For a time, everyone in the streets and alleys of Nanchen Kingdom was talking about the opium in the Empress Kunning Palace.
There are all sorts of speculations.
Zhao Yunwan nestled in Emperor Hui's arms and cried for half an hour without saying a word. Emperor Hui just held her tightly, feeling as if his heart was bleeding.
His beloved empress, the empress who handled state affairs for him, the empress who shielded him from countless gossips, the empress who understood him best, the empress who treated him as her heaven, the person in his heart!
The sobbing in her arms gradually subsided, and Zhao Yunwan sobbed, "Your Majesty, I haven't been to that garden for years. I searched the entire Kunning Palace and finally found out that it was my capable lady-in-waiting Yingyue who did this behind my back."
"Is everything you said true?" Emperor Hui's mind cleared after hearing Zhao Yunwan's words.
He can now shut up those old ministers.
“Jinglang, when has Wan Niang ever lied to you? I am the Empress, of course I know the rules of Nan Chen Kingdom. How could I touch that thing that brings disaster to the country and its people?”
"This is your empire, and you are the person I love most. How could I possibly push you into a fire pit? Besides, what good would it do me to do such a thing?"
"What good would it do for Ding'er?"
Seeing his beloved woman crying with tears streaming down her face, as if she couldn't breathe, Emperor Hui felt his heart breaking.
"Wan Niang, I will handle this matter for you during the morning court session tomorrow. However, you'd better lay low for a while and don't leave the palace. I'll take care of state affairs for a while; you can handle it yourself!"
Zhao Yunwan was filled with hatred! Wasn't this equivalent to confining her to her quarters and severing her ties with the officials in the court who supported Xiao Ding?
But if she didn't do it this way, the matter wouldn't be resolved. She could endure this moment of anger in exchange for future imperial power. Zhao Yunwan thought to herself that she wouldn't lose out no matter what.
During this time, she stayed by the emperor's side, and she was sure she could keep him firmly under her control.
"Wan Niang understands, Wan Niang will listen to Jing Lang. It's just that Wan Niang is worried that Jing Lang is working too hard reviewing the memorials. Wan Niang can stay by Jing Lang's side and massage his shoulders and back. Jing Lang, is that alright?"
Zhao Yunwan's alluring fragrance, seductive voice, and youthful figure despite having given birth to two children, along with her flawless skin, all tempted Emperor Hui.
Without thinking twice, Emperor Hui turned over and satisfied himself first.
The next morning, before Emperor Hui even began his court session, the Chancellor, along with the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Minister of Rites, and a host of other loyal and dutiful ministers, knelt before the Golden Palace.
Emperor Hui sat on the dragon throne: "My beloved ministers, what's going on?"
The Prime Minister led the way: "Your Majesty, we request a thorough investigation into the opium scandal at Kunning Palace!"
"The matter has been investigated! You all, please stand up. Kneeling for too long is bad for your health. You're all getting on in years, so please take care of yourselves!"
"Your Majesty? How was this investigated? It seems the Court of Judicial Review didn't take on this case!"
Yan Wei'an, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, quickly stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, we received the Empress's testimony yesterday. The female official Yingyue has confessed to everything. The opium in the small garden of Kunning Palace was a scheme carried out by Yingyue, the Phoenix Lady-in-Waiting of the Empress's side, in collusion with Di Qing, the Vice President of the Imperial Hospital."
"The criminal has been imprisoned in the imperial prison, awaiting the Emperor's judgment!"
Prime Minister Wannian: "Since the founding of our Southern Chen Dynasty, no member of the royal family has been allowed to participate in any case involving members of the royal family. If a case is committed by a female official serving the Empress, the Empress should first remove her phoenix crown and be relieved of her duties as Empress, and wait for the truth of the case to come to light before she can be reinstated."
"Planting opium is a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan in the Southern Chen Kingdom. How could they close the case without even conducting a thorough investigation? Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, this is far too frivolous! This concerns the fate of the Southern Chen Kingdom!"
"The evidence is irrefutable. All the handwritten correspondence between Lady Fengyi and Di Qing, the Vice President of the Imperial Medical Academy, is complete. It details how the two chose the location, how they planted the crops, and how they deceived the Empress. If you don't believe me, Lord Fan, take a look for yourself!"
After speaking, Yan Weian, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, neatly placed the letters in front of Wan Nian and the others.
The Minister of Rites and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices hurriedly flipped through the pages.
The letter meticulously records the origin of the opium, and makes no mention of the Queen. According to the letter's contents, the Queen was completely unaware of it. At most, she can only be accused of negligence in choosing her subordinates.
However, these imperial concubines were appointed by the Imperial Household Department and sent to various palaces to serve the noble ladies. The empress did not have the right to choose her own personal concubines.
You can request palace maids and eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, but the Phoenix Lady Officials have ranks.
From this perspective, the Empress is indeed not a suspect for the time being.
However, Prime Minister Wan Nian still felt that something was amiss. After the Crown Prince was born, Empress Yuan Zhao Yunshu was too weak to raise him, and at that time, Consort Zhao Yunwan gave birth to the Second Prince only one day after Empress Yuan.
Empress Yuan and Empress Ji were both daughters of the Zhao family, but they were distinguished by whether they were legitimate or illegitimate.
The Crown Prince grew up by the Empress's side.
However, the Crown Prince was unruly, playful, and unambitious, while the Second Prince was a gentleman who knew how to conduct himself properly and was proficient in poetry, songs, and literature.
These ministers, who were wholeheartedly devoted to the legitimate royal bloodline of the Southern Chen Kingdom, had long begun to doubt the Empress's motives. However, in the six years since then, no violation of ancestral rules had occurred, so they could only assume that the Crown Prince was too young and had not yet come to his senses.
However, the opium incident made several loyal ministers reconsider the affairs of the Southern Chen Kingdom, and they were inevitably alarmed!
Of the forces guarding the four corners of Nanchen Kingdom, apart from the coastal defense officials in the south who had no connection with the Zhao family, all the other border generals were on good terms with Zhao Yunwan.
For a moment, Wan Nian was speechless. He could only suppress his suspicions, give a wink to the kneeling crowd, and apologize, promising to investigate further in secret. He was sure he would find some clues.
"We were acting in the best interests of the Nan Chen Kingdom, which is why we were so impulsive and offended Your Majesty the Empress. We are willing to accept the punishment!"
"Minister Wan, you did this for the sake of the Southern Chen Kingdom, so there's no need to be so hard on yourself. Now that the matter has been investigated, let it go! I have also confined the Empress to her quarters because of her poor judgment in choosing officials and her inadequate supervision of the Kunning Palace. She is being punished by being confined to the palace to reflect on her actions, and her Phoenix Seal, which governs the harem, has been revoked. Do any of you ministers have any objections?"
No one objected. The officials of Nanchen Kingdom in the Golden Palace knelt down in unison and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times!
Inside Kunning Palace, Zhao Yunwan smashed many more rare and precious treasures.
After the court session, Emperor Hui rushed to Kunning Palace to claim credit.
"Wan Niang, I've silenced those ministers. Don't worry! Your confinement is just for show. It's all for show. In this deep palace, their influence can't reach that far. Do whatever you want, whatever you should do!"
Upon hearing Emperor Hui's voice, Zhao Yunwan quickly concealed her murderous expression and instead adopted a pitiful look, with tears still wet on her face, as she threw herself into Xiao Jing's arms.
"Jinglang! I...I'm so scared. I had nightmares all night last night. Will you stay with me tonight?"
When Xiao Jing entered Zhao Yunwan's room, he saw the broken pieces scattered all over the floor, a messy scene, and felt another pang of heartache.
He wanted to make those ministers who had caused his beloved woman distress suffer as well.
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