Chapter 399
Rong Rong ultimately did not kill Xie Linyang.
The strength was too weak; the hairpin wasn't powerful enough to kill.
However, it gave Rong Rong about ten days of peace and quiet, so it wasn't a complete loss.
But only Rongrong's place is quiet.
A storm has been brewing in the imperial court and among the common people.
Princess Zhaohua, the former princess, has returned, and Emperor Jianyuan wants to make her empress!
Emperor Jianyuan did not establish an empress after ascending the throne, nor did he even appoint a concubine or the four great consorts.
The highest-ranking concubine in his harem was only a Consort, the eldest daughter of Prime Minister Lu, Consort De Lu Junyi, who temporarily managed the affairs of the harem.
In addition, the eldest granddaughter of the Minister of Revenue was Consort Xian, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Yongning was Consort Zhuang, and the eldest granddaughter of the General of the State was Consort Kang, and so on.
Normally, they and their families fight tooth and nail for the position of empress.
Now that someone has been parachuted in as empress, how can they be content with that?
Their fathers and brothers jointly submitted a memorial opposing Emperor Jianyuan's decision, but Emperor Jianyuan took a hard line and dismissed several people from their posts and beheaded several others.
After a brief discussion, the ministers compromised.
In any case, Princess Zhaohua was all alone and had no backing, so her rise to power would not have much impact on the various factions in the court.
They can find a way to remove her from the throne later; for now, the emperor is in high spirits, so they can wait.
And so the matter of her being made empress was settled.
When Pan'er woke up, she felt like the sky was about to fall.
Princess Zhaohua is back alive!
She was initially just angry that someone had stolen her thunder, but now that she knows it was the real person who came back, she's completely terrified.
What does "climbing into someone's bed" mean? What does "acting as a body double" mean?
She couldn't care less about anything else now; she was only afraid that Princess Zhaohua would retaliate against her!
A few days later, Pan'er was locked up in a cell and was given special instructions to take care of her every day, but she was not allowed to die.
Xie Linyang not only learned that it was Pan'er who pushed Rongrong into the river, but also that Pan'er was behind the palace maid who drugged him.
Instead of killing Pan'er directly, he chose to torture her.
Especially when he thought about how Rong Rong had been away from him for five years and had even married another man in between, Xie Linyang felt like he wanted to drink Pan'er's blood and eat her flesh!
That's right, Xie Linyang already knows about Rong Rong's experiences over the past five years.
The top scholar he personally selected turned out to be Rong Rong's brother-in-law.
Fortunately, the other party was sensible and took good care of Rongrong, bringing her to the capital. Fortunately, the other party respected the proper etiquette between uncle and sister-in-law.
Otherwise, he would make sure the other party died without a burial place!
Xie Linyang's eyes were sinister. He had been recuperating from his injuries for the past two days. Although Rong Rong's attack hadn't killed him, it had severely damaged his vitality.
In addition, the medication he took that day did not relieve his symptoms, which had a significant impact on his health.
He kept his injury a secret. If outsiders found out that Rong Rong had hurt him, Rong Rong would definitely be condemned and even tortured.
In particular, Prime Minister Lu and his associates were waiting for a pretext to prevent him from establishing an empress.
He wanted to protect Rong Rong.
It was precisely for this reason that Xie Linyang forced himself to attend court every day, which made his injuries recover even more slowly.
However, the truth will eventually come out.
Consort De, Lu Junyi, had been in charge of the harem for many years, and her spies were everywhere in the palace. She soon learned that Rong Rong had stabbed Xie Linyang.
Rong Rong was not yet crowned empress and was just an untitled person. However, Consort De had a handle on Rong Rong's weakness. Without saying a word, Consort De led her people in a grand procession toward Yaoguang Palace.
Consort Xian, Consort Zhuang, Consort Kang, along with the two Consorts Zhaoyi and three Consorts Jieyu below them, also followed closely upon hearing the news.
They all had serious expressions and a menacing demeanor.
In short, the group of people who were originally fighting against each other suddenly stood on a united front after encountering a common and powerful enemy.
They had different ideas from their father and grandfather, preferring to compromise first and then look for opportunities later.
Now is the best time to completely defeat Princess Zhaohua and nip the enemy in the bud. As long as they act at the same time and their families unite, I don't believe His Majesty will dare to do anything to them.
If Princess Zhaohua were to actually become empress and develop her own power, that would truly become a problem!
With the same goal in mind, the group arrived at Yaoguang Palace one after another in the blink of an eye.
However, Consort De, who arrived first, was stopped at the door. The emperor left behind the Xuanjia Guards to stand guard at the entrance of Yaoguang Palace.
"Get out of the way!" Consort De said with displeasure, feeling as if her dignity had been thrown to the ground and trampled on.
Seeing more and more of her sisters arrive made her feel even more embarrassed and ashamed!
She has been in the palace for so many years, and although she is not the empress, she is practically the same as the empress. She is in charge of the entire harem. If she loses face in Yaoguang Palace today, how will others laugh at her? How will she manage the harem in the future?
"Huh? Consort De was stopped?" Consort Xian covered her mouth with amusement. Although she was called Consort Xian, she was flamboyant and aggressive, and she often clashed with Consort De.
What she wanted most was to bring down Consort De and take her place.
Seeing Consort De in such a sorry state, how could he not be able to stop laughing?
"Sister De is the mistress of the harem! Is there any place in the harem that she can't go? Sisters, don't worry, let's just wait."
Consort Xian feigned concern for the other concubines, emphasizing the words "Mistress of the Harem" with particular force.
It's as if it's mocking Emperor Jianyuan for wanting to make other women empresses, implying that Consort De, the head of the harem, is no longer there. It's also as if it's mocking that Consort De can't even enter Yaoguang Palace, which is a complete misnomer!
The concubines exchanged glances. Some covered their mouths and chuckled, some had no reaction, and some frowned anxiously, thinking that it was simply insane for the two to still be fighting at this moment.
They should hurry in and teach that woman a lesson; if the emperor gets the news and arrives soon, it will be too late.
Clearly, Consort De was aware of this as well.
Finally, her eyes flashed with a sharp light, and she beckoned to the shadows. Instantly, several guards rushed over and began fighting with the Xuanjia Guards.
As the legitimate daughter of Prime Minister Lu, how could she not have secret guards?
"Consort Xian, Consort Zhuang, and Consort Kang, stop watching the show! My men are no match for the Xuanjia Guards! Hurry up and help!"
Consort De sneered at the group.
This is not just her business; if she's going to stand up for herself, everyone has to step up together!
Consort Xian snorted coldly. She also knew the importance of things. The group waved to each other at the same time.
In the blink of an eye, another ten or so guards rushed forward.
Although the Xuanjia Guards were strong, Consort De and her group had more men.
Once all the Xuanjia Guards were held back, Consort De and her entourage pushed open the door and strode into Yaoguang Palace.
Some of them had elders who were former officials of the previous dynasty, and they had heard of Princess Zhaohua.
Once the most favored princess, high above all others, showered with love and affection.
Such women are naive and foolish, and seem easy to deal with.
The group smirked, displaying an arrogant and domineering demeanor, determined to silence the enemy and suppress them underground at the very first meeting!
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