At this moment, footsteps sounded. Da Yu'er did not turn around, but said coldly, "Didn't I tell you to leave? How dare you come in?"
"If I don't come in soon, Her Majesty the Empress will truly be beyond saving."
The speaker was Wan'er, who had arrived at Jingren Palace silently using the system's abilities.
Upon hearing Wan'er's words, Dayuer's back trembled noticeably, but when she turned around, she said, "The Imperial Noble Consort has quite the audacity. Can the dead be brought back to life?"
Wan'er knelt down. Seeing that Dayuer was truly in pain, she decided to tell the truth, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please grant Her Majesty the Empress freedom!"
free?
As Da Yu'er thought about those two words, a strong desire suddenly welled up in her heart; she also wanted freedom.
Seeing that she remained silent, Wan'er continued, "The Empress is not dead. She will wake up in half an hour. This was all a scheme that I set up with her to help her leave the palace."
Da Yu'er sneered, "The Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort have always been at odds, yet they've actually joined forces to set a trap?"
Wan'er was not annoyed and patiently said, "Your Majesty, the so-called discord is something we deliberately let the outside world know about."
"Yeah?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not speak falsely." Wan'er added, fearing that Da Yu'er would not believe her, "Besides, Your Majesty and I both have our own purposes in doing this."
What is the purpose?
"It's very simple. The Empress wants freedom, while I want power."
In fact, Wan'er knew perfectly well that with Wu Keshan around, it was impossible for her to become the empress.
To complete the plan quickly, she had to portray herself as someone who craved power. She knew that if she claimed she had no ulterior motives in helping Jing'er, no one would believe her.
After all, this is a harem where every step is carefully planned!
Hearing this, Da Yu'er believed her words. After a long silence, she said, "Then how do you plan to send her out of the palace?"
Seeing that she had agreed, Wan'er said happily, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I have two ideas. One is to quickly seal the coffin within half an hour and send the Empress to the imperial mausoleum. The other is to use a substitute, having someone else impersonate the Empress and enter the coffin. When the funeral procession takes place, the Empress will disguise herself as a palace maid guarding the mausoleum and leave the palace together."
Da Yu'er thought about it carefully, "The first method is probably not feasible. Burying the deceased too soon might arouse suspicion among the court officials. The second method is possible, but who will take his place?"
As Wan'er expected, Dayuer would choose the second option. Fortunately, she had made thorough preparations. "Fengcai, who serves Consort Ge, has committed many evils. In order to harm me, she did not hesitate to force a palace maid to swallow fragments. Let her replace the Empress. What does Your Majesty think?"
Da Yu'er was no pushover either. Since Wan'er knew how to mention Feng Cai, then Feng Cai must be in Wan'er's hands. So she didn't even bother to ask where the person was.
Besides, this kind of demeanor is well-deserved.
She nodded. "Okay, we'll do as you say."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager," Wan'er replied happily.
Before this, Wan'er had intended to carry out her second plan in secret, but she only dared to tell the truth after seeing that Dayuer's heartbroken appearance was genuine.
With Da Yu'er's help, things will go much more smoothly.
......
Half an hour later, Feng Cai was secretly dragged into the Guande Hall by Li Dequan and Qi Lan.
Guande Hall was the funeral palace where emperors and empresses were laid to rest before their burial, and the posthumous title ceremony was also performed here.
Under Da Yu'er's arrangement, besides herself and Su Mo'er, there were three other people in the hall, including Wan'er and her servant.
At this moment, Feng Cai had already been beaten to death. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her face was pale, her lips were purple, and she was left on the ground like a corpse.
Just then, Jing'er slowly opened her eyes, and Wan'er and Dayu'er both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wan'er, Aunt..."
Jing'er wanted to say something, but was stopped by Wan'er and Dayu'er.
There were many people standing outside the door, afraid of making the slightest noise.
The coffin lid was opened, and a delicate fragrance wafted out. The empress's coffin was made of the finest red sandalwood, carved with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns and inlaid with gold leaf, clearly a very valuable item.
"She got off too easy," Li Dequan said as he carried Feng Cai inside.
"What's so cheap about it? She's dead now, what can she enjoy?" Qi Lan said dismissively.
Li Dequan said no more; his attention was focused on Feng Cai, fearing she might come back to life.
Only after the coffin lid was closed and Jing'er changed into palace maid's clothes did everyone finally feel completely relieved.
"Come in, everyone!"
At Da Yu'er's summons, the concubines outside, each accompanied by their princesses and princes, filed in. Each carried their own thoughts, yet their faces were streaked with tears.
"A kowtow..."
"Second kowtow..."
"Three kowtows..."
The ceremony is complete!
Because of the hot weather, the coffin could not be kept for too long. The next morning, the Empress's coffin was carried out and escorted to the imperial mausoleum by guards.
Standing on the city wall, Wan'er saw the white figure in the distance, feeling both reluctant and gratified.
What she regrets is losing a friend who truly cared for her.
Thankfully, her friend has gone to find her own happiness, instead of being confined to this palace with only four square walls.
"Your Majesty, it's windy here, let's go back to the palace!"
Hearing Qi Lan's words behind her, Wan'er turned around to look at her and said, "Okay."
The two then helped each other up and walked towards Chengqian Palace.
That one turn of her head marked her final farewell to Jing'er.
Jing'er also looked back at the figures on the city wall, her eyes blurred with tears, but she smiled at the same time, she was also reluctant to part.
Inside Chengqian Palace.
Inside the main hall, sandalwood incense burned, filling the air with a fresh and invigorating fragrance. In this tranquil and beautiful setting, Wan'er did not forget Consort Zhang.
Now that Jing'er's matter has been resolved, it's time for her to teach Consort Zhang a lesson.
Despite her reluctance, Consort Zhang was forced to go to Chengqian Palace under pressure from the guards.
"This concubine... greets Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort!" This time, she began to understand etiquette, and even her speech was no longer arrogant.
Wan'er glanced at her coldly, "It seems Consort Zhang has learned her lesson after just two days."
"Yes... Her Highness the Imperial Noble Consort's teachings are excellent," Consort Zhang said, trembling.
In fact, when Jing'er died, she tried to escape from the palace, but was stopped by the guards of each palace.
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