After the guard finished his report, he knelt respectfully on the ground, feeling a pang of emotion. If the princess hadn't taken precautions in advance, the medicine might have flowed from outside the palace into the palace undetected.
Fortunately, when the princess arranged for him to take Princess Ziwei and Xiaoyanzi out of the palace today, she had already reminded him that he only needed to pay attention to their every move, and there was nothing else necessary. At first, he didn't quite understand.
He now understood why he had been keeping an eye on Princess Ziwei and Little Swallow. Especially after today, he finally understood what his mother meant when she said, "Women are not to be trifled with."
Fortunately, he went along with them. He still remembers the name of the clinic perfectly. If he needs evidence later, he can go into the clinic and bring out the doctor.
"You may leave now. This matter must not be made public." The Emperor's face darkened slightly as he waved his hand, dismissing the guard. Regardless, this was a scandal within the royal family, and he didn't want others to know too much about it.
Rumors say that even family scandals shouldn't be aired in public, let alone those of the royal family. The Emperor simply hadn't expected An'an to bring him such shocking news so quickly.
I thought it would take at least a few days, but I didn't expect it to be arranged so quickly. Are you afraid that I still feel guilty towards Xia Yuhe?
Anke: You know it yourself, but isn't it because you've always felt guilty that you've been so hesitant and timid?
After hearing what the guard had just said, and considering Ziwei's request to see him and leave the palace, the Emperor had come to terms with it. If all else failed, he would simply let her go on a political marriage. Out of sight, out of mind; whether she lived well or poorly was entirely her own business.
The Emperor had initially thought that since Fu Erkang was dead, he wasn't very willing to bestow a marriage upon the two of them. He planned to wait until Ziwei's mourning period was over, and then find a reliable and trustworthy minister in the court to marry her as his principal wife. But now it seemed better not to let her cause trouble for the key ministers of the court; let her go for a political marriage instead.
Having thought it through, the Emperor's inner turmoil was finally resolved. He then quickly began reviewing memorials; today was the first day of the month, and according to custom, he should spend the night in Kunning Palace.
Thinking that it had been many days since he had seen the Empress and Little Twelve, the Emperor recalled how the Empress had repeatedly urged him to thoroughly investigate Little Swallow's background. However, he had not suspected anything because of a few words of coaxing from Consort Ling.
I really feel bad for her. Later, I had frequent conflicts with the Empress because of the Shufangzhai incident. If An'an hadn't returned from Wutai Mountain, who knows how many troubles and problems would have arisen between them. An'an first affirmed the Empress, saying that with her aunt around, her uncle could focus on the affairs of the court with peace of mind.
The imperial court and the harem were inextricably linked, requiring careful handling. Before Xiao Yanzi and her friends entered the palace, the Empress managed the harem with considerable skill. However, after their arrival, coupled with the Emperor's favoritism, many people found the Empress a laughingstock.
Thinking of this, the Emperor felt even more guilty towards the Empress and grew even more impatient with Consort Ling. Ever since he saw Consort Ling walking in the snow that day, the Emperor had thought that she must have realized her mistake and was considering restoring her rank. However, he never expected to think of these other things. Fortunately, the imperial edict had not yet been written.
A few days later, the palace was to hold a warm winter banquet.
It was a new idea proposed by the Empress Dowager, who said that the winter snow scenery should not be wasted, and everyone should come out to enjoy it. However, the ministers were not invited; only the palace staff gathered for a simple meal.
This alone was quite a lively affair, not to mention that the Empress Dowager even increased the monthly allowance for every palace servant. Everyone felt that this warm winter banquet was excellent.
Ziwei arrived at Baoyue Tower the day before she was to attend the Winter Warmth Banquet, saying that she would try to offer wine to the Emperor that night, and then it would be up to Hanxiang.
So, before attending the winter banquet, Ziwei locked herself in her room and cried bitterly. She deliberately wouldn't let Jin Suo and the others in, and just kept crying. Jin Suo had no choice but to ask Xiao Yanzi to come and try to comfort her.
Little Swallow had no choice but to come over. Unexpectedly, Little Swallow only knocked on the door and said a few words before Ziwei opened the door.
Ziwei's eyes were so swollen they were almost like walnuts; her crying now was anything but beautiful. Xiaoyanzi's heart clenched for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Ziwei, what's wrong with you?" Xiaoyanzi asked Ziwei, following Princess Yong'an's instructions.
Seeing that Xiao Yanzi had fallen for her trap, Ziwei immediately wiped her tears with a handkerchief and said, "I just thought of Erkang again. If Erkang were still alive, we would probably be living happily ever after." As she spoke, Ziwei started crying again. This time, she cried much more intensely than before.
"But Erkang is gone, Ziwei, you have to be more open-minded. After all, there are still many years ahead." Xiaoyanzi put her arm around Ziwei's shoulder and patted her gently.
Just then, she felt Ziwei stiffen, clearly having touched on her most painful topic. Xiaoyanzi continued talking to herself, seemingly oblivious to Ziwei's unusual behavior.
Ziwei knew that Xiaoyanzi didn't seem to understand her intentions, so she gritted her teeth. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "But I want to avenge him. Every night, Erkang comes to my dreams and says he wants me to avenge him."
Little Swallow seemed startled and quickly closed the doors and windows tightly. Incredulously, she ran back quickly. "Ziwei, do you know what you're saying? It was the Emperor who killed Erkang. Are you going to kill your father?" Little Swallow simply couldn't believe it.
"Even if I wanted to help you, how could I do it? Weapons are not allowed at the Winter Feast." Little Swallow said in a panic, deliberately revealing the loopholes in her words.
"So, Little Swallow, you're willing to help me?" Ziwei was overjoyed; she never expected things to go so smoothly.
Xiao Yanzi herself was a street performer, and sometimes she would even cheat people, but now, looking at Ziwei, her former best friend, Xiao Yanzi hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
"You don't need to worry about Xiao Yanzi. You just need to..." Ziwei walked to Xiao Yanzi's side, leaned close to Xiao Yanzi's ear, and whispered.
Xiao Yanzi's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she were meeting Ziwei for the first time. Ziwei's plan was perfect, but the scene of her traveling all the way to the capital to recognize her father was still vivid in her mind. Now, was she really going to kill her father just for Erkang?
However, she could only act according to Anke's plan and must not make any mistakes. Even though Xiao Yanzi's heart was in turmoil, she had to remain calm on the surface.
By the time the two of them arrived, almost everyone else had also arrived. Among the princesses and princes of the harem, Ziwei immediately noticed Anke, who was sitting at the head of the table, beaming with joy. Ziwei's hand clenched for a moment, then relaxed.
Pretending to be nonchalant, Xiao Yanzi and An Ke took their seats. Their eyes met in mid-air, and Xiao Yanzi nodded to An Ke, who in turn nodded back.
Next, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress took their seats. Since it was a family banquet, everyone was much more relaxed and began to toast each other. Those with talents went to the center to showcase their skills for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
This immediately brought the banquet atmosphere to its climax. In addition, the fire in the brazier made everyone's faces rosy, making them look even more joyful.
At this moment, Ziwei took the opportunity to bring two cups of wine and sprinkled the medicinal powder she had brought from outside into them. She then shook the cups slightly and waited a while until the powder was fully dissolved in the wine before picking up the cups and walking toward the emperor at the head of the table.
Just then, the princess who had conspired with An Ke also followed suit and prepared to toast the emperor with wine. Since the princess's seat was closer to the emperor, she was the first to toast him.
Ziwei could only sit down unwillingly, staring straight at the Emperor, wanting to see if he would drink. This gave Anke the opportunity to have the palace maids switch the two bottles of wine.
Upon seeing this, An Ke nodded to the princess, who understood and immediately withdrew.
Although Ziwei was a little unhappy that her turn had been taken, she was still somewhat happy to see the Emperor drink it without any distraction. After all, with such an example, her father would surely drink her cup of wine too.
Ziwei confidently approached the Emperor with two kinds of wine. First, she thanked her father for his favor, then expressed her guilt for not living up to his love. She then got to the point, raising her cup and saying that drinking this wine would make her forget everything that had happened before.
The Emperor looked at the wine and then at An Ke. After seeing An Ke nod, the Emperor picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. Ziwei also used the wine to hide the upturned corners of her mouth.
After Ziwei returned, she gave Xiaoyanzi a wink. Xiaoyanzi wasn't stupid; how could she let Ziwei manipulate her like that? Especially since she was being sent to her death.
Then Ziwei directly gestured to Hanxiang, telling her to sit next to the Emperor. Then, the Emperor would go directly to Baoyue Tower with Hanxiang, and since the Emperor's assassination attempt there would definitely be related to Hanxiang, she would have nothing to do with the matter.
Jin Suo had already found out that Meng Dan's appearance at Baoyue Tower must have been because he hadn't followed Xiao Jian and Er Kang's plan and had made his own decision. Perhaps it was because of him that the whole plan was ruined.
Ziwei harbored a grudge against Mengdan as well. As the atmosphere reached another climax, Ziwei felt now was the perfect opportunity to act. She quickly gave Xiaoyanzi a meaningful look, but Xiaoyanzi didn't even glance at her. Left with no other option, Ziwei pushed Xiaoyanzi away.
It was Xiao Yanzi's appearance that broke the lively atmosphere, and everyone stared intently at Ziwei and Xiao Yanzi.
Seeing that Xiao Yanzi still showed no intention of taking action, Ziwei could no longer bear it and had to do it herself. However, Ziwei was now completely weak and had difficulty even standing up. She also had no strength in her hands and could not even pick up a wine glass.
Ziwei finally panicked. What on earth was going on? Had she drunk the wine laced with the drug? No, that couldn't be right. She had kept the wine cup with her the whole time, and besides, no one should have noticed her drugging the Emperor.
Seeing Ziwei's utter confusion, Xiaoyanzi could no longer hold back. She knelt down in the middle and, with all her might, told the Emperor what had happened.
Ziwei glared fiercely at Xiaoyanzi, but unfortunately, Xiaoyanzi was too weak to stand up. However, she remained conscious; after all, when Ziwei bought this medicine outside, it had caused weakness but also kept her alert.
This way, she could ask some questions before taking action. However, she didn't expect that her cleverness would backfire. Now, she was so weak from the medicine that she couldn't even stand up, let alone do it. She couldn't cover Xiao Yanzi's mouth and say that she had lost her mind and was talking nonsense.
When Consort Ling saw Xiao Yanzi, her right eye twitched almost imperceptibly, and she felt a little flustered, just like when they exposed that big secret. She felt a bit suffocated.
Consort Ling desperately wanted to stop Xiao Yanzi from continuing, but Xiao Yanzi didn't wait for anyone to stop her and spilled everything herself. Consort Ling felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She had originally planned to take advantage of this warm winter banquet to plead with the Emperor to restore her rank, but now, she felt incredibly fortunate that the Emperor wasn't angry with her.
Consort Ling suddenly closed her eyes. Could these two people really be her nemesis, deliberately sent to bring her misfortune? Why do they always seem to be working against her?
After Xiao Yanzi finished speaking, the entire palace fell silent, as if no one could believe their ears.
Hanxiang then knelt down and recounted everything Ziwei had told her, leaving everyone speechless. No one had expected that the seemingly gentle and delicate Ziwei would possess such a ruthless side. And that she even had the courage to murder her father and the emperor.
Ziwei seemed to have suddenly lost all her energy; presumably, while she was scheming these past few days, someone else was also scheming. Ziwei's eyes immediately fixed on Anke, after all, apart from this Princess Yong'an, Ziwei couldn't think of anyone else.
Xiao Jian and Er Kang were both brought down by her. She had originally wanted Xiao Yanzi to take the opportunity to pull out the hairpin from her hair and assassinate An Ke. Even if she failed, it wouldn't matter, as everyone would surely rush to save An Ke. Now that the Emperor's side was free, it would be convenient for Han Xiang to make her move.
In this way, she dealt with two people effortlessly. And no one would suspect her, after all, she was the most delicate and vulnerable Ziwei.
Ziwei, now completely exhausted, leaned against the table. "This is probably Princess Yong'an's doing again. How long have you been planning this? Why didn't you just arrest me on the same day?" Ziwei roared angrily at An Ke.
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