Chapter 100 Nobody's Clean
In fact, when Emperor Xiao Jing returned that night, Empress Dowager Zheng's faction sensed that something was wrong.
When Empress Dowager Zheng learned that Consort Xian had suddenly fallen ill, she slapped Consort Zheng across the face.
"Idiot, did you drug that little bitch again?"
"Aunt, I didn't! I didn't do anything! It was the same medicine as before!" Consort Zheng felt very wronged.
Empress Dowager Zheng also realized that something was wrong. She was about to send someone out of the palace to the Duke of Anguo's residence when she discovered that her people could not leave.
"His Majesty's secret guards are everywhere in the palace."
"This servant sent two eunuchs to sneak out of the palace, but they were immediately shot dead by the guards."
Empress Dowager Zheng turned pale, realizing that something terrible was about to happen.
The Duke of Anguo, standing outside the palace, also wore a solemn expression.
He can no longer leave the capital.
We can only wait and see how things unfold.
He only hoped that his second son, whom he had sent out, and the group of people heading north would have a smooth journey.
Just three days later...
Hearing the news from the north that the Duke of Dingguo had gone missing.
And then there was the head of his second son, who had died without closing his eyes, which he had left in the courtyard last night. Duke Anguo immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
Emperor Xiao Jing originally intended to take action against the Duke of Anguo.
After receiving news from the north that the Duke of Dingguo had gone missing, he changed his mind.
It turns out that Duke Anguo has also set his sights on the north.
What did he accomplish? Is the Duke of Dingguo still alive?
Is the North still safe?
If we deal with Duke Anguo now, will the Pingnan Army in the south also make some moves?
Emperor Xiao Jing had to think more about it.
Chongqing is rich in resources, has a vast territory, and is abundant in products.
It's not just the Northern Hu who are eyeing Chongqing...
After three days of tension, the people of the capital found that everything had returned to normal.
The gates of the capital were no longer tightly closed, and the patrol battalions that used to patrol the streets every day no longer appeared as frequently.
Upon further inquiry!
Oh, it turns out that the most favored concubine in the palace, Consort Xian, suddenly fell seriously ill and passed away...
After thinking about it carefully, everyone seemed to understand.
Everyone in the capital knew that Consort Xian was the most favored by the imperial family. Her sudden passing would surely cause the imperial family great sorrow!
This heartbreak led to a hasty return from the outskirts of Beijing, which inevitably resulted in a citywide lockdown...
In this way, Shangguan Yao saved the Shangguan family and the Duke of Dingguo's family with his own life, and also saved Dayu from a period of turmoil.
In Emperor Xiao Jing's heart, Shangguan Yao had risked his life to pull him out of a crisis.
The capital city seemed to be the same as before, and so did the various prefectures.
But it was in this crisis, which many people were unaware of, that several forces clashed once again.
Emperor Xiao Jing began to slowly reclaim some of his power.
Similarly, he also became more suspicious.
Many people have also noticed that although the seventh prince, who was born to Consort Xian, lost his mother, his treatment remained as good as before.
None of the snobbish palace maids and eunuchs dared to slight the Seventh Prince.
Because Emperor Xiao Jing would personally inquire about the Seventh Prince's daily life.
......
After Shangguan Jin led the Seventh Prince and Shen Qingyue to read the three letters,
The dramatic and perilous events that occurred in the palace back then are still vivid in my mind.
"Besides what's mentioned in these three letters, what else is there?"
"I don't believe that only the Zheng family targeted Consort Xian," Shangguan Jin asked coldly.
Zhu's mother immediately stood up from the stool and then knelt down.
"Young Miss, you guessed right."
This old servant has no evidence, but I did find out about it when I was in the palace.
The young palace maid who poisoned the Empress back then appeared to have been sent by Consort Zheng.
actually......"
"Is she the Empress's person?" Shangguan Jin asked directly.
I wish my mother would nod in agreement.
The Seventh Prince and Shen Qingyue were both shocked.
How could that be? Isn't the Empress always virtuous? How could she possibly harm Consort Xian?
"Aunt, do you mean...?"
He shook his head.
"The Empress won't do it herself; at most, she'll just offer some encouragement and go with the flow."
Consort Zheng was foolish, but she had a powerful maternal family and the Empress Dowager as her backer.
The empress only held the empty title of empress. If she tried to act like an empress at all, she would be reprimanded by Empress Dowager Zheng.
Consort Xian was the most favored by the Emperor and was unparalleled in her popularity.
If both sides can be harmed, who will benefit?
Our empress appears to be very virtuous, but in reality... she is more cunning than anyone else.
Otherwise, how could she secure her position as the central ruler?
Haven't you noticed? In recent years, hasn't the imperial family been relying more and more on the crown prince and empress?
Although the imperial family also used the empress and the crown prince to check and balance the empress dowager and the King of Qin.
But this is exactly what the Empress wanted to see.
Those who can be used as pawns must have certain abilities.
A two-way confrontation is generally more advantageous than a three-way standoff.
"How could the legitimate daughter raised by Prime Minister Xu be someone easy to get along with?" Shangguan Jin said with a sneer.
The Seventh Prince and Shen Qingyue both understood.
With Consort Xian around, Duke Dingguo around, and the Seventh Prince also a force to be reckoned with.
In addition, the imperial family favored Consort Xian, and most importantly, the seventh prince was young. This was the most important thing for Emperor Xiao Jing, who was in his prime.
The Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin might covet my position, but the Seventh Prince is so young, he probably won't...
"Young Miss, this is all I know. As for what happened in the palace afterward, I really don't know," said Mama Zhu with a wry smile.
Seeing Zhu's mother like this, Shangguan Jin felt bad too.
"How have you been these past few years? And what happened to your face?" Shangguan Jin asked with concern.
Zhu's mother shook her head.
"The second young lady escorted me out of the palace. I was hiding here and there, and I originally wanted to go to the countryside to hide."
As a result, they encountered a lynx in the wild and were scratched on the face by the lynx.
That's good, at least those who want to find servants won't be able to.
Then I remembered what the second young lady had said: the most dangerous place is often the safest place.
So, the servant returned to the capital.
With my skill in making pastries, I can make a living.
In recent years, I have been keeping a close eye on the situation of the Shangguan family and the Duke of Dingguo's family.
The second young lady said that the items could only be handed over to the eldest young lady once the Duke of Dingguo had definite news.
"That's why..."
"Thank you, Mother!" the Seventh Prince said, his eyes red.
Mother Zhu quickly kowtowed to the Seventh Prince.
"Your Highness's well-being is more important than anything else."
"Seeing Your Highness gives me the energy to do anything."
The Seventh Prince turned his head and looked longingly at Shangguan Jin.
Shangguan Jin understood that the Seventh Prince wanted her to properly settle Mother Zhu's affairs.
Bringing Mother Zhu back to the mansion... absolutely not.
Emperor Xiao Jing was suspicious; he would surely discover something.
Shangguan Yao has made Emperor Xiao Jing feel guilty with his own life, and there must be absolutely no further disturbances.
"Wishing Mom..."
“Young Miss, I’m quite content here in this teahouse and don’t want to go anywhere else,” said Mama Zhu hurriedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
