Chapter 36 Riot
Consort Xian squatted down and picked up the belt. She quickly recognized the pattern on the belt as the work of her maid, Zhiyun.
"Even maids were strictly forbidden from having private relations with court officials or eunuchs in the palace."
"If you can't even handle such a small matter, how can I entrust the harem to you?"
Liu Xi looked at the Empress Dowager with some surprise. Although it was a reprimand, the Empress Dowager's words seemed to imply that she intended for Consort Xian to succeed as Empress.
It seems that the Empress Dowager subconsciously still favors the Second Prince.
Consort Xian was somewhat surprised to hear the Empress Dowager say this.
"Your Majesty, I will certainly investigate the matter as soon as possible and give you an explanation."
The Empress Dowager glanced at her. "This is to give the Emperor an explanation. Does this mean the harem is my own harem?"
"Yes, Your Majesty is right. I am foolish. Thank you for your guidance."
Consort Xian was caught between mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. She handed the belt to Zhiyun beside her and gave her a meaningful look, signaling to her not to show any unusual expression.
"Then I will not stay any longer and disturb Your Majesty's rest. I will take my leave now."
Liu Xi's gaze followed Zhi Yun the whole time. The plan was going smoothly, and she should have been happy, but at this moment her expression was solemn and there was no smile on her lips.
If it was indeed Consort Xian who plotted against her mother back then, then with her current abilities, she is not enough to shake Consort Xian's position in the palace.
After all, compared to He Miaoling, Consort Xian was more cunning and her weaknesses were harder to grasp.
The light in Liu Xi's eyes darkened, and a thought became firm in her mind.
She needs more power.
The talent show was held as scheduled. During the final palace selection, the Empress Dowager specially invited Liu Xi to accompany her to watch the excitement.
Liu Xi immediately spotted the outstanding-looking Wang Meng in the crowd. It seemed that Wang Huan must have put a lot of effort into training her, transforming her into a lady from head to toe with the air of a well-bred lady.
Even if Wang Meng were just an ordinary woman, the emperor would still choose her to enter the harem out of consideration for Wang Huan's loss of his daughter, as a way to appease his ministers. Not to mention that Wang Meng stood out from the crowd, making it difficult for the emperor not to notice her.
Therefore, Liu Xi was not worried at all about whether Wang Meng could be selected. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's kind invitation, she would have preferred to stay in Yi Huai Pavilion and wait for Huo Lin's new information.
As expected, the emperor granted Wang Meng the title of a talented woman and bestowed upon her residence in Jingyang Palace, where she would live with the virtuous concubine, which showed that he valued her highly.
This was an unexpected surprise for Liu Xi, since she had arranged for Wang Meng to enter the palace so that she could have someone to help her keep the other favored concubines in check.
Consort Xian has been somewhat overwhelmed lately. On one hand, she has to be careful to keep the relationship between Zhiyun and the Imperial Observatory Certifier from being discovered by others, and on the other hand, she has to busy herself with guiding the Second Prince to win the Emperor's heart in the court.
She is a farsighted woman who knows what is worth fighting for and what is not.
After the selection process, the final chosen girls would first leave the palace and return to their homes, and then be welcomed into the harem on an auspicious day.
Liu Xi did not leave with the Empress Dowager, but instead took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and left the palace with the girls' carriage.
Liu Xi deliberately had the driver take a longer route, and after several detours, they finally stopped at the main gate of the Prince's Mansion.
Wang Huan waited inside the gate and discreetly welcomed Liu Xi into the mansion.
"Your humble servant respectfully welcomes the princess. May the princess live a thousand years!"
Liu Xi was startled by him and stumbled two steps before falling into Wang Meng's arms.
"What are you doing, Lord Wang? Get up quickly."
Once inside, Wang Huan attentively served tea and water, smiling as he inquired about the princess's purpose in coming.
"Before Miss Wang officially enters the palace, I have a few words of advice to tell you in person."
"The harem is currently managed by Consort Xian. She has always disdained the scheming among women for the sake of favor and only targets the concubines who have princes."
"After Miss Wang enters the palace, she probably won't encounter any troublesome opponents, but what I want you to achieve is not just to gain the emperor's favor."
Wang Meng listened quietly, appearing much more composed than before.
"I want you to be my eyes and ears, to find out the weaknesses Consort Xian hides behind her mask, and to help me shake her foundation."
Liu Xi had some guesses about this matter, but she wasn't entirely sure.
Consort Xian is like a cunning snake. If you don't seize her vital point, you might get bitten back and die from the poison.
Upon hearing these absurd and nonsensical words, Wang Meng calmly stood up and bowed to Liu Xi.
"This humble woman will certainly live up to the princess's expectations and help the princess achieve her wish."
Liu Xi nodded in satisfaction and helped her up from the ground.
Wang Meng was very clever. She understood that helping Liu Xi bring down Consort Xian meant that she could hold a high position in the palace and live a truly wealthy and stable life, so she had no reason to refuse.
Liu Xi gave a few more token words of advice and then did not linger at the Prince's residence.
When she returned to the palace, Xia was pacing anxiously at the entrance of Yihuai Pavilion.
"Princess! Something terrible has happened!"
The moment Xia saw Liu Xi's figure, he disregarded his current eunuch attire and ran over shouting in a rough voice.
"General Huo is in trouble!"
"What!" Liu Xi grabbed Xia's wrist with tremendous force.
"The general went down to the northern suburbs and infiltrated the refugee settlement alone in order to investigate the truth behind the refugees' unprovoked gathering. The general brought the clues to the Fifth Prince, but was detained by the commander, who said that the refugees' looting of disaster relief grain was all at the behest of General Huo."
Liu Xi clenched her fists. "Has Huo Lin lost his mind or gone mad? The person transporting grain with the Fifth Prince is He Qing's trusted confidant. If he jumps into the arms of the He family now, isn't he just asking to be labeled a traitor?!"
Xia immediately knelt on the ground, "Princess, please calm down. It's no wonder the general made a mistake in his haste. After all, a peasant uprising on the border is a major event that could shake the stability of the country."
"The general's elder brother has been stationed on the frontier for many years. If war breaks out now, the Huo family will surely go to war. How could the Dingyuan Army miss this opportunity to annihilate the Huo family's army in a justifiable way?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xi silently frowned.
"But I am just a woman. How can I interfere in the affairs of the previous dynasty, and how can I find out the truth and seek justice for General Huo?"
Liu Xi paced anxiously in circles, "Besides, Huo Lin's trip to the northern suburbs was a secret one, so even if he went to His Majesty now, he would have no way to refute it."
"Unless, unless we find out the mastermind before the He family does, or rather, simply pin the blame for rebellion on the He family."
Liu Xi muttered to herself as she paced back and forth with Xia Xia.
"No, that doesn't make sense. Why would the He family deliberately interfere with the imperial decree that their own family members received?"
"Calm down, calm down..."
Liu Xi stopped in her tracks, and her confused mind cleared up in an instant.
"I have an idea, but I need to see Ayu first."
Ignoring the approaching dusk, Liu Xi hurriedly ran to Liu Yu's residence.
"Sister, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing the eunuch's announcement, Liu Yu rushed to the door, his face filled with anticipation and joy.
"This is the first time my older sister has ever taken the initiative to come to me!"
Liu Xi was in a dilemma. She thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to bring it up tactfully. However, the matter was urgent and she didn't have time to hesitate.
"Does Ayu still remember what you told your sister before, that you passed through Yinzhou on your way to transport disaster relief grain, and then traveled through the northern suburbs to bring back some of the stranded carts and horses?"
Liu Yu's expression was a little stiff, but she still nodded.
"Yes, why did you suddenly ask that, sister?"
"My sister has a request. She hopes that Ayu can compile a story about how the uprising of the refugees in the northern suburbs was actually a deliberate act by the Northern faction and tell it to His Majesty."
Hearing Liu Xi say this, Liu Yu understood that she hadn't come to confront him after discovering his actions, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's possible, but why would you do that, sister?"
"Right now, the Celestial Empire and the Northern Faction are at peace. If you say this, wouldn't it be possible to provoke a conflict between the two countries?"
Liu Xi frowned, her lips pursing nervously.
"Sister doesn't have time to explain the reasons behind this to me in detail right now. I must go to the Imperial Study to inform His Majesty about this before 9 PM. Is it possible for me to do so?"
This is actually a win-win situation, or even a triple win.
Firstly, it could clear Huo Lin of suspicion, and secondly, it could alleviate the emperor's concerns about Liu Yu's half-Northern lineage.
Third, it depends on whether Liuxi can win the subsequent battles. If he wins, he can bring the He family and the Northern faction together, allowing the emperor to completely remove the He family as a thorn in his side.
Liu Yu was suspicious, but in front of Liu Xi, he quickly agreed.
His original plan was to shift the entire mess of the refugees onto the Second Prince Liu Cheng, but he would agree to Liu Xi's request no matter what.
Moreover, this was the first time Liu Xi had asked him for a favor.
Seeing Liu Yu nod, Liu Xi finally felt a little relieved.
Based on her understanding of her father from her previous life, the emperor had always wanted to find a suitable reason to declare war on the Northern Faction, but the relationship between Princess Ning'an and the Empress Dowager was interfering with his actions.
Now that he has such a good excuse, the emperor will not even care whether Liu Yu's guess is correct or not. Even if it is false, he will twist the facts to make it true.
Soon, news came from the palace that the emperor had summoned all his ministers overnight to discuss countermeasures and issued an edict ordering General Huo Lin to return to the palace immediately.
Xia bowed gratefully to Liu Xi several times, then changed into disguise and left the palace with the imperial eunuch.
The imperial edict stated that even if Commander He was unwilling, he could not disobey the imperial decree and forcibly detain Huo Lin.
Before leaving, the Fifth Prince nervously stopped Huo Lin and stammered out a question.
"Didn't Father Emperor say that he would bring me back to the palace with him?"
Xia, disguised as a messenger eunuch, smiled awkwardly.
"Your Highness, perhaps you should wait a little longer. His Majesty is worried about the stability of the border and cannot attend to the Fifth Prince for the time being."
"General Huo, let's hurry back to the palace, lest His Majesty keep waiting."
After saying that, he shoved Huo Lin from behind and ran away, leaving Liu Yan alone on the spot, both angry and annoyed.
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