Chapter 46: I Have a Plan
Xu Surong was stroking a tabby cat lying on her lap. The cat had just had its lunch and was very sleepy, so it fell asleep comfortably on Xu Surong's lap.
The midday sun was scorching, and Xu Surong was a little sleepy, but unexpectedly He Qiumao sent a message saying that a fire had broken out in the royal mausoleum area, and the noble lady who was pregnant with the heir had nearly died. Rumors spread in the palace that she, the queen mother, could not tolerate the child born by the noble lady.
Xu Surong had only seen Ye Lanzhou once when she entered the palace. She felt that her appearance was extraordinary at that time. She thought that if she could gain a foothold in the palace in the future, she would be favored by the late emperor just by virtue of her face. Sure enough, after the late emperor left, he left her a child.
She and Ye Lanzhou had no friendship. The fire in the royal mausoleum wasn't a big deal, but it was hard to silence the palace gossip. Xie Xun was not talented, and everything he did was later than the other children. If the queen hadn't been infertile, how could they, mother and son, have gotten their turn?
The throne of Dayin was granted to the eldest son. If there was no legitimate son, then this rule would be considered non-existent. Many people in the cabinet had long been dissatisfied with Xie Xun's accession to the throne. If Ye Lanzhou had given birth to a son, then Xie Xun's throne would be in jeopardy.
Everyone in the palace knew this. Although Xu Surong was afraid of the fetus in Ye Lanzhou's belly, she didn't dare to do this to Ye Lanzhou. There were so many people in the court watching her. If Ye Lanzhou died in such an unclear way, then the blame would definitely be put on her.
The fire in the royal mausoleum was clearly an attempt to frame Xu Surong. Thinking of this, Xu Surong asked, "Have you figured out who did it?"
He Qiumao replied, "In reply to the Queen Mother, Commander Chen is still investigating. He said that two used gunpowder balls were found in the back mountain. It's..." He looked at the two maids serving Xu Surong and fell silent halfway through his words.
Xu Surong understood what he meant and winked at the two maids behind her. After they left, she said, "Go ahead."
"We discovered that the gunpowder belonged to the Xu family."
"What?" Xu Surong exclaimed, and the sound woke up the tabby cat on her lap. It showed dissatisfaction, broke free from Xu Surong's hand, jumped onto the table, walked to another stool, curled up, and continued to sleep with its head down.
Knowing she was speaking too loudly, Xu Surong quickly lowered her voice and asked, "Someone is trying to frame me! The Xu family's gunpowder is all in Nanyang, how could it possibly be brought to the capital?"
He Qiumao hurriedly tried to appease her, "Don't worry, Queen Mother. You already know something's fishy going on. Commander Chen hasn't reported it yet, so he quickly sent me over to tell you."
Seeing that the blame was about to fall on her, Xu Surong naturally couldn't remain calm and asked again: "What else did he say?"
"Commander Chen tells the Queen Mother not to act rashly. The situation in the palace is extremely chaotic right now. If we're not careful, it could lead to disaster."
She was told to calm down, but how could she? The entire Xu family was behind her. How could she let the whole family be in trouble because of her?
Seeing her anxious, He Qiumao suggested, "I have a plan. Since the death of the child would cause disaster, why not let the child be born and raised here? Your position will remain unchanged. Why not send her back to the Ye Mansion to recuperate? After all, Lord Ye is still dependent on you. It is only right for her to save the child and serve you, right?"
"That child is considered Ye Zhixing's grandchild. If he wants to ascend to the throne, he can just support his own grandson. What role will this palace play then?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
