Chapter 131 The Queen's Plot
Wen Ning curled up in the quilt, feeling the familiar pain, but inexplicably relieved in her heart.
Although Xie Jinglan still held the person in his arms, he could only hold her properly.
Sometimes he would feed her warm brown sugar ginger tea with his own hands, and sometimes he would sit by her bed and massage her belly.
At the end of the New Year holiday, most of his thoughts had already turned to the turmoil that might come after the end of the year.
Xie Jinglan thought to himself: The Queen might be quiet for the time being because she is afraid of her past secrets being exposed, or maybe she has already prepared a story and will definitely make a big fuss about Wen Ning's life experience.
He has deduced countless countermeasures for various possibilities.
He even thought of the most decisive step, which was to expose the genius doctor Cai Huichun in front of everyone, let him face the emperor, and completely reveal the truth of the case of Concubine Lu and the prince's deeds in front of the emperor, and then use the many evidences secretly collected over the years to overthrow the East Palace in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles.
He thought he had planned everything out, but despite all his calculations, he had missed one thing.
The human heart! Especially the heart of an emperor!
He had anticipated all the conspiracies and attacks, but he never expected that what was waiting for them was not thundering wrath and bloody storm, but an irresistible "father's love".
A princess should naturally live in the palace.
A vermilion palace wall suddenly became the most insurmountable barrier for him.
All his plans and all his strength would seem so pale and powerless in the face of a legitimate "grace".
In the past, he tried every possible means to refuse the arranged marriage, but now he will probably have to do everything he can to marry this "princess".
…
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the festive atmosphere of the New Year has not yet completely dissipated, but a sense of solemnity has quietly spread.
Qing Feng hurried into the study and reported, "My Lord, there was a fire in Mr. Cai's villa last night. The fire was so fierce that it has now been completely reduced to scorched earth, not a single tile remains."
Xie Jinglan sat quietly at the desk, and upon hearing this, he gently turned the white jade ring on his finger.
Without looking up, he simply said, "Some people can't hold back any longer."
It sounds reasonable that a man with a leg disease and a confused mind died quietly in an accidental fire.
Did the Crown Prince and the Queen no longer believe that he was truly foolish, or did they think he was not obedient enough?
However, that hint of coldness quickly transformed into a calmness that seemed to indicate one was in command of everything.
Fortunately, he was prepared.
"Is everything going well for Mr. Cai in the Western Suburbs Camp?"
Qing Feng immediately bowed and replied, "Master, Mr. Cai is doing well. He spends his days working diligently on developing an antidote for you and helping with medical consultations at the wounded camp. I've noticed he's much more energetic than when he was trapped in this small courtyard."
"That's good."
…
Inside the imperial palace, Fengyi Palace.
The silver charcoal in the incense burner was burning brightly, but it could not dispel the anxiety between the queen's brows.
Concubine Lu's past was a sensitive spot that she could never touch. Whenever she thought about it, she felt like a thorn in her back.
But the secret held in An Yuanhou's hand was more like a sword hanging over her head, making her restless day and night.
Instead of just sitting there and waiting for death, it’s better to take the initiative and divert this disaster elsewhere!
The emperor has been visiting Concubine Hui recently. It is a rare opportunity for him to have a meal in her palace today, and she must not miss this rare opportunity.
Seeing that Emperor Chengxuan looked okay, the empress clenched the handkerchief in her hand and finally found an excuse to speak.
"Your Majesty, a few years ago, Zhaohua suddenly developed a rash. He took the imperial physician's medicine, but it didn't improve. I was extremely worried at the time, and I thought of Miss Wen from the Anyuan Marquis's residence. She had experienced epidemics and was particularly skilled in treating smallpox. I took the initiative to summon her to the palace to treat Zhaohua."
When she said this, she paused slightly and carefully observed the emperor's expression.
Emperor Chengxuan didn't take it seriously when he heard this. He just said casually, "The Queen loves her daughter dearly, so what's wrong with that? Can I blame you for treating Zhaohua?"
However, the queen did not feel relieved. Instead, her face became paler and paler, as if she was in great panic.
She wiped her temples with a handkerchief, her voice trembling with a whisper. "Consulting is a trivial matter, and I'm not afraid of your Majesty's blame... But after meeting Miss Wen that day, I've always felt a little uneasy."
"Oh?" Emperor Chengxuan noticed her pale face, which didn't seem fake, so he pressed the issue, "What's the matter? Could it be that the girl is so ugly that she frightened the Empress like this?"
As soon as he said that, he shook his head. "No, Xie Jinglan is very picky. If he didn't like her, why would he keep her by his side? Anyone who can catch his eye must be good-looking."
The queen lowered her eyes, and as if she had mustered up a great deal of courage, she finally managed to squeeze out a few words from between her teeth.
"Damn it, this concubine... Miss Wen's features and demeanor are so similar... to Consort Lu's!"
"Bang—"
A crisp sound of jade colliding suddenly rang out.
The jade chopsticks in Emperor Chengxuan's hand fell to the side of the plate, and he froze as if struck by an invisible thunderbolt.
The slightly lazy gaze just now instantly became as sharp as a hawk, tightly grasping the queen in front of him.
The warm air in the hall seemed to freeze in an instant, and an invisible pressure spread.
"Who does he look like?" The emperor's voice was terribly low, and seemed to contain a hint of imperceptible expectation.
He stared at the queen and asked word by word, "... Tell me clearly! Who does it resemble?"
The queen was so shocked by his sudden reaction that she trembled all over. She hurriedly stood up from behind the dining table, put on her clothes and lowered her head, then knelt in front of the table with a respectful manner.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. I... I also met Miss Wen that day and was shocked to find her appearance and demeanor strikingly similar to Consort Lu's. I have been feeling uneasy ever since, unable to let it go."
She paused, her tone becoming increasingly serious and earnest, "I have thought about it over and over again, and this matter concerns the reputation of the royal family, so I should not hide it from Your Majesty.
The case of Concubine Lu's corpse was previously handed over to Marquis Anyuan for investigation, and now a woman with such a similar appearance has appeared beside him... I am foolish and dare not speculate on the Marquis's intentions, but... I am still worried that if there is anything inappropriate, it will harm His Majesty's ears and tarnish the palace..."
Her face was filled with fear and hidden worry. "There are many complicated affairs before the New Year, and there are also many grand ceremonies such as palace banquets and ancestral worship. I really can't bear to disturb Your Majesty's mind with such groundless doubts, so I thought I would report it after the New Year.
But the more I think about this in my solitude these past few days, the more frightened I become. I toss and turn, and ultimately I feel that… even if this matter is extremely presumptuous, I absolutely cannot hide it from Your Majesty any longer.”
After hearing the queen's "sincere and heartfelt" words, Emperor Chengxuan did not get angry immediately.
He slowly leaned back in his chair.
After a long time, he suddenly laughed very lightly, and that laughter was filled with cold irony and terrifying majesty.
"well."
The emperor's gaze fell on a certain point in the void as if it were real, as if he had penetrated the palace wall and saw the Anyuan Marquis Mansion far outside the palace.
"My Marquis Anyuan! My good subject! I must see for myself how similar they are to be able to shock my queen to such an extent!"
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