Seeing Yin Yichen like this, Song Wanning was anxious, but she couldn't do anything to help him. She could only persuade him in a low voice, "You are now in a central position, an important official in the court, and in charge of many important military and political departments. If the ministers are to be harmed later, you will definitely be implicated. I think the only way to resolve this situation is for us to take the initiative and find the relationship between the imperial concubine and Tang Heng outside the palace and the imperial concubine."
Yin Yichen looked at Song Wanning and said softly, "Madam, what you said is exactly what I was thinking. That's what I thought. Sitting back and waiting for death is not my style. The only thing to do now is to take the initiative. I heard that the virtuous concubine in the palace could no longer hold back and sent someone to Yunxi Mountain to ask the Empress Dowager about the original matter of the concubine who left the palace during the previous dynasty."
When Song Wanning heard Yin Yichen's words, she understood. It was a rare achievement for Yin Yichen to remain calm in the face of such a situation in the capital. He had managed to maintain a clear mind and composure. Song Wanning knew the court was fraught with danger, and she didn't know what would happen next. She could only wait to learn from the Empress Dowager what had happened to the concubine in the previous dynasty, so that she could feel at ease about her future path.
Yunxi Mountain.
Princess Xiangyu understood Concubine Yu's tactics and, worried about Concubine Xian, she went to Yunxi Mountain to ask for an audience with the Queen Mother. Princess Xiangyu went straight to the temple where the Queen Mother practiced, and brought people to ask for an audience with the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother originally practiced in this temple, not wanting to see anyone easily, and would only come out when the time was right. Unexpectedly, Princess Xiangyu came looking for her, which surprised the Queen Mother.
Seeing this, the nanny beside the Queen Mother hurriedly said to her, "Your Majesty, Princess Xiangyu came in a hurry and said she had something important to ask. I asked her what it was, but she refused to tell me. She only said that she had to see the Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly and said slowly, "If that's the case, then please invite the person in."
Princess Xiangyu arrived at the Empress Dowager's temple a short while later. She knelt on the ground and paid her respects to the Empress Dowager. "Your Majesty, please forgive my rude words and actions for disturbing your prayers. However, important matters at court have forced me to come here. I hope your Majesty will forgive me this time. I am just waiting for you to finish what you want to say."
Seeing this, the Queen Mother opened her eyes, looked at Xiangyu, and slowly said, "You have come here on your own now, so you must have something important to say. If so, just say it, and don't delay anything."
Upon seeing this, Princess Xiangyu quickly lowered her head and recounted what she had seen and heard in the palace these past few days. She immediately expressed her doubts to the Empress Dowager, "During the time the Empress Dowager has been away, my father's temperament has changed drastically, making Xiangyu feel as if she doesn't recognize him anymore. He now only favors Concubine Yu and her relatives, seizing the power of my brother and the Crown Prince and handing these important positions to those recommended by Concubine Yu. Now, mother is repeatedly punished in the palace, and I don't know why. Fortunately, mother heard that there was a concubine in the previous dynasty who was as skilled in the zither as Concubine Yu is now, so she asked me to come and ask the Empress Dowager about the whole story."
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother's expression instantly turned cold, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Has his temperament changed so drastically? Didn't he used to favor Prime Minister Yin Yichen the most? Because Yin Yichen's father was an old subordinate of his, and he was also a meritorious official who followed him from the Imperial Residence, so he trusted this Prime Minister so much. Now he has changed his temper?"
"That's right. Now, the emperor doesn't even like to listen to Yin Yichen." Princess Xiangyu said worriedly to the empress dowager, "Does your Majesty know how the previous incident ended? If you can tell us the whole story, then there might still be room for maneuver. Then I can let my mother think of a solution, and this matter can come to an end. Otherwise, who knows what will happen."
Seeing this, the Queen Mother sighed and said, "I knew she would come back."
The Queen Mother had always supported Prince An Xie Ke at court and was close to Consort Xian. Seeing the current situation, she didn't hesitate to speak out about this matter. However, she looked at Xiang Yu and said slowly, "The fewer people who know about this, the better. If it gets out, the royal family will lose face."
The Queen Mother spoke, recounting a strange incident from the previous dynasty. "Back then, when I was still the late emperor's concubine, I wasn't as favored as Concubine Lan. Concubine Lan played music for His Majesty, the late emperor, every day, and the late emperor couldn't stop. He favored her exclusively throughout the harem. Later, he killed many loyal officials for her, and helped Concubine Lan's family ascend to power and become the backbone of the imperial officials. However, the late emperor's temperament changed drastically, frightening us concubines. How could we trust Concubine Lan anymore? We all knew she harbored evil intentions, but we were helpless, so we had to find a solution within the harem."
"Later, a concubine in the palace married from the Western Regions. She knew of a kind of zither music from the Western Regions that could transport the listener to a fairyland, a feeling of being there. Hearing this music for too long could lead to mental confusion, turning the emperor into a puppet, obedient only to the pianist's words. They subsequently sent envoys to the Western Regions, seeking a master who could decipher this tactic. The master used orchids as medicine, and this finally brought the late emperor back to consciousness. Later, the late emperor learned the full story and executed Concubine Lan's family and many of her co-conspirators. However, the late emperor was unwilling to execute Concubine Lan. Instead, he secretly sent her out of the palace to practice. Even her family and accomplices were eliminated one by one, unnoticed. I had initially suspected this was inappropriate, and today it seems to be true. Concubine Lan has trained a new group of women with similar zither skills to enter the palace to seduce my son, hoping to repeat her old tactics."
Princess Xiangyu immediately understood what was going on. She looked at the Queen Mother and sighed, "Your Majesty, this plan is truly wicked. If that's the case, I'll return to the palace immediately to report this to Mother. I'll send someone to the Western Regions to find the master who can detoxify this. Otherwise, who knows what will happen next."
The Queen Mother heard this and sighed, "That master was already over ninety years old. I'm afraid we don't know where he is now, or if he's still alive. Return to the palace immediately and have someone take my passport and search all over the empire. We must find that master and save the royal family from this crisis. If we can't find him, I'm afraid the royal family will be in great trouble now."
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