Consort Ning felt a deep sorrow. So, the Empress Dowager didn't even have a place for her? How could this be? She wouldn't allow it!
Suppressing her panic and anger, she sat down, took a sip of tea, and asked, "Sister, you want to cooperate, right?"
"Of course, it depends on whether my sister has the confidence."
"In this harem, the Empress and the one in Weiyang Palace have the most say. One is backed by the Empress Dowager, and the other is backed by the Empress. In the end, only you and I are weak and powerless." Consort Ning saw things clearly and hit the nail on the head.
Consort De did not refute, but expressed her agreement with her analysis, "That's right, but if that person dies, the Emperor will not know that the Fourth Prince is not her son. In that case, the Emperor will stand behind you, and you will have the strength to fight."
"So, what about you, sister? Are you going to join forces with the Empress?" At this point, she already suspected that Consort De and the Empress were working together to deliberately send her to be cannon fodder.
Consort De was not stupid, and said sincerely, "Of course not, isn't the fourth prince that person's son?"
Consort Ning pondered for a long time. Consort De was right. After all, Zhao Bi was not really Yi De's son. A backer obtained through deception is ultimately unreliable. Therefore, Consort De had no need to be afraid. However, upon thinking about this, she realized that Consort De knew that her son was not Yi De's son.
It seems that Consort De is quite capable and should not be underestimated.
Cooperation is fine too.
"good."
In this way, Hao Shumei reached an agreement with the Empress, the Empress then reached an agreement with Consort De, and Consort De then formed a cooperative relationship with Consort Ning. Everyone would be looking for a gun, and it would just be a matter of who had the best skills.
Having achieved her goal, Consort De and Consort Ning had a private conversation for a while before Consort De left. As soon as she left, Consort Ning frowned. Without the person in Weiyang Palace as her backer, how could she find another, even bigger backer?
She thought of many people, but they all shook their heads. Finally, she thought of Zhao Shu. Zhao Shu had powerful backing. She was the only direct granddaughter of the Empress Dowager and the only child of the Prince Yong's mansion. At the same time, she had close relationships with the Huo family, the Peng family, the Xie family, and others. She knew more court officials than even the princess.
Thinking about it this way, if she could bring Zhao Shu to her side, she wouldn't be afraid even without Yi De and Hao Shu Mei! Although Zhao Shu had a good relationship with the Crown Prince, they were all cousins. As for their relationship, they could just communicate more and it would be fine.
Having made up her mind, she immediately wrote a letter and went to the Gu family.
After this incident, Zhao Shucai met Gu Shan, the daughter of the Gu family, just before leaving the house.
Gu Shan is Gu Chongxuan's younger sister, the kind of sister who is his own flesh and blood. She is a gentle but extremely cold person. When Zhao Shu married into the Gu family, she also got married not long after. Zhao Shu remembers that when Gu Chongxuan's mother was sick, she scolded her as soon as she came back, saying that she had not done her duty as a daughter-in-law.
Back then, she was foolish. She apologized and promised her mother-in-law, apologizing because she felt she hadn't taken good care of her and promising to take good care of her in the future. Looking back now, she realizes she really didn't think before she acted or spoke.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable parts of life. What does Gu Chongxuan's mother's illness have to do with her? She's not a maid or servant. Does she expect her to pay with her life if Gu Chongxuan dies of old age?
Taking a breath, Zhao Shu composed herself and said, "Let her go. Just tell her I'm going to bed and not to open the door again."
"Yes." Green Ivy could tell that Zhao Shu disliked the Gu family girl very much. She turned around to shoo her away, but Zhao Shu called her back, "Wait."
"Please give your orders, Princess." Green Luo hurriedly turned back, guessing that the princess was determined to embarrass the Gu family's daughter.
As for speculating whether Zhao Shu might change her mind, sorry, based on her understanding of her princess, the princess is not that kind of person; she rarely changes her mind when she dislikes someone.
Sure enough, Zhao Shu said, "Let Yide smell the smoke she just smelled, so that she'll turn pale at the mere mention of the Yong Prince's Mansion in the future." Right now, she didn't have time to deal with Gu Chongxuan and Lin Xiuxue; these small fry weren't worthy of her taking action now.
Once she assists the crown prince in becoming emperor, weakens the power of the princes, and reforms the laws, who in the world can rival her? At that time, she can torment them however she wants.
However, she must not allow them to interfere when she is doing important things.
Green Ivy went excitedly. She knew that the princess would never be lenient with people she disliked. This time, she was going to make sure that the Gu family girl couldn't get out of bed for half a month!
Although she's older and no longer a child, Green Ivy is still very lively. She skipped and hopped to the front hall, where someone had already served Gu Shan tea. She was slowly sipping it, her eyes not wandering around, looking very proper.
Green Ivy isn't the type to go easy on you just because you're well-behaved. She hates the same people the princess hates, and she absolutely won't be lenient with those she dislikes!
So she gestured to her lackeys below, and the second-class maids understood what she meant. They lit incense and spread it around, chanting, "Demons and monsters, leave quickly..." Before long, the entire front hall was filled with the smell of smoke.
Before long, Gu Shan choked and tears welled up in her eyes. As many ghostly figures appeared before her, dressed in white with long hair and long tongues, and bloodstains still lingered at the corners of their mouths, they were extremely terrifying. She screamed in terror, knocking over her teacup and causing a clattering sound as she bumped into the tables and chairs.
The maid standing behind her was also thrashing around the hall like a madwoman. When Green Ivy saw that the two of them had bumped into the tables and chairs enough, she signaled for someone to pull them out. "You two are probably out of control. Quickly send them out of the mansion."
Yi De encountered a ghost at the Yongwang Mansion, and Gu Shan also encountered a ghost. Zhao Shu took the initiative to spread the news, and in less than an hour, the Empress Dowager came in person, accompanied by Yang Zhong's wife, Yang Zhangshi, and Yang Mengxian. In an extremely high-profile and flamboyant manner, she sent Zhao Shu out of the city, claiming that she was recuperating.
As darkness fell, Zhao Shuren had reached a small village twenty miles outside the city. When Yide woke up after the effects of the medicine wore off, she was furious to learn that Zhao Shuren had left, but she was helpless. She couldn't find out which road Zhao Shuren had taken. She had left in a very ostentatious manner, and after leaving the city, she seemed to have vanished into thin air.
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