Princess Jing respectfully brought the tea to Concubine Xian and said, "Please sit down. You came to the palace so early this morning and haven't even had a sip of hot tea yet."
Princess Jing smiled slightly and said, "Compared to the hard work mother has put in, it's nothing." As she spoke, she took the jade hammer from the palace maid, sat on the footstool under the imperial concubine's couch, and began to beat it gently.
"In my mother's opinion, is the Queen sincere this time?"
The virtuous concubine changed into a comfortable posture and snorted coldly, "Last time, she thought I didn't know about what happened with Hu Niang. Humph, she made me lose such an important right-hand man, how can I just let it go. Who in this palace doesn't cultivate their own power? Which palace doesn't have such a maid? Moreover, Hu Niang has been with me for so long, and has been loyal to me since the time when the emperor was in seclusion, but she..."
Xianfei sat up straight and slapped the armrest of the imperial concubine's couch fiercely. "Originally, we didn't interfere with each other, but she killed Hu Niang without any warning... Luckily, my brother Hai was smart. He found out that one of those who killed Hu Niang had a voice problem. He followed the clues and not only avenged Hu Niang, but also aroused the emperor's suspicion of the queen. If I'm right, she can't make up for this. She has no choice but to start with herself."
Princess Jing put down the jade hammer in her hand. She had heard from Prince Jing about what Concubine Xian said about Hu Niang.
Although Hu Niang was known as a maid in the Xian Consort's palace, she was actually her personal bodyguard. She possessed remarkable martial arts skills and was highly trusted by the Xian Consort. She routinely gathered information about the various concubines within the palace for the Xian Consort, visiting any palace she pleased. Over the years, most of the secrets surrounding the Xian Consort's struggles with the other concubines were uncovered by Hu Niang.
However, Hu Niang had disappeared inexplicably a few days ago, and her body was found in the moat at the west gate by Prince Jing's men. Concubine Xian didn't believe that Hu Niang had committed suicide or fallen, so she must have been murdered.
But during that time, she hadn't arranged for Hu Niang to do anything. Who could have done this to her, and in the palace? Faced with such a blatant provocation, Concubine Xian would naturally not give up.
Until King Jing got the news from nowhere that Hu Niang had spoken to a man with a hoarse voice before she disappeared. So, according to this clue, King Jing discovered the queen, no, to be more precise, it was the man arranged by King Cheng in the palace, and the man with a hoarse voice was the leader of the secret line arranged by King Cheng in the palace.
Prince Jing was very excited to learn this news. He discussed with Consort Xian that this discovery could not be wasted. He simply arranged a few accidents to draw the emperor's attention to these people. It was not until the Yulin Army discovered several incidents involving these people and pointed the finger at Kunning Palace that the Empress and Prince Cheng reluctantly abandoned their hidden line.
"Here's what I think. Although the hidden clues didn't reveal the Empress, they did reveal clues through a few traces. The Empress had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Haha, it's because the Emperor's headache is severe right now, and his analysis of some things isn't as thorough as before, so she took advantage of the loophole."
Princess Jing smiled and said, "Although the Emperor suffers from frequent headaches, there will always be a time when he can recover. I'll remind him when the time comes. The Emperor is a man who doesn't tolerate any injustice."
The virtuous concubine smiled slightly, "That's right, don't rush, there's no need for us to bump into each other at this time."
"Mother, do you mean to ask the Imperial Concubine?"
Xianfei nodded. "Everyone knows that mother and son have been very concerned about the Six Western Palaces. Although the Empress's arrangements haven't completely exposed them, they have at least damaged their vitality and aroused the Emperor's suspicion. They won't tolerate this. Just wait and see, they will definitely point the finger at Concubine Xiang and the others."
Princess Jing laughed and said, "Mother is indeed very perceptive. It's worth it for them to fight each other for just one Hu girl."
"Dog bites dog, ha, your description is so apt. That's right, that idiot Xiang probably still doesn't realize the Queen's play is for her. Gao, you killed my capable man, so I'll divert the blame elsewhere, bust your hidden agent, and then drag Xiang into the fight. Go ahead and fight, it'll really facilitate my son's plans."
The virtuous concubine walked to the window. The midday sun was high in the sky, shining on the bluestone bricks, reflecting a dazzling light.
"What's going on in the northwest?"
Princess Jing stepped forward and whispered, "The prince didn't elaborate on the details with his daughter-in-law. The news I brought back yesterday wasn't what he was satisfied with. We know Prince Duan's people are there. Meng Hai mentioned it when he came back and sent Meng Qi off for her wedding. The prince also agreed to his plan. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, it will always distract Prince Duan. But this time, it seems they've discovered a new group of people. Our people have confronted them twice. They claim to be from the capital and should be very familiar with the palace."
The virtuous concubine turned around and walked back to the imperial concubine's bed, frowning and saying, "Who could it be? We have Prince Cheng's arrangements in the northwest, Prince Duan is Meng Hai's deliberate clue, and there is another force... Who could it be?"
"My daughter-in-law thinks, I'm afraid it's the prince?"
"The Crown Prince? Does he need to fight for power in the northwest? The Ministry of War and the capital are enough for him to plan."
"Your Highness means, isn't the more secure the better? The northwest is a piece of fat meat, who wouldn't want to take a few more bites? Even if we can't use the King of Zhenbei for our own benefit, it would be good to recruit one or two of his lieutenants."
Xian Fei nodded and said, "That's right, it's just right that Hai'er can come here more often because of the Empress's matter."
"Yes, if Mother has anything to discuss with the Prince, please do not hesitate to discuss it with Him. Fortunately, everything is going according to our plan."
Concubine Xian smiled with satisfaction and patted Princess Jing's hand. "You are a good person, unlike those others, especially the second and sixth wives. Have you found out why the second wife went after Meng Shi like that on the fifth wife's birthday?"
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