That's just needless worry.
Let's go to Consort Ning's place tonight and listen to her play music. These old men are really noisy.
"My beloved ministers, in all these years as Empress, has the Empress ever done anything to harm my Nan Chen Kingdom in the slightest?" The Emperor asked impatiently.
Those kneeling below looked at each other, pondered for a moment, and many answered, "No, that's not the case."
However, there were dissenting voices: "Raising His Highness the Crown Prince to that kind of character is tantamount to harming Nan Chen, isn't it?"
The ministers who are kneeling in the Imperial Study today are all those whom Zhao Yunwan has not yet won over. These are ministers who firmly support the system of establishing the eldest son as heir and the eldest ancestor as the heir.
"His Highness the Crown Prince is still young, how can you tell he's not of good character? I just think His Highness has been raised very well. This morning he even said he wanted to share anything he saw that he liked with me." Emperor Hui's voice was languid as he yawned again.
"Alright, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and give you all a satisfactory answer. I am tired, you may all take your leave now!"
Before the ministers could persuade him to stay, the emperor rose and left the imperial study.
Eunuch Zheng had no choice but to ask the Prime Minister and the other officials to leave. Afterward, Eunuch Zheng sent his godson, Xiaodouzi, to deliver a message to the Empress.
Emperor Hui dined in Consort Ning's palace. Consort Ning had a striking, spirited appearance, but she was also a beauty. Although she lacked Zhao Yunwan's graceful figure, she had her own unique charm.
Consort Ning received a message from Li Ting, instructing her to find a way to have the emperor stay overnight the next time he visited her palace. Sure enough, just as she was making preparations, the emperor arrived.
The emperor kept yawning while eating. Seeing that the emperor was not in good spirits and had lost his usual vigilance, Consort Ning had someone prepare some calming tea for him.
After the meal, the emperor lay on his bed and asked Consort Ning to play a few tunes; he wanted to listen to music.
Consort Ning then had the palace servants set up the zither and began to play a melodious tune. After the emperor fell into a deep sleep, Consort Ning did not stop, but instead added her internal energy to the music to induce sleep, ensuring that the emperor would not wake up for a while.
Li Xingran and her team, blessed with good fortune, struck it lucky that night.
The emperor not only talked in his sleep, but he also sleepwalked.
The palace maids and eunuchs on duty in Consort Ning's palace that night saw the emperor disheveled, barefoot, and muttering to himself, "I don't believe opium is growing in the Empress's palace." At other times, it changed to, "Opioids are actually growing in the Empress's palace!"
Every word was spoken very clearly. There were several groups of spies planted in Consort Ning's palace, and before long, these two sentences spread throughout the inner palace.
By the time Zhao Yunwan's informant told her what had happened, it was too late to stop it.
So the Empress stormed into Consort Ning's palace in a rage. By then, the Emperor had already been led back to his bed by Consort Ning's men.
When Zhao Yunwan entered the room, this was the scene she saw: the emperor muttered, "I don't believe that opium was grown in the Empress's palace." Consort Ning was still wearing the usual clothes of a consort, indicating that she had not yet had the chance to consummate her marriage with the emperor.
You can see that Consort Ning is exhausted and trembling with fear.
But someone had to bear Zhao Yunwan's overwhelming rage: "You vile servant, tell me, what method did you use to bewitch the Emperor? The Emperor has always stayed in my palace, why didn't he return to Qianqing Palace tonight?"
"Guards, tie this vile woman up first. Her crime is plotting against the Emperor." The eunuchs on the left and right received the order and stepped forward to tie up Consort Ning tightly, dragging her in front of Zhao Yunwan.
Consort Ning did not resist and allowed those people to humiliate her.
The emperor was then carried back to the Qianqing Palace by Zhao Yunwan's men.
Before coming, Zhao Yunwan dressed up and went to see the commander of the Imperial Guards, asking him to seal off all the exits of the imperial city and not let anyone leave the city that night.
Although she acted very quickly, the time it took to mobilize manpower was just enough for the eunuchs who usually lived outside the palace and delivered dishes to the imperial kitchen to return to their residences outside the palace.
After finishing their day's work, the eunuchs gathered at the small tavern near the palace gate and spread the rumors they had heard in the palace that night.
Those eunuchs, devoid of offspring and family, were not afraid of the Empress's ruthless persecution. They only wondered if the Jin Dynasty, having been replaced by the Nan Chen Kingdom because of opium, would also be replaced by someone else, just like the Jin Dynasty.
When Zhao Yunwan learned that some eunuchs had escaped, she ordered her men to rush out of the palace overnight to capture them. However, she discovered that almost every small merchant in the capital knew about it.
For the first time, Zhao Yunwan, who was practically half an emperor in the Southern Chen Kingdom, felt fear. She had to see the emperor immediately to clear her name, which meant she had to drag someone down with her.
Sacrificing a few pawns is no big deal for oneself and for the great cause of the Great Yue Kingdom.
After tidying up and taking the opium with her, Zhao Yunwan arrived at the Qianqing Palace.
Consort Ning was imprisoned in the imperial prison, where she "died" that night. The next day, her body was thrown into a mass grave. Leng Bing sent Consort Ning's "corpse" to the Qianji Gate, administered the antidote, and Consort Ning was freed.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
