"You said the Thirteenth Prince is back?" Lanqin asked Cui Niang, who had rushed back to Changchun Palace.
Cui Niang nodded repeatedly and said, "The information that the Thirteenth Master sent must be correct."
"The Thirteenth Prince has always been the Emperor's right-hand man, so why did he come back first today?" Lanqin asked, puzzled.
Cui Niang smiled smugly. She knew Lan Qin would ask, and she had already asked everything clearly. After repeating Hong Shi's mistakes, Cui Niang said excitedly, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince has committed treason, which is a heinous crime. The Emperor has not executed the Second Prince only because of the bond between father and son. Given the Second Prince's current situation, the woman in Jingren Palace will probably have no hope left from now on."
Lanqin listened to her with her eyes half-closed. After Cui Niang finished speaking, she opened her eyes and nodded to Cui Niang: "Let's go, I'm going to Jingren Palace."
"Yes, Your Highness." Cui Niang helped Lan Qin up, but Lan Qin took a few steps and then shook her head and stopped.
"Your Highness, what's wrong?" Cui Niang asked, puzzled.
"Tomorrow I have to confront those old ministers again, and just thinking about it gives me a headache," Lanqin rubbed her temples. Many of those old ministers in the court are on the Empress's side. Now that the Fourth Prince is not in the capital and cannot protect her, she has to rely on herself for everything, which makes her extremely vigilant.
Cui Niang's two clear black and white eyes darted back and forth for a moment. She bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the Second Prince has lost power. Now the Empress can no longer threaten you. But the Empress herself is unaware of this. Why don't we go and explain it to her?"
Lanqin thought for a while and then nodded.
Under the moonlight, the two arrived at Jingren Palace. Unlike the previous days, this magnificent palace was no longer filled with smoke and appeared exceptionally empty and desolate. The sound of their footsteps on the ground carried a dull tone.
"This servant greets Consort Xi," said the gatekeeper.
"Get up, where is the Empress?" Lanqin waved her hand. She only had a grudge against the Ulanara clan and had no intention of making things difficult for the palace maids.
"The Empress..." the palace maid stammered, unable to utter a coherent sentence.
After dismissing the servants, Cui Niang explained to Lan Qin, "Your Majesty, didn't you tell me a few days ago to stop the Empress's incense? Once the incense was stopped, the Empress became like a different person, running around and smashing things. We servants had no choice but to follow your previous instructions and keep the Empress in her palace."
As the two walked inside, they talked. Just as Cui Niang finished speaking, Ulanara started howling hysterically. It was extremely unpleasant to hear and also made people's hair stand on end.
Lanqin took a step back and said, "Was the Empress screaming like this on that day?"
"Yes, without the incense of intoxication, the Empress felt uncomfortable all over. She was like a different person, and she had forgotten all her former manners and etiquette. She rolled on the ground, begging the palace servants to light the incense of marriage." Cui Niang said respectfully.
"Anything else?" Lanqin asked. She had the Empress's aphrodisiac incense cut off. She originally wanted to let Ulanara off the hook, but Ulanara refused to let her go, so she had no choice but to grant the Empress's wish.
"According to the palace servants, on the first day, Her Majesty the Empress did not eat anything and did not allow anyone to approach her," Cui Niang replied.
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