Inside the Beichen Palace, the atmosphere seemed somewhat tense.
Yun Ji dared not say more and waited for His Majesty to ask.
After serving the tea, he stood quietly.
Sure enough, after a while, His Majesty spoke.
"Lu is a fool, but she wouldn't dare to make such a big fuss if no one had instigated her. Do you know why Sun wasn't promoted?" It can be said that this time, the promotions of the junior concubines were entirely decided by the Imperial Concubine.
"Aside from those who made mistakes, the only two who weren't promoted this time are Consort Qiao and Consort Sun. Consort Qiao... is a bit talkative. I haven't heard of her offending the Imperial Concubine. But behind her back, she's close to Consort Luo and they whisper among themselves a bit."
"As for Sun Baolin, he might have been forgotten."
"Forgot?" Shu Chengfeng raised an eyebrow.
"Has the Imperial Concubine ever made such a lapse in judgment over the years?"
Yun Ji chuckled: "Well, this subordinate doesn't know either."
"Hmph." Shu Chengfeng sneered at him, "I think you've gotten too bold."
Yun Ji quickly smiled apologetically: "Then what should I say?"
"Tomorrow, secretly investigate the people in Liushuang Pavilion. Sun Baolin's failure to be promoted might be because that woman is using him as bait. She probably discovered something, but the evidence is insufficient, or perhaps it's not convenient for her to say it now," Shu Chengfeng said.
"Yes, then I will definitely investigate thoroughly and try my best not to alert anyone," Yun Ji said with a smile.
Inside Zhaochun Palace, Yuanhua and Baiwei were helping Yan Nangui with his bedtime skincare routine.
“This Lu Xiaoyi… oh, now she’s a court attendant. Court attendant Lu acted recklessly and ended up ruining herself. I just wonder why the person behind her didn’t intervene?” Yuanhua said.
"In my opinion, she doesn't dare to make a move. It's obvious that she did indeed contact Consort Ke. However, Consort Ke needs to keep a low profile right now because of what happened last time. How could she dare to make a move at this time?" Bai Wei said.
“That makes sense, but we knew before that Sun Baolin wasn’t one to stay put. Does he think he’ll be quiet this time?” Yuanhua asked again.
"Didn't Her Majesty send someone to Suning Palace to question her? If she wants to be safe, she certainly wouldn't dare to hide anything."
It was Jiangxiang who went to ask the question.
Having reached this point, Lu Xiaoyi dared not hide anything any longer and naturally told everyone what was going on.
Including how Sun Baolin instigated her.
Having learned what she wanted to know, Jiangxiang left first.
Unexpectedly, no one slept well that night.
Because around midnight, someone came to knock on the door of Zhaochun Palace.
The eunuch was unfamiliar to her. He politely greeted Huaijiao, who opened the door, saying, "Please, Your Highness, rise. Something has happened at Suning Palace, and even the Empress Dowager has been alarmed."
Huaijiao knew immediately that this was a serious matter, so he quickly agreed and went inside to report it.
I called out a few times through the window, and then the lights inside were turned on.
The wild geese were called south.
Jiangxiang hurriedly said, "It was an unfamiliar messenger. Huaijiao said he was probably someone who serves the Empress Dowager. Since the Empress Dowager has been alerted, His Majesty will likely go there soon. However, the person refused to say what it was about."
Yan Nangui frowned, rubbed his eyes, got out of bed, washed his face, and then said, "It must be Lu Xiaoyi who is dead."
"Ah? This..." Jiangxiang was shocked. She was the last person to have met Attendant Lu.
"Calm down." After washing her face, Yan Nangui felt much more awake.
After a quick combing of her hair and getting dressed, she said, "Keep an eye on the Seventh Princess."
"Yes, I'll talk to the wet nurses. Everything will be fine," Lily said.
Yan Nangui nodded and went out with Jiangxiang, Baiwei, Yuanhua, and Shuanzi.
It has already started everywhere.
The lights illuminated the surroundings.
I also met a few people from other places on the way. They were all confused, but they seemed to have figured something out.
They soon arrived at the entrance of Suning Palace. Sure enough, the Empress Dowager's people were there.
The Empress Dowager herself was inside; it was already past midnight.
Yan Nangui entered the main hall, but before she could speak, the Empress Dowager angrily ordered, "Guards, seize her!"
"Who dares?" Yan Nangui's voice wasn't loud.
"You dare disobey my words?" The Empress Dowager became even angrier when she saw that no one dared to move.
“Even condemned prisoners have a way of defending themselves when they go to the execution ground. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is too hasty and seems impatient.” Yan Nangui sneered, “I guess it was Lady Lu who got into trouble. Could it be that Your Majesty the Empress Dowager struck first and then framed me?”
"How can Your Highness speak like this? This is truly..." Consort Luo said anxiously.
"Get lost." Yan Nangui slapped him across the face.
This was the first time Luo Jieyu had ever been slapped by her.
"Yan, you are too arrogant. It was your people who saw Lu for the last time, and then Lu was strangled. I have investigated thoroughly. Your maid brought two eunuchs in with her. Is there any truth to that?"
"What is it?" At this moment, Shu Chengfeng entered.
Everyone knelt on the ground.
"It's good that the Emperor has come! The Consort has gone mad. To plot against concubines at will, shouldn't she be arrested?" the Empress Dowager roared.
All the women of the harem rushed over.
Probably not many people don't dream of winning over the Imperial Concubine.
Yan Nangui suddenly chuckled, "The Empress Dowager is getting more and more confused."
"How dare you!" The Empress Dowager pointed at Yan Nangui.
"There is no one in the Empress Dowager. I am the Noble Consort Duanyi, in charge of the inner palace. This mere Lady Lu is nothing but a criminal, a guilty concubine. Even if I were to personally order her death, would I not be able to do it?" Yan Nangui looked at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you admitting that you killed her?"
"I'm laughing at the Empress Dowager's naivety," Yan Nangui sneered.
"Yan Shi." Shu Chengfeng sat down and called out.
Yan Nangui glanced at him, then looked at the Empress Dowager: "If I wanted to kill her, I could simply order her execution, and His Majesty wouldn't object. Why resort to such underhanded methods, which only harm myself? I have no reason to kill her. Does Your Majesty truly care for Lady Lu?"
"I feel sorry for the Eighth Prince," the Empress Dowager said.
"The Empress Dowager is not only naive, but also hypocritical. The Eighth Prince was unwell and made a fuss all night, yet the Empress Dowager didn't send anyone to inquire about him. Now that Lady Lu is dead, she makes a huge fuss. Is this what she calls showing concern?" Yan Nangui's words were like sharp knives piercing the eyes of everyone.
But the words were too unpleasant, so Shu Chengfeng called out again: "Yan Shi!"
"Yes, Your Majesty, my words were inappropriate. Please forgive me." Yan Nangui sheathed her sharp tongue, smiled, and curtsied.
"Your Majesty, did you hear that? Did you really hear that? Lady Yan dared to speak to me like that in front of you. What about her at other times? She's only doing this because you favor her!" the Empress Dowager said.
"Yan's words were inappropriate, and I will punish her later. Let's talk about Lu's matter now. In the dead of night, she disturbed the Empress Dowager. Who was so blind that they didn't come to me or Consort Duanyi when something happened, but instead went to the Empress Dowager?" Shu Chengfeng glanced around indifferently.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
