"Your Highness, there is no need to panic. I have already ordered people to keep a close eye on the Fucha clan and the Duke's mansion. If we are unsure of the enemy's intentions, let's wait and see."
He learned the art of remaining unchanged amidst constant change from Thirteen.
"Okay, we mustn't alert them." Lanqin took a deep breath, her mood gradually calming down.
If Hongzhou hadn't reminded her today, she probably wouldn't have remembered the person in Jingren Palace at all. After Hongzhou left, Lanqin led Cui Niang towards Jingren Palace.
When they arrived at the gate of Jingren Palace, there were only two eunuchs lazily guarding the entrance. The leaves of a few crabapple trees in the courtyard were withered and yellow, and the fallen leaves piled up but no one swept them up.
The scene today makes it hard to imagine the former glory of the Empress.
Once inside Jingren Palace, Cui Niang carefully protected her, fearing that Ulanara might rush out and harm Consort Xi.
But it wasn't until they walked from the main hall to the bedchamber that they found Ulanara curled up by the bed.
"Open the curtains to let in some fresh air." Smelling the rotten odor in the room, Lanqin covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. In her current wretched and destitute state, no one would be there to serve her.
"You haven't even paid your respects to Consort Xi?" Cui Niang stood in front of Ulanara and called out to her, seeing that she kept her head down and didn't speak.
At the bedside, Ulanara curled up even tighter. She clutched the soft cushion tightly to her chest, muttering something unintelligible, her face smeared with saliva and snot. Her empty eyes stared at the windowsill, seemingly gazing at nothing in particular.
Cui Niang was about to step forward, but Lan Qin waved her hand to stop her.
"Let's go, asking her is pointless." Lanqin turned around and went out. She saw two eunuchs standing nervously at the door and said sternly, "The Ulanara clan's status is still intact. You all listen to me: serve her well and make sure she is well-fed and cared for. If anything happens to Her Majesty the Empress, I will hold you all responsible!"
After saying this, Lanqin left amidst the eunuchs' chorus of agreement.
Upon entering the Imperial Garden, Lanqin became increasingly puzzled and asked doubtfully, "I thought that the matter of Fucha Argon was inextricably linked to the Empress, but now it seems that the Empress absolutely does not have that ability."
“Your Majesty, I think this matter may not have anything to do with the Empress at all,” Cui Niang speculated from the side. “Consort Fucha had always been dependent on the Empress, and later she was eliminated by Your Majesty’s scheme. As Consort Fucha’s father, Fucha Argon may have held a grudge. In that case, it makes sense that Fucha Argon conspired with the Empress’s maternal family to frame Your Majesty for the sake of his daughter.”
Lanqin was also pondering the connection, and as she thought about it, she suddenly looked up and said, "No, the Fucha family's revelation of Hongzhou's identity is not just targeting me, but the entire court."
"If Hongzhou's identity hadn't been revealed, collecting provisions in the Northwest would have been a piece of cake. But in doing so, they've created a problem for Hongzhou and the imperial court, and it's even affected the war situation in the Northwest."
Upon hearing Lanqin's words, Cui Niang trembled and immediately realized the gravity of the situation.
The imperial harem is forbidden from interfering in politics without authorization; anything involving politics is never a trivial matter. Could the Fucha family's actions be part of a larger conspiracy?
"Let's go, back to the palace immediately." Thinking of this, Lanqin also became alert. She needed to go back and write a letter to the Fourth Prince immediately to tell him what had happened.
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