"I know, I... I was just telling the truth." Yanruo clenched her hands tightly and smiled bitterly. "I am an old acquaintance of Physician Wang from the Imperial Hospital. For the sake of Her Majesty the Empress, I went to beg him for some arsenic poison."
"It was also this servant who went to the Cold Palace at night to find Lady Li and gave her the arsenic poison..."
"And on what basis do you persuade Li to help you kill me?" Qian Shengyan squinted at the loyal palace maid, her heart unmoved.
Yanruo bit her lip hard before continuing, "This servant...this servant lied to her that Her Majesty the Empress sent me, and also lied to her that Her Majesty the Empress would help rescue her after the deed was done, so that she would be willing to conspire with me."
"Oh?" Qian Shengyan sneered, "I have no grudge against you, why do you want to harm me?"
Before Yanruo could answer, Qian Shengyan laughed: "I guess you'll say that because my existence threatens Her Majesty the Empress, and because I've been disrespectful to Her Majesty the Empress, you can't stand it, so you're here to take revenge on me?"
"Yes!" Yanruo gritted her teeth and said, "Moreover, if the Imperial Noble Consort is gone, the princes... will all be the Empress's sons!"
"Good, what a loyal servant. I suppose that Li woman will try to get rid of the crime by falsely accusing the Empress, but in fact she has never met the Empress. It was all your deception and planning, is that right or wrong?" Qian Shengyan continued to press.
Yanruo was somewhat panicked, wondering why Qian Shengyan would reveal the confession she had prepared, but now she only had one choice: "Yes! That's exactly it!"
"The Empress was unaware of this; it's all your fault, you servant, who deserves to die!" Qian Shengyan asked again.
“That’s right. Her Majesty the Empress knows nothing about this. It was this servant who secretly went to the Cold Palace in the middle of the night without her knowledge!” Yanruo said firmly.
"Good, what a loyal servant!" Qian Shengyan sneered repeatedly. "It reminds me of Granny Wu from many years ago. The Empress has truly mastered the art of managing her subordinates. They are all so loyal. I admire her!"
Ulanara was numb at this point. When she heard Qian Shengyan's words, she only gave a bitter laugh and did not answer. Instead, tears fell involuntarily.
Granny Wu… How long has it been since she dared to think of her wet nurse…
"Your Majesty, I am tired and would like to go back to rest," Qian Shengyan said, turning to Yinzhen.
Today's events are quite clear. With Yanruo's loyalty in protecting her mistress and her willingness to die for her, Ulanara at least managed to retain her position as empress.
But whether it's true or false, Yinzhen should have his own judgment.
Sure enough, Yinzhen gave her a deep look and said gently, "Wait for me."
Then, the voice turned cold and ruthless: "Palace maid Yanruo, for insubordination and plotting assassination, shall be executed by dismemberment."
Ulanara trembled, opened her mouth, but could only utter a hoarse "Your Majesty".
Yinzhen ignored him and said, "The Empress is seriously ill. From today onwards, the gates of Changchun Palace will be closed and shall not be opened unless necessary."
This time, Ulanara's body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. Yanruo burst into tears: "Your Majesty! This matter really has nothing to do with the Empress! The Empress knows nothing. It's all my fault! The Empress is close and respectful to Your Majesty, and she is also gentle and loving to the Imperial Noble Consort. The Empress knew nothing about it. Your Majesty, you can't do this!"
"Drag her away." Yinzhen waved his hand casually. Su Peisheng led his men up, covered Yanruo's mouth, and dragged her out.
Ulanara lay on the ground crying, not daring to turn around, but when the voices gradually faded away, she couldn't hold back any longer and turned around to look, and then an uncontrollable sob escaped from her lips.
"Help the Empress back," Yinzhen said calmly.
A palace maid stepped forward to help Ulanara up. Ulanara subconsciously turned around to look, but only saw a completely unfamiliar face. She followed the maid's footsteps blankly as she walked out, when she heard the emperor behind her say, "...the Empress's Phoenix Seal and the Empress's Memorial are hereby suspended. All power in the six palaces shall be handed over to the Imperial Noble Consort."
The Imperial Noble Consort is a powerful consort who holds authority over the six palaces and is equivalent to the Empress.
What use is this empress to her? What does she need this empress for?!
In that instant, Ulanara truly turned back to save Yanruo. She no longer wanted to be Empress; there was no one familiar around her anymore. She was old, powerless to do many things, and unable to get to know new palace servants...
But the palace maid supporting her was incredibly strong, or perhaps she simply had no strength left. Ulanara felt herself struggling, but the unfamiliar palace maid pulling her forward remained resolute.
That's all, absolutely nothing left. From now on, she has nothing left...
Watching Ulanara leave, Qian Shengyan sighed softly, feeling weary.
I thought she had figured things out, but it turns out she had a big surprise up her sleeve, only to have it go unanswered...
"Let's go." Yinzhen grasped Qian Shengyan's wrist and pulled her towards the inner palace.
The two remained silent the whole way. Later, after having some snacks, Qian Shengyan sighed. She didn't know what to say at this moment, when she heard Yinzhen say, "Shushen is getting married, and it's a bit inconvenient for her to stay in Changchun Palace any longer."
Upon hearing Shushen's name, Qian Shengyan couldn't help but feel displeased. She said, "There's no need to come out and about when preparing for marriage. It's a good opportunity for Her Majesty the Empress to give you some guidance."
“In that case, what you said makes sense,” Yinzhen said with a smile.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Never mind, it's probably because he just didn't like the late Crown Prince's daughter, it has nothing to do with what she said.
That evening, the Ministry of Justice came to report the results of the interrogation to Yinzhen, but Qian Shengyan did not ask any further questions, and Yinzhen did not say anything either. The outcome remained unchanged: the gates of Changchun Palace were closed, and the Cold Palace was left empty.
What a once-great emperor! Now, his harem is reduced to only one Imperial Noble Consort, one Consort Yu, and three concubines.
Qian Shengyan then advised Yinzhen that the selection of consorts should still be carried out—but something was wrong, and when she advised him, Yinzhen looked at her with a strange gaze.
However, some people in the court advised against it, and Yinzhen seemed to think that the harem was in such a desolate state that it was really unsightly, so he finally agreed to start the first imperial concubine selection during the Yongzheng era after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
But fate had other plans. Before the lanterns at the Yuanmingyuan Garden for the Lantern Festival had even finished being displayed, a sudden blizzard struck. From that day on, the capital was blanketed in heavy snow for fifteen days straight. By the end of the first month, when the snow had finally cleared, news of the snow disaster in the outskirts of the capital immediately hit Yinzhen's desk. He could no longer think about anything else but was anxious about the disaster. Unfortunately, several roads leading to the capital were buried under snow and impassable, with only one narrow path barely passable. Even transporting supplies there was extremely difficult.
"Mother, I heard that several hundred people have frozen to death in the outskirts of the capital? And the fields have frozen to death too?" Foerguchun asked worriedly, resting his chin on his hand and frowning.
Qian Shengyan also heard about this. She sighed and said, "I'll ask your father later if, once the roads are clear, you could have your fourth brother set up a soup kitchen or something to provide relief."
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