Cracks begin to appear
The "righteous merchants" offering fair grain sales was like a shot in the arm, stabilizing Xiao Jingche's political power. However, it was also like a stone dropped into a tranquil lake, creating irreparable ripples between Lu Qinglan and Xiao Jingche. Xiao Jingche rewarded the grain merchants and even mentioned the matter during a meal at Kunning Palace, his words testing his own.
"Does the Queen know that the owner of Yufenghao is actually a female businessman? That's rare." Xiao Jingche picked up a dish with chopsticks, looking casual.
Lu Qinglan's hand holding the spoon was as steady as a rock. She scooped up a spoonful of bird's nest porridge and said calmly, "I live deep in the palace and don't know much about the business world. However, it is indeed commendable for a woman to be able to abide by her duties as a merchant and help the poor and needy."
She skillfully diverted the conversation, but inwardly she sneered. The ostensible owner of the Yufeng was a widow carefully selected by Chen Xing. Her background was clean, and her connection to the Lingfeng Pavilion was extremely secretive, leaving Xiao Jingche unable to uncover anything. But since he specifically brought it up, it suggested he was suspicious.
"Yes, I will do my duty." Xiao Jingche chewed on these four words, his eyes falling on Lu Qinglan's calm face. In the end, he said nothing more. However, after that, he came to Kunning Palace less and less frequently. Even when he did come, he mostly discussed the prince's studies or trivial matters in the palace, and no longer easily mentioned the previous dynasty.
Lu Qinglan enjoyed the quiet and focused more on cultivating her own power. With Mingde Hall flourishing, she leveraged this opportunity to promote several intelligent but humble palace maids, placing them in the lower and middle levels of key departments like the Shanggong Bureau and the Imperial Household Department. These positions, while neither high nor low, drew little attention, yet served as network nodes, relaying any palace news to Kunning Palace.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tieshou finally achieved a breakthrough. After months of lurking and meticulous planning, his men successfully infiltrated the compound where Manager Hu had hidden the account books. Although they were unable to remove all the evidence (they triggered a trap and had to evacuate hastily), they did manage to recover several crucial account books and a small box of secret letters.
Late at night, in the secret room of Kunning Palace.
The flickering candlelight illuminated Lu Qinglan's solemn face. She carefully flipped through the meticulously detailed account books, which clearly documented the amount of gold and silver that had flowed into Yongquan Temple through Manager Hu's hands over the years, as well as the massive expenditures on "special spices" and "alchemy aids" purchased from the Western Regions. Even more alarming, several large payments were marked as being destined not to Prince An's Mansion, but to several seemingly unaffiliated businesses, but which, upon investigation, were inextricably linked to several royal princes and... Concubine Xian's mother's family.
The contents of that box of secret letters were even more shocking. Besides correspondence with the Western Region caravan, there were also several letters between Prince An and a man named "Ninth Brother." In his letters, "Ninth Brother" repeatedly mentioned the need for "elixir" to maintain the health of the "noble ladies in the palace," and hinted that if he could achieve further success, he would not forget Prince An's "full support." Sometimes, a small, distinctive personal seal was stamped on the bottom of the letter. Zhao Tieshou recognized it as a mark strikingly similar to one found on an old item in the palace of the late Concubine De!
"Ninth Brother"? A mark of Concubine De? Lu Qinglan's heart raced. The ninth of the previous emperor's sons was none other than the now-imprisoned Fifth Prince, Xiao Jingming! And Concubine De was his biological mother! Could it be... could it be that the "noble lady in the palace," hiding behind Prince An and the Third Prince, who hadn't even been responsible for Concubine De's death, was actually connected to the Fifth Prince? But the Fifth Prince had already fallen from power and been imprisoned, so why was Prince An so determined to keep his secret?
Unless… unless the Fifth Prince wasn't the mastermind, there was someone behind him! Someone of a higher status, more hidden, someone who even Prince An had to obey! Could it be the Queen Mother? Or…
Lu Qinglan felt a chill run down her spine. She realized that Prince An's connection might be linked to a far larger and more terrifying conspiracy network than she had imagined. This network might even extend to the current imperial court.
She must deliver this evidence to Xiao Jingche. This was not only for revenge, but also for self-preservation. This enemy, lurking in the shadows, could manipulate Prince An and the Third Prince, and might even be involved in the affairs of the late emperor's "elixir." His power and ruthlessness were extraordinary. She alone would find it difficult to deal with him.
However, how to hand it over, and to whom, was a problem. Present it directly to Xiao Jingche? Would he believe it, now that he was increasingly suspicious of her? Would he think this was a ploy to frame Consort Xian or someone else? What if, for the sake of stabilizing the court, he chose to suppress the matter...
Lu Qinglan pondered for a long time before finally picking up her pen and transcribing the most crucial parts of the account books and secret letters that most pointed to Concubine Xian's mother's family and the private seal, forming a brief secret report. She didn't sign her name or mention the source of the information, simply placing the secret report and the rubbing of the private seal in an ordinary paulownia wood box.
"Fu Yu," she called over her confidant, "find a way to sneak this box into the ordinary memorials sent to the Palace of Heavenly Purity tomorrow. Make sure it reaches His Majesty directly on the imperial desk." She wanted Xiao Jingche to "discover" the evidence himself, rather than having her present it. This way, she could minimize his doubts.
"I understand." Fu Yu took the wooden box solemnly.
The next day, while reviewing memorials, Xiao Jingche "accidentally" discovered the unremarkable paulownia box. After opening it and examining its contents, the sound of shattering porcelain echoed from the Qianqing Palace, accompanied by the emperor's suppressed roar of rage. Immediately afterwards, several secret decrees were issued, expediting the trial of Prince An, which had been stalled due to "insufficient evidence." Officials from the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Justice were urgently summoned. Simultaneously, several officials from the Xianfei's mother's family, currently serving in the imperial court, were suspended and investigated.
In the harem, Concubine Xian feigned illness and remained indoors that day. The relationship between the Emperor and Empress, which had been slightly eased by the "righteous business" incident, was once again cast a heavy shadow by this incident. Xiao Jingche did not confront Lu Qinglan, but the way he looked at her was filled with undisguised scrutiny and coldness.
The rift between the two of them could no longer be concealed.
Lu Qinglan stood on the high steps of Kunning Palace, looking towards Qianqing Palace with a calm expression.
She tore off this disguise with her own hands and brought the swordplay in the dark into the light.
Since we can't live in peace, then... let's each rely on our own abilities.
This chess game had reached a crucial mid-game battle. She wanted to see whether she, the reborn chess player, would ultimately overturn the situation, or whether Xiao Jingche would be able to firmly grasp the supreme power!
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