Chapter 82 An Lingrong 23
"Huan'er? Huan'er?" Mei Zhuang called out softly twice before waking Zhen Huan. Seeing that she was still rubbing her eyes and looking sleepy, she couldn't help but laugh: "Why are you becoming more and more sleepy like a child? When did you become so sleepy that you can't even open your eyes?"
Zhen Huan smiled sheepishly: "I don't know what's wrong with me lately. Maybe it's spring fatigue. I always like to sleep lately."
An Lingrong pulled up her memo, and sure enough, it was about Zhen Huan being drugged by Concubine Hua's group. She feigned curiosity and subtly guided her, "Why have you been feeling sleepy lately? Perhaps it's because of your illness a few days ago. But the Emperor has specially ordered Imperial Physician Wen to prescribe a tonic, so she'll be back in good health soon."
"Maybe, but I didn't have this problem when I was sick before. I did drink the tonic not long after..."
The three of them reacted suddenly, and their eyes became extremely serious.
"In short, this matter should not be publicized. Sister, please wait and call Doctor Wen after you return. If nothing happens, that would be great. If something does happen, we won't alert the enemy."
"Also, Sister Mei and I may not be clean in the palace, so we'd better be vigilant."
Zhen Huan and Mei Zhuang nodded seriously, suppressing their inner fears and pretending to be at ease, chatting for a long time before parting.
The next day, Zhen Huan bypassed Mei Zhuang and Ling Rong who were guarding the corridor, and took advantage of the night to deceive outsiders using the method Hua Sui told her. Xiao Yunzi and several eunuchs from Sui Yuxuan worked together and caught the eunuch who was delivering the medicine outside on the spot.
"Xiao Yinzi? It's actually you!"
That man had followed his master Kang Luhai to Lipin's humble home. Because Lipin disliked Kang Luhai, he was no longer valued and was eventually sent to serve Yu Da Ying, who had fallen out of favor.
Zhen Huan also made up her mind this time and ordered Xiao Yunzi to give him a good beating. Only then did she learn from him that the person who ordered him to drug was Yu.
"She fell out of favor clearly because of my rudeness and contradiction. I have been tolerant of her in every way, but I didn't expect to be murdered in such a vicious way." Zhen Huan felt a chill in her heart when she thought of the drug that could silently disable her.
"When has the intrigue and deception in the palace ever stopped?" Mei Zhuang also sighed. Thinking about how she was pushed into the pool by Concubine Hua but escaped unscathed, she felt sad.
Ling Rong pondered for a moment and then said, "This matter... I'm afraid there is something strange going on."
"Strange?"
"Think carefully, sisters. Yu was only a maid, always arrogant and shallow. How could she have such a scheme and tactics to murder Sister Zhen in such a subtle way?"
"Even if she really knew this method, how could she convince Hua Sui and Xiao Yinzi to work for her so willingly? For example, Hua Sui, who used to serve a master like Yu, certainly wouldn't have felt as comfortable at Sui Yuxuan. And Xiao Yinzi certainly isn't someone who would be so loyal to his master."
Zhen Huan also nodded repeatedly. She even had a suspicion in her mind. Although there was no evidence, she was probably the only one in the palace who would go to such great lengths to harm her.
"This must have been done by Concubine Hua!" Mei Zhuang blurted out the woman's name, her eyes filled with rage. "She saw you speak for me that day, and she was jealous of your favor from the Emperor, so she used this vicious scheme to harm you!"
"Huan'er, let's interrogate Yu thoroughly this time. I don't believe that the Emperor and Empress will just ignore her attempts to murder concubines in the palace."
Zhen Huan was being held by Mei Zhuang, but her face showed an expression of wanting to speak but not being able to. Ling Rong beside her spoke at the right time: "Sister, you can't do that. Yu has hated Sister Huan for a long time, and Concubine Hua is so powerful. To protect her family's lives, she dare not betray Concubine Hua. She might even turn the tables and implicate Sister Huan."
Mei Zhuang's feverish mind finally came to her senses after her words, and she quickly took Zhen Huan's hand and apologized to her. Ever since she was nearly killed by Concubine Hua, she had always been prone to extremes when dealing with Concubine Hua. Fortunately, Huan'er and Ling Rong kept her from making a big mistake because of this matter.
But……
"Is there no other way? Even if it's just to delay Concubine Hua's confinement a little longer."
Unfortunately, they thought about it for a long time but still couldn't come up with a better solution.
Zhen Huan had no choice but to make an example of someone and expose the fact that Yu had replaced her identity, and had the emperor sentence Yu Ying'er to death for deceiving the emperor.
This time, Yu Ying'er took advantage of the emperor's absence from the palace to investigate the land and refused to die. Ling Rong naturally would not be so foolish as to run to help Zhen Huan and instead get herself branded as cruel and ruthless.
However, after two days of arguing, Su Peisheng had Xiao Xiazi kill Yu. Of course, he was the most favored person by the emperor's side, so how could he leave any evidence of his failure to do his job well for the emperor?
Before they could feel upset that Concubine Hua had escaped unscathed again, just two or three days later, rumors of ghosts haunting the palace suddenly spread.
First, the palace guards on night patrol always saw a dark shadow flashing through the palace. Then, when Noble Lady Fucha was chanting scriptures and praying for the empress, she saw with her own eyes a white ghost flying in the air, sometimes far away and sometimes near, and a sad and strange female voice was still shouting complaints.
Fu Cha fainted on the spot and developed a high fever. She was actually frightened into falling ill.
Such a fresh and exciting thing was a big hit with all the women in the palace. Concubine Qi, who had always been indifferent to everyone except the empress, actually went to the Yanx Palace to visit Noble Lady Fucha in person for the first time.
"It's true, I really saw it. That figure was floating in mid-air, surrounded by open space. There was no way it was someone playing tricks. And that crying sounded like one person, but it also sounded like hundreds, thousands, coming from all around, right next to you, crying out in injustice... That's definitely not a sound a human can make!"
Fucha was even more frightened and angry this time than in her previous life. Her fever had only just broken this morning, and she was still weak. But when she mentioned yesterday's ghost, she immediately jumped up, nervously grasped Concubine Qi's hand, and looked around, fearing that the ghost had followed her into the Yanxi Palace.
"I've also heard that the eunuchs on night duty have all seen a black shadow, and one couple also saw the white-robed ghost that Noble Lady Fucha mentioned."
"She has been crying out for injustice. Could she be a woman who died unjustly?" Zhen Huan, who came along this time, had her eyes lit up and immediately had an idea.
"You're quite intelligent," Concubine Qi said, her face showing approval. "In our palace, the only one who recently died tragically in the cold palace is Yu Yingying. Could it be her?"
"Then, why did she follow me? It wasn't me who killed her!" Noble Lady Fucha was so upset that she had no tears to cry. She and Yu Da Ying had never even exchanged a few words.
"That's why she didn't harm you. She just turned around and left, and you are still lying here?" Although Xin Changzai's words were unpleasant, they did make sense.
At least Noble Lady Fucha felt relieved and was no longer as suspicious as before.
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