Chapter 145: Eat Salty Radishes and Don’t Worry
[When the Fifth Prince's wife poisoned the osmanthus lotus root powder soup, she was seen by the Concubine Dowager. Not only did she not stop him, she also personally fed the osmanthus lotus root powder soup to the late emperor, who was only suffering from a cold... No, he just drank it directly. Where was the person who tested the poison?]
[Oh, the late emperor trusted Concubine Zhen and didn't allow her to taste the poison. Well, being an emperor is such a dangerous job, with so many eyes watching you, yet he didn't allow her to taste the poison. So the late emperor truly loved Concubine Zhen, right?]
Chu Liuzheng frowned. Seeing the twists and turns of this melon made her feel very complicated.
[Tsk... well, the tyrant knew the truth about the late emperor's sudden death. He stabbed the Concubine Dowager to death in front of the late emperor's deathbed in order to avenge him. This caused dissatisfaction among the clan members and court officials, who felt he was too tyrannical, which led to conflicts and a series of bloody incidents.]
The late emperor's death by poisoning a concubine was truly pathetic. To preserve his father's reputation, the tyrant concealed the incident and only told the Empress Dowager. That's why the Empress Dowager hated Concubine Zheng so much. Not only did she forbid her from being buried in the imperial mausoleum, she also gave her the posthumous title of "Zhen," which implies killing with poison and symbolizes sinister cruelty.
Chu Liuzheng felt that this was just deceiving himself. Once the posthumous title of '鸩' came out, combined with the sudden death of the late emperor, who wouldn't guess that the death of the late emperor was related to Concubine Zhen?
[Speaking of which, could it be that the tyrant, having witnessed his father being poisoned to death by a favored concubine, has a grudge against him, and so keeps his distance from the concubines in the harem, not only refusing to stay overnight but also refusing to eat anything they send him?]
The Queen Mother is obsessed with inserting a beloved person into the tyrant's side. Could it be that she has noticed the tyrant's inner struggles and wants to help him resolve them?
[Hmm... the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Could it be that the tyrant is truly traumatized by the death of the previous emperor?]
Chu Liuzheng felt that he had accidentally touched the tyrant's sensitive little heart, and couldn't help but steal a glance at the dark figure in front of him.
[Well, I've already suffered from this psychological trauma. The Tyrant will never find true love in this life... Uh, no, with the Tyrant's suspicious and moody nature, it's impossible for him to find true love.]
Chu Liuzheng felt that she was just meddling in other people's business. How could a little palace maid like her worry about the emperor's psychological problems? She should just continue to dig into the love-hate relationship between the fifth prince and his wife.
Xiao Jingfan frowned and stroked the Bodhi beads on his wrist with his slender fingertips.
This woman...should I really keep her?
Chu Liuzheng, who didn't know that his life was hanging by a thread, was still eating melons.
[The Fifth Prince's fall into the water was orchestrated by the Fifth Prince's wife. Saving the Fifth Prince was just one part of her plan... Frog fun!! Evidence of murdering her husband... Pah! She murdered her husband to seize power.]
No wonder the Fifth Prince's hiding place was exposed so quickly. The Fifth Prince's wife was also responsible, and the tyrant even used her as a scapegoat. With the Fifth Prince dead, her son would be the only hope for the Fifth Prince's faction. The Emperor's grandson was still young, so these people could be used by her.
[Now, she not only holds the remnants of the Fifth Prince's power, but also the Dragon Shadow Guards, a force passed down through generations by the Yong Dynasty. These Dragon Shadow Guards are an elite force, on par with the tyrant's secret guards. They are hereditary and loyal to the Yong Dynasty emperor for generations. They are currently stationed in Baisha Valley.]
Xiao Jingfan was shocked that the Dragon Shadow Guard still existed until now.
Baisha Valley was a place full of obstacles, snakes, insects, rats and ants everywhere, and there were few human traces. If a Tibetan army was inside, no one would be able to discover it in a short time.
The mountains and forests are continuous, and if they are allowed to grow and develop, the consequences will be unimaginable.
But now that he knew it through his mind, he could eliminate the hidden danger in advance and catch the Dragon Shadow Guard off guard.
Thinking of this, he glanced back secretly.
It was a blessing for Sheng State to have such a girl, a magical tool like the system, and the fact that he could hear it.
Even though this woman's voice often made him so angry that he almost died, but... a faint light flashed in his eyes. Even if it was for Shengguo, he had to keep this woman, and keep her well.
He exhaled lightly and planned to find a few more Buddhist scriptures to read and cultivate his character.
Before eradicating the problem, he had to make sure that he would not be driven to death by anger from that woman.
Chu Liuzheng, who had no idea that he had escaped death, finally finished eating the melon of the Fifth Prince's wife, and his watery almond eyes narrowed.
[Tsk tsk, this fuel-efficient lamp is going to cause trouble.]
*
On the other side, inside Changchun Palace.
Qiu Sui walked into the library and went up to the second floor. She glanced at the palace maids waiting on the second floor and said, "Everyone, go down."
The palace maids bowed and quietly retreated.
Queen Zhong sat upright behind the sandalwood desk, her slender white fingers lightly turning a page of the book, looking closely with a faint smile on the corner of her lips.
Qiu Sui folded her hands in front of her and glanced at the cover. After reading the words clearly, a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes.
Why did the Empress start reading such unorthodox books?
Queen Zhong finished reading the page at hand, turned the next one, and asked without looking up, "How is it?"
Qiu Sui replied softly, "That person is not in Nongyun Garden. I think he went there."
Queen Zhong paused as she turned the page, then slowly raised her head and looked at Qiu Sui: "Have you verified it?"
Qiusui nodded.
Queen Zhong suddenly lost interest in reading. She put the book down, half-drooped her eyelashes, and stared blankly at the inkstone on the desk.
"Your Majesty." Qiu Sui looked at her cautiously, "This is against palace rules. Do you want to..."
"No need." Queen Zhong raised her hand to stop her before she could finish. "Just pretend you don't know and don't meddle in other people's business."
Qiu Sui was full of confusion, but when she saw Empress Zhong pick up the book again, she had no choice but to swallow her doubts and talk about other things: "Your Majesty, the person who spread those rumors has been found."
Queen Zhong smoothed out the wrinkles on the pages and guessed, "Is it Cai Baolin?"
Qiu Sui was not surprised that her master could guess it. She nodded and said, "It's her."
"You're just being clever." A hint of displeasure flashed in Empress Zhong's eyes as she said to Qiu Sui, "Send a box of White Jade Ointment over and tell her that I'm concerned about her injury. I'll also give her some advice."
Qiu Sui understood and bowed: "Yes."
Empress Zhong leaned back on the cushions, her eyes fixed on the half-open window. "It is not right for Consort Zhu to be promoted to a higher rank without receiving any favor. I have noticed that she has been frequenting Wenhua Palace these days. Please tell the people in the Imperial Household Department and they will know what to do."
Qiu Sui tilted her head to look at her: "Your Majesty, do you wish to promote Lady Zhu?"
Empress Zhong sighed softly, "There's nothing I can do. There are so many people in the harem. Concubine Shu and Concubine Chun have to help me manage the affairs of the six palaces. Concubine Yun had a miscarriage and needs to be nursed back to health. Concubine Xie is dull and doesn't please Your Majesty. Concubine Shen was demoted for her gossip. Concubine Gao is pregnant. Concubine Dou was punished with house arrest for murdering the royal heir and is now..."
She paused, skipping over the unlucky words, and continued, "As for the rest, His Majesty hasn't seen them for months, so they're completely useless. After much deliberation, I think only Concubine Zhu and Cai Baolin might have some luck. Cai Baolin is still recovering from her injuries, so I'll prioritize Concubine Zhu first. If I don't pay attention, the Queen Mother will probably think I'm unfit to be Queen."
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