Concubine Xian was shocked.

If she used her dying body to exchange for the Queen Mother's help in Zhang'er ascending the throne, it would not only be a calculation, but it would be too calculation!

She was just a dying person, her death was not a pity. Why did she die so miserably that even a little palace maid could laugh at her behind her back? Should Concubine Xian have a miserable end, or should she be posthumously named Empress Dowager and enjoy the emperor's offerings?

This choice is without a doubt.

But Concubine Xian still had many hesitations.

It is not so easy to harm the legitimate princess. Even if it succeeds, once she is involved, the emperor will hate her to the core. Can he still favor Zhang'er?

The Queen Mother seemed to have guessed Concubine Xian's biggest worry, and said calmly, "Even if it involves you, I will do my best to help Prince Qi."

"Empress Dowager--" Concubine Xian looked directly into the Empress Dowager's eyes, her emotions fluctuating.

She was shocked by the other party's insight into people's hearts, but she still found it difficult to make up her mind.

The Queen Mother smiled slightly and said, "You don't trust me?"

"Concubine--" Concubine Xian opened her mouth, but was speechless.

"Do you not believe that I will keep my promise to help you, or do you not believe that I have the ability to help King Qi?"

The Queen Mother stopped talking and looked at Concubine Xian, saying word by word: "Don't forget how the Emperor came to sit on this throne."

Concubine Xian’s eyes flashed.

The Emperor's rise from an insignificant prince to the highest position was all facilitated by the Empress Dowager.

The Queen Mother fiddled with her Buddhist beads from time to time and smiled faintly, "If I can help the Emperor, I can help Prince Qi. And the Emperor is the most filial to me."

Concubine Xian had no doubt about the Queen Mother's words.

No matter who is pushed to that position, if that person still has a loving mother's heart and stays at home after the success without any interference, how can the son be unfilial?

What's more, the emperor is known for his kindness.

"Well, have you thought it through?"

The Queen Mother asked calmly, but to Concubine Xian it sounded like a death warrant.

Now she has only two choices.

If she agreed, with the help of the Queen Mother, Zhang'er's chances of taking the throne would increase greatly, but it was also possible that her situation would become worse because of the Emperor's dislike for her.

This is an ambiguous situation. If we don't get to that point, the outcome is unpredictable.

If he doesn't agree and Zhang'er maintains the status quo, he will probably have no chance of getting that position.

As for her own life, she had already disregarded it and she would not live long anyway.

Seeing that Concubine Xian was silent, the Queen Mother smiled and said, "This is a gamble in the first place. There is no reason to be risk-free. If I give the throne to someone else directly, there will be so many people vying for it. How could it be your turn?"

Concubine Xian was startled, her expression changed unpredictably, and finally she nodded.

The Queen Mother laughed and said, "I knew you were a courageous person. I was right."

Concubine Xian lowered her eyes, hesitated for a long time, raised her eyes to look at the Queen Mother and asked: "I want to know why you do this."

"Um?"

Concubine Xian clenched her fists slightly, touched her bare nails and asked, "Princess Fuqing respects you very much, and you are just a princess..."

She couldn't understand why the Queen Mother wanted to kill Princess Fuqing.

The Queen Mother's expression turned cold, and she said calmly: "Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask. People who like gambling shouldn't be too curious."

"I understand."

The Queen Mother smiled again: "Go ahead."

"I'll take my leave."

Concubine Xian walked out of Cining Palace and looked up at the sky.

April is the best season in the human world, but she felt a bone-chilling cold, even colder than when she came out of Yuquan Palace.

Originally, Concubine Xian only planned to pay her respects to the Queen Mother, but now she changed her mind.

She is going to pay her respects to the Queen.

Pay your respects to the Empress Dowager first, then to the Empress, so as to avoid omissions and act more smoothly in the future.

When the Queen heard that Concubine Xian was coming, she suppressed her surprise and invited her in.

Soon a pale, thin woman came in, and the queen almost didn't recognize her.

After the shock, there was a sigh: the once beautiful and charming Concubine Xian, after a bout of illness, was like a withered flower, becoming a withered flower and fallen leaves. Time is indeed unforgiving.

Therefore, the Queen was a little more gentle towards Concubine Xian, and said softly: "You have just recovered, why don't you take good care of yourself?"

Concubine Xian smiled and said, "I was ill and caused the Queen Mother and you to worry. I was really upset. Now that I am feeling better, I can finally come and pay my respects to you and the Queen Mother."

"Sister Xianfei is so polite. Are you coming from Cining Palace?"

"Yes, when I went there, Princess Fuqing and Princess Fourteen were reading a storybook to the Queen Mother..."

The queen couldn't help but smile when she thought of that scene.

"With two princesses accompanying her, the Queen Mother seems to be in a good mood." Concubine Xian tried and found that the Queen's smile froze for a moment.

The Queen quickly smiled and said, "It is a blessing for these two girls to be able to make the Queen Mother happy."

Concubine Xian smiled and said yes, but she became alert in her heart.

When the Queen Mother suddenly asked for Princess Fuqing and Princess Fourteen to accompany her, it caused some commotion in the harem.

Especially the princess's concubines, they were so jealous of the Fourteenth Princess' good luck.

Now it seems that the Queen Mother's target is Princess Fuqing, and the Fourteenth Princess is just covering her eyes.

The Queen obviously did not consider it a blessing for her daughter to accompany the Queen Mother, but was wary.

"Sister Xianfei, I see that you don't look well. You should go back and have some rest early." The Queen looked at Xianfei's complexion and advised.

Looking at Concubine Xian's face which is as pale as a ghost, if she suffocates and passes out here, if the emperor hears about it, he will think that she said something harsh, then she would be wronged.

The queen had no interest in showing off her power to her opponent who was in a miserable state.

In her opinion, the fewer unnecessary troubles there are, the better.

Concubine Xian was weak and could hardly hold on any longer. She stepped down the steps and panted slightly, saying, "Then I will go back."

The queen breathed a sigh of relief: "Sister Xianfei, take care."

Concubine Xian returned to Yuquan Palace, stopping every few steps, and she was still thinking about the man in Cining Palace.

The Empress Dowager, who was widely regarded as a peaceful person, actually wanted to kill Princess Fuqing...

After returning to her own territory, Concubine Xian thought of more things: Princess Fuqing's eye disease, the poisoning of the fifteenth princess, and the danger that Princess Fuqing encountered during the Lantern Festival...

The more Concubine Xian thought about it, the more frightened she became.

Could it be that the Queen Mother was behind all this?

But Princess Fuqing was still a child when she suffered from eye disease. Why did the empress dowager want to deal with a child?

Being so cautious and silent, it is no wonder that the Emperor never noticed anything unusual over the years, and she enjoyed the Emperor's filial respect even more than that given to her own sons.

But what was the Queen Mother's purpose in wanting to take Princess Fuqing's life?

What is there in a princess that is worthy of the Queen Mother planning for more than ten years ago?

And the Empress was not happy about Princess Fuqing going to the Empress Dowager's lap to be favored. Was it simply because she didn't want her daughter to suffer any injustice, or had she noticed the Empress Dowager's true face?

The more Concubine Xian thought about it, the more shocked she became. She felt that everyone in this deep palace was not simple. It was ridiculous that she thought she pretended well. No wonder she ended up like this.

In this case, it would not be so easy to take Princess Fuqing's life. How should she do it?

Concubine Xian stared at her bare nails and fell into deep thought.