Chapter 197 Gualihu was poisoned

"Simple and peaceful? That's not..."

Jianqiu answered first: "Yes."

The queen looked into the distance and said, "She shouldn't have come in that condition."

"Since the Empress Dowager passed away, she has not come out during the palace festivals. I heard that she recites scriptures and chants Buddha's name in Yanqing Palace all day long..."

Reciting sutras and chanting Buddha’s name?

The queen sneered: If you are so timid, why do you need to get stained with blood?

"The Emperor would occasionally visit and would bring the Imperial Physician with him. He is probably feeling better now. I wonder what he sent someone for this time?"

What's the matter?

Could it be that he wanted to use the past incident to gain the forgiveness of the Royal Consort and take advantage of the two children?

No matter what Concubine Duan was up to, the Empress would not make wedding clothes for others. When she saw Nian Shilan walking away, she called out:

"Royal Consort."

Nian Shilan turned around and blinked at the queen: [What's the matter? Tell me! I'm busy.]

Busy?

Are you busy visiting Concubine Duan in a peaceful and quiet manner?

"Hong Zhao and Xi Chao's birthdays have been celebrated for three consecutive days. I have something to discuss with you."

Nian Shilan saw that the empress had a serious face, as if it was not just about the birthday banquet. She agreed in her heart and asked Ye Lanyi and Yinzhu to take good care of Xi Chao.

The Hundred Beasts Garden was quite far from where the concubines lived, so the empress did not send a sedan chair. Instead, the two of them walked along the lake towards Louyue Kaiyun together.

There was someone leading the way ahead, and the team followed at a distance.

Nian Shilan listened to the Queen talking about the arrangements for the next few days, "These are all trivial matters. You are the Queen, so you make the decision. If there is nothing else, I will leave first."

Seeing that she was distracted, the Queen stopped and said unhappily:

"Do you think your brother will be safe after so much time has passed?"

On this day in the previous life, the Nian family had fallen and Shilan was gone. In this life, the time when her brother should have been demoted and imprisoned had passed, but the Nian family temporarily kept him alive. Nian Shilan was indeed very happy, but she never took it lightly.

【What's wrong with you? 】

"The Emperor presented the goose-yellow rosary to you today. What do you think he was doing?"

Nian Shilan's eyes widened, she hadn't thought about it that much.

"There are voices in the court calling for a crown prince. The emperor is testing the emperor. There are many concubines in the harem but few children. Who wouldn't want to have a child by their side? You should carefully kill the mother and keep the child..."

Nian Shilan didn't hear the question "Who doesn't want to have a child around them?"

[Are you afraid that the emperor will take action against you? ]

The queen took a deep breath and said, "You are Hong Zhao's biological mother!"

"The Emperor has always thought I was stupid, but he would never..."

"You don't have any brains to live your life again, do you?"

The queen was a little angry, "No matter how you say it doesn't matter, the Nian family is behind you!"

"Your eldest brother is a minister, your second brother is a general, they are both civil officials and military commanders. If the young emperor ascends the throne and you become the empress dowager, what do you think the emperor will think?"

【Why are you talking about this all of a sudden? 】

The queen frowned and glanced at Nian Shilan.

[I don't understand~ We agreed that I would be responsible for Hong Zhao and Xi Chao's lives, and you would take care of these important matters. Why are you blaming me now? ]

It’s not that Nian Shilan doesn’t understand it at all, but there can’t be two tigers in one mountain.

My mind is not enough to consider these important affairs of state, so it is better to let go and leave everything to the Empress.

It also prevents me from forcibly intervening and making her think that the power is being transferred to others, which would cause her to feel crisis-ridden and thus disrupt the balance that has been maintained with great difficulty.

Being trapped both internally and externally is not a good thing.

Left and right, with his elder brother overseeing the overall situation in the outer court, Nian Shilan is not worried.

[But who made you angry? I'll take you horseback riding to relax? ]

The Queen opened her mouth and said, "The Emperor feels that he is in his prime and wants to select beautiful women and have many children..."

[Don't worry, if there are new people, just go back to your old job and take care of them one by one, and make sure they can't have children.]

Queen: “…”

【Just kidding.】

[You have stopped doing this in the past few years. Wanpin, Xipin, and Shen Guiren, all of whom are in their prime, strong, and favored, have any of them become pregnant? ]

[The Emperor is already old and in poor health. If he does not have an affair, I am afraid that no more children will be born in the palace.]

[So don't worry. No matter how many women come in, they will only damage his body and hasten his death. I'm afraid he won't be able to have offspring.]

This is indeed the truth.

"Hongzhao is still young, and the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Masters are all here. When the Emperor dies, even if they don't immediately usurp the throne, it will be legitimate for them to hold power and assist in government affairs. By then, it won't matter if you and I are imprisoned, but Hongzhao will become their puppet."

Nian Shilan nodded, [If this continues, they might attack the young master and establish themselves as king.]

"It's good that you know." The Queen thought for a moment, "Let me ask you, when did the Thirteenth Master get into trouble in his previous life?"

"Master Thirteen?"

The Queen whispered, "The Thirteenth Master is loyal to the Emperor and will do his best for his son. When the Emperor dies, the Thirteenth Master will take over the government, and Zhang Tingyu, Ortai, and your two brothers will assist in the administration. With both civil and military skills, no one in the court will dare to say anything."

Nian Shilan's eyes lit up, then dimmed.

[No, Master Thirteen will... in May next year.]

The queen was a little surprised, "So fast?"

[He already has a chronic illness and has been working hard for many years. With his body, how can he endure climbing mountains and crossing ridges to inspect everywhere for the emperor? ]

"There's still more than a year left. There's still time."

"Yes! In time!"

Nian Shilan immediately changed direction, and the queen grabbed her and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

【What happened to the palace? 】

"I just talked to you today and you left in a hurry. You don't care about Hong Zhao's affairs. What are you thinking about all day?"

【Go find my big brother. 】

"Looking for big brother?"

[Yes, don’t you want to protect Master Thirteen? ]

[My eldest brother is an excellent doctor, he should be able to find a way... right?]

The queen coughed twice and let go of her hand. "Then you go."

Nian Shilan: “…”

【Strange.】

The stage of the Old Summer Palace was built in Guanlan Hall, backed by mountains and facing the water, and the sounds of gongs and drums could be heard from the water.

The concubines and the royal concubines were talking about the beautiful scenery when a voice came from outside: "The Queen has arrived—"

"Your humble concubine/concubine/subordinate wife pays homage to Her Majesty, may Your Majesty be blessed with good health and happiness."

"Everyone, get up."

The Queen took Jianqiu's hand and walked inside. She glanced at the seat next to her and asked casually as she sat down:

"Why didn't the Imperial Concubine come today?"

Could it be that he went somewhere else and got stuck?

"Isn't this palace too late?"

As soon as the queen finished speaking, Nian Shilan's familiar voice came from the door.

The ladies who had just sat down got up again and saluted the Imperial Concubine:

"Your humble servant/concubine/subject pays respect to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine, may Your Majesty be blessed with good health and happiness."

Nian Shilan came in a purple dress with a golden hairpin. She glanced at the person on the ground but did not call out. She knelt down towards the empress and said, "Greetings, Her Majesty."

"I am late, Your Majesty, will you not blame me?"

Is it your fault? I've already sat down.

The Queen glanced at her out of the corner of her eye: You are still the same as before.

Nian Shilan leaned back and said, "Everyone, get up."

"Today I have asked you all to come and watch the play. First, it is for the birthdays of the Sixth Prince and the Little Princess. Second, the palace has not been lively for a long time. We are all sisters. It is rare for us to get together. This is not in the palace. You don't have to be formal. Just enjoy yourself."

"Thank you, Her Majesty the Queen, and Her Majesty the Royal Concubine."

Everyone thanked him in unison and then sat down. Jiang Fuhai took a booklet and asked the Queen to choose a play, but Nian Shilan snatched the booklet away as usual.

The Fu Jins sitting in the back whispered:

——"Why did the Imperial Concubine order the opera before the Empress?"

——"Hush! Keep your voice down~"

——"I heard that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine were not on good terms, but I didn't expect it to be true."

——"I thought the Empress and the Imperial Consort would be very close to each other as they have raised the princess and the prince together over the years, but I didn't expect that they would still be so blatant and veiled."

——"With the favor of the Imperial Concubine, her two children should have been raised by her side, but they were snatched away by the Empress. How could she not hate them?"

——"That's true. Which mother can accept her own child being close to someone else?"

This rumor was what the Queen and Nian Shilan wanted, so there is no need to correct it.

The smart ones, such as Concubine Xi and Concubine Wan, their families had both participated in the Nian family. They were openly opposed to the Nian family and took the opportunity to say a few words without making their stance clear. This was both reasonable and made the rumor more true.

Of course, there are also some who are not so smart.

Lady Qi Guaerjia was used to flattering others by finding any opportunity. "I love to be noisy at home. Fortunately, there is the Royal Concubine in the harem, otherwise I would be alone and suffer injustice..."

She glanced at Concubine Xi and said pitifully, "I feel so uncomfortable in my heart."

Such a familiar passage.

Nian Shilan clicked her tongue: [Gualiu, this idiot, is probably going to talk nonsense.]

"It's just a little grievance. Even the emperor can't have everything go smoothly, let alone you."

Lady Qi tilted her head, and she felt as if she had received a treasure by hearing these words, and said happily: "With the guidance and comfort of the queen, my heart is much warmer."

You are just being sentimental!

An Lingrong covered her eyes with the teacup and gave Concubine Qi a cold look: Can't I hear that the queen is disliking her?

"I have two concubines in my family..."

Nian Shilan interrupted directly: "Alright! Just listen to the opera! Why are you talking so much?"

Noble Lady Qi was completely confused: she had no idea that her words had upset the Imperial Concubine.

Seeing that Mr. Qi was flattering him, Mr. Xin immediately said, "Mr. Qi is always sharp-tongued. You are the only one who has been wronged by others. When have others ever wronged you?"

Ever since Concubine Qi entered the palace, Shen Meizhuang had looked down on her. Upon hearing this, she gave Concubine Xin a look of approval.

Xin Guiren added in a low voice, "I just despise her flattering manner."

Ever since she came to the Old Summer Palace, this Gua Liu relied on the fact that Siyi Academy was close to Yinfeng Palace to get up early every day to help the Empress with her hairdressing and dressing. An Lingrong had long since disliked her.

At this moment, he added:

"Don't look at the monk's face, look at the Buddha's face. The noble Qi is quite favored by the Royal Concubine. Who dares to let the noble Qi suffer injustice? Isn't it an insult to the Royal Concubine?"

How dare a nobleman whose father has died insult himself?

Noble Qi glared at An Lingrong without any hesitation.

"That's right~ It's fine if you're just trying to curry favor with me, but you're also trying to instigate me." Xin Guiren rolled her eyes at her, "I'm afraid someone is deliberately trying to cause unrest in the harem."

Lady Qi hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I didn't..."

"Zhou Ninghai~" Nian Shilan pretended not to hear anything, "Order another play of "The Golden Code of Encouragement to Good Deeds" and another play of "Yaotai"."

Was this a deliberate attempt to take the lead and intentionally order two plays for himself?

The Queen recalled carefully, and it seemed that Noble Qi was about to say... a concubine's child?

The Royal Concubine was inexplicably angry. Was it because she thought of my unfavored illegitimate status and was afraid that Gua Liu would tell it in public and hurt me, so she interrupted me on purpose?

But didn’t she say before, so what if she was born out of wedlock?

I am still the queen who rules the country.

No matter how distinguished the guests are, and how legitimate they all are, they still have to kneel at my feet and call me Empress.

Moreover, if I were really such a stingy person, I would have poisoned her countless times in secret by calling her a concubine's daughter left and right and old woman right. How could I get along with her and raise Hongzhao and Xichao together?

Nian Shilan handed the booklet to the Queen's desk and said, "Your Majesty, please order the rest."

"The princess is too young to understand, but she loves the hustle and bustle. I remember there is an excellent play called "Dingzhi Chunqiu", which tells the story of the Three Kingdoms. When she arrives, we will start singing."

Jiang Fuhai: "Yes, Your Majesty."

"The Spring and Autumn of Ding Zhi" is the opera that Shi Lan must order whenever he performs an opera.

Nian Shilan couldn't help but glance at the queen from the side, and said proudly in her heart:

[No need~]

The queen continued to look through the book. "Let's order another play, 'Xue Dingshan's Expedition to the West'. I think Hong Zhao will like it."

Nian Shilan raised her chin slightly with a proud look on her face.

Halfway through the play, Jianqiu came in from outside and whispered something in the Queen's ear. The Queen glanced at Nian Shilan with a slightly displeased look on her face.

Nian Shilan was holding Xi Chao and talking to her daughter, so she didn't notice.

In the evening, after today's play was over, everyone returned to their respective courtyards in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Xi Chao got along very well with several little princesses from the prince's families, and he even kept two of them in his own palace, one of whom was Prince Dun's little daughter.

Mr. Qi was very angry today and slammed the table as soon as he returned to Siyi Academy.

"Bitch! It's fine for anyone else, but who the hell does she think she is? How dare she embarrass me in public!"

"You just rely on your voice to sing a few songs and you dare to compete with me for my favor. You are so humble, but you have been on equal footing with me for so many years..."

"I have endured enough!"

Although Lady Qi was not very smart, she had a strong temper and never held a grudge overnight. She developed evil intentions and whispered a few words to the maid Jingtai.

At night, Jingtai brought nourishing soup, and she asked, "Have you arranged everything?"

"Everything is ready. My dear, just go to sleep peacefully. You will see the result tomorrow."

Lady Qi did not appear in Guanlan Hall until a day later. As soon as she opened her mouth, people around her could sense something was wrong.

"What happened to Mr. Qi?"

Nian Shilan looked back and said, "Mr. Qi didn't come yesterday. Are you feeling unwell?"

Lady Qi squatted down and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I probably caught a cold the other day, so my voice is hoarse."

Her usually clear and beautiful voice was now rough and hoarse, and even though she tried to speak louder, it was still not clear.

Prince Dun's son Hong Xuan perfectly inherited his father's lack of etiquette. When he heard the voice of Noble Qi, he shouted:

"Where did this duck come from? It's so ugly."

"Duck? Hahahaha..."

I don't know which child started laughing, but the other children followed suit and laughed.

Mr. Qi looked embarrassed and did not dare to raise his head.

An Lingrong sat up straight, glancing sideways with a chilling look, and when she withdrew her gaze, her eyes met with the Imperial Concubine's.

In just a moment, An Lingrong felt as if some ugly scar on her body was revealed in front of the Imperial Concubine, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

“My queen…”