"Your Majesty, you promised me back then..."
"I promised you? What did I promise you? Oh... to make you the Crown Princess? Heh, but Qi'er is already dead! He's dead!!"
Shangguan Yun roared like a madman, which frightened Shangguan Yaohua so much that tears welled up in her eyes.
She originally thought that Shangguan Yun's promise of becoming the Crown Princess meant that she would marry Jialuolin...
She had hoped that it didn't matter if he didn't love her, as long as she could stand by his side.
She has endured until now to fulfill her humble love.
She wasn't unaware of Shangguan Yun's ambition, but she never expected that her aunt would try to kill the person she loved!
How could that be? How could it possibly be? If he were gone too, what would be the point of my life now?
"Get up!" Shangguan Yun grabbed Shangguan Yaohua's disheveled long hair and forced her to look up at him.
"I want you to take action today, no matter what method you use, to deal with that imposter! Otherwise, I'll make Galorin pay for it!"
"aunt……"
"Don't call me aunt! The Shangguan family can't raise a daughter as useless as you! Or do you think dying with him is what you want? Do you want me to grant your wish right now?!" Shangguan Yun's sharp eyes were fixed on Shangguan Yaohua, as fierce as a female leopard hunting its prey.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! I'll go right away, I'll go right away..." Shangguan Yaohua choked back tears, barely managing to sit up, and staggered out.
The former daughter of a high-ranking official is now reduced to referring to herself as a servant, which is undeniably tragic.
Shangguan Yun watched Shangguan Yaohua's departing figure, a smirk playing on his lips.
Just as she expected, he was useless. But as long as Bai Lian died, Jia Luolin would be heartbroken. At that time, although it would be difficult to poison him again, it would be easy to get rid of him.
"Qi'er, no one can take your place away," Shangguan Yun murmured to himself.
"film"
"Here!" A man in black jumped down from the beam, landed, and kowtowed. He was a skilled assassin, secretly kept by Shangguan Yun.
“Follow her for me. Regardless of whether she succeeds or fails afterward, silence her as soon as her identity is exposed.”
"Yes, sir!"
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