Chapter 511 How dare these two bitches team up to bluff me!
The candlelight in the hall was dim. Concubine Shu was leaning against the head of the bed. When she heard the door open, she looked over vigilantly. When she saw it was Chu Ruohan, her expression suddenly became complicated.
"It's so late, why are you here again?" There was a hint of vigilance in Concubine Shu's voice.
Chu Ruohan placed the palace lantern on the table, sat down, looked around the hall, and then spoke slowly.
"I couldn't sleep, so I came to see you. After all, you are an important figure in the palace now."
Concubine Shu heard the hidden meaning in her words, but remained silent, only tightening her hand that was stroking her belly slightly.
"I just want to remind you." Chu Ruohan's tone was very calm, as if she was just chatting. "What this palace lacks the most is smart people."
"Some people want you to be their knife, but they're also afraid that your knife might be disobedient and end up hurting them."
Shufei's face turned pale, she understood.
Chu Ruohan picked up the cold tea on the table and gently stirred it with the cup lid.
Her gaze fell on Concubine Shu's bulging belly, and she changed the subject: "Come to think of it, Concubine Liu is really very concerned about this 'dragon child' in your belly."
"I heard that she not only found supplements for you, but also made a lot of arrangements for the safety of your unborn child."
She pronounced the word "safety" very lightly, but it was like a needle that pierced into Concubine Shu's heart.
What arrangements? Was it to arrange for Wang Hu to leave and cut off her escape route?
Or, once the truth comes out or she is no longer useful, will Concubine Xian make other arrangements for the "safety" of her unborn child?
For example, preventing this child from ever being born.
Cold sweat instantly slid down Concubine Shu's forehead. She finally understood completely that Concubine Liu was not her lifeline, but the black hand that pushed her into the abyss.
From the beginning to the end, both he and this child were just chess pieces on Liu Bin's chessboard that could be discarded at any time.
"Thank you...thank you ma'am for the advice."
Shu Fei's voice couldn't help but tremble. She looked at Chu Ruohan, and for the first time, an almost pleading look appeared in her eyes.
"I...I know what to do."
Chu Ruohan nodded and stood up: "I understand. Only by recognizing the situation can you keep what you want most."
After she finished speaking, she didn't stay any longer, turned around and left with the palace lantern, leaving the frightened Concubine Shu alone in the darkness.
Almost at the same time, in the imperial study.
Zhao Yunci was reviewing memorials when a secret guard appeared in the hall like a ghost and knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, there is a new clue."
Zhao Yunci put down the red pen and said, "Speak."
"After investigation, it was found that the censor who impeached the Empress in the court had a distant cousin who had served as an aide to the virtuous concubine's father, Lord Zhou, the Minister of Personnel, several years ago."
Zhao Yunci's eyes suddenly became sharp: "Oh? There is such a thing?"
"Yes. Although the relationship is somewhat distant, the censor has been in close contact with that cousin over the past six months."
Although the clue is far away, it is like a thin thread, vaguely connecting the turmoil in the court and the conspiracy in the harem.
Zhao Yunci's knuckles tapped lightly on the imperial desk, making a dull sound.
Minister Zhou, virtuous concubine.
This game of chess is bigger than he thought.
The next morning, the flowers in the imperial garden were just beginning to bloom and the morning dew had not yet dried.
Su Wan specially invited several concubines of lower status to appreciate the flowers here. She was dressed in a light and elegant palace dress, with just the right amount of worry between her brows.
"Speaking of which, I always feel a little uneasy."
Su Wan gently fiddled with a beautiful peony and sighed seemingly unintentionally.
"Yesterday, I heard from the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo that she went to visit Concubine Shu, and when she came back, she sounded quite worried."
A servant cautiously replied, "The Empress is saying...that Concubine Shu is not feeling well?"
Although the emperor demoted Concubine Shu to the cold palace, he did not revoke her title. Now she was released again because of a fire in the cold palace and she was pregnant.
Once a prince is born, he will be the emperor's first son, not only the eldest son but also a noble son!
These concubines all had some thoughts in their minds...
"She's physically fine, but her emotions seem quite unstable." Su Wan frowned slightly. "From what I see, she seems to be hiding something, something unspeakable. She can't get the answer out no matter how hard I ask. It's really heartbreaking."
As soon as the words fell, a sharp-eyed palace servant remembered the conversation and quietly retreated.
The news spread like wildfire, reaching Yonghe Palace in just half an hour.
“Bang!”
A fine white jade teacup was thrown heavily to the ground and shattered into pieces.
"Chu Ruohan! Su Wan!"
Concubine Liu's face turned ashen, and even her carefully applied makeup couldn't hide her shock and anger.
"How dare these two bitches team up to bluff me!"
Her trusted maid quickly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, calm down! The Queen clearly said this on purpose for you to hear. She must be suspicious!"
"suspicion?"
Concubine Liu sneered, a hint of cruelty flashing in her eyes.
"Does she have any evidence? That fool, Concubine Shu, must have been frightened by Chu Ruohan's words! I can't let her ruin everything!"
Concubine Liu paced back and forth in the hall, and finally stopped, her eyes frighteningly cold.
"Go, get the recipe for calming the nerves and restoring the fetus that I got a few days ago. Go to the Imperial Pharmacy and watch over the preparation of it yourself."
She instructed her trusted palace maid, "Remember, add an extra dose of placenta and half a penny of safflower."
"Then you must personally deliver it to her and tell her that this is a blessing I prayed for her and the 'dragon seed' in her belly, and she must drink it in front of you!"
The palace maid was startled. Placenta combined with safflower may seem nourishing, but in fact it is a fatal poison to pregnant women. Moreover, the medicinal properties are hidden and extremely difficult to detect.
She didn't dare to ask any more questions and immediately kowtowed: "Yes, Madam, I understand!"
As the palace maid walked out of the Yonghe Palace gate with the food box, Su Wan and Chu Ruohan in Chaofeng Palace had already received the news.
"Sister, she really did it." Su Wan's palms were sweating slightly, and she felt nervous and a little excited.
Chu Ruohan looked calm as she took a sip of her teacup. "That's called losing your composure. The more guilty she feels, the more eager she is to kill and silence the witness."
She put down the teacup and said to Su Wan, "Your Majesty, we can call for Doctor Zhang. We're going there now, and the timing is perfect."
In the side hall, Concubine Shu was sitting restlessly.
When Liupin's trusted maid came in with a bowl of medicine, her heart sank to the bottom.
"Empress Shufei, this is the calming and fetal nourishing soup that our queen specially requested for you. Please drink it while it's hot." The palace maid handed the soup bowl to her with a forced smile.
When Concubine Shu smelled the faint fishy-sweet smell in the medicine, her stomach churned.
She forced herself to remain calm, holding her waist and saying, "I feel a little nauseous today and really can't drink. Please put it aside for now and thank Concubine Liu for her kindness."
The maid's face darkened. "Madam Shufei, this is a token of our Majesty's kindness. If you don't drink it, I won't be able to explain myself when I return."
She pressed forward step by step, and the hand holding the soup bowl was almost bringing it to Concubine Shu's mouth.
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