Zhilan frowned: "Does Miss intend to act alone?"
Ning Yao replied with a smile, "Don't worry, in a cat-and-mouse game, the cat has to eat the mouse to be a good cat, right?"
As night fell, the number of snowflakes falling from the sky began to decrease visibly.
It was already November, and according to the usual weather in the capital of Yan, the first heavy snow had already fallen long ago.
The fact that the snow stopped almost as soon as it started can only mean that the drought is still ongoing.
With no rain in summer and no heavy snow in winter, and with the court inactive, the people of Yan were destined to suffer.
If you give disaster victims hope, and then plunge them into despair, riots are only a matter of time.
Ning Yao was dressed in black, which made her figure appear even more slender and petite.
After thoroughly searching all the halls of Qionghua Palace, they took advantage of the cover of night and headed straight for the central palace.
Over the past year, Empress Zhang has suffered greatly. In her previous life, she would have been in the prime of her youth, but now she is old and frail.
The palace was brightly lit, clearly indicating that she had very poor sleep quality and could be awakened by the slightest noise.
"Who are you!"
Ning Yao emerged from the shadows and chuckled softly, "Your Majesty, please don't be too curious. This past year must have been quite unpleasant, hasn't it?"
Empress Zhang shouted angrily, "Was this your doing? Who are you? What grudge do you hold against me that you dare to treat me like this!"
Ning Yao played with the pills in her hand, looking down at her: "What grudge do you have? There are plenty of people who have grudges against Your Majesty. I am just a nobody. Instead of worrying about who I am, Your Majesty should use this last bit of time to think carefully about what kind of grudge could torment you for so long and ultimately take your life?"
Empress Zhang was terrified and trembled all over: "You want to kill me? I am the Empress of Yan, the eldest daughter of the Zhang family! If you dare to kill me, you will not leave this Yan palace tonight! The Zhang family will not let you go!"
Ning Yao gave a sarcastic smile: "There's no place I can't go! As for the Zhang family you mentioned? There are refugees everywhere outside, and the capital is in imminent danger. How long do you think the Zhang family can hold out?"
"Your dream of becoming a superstar is about to be shattered."
Ning Yao chuckled, stepped forward, pinched Empress Zhang's chin, forced her to open her mouth, and fed her the pill in her hand.
Empress Zhang was unable to move and forced herself to swallow the pill.
Ning Yao threw her aside as if she were something dirty.
Empress Zhang tried to shout, but found that she could not make a sound and could only lie limp on the bed like a lump of mud.
"Stop struggling. The rooster crows three times, and your death is imminent. Think back on all the evil you've done in your life."
Have you ever regretted it when you wake up in the middle of the night?
Ning Yao came quietly and left quietly.
There are no changes in the central palace, except that there will be an extra corpse in the Empress's palace early tomorrow morning.
As for the other women in the harem, they had long been tortured to death or driven mad by the Empress.
Consort Shu is a case in point. No matter how wealthy a merchant family is, without power, influence, or background, they can only be at the mercy of others.
At this point, both the court and the harem of the Yan state were leaderless.
...
Taking advantage of the darkness, Ning Yao quickly left the palace and headed straight for the Zhang family.
The Zhang family of the Prime Minister's Mansion is a century-old family with a profound heritage. They have produced three prime ministers, three empresses, and two imperial concubines. Even the lowest-ranking member was one of the four imperial concubines, which shows how extraordinary the family's glory was.
The first prime minister of the Zhang family was Empress Zhang's great-grandfather, who served two emperors and could be considered a wise prime minister.
However, the old prime minister had long since passed away, and the Zhang family had been living off their inheritance for generations.
This boundless imperial favor ultimately emboldened the Zhang family, making them even more unruly.
“Shoot them all? So many refugees, all shot down? Father, how could this be?” a middle-aged man exclaimed in shock.
Then an old man's voice rang out: "Do you have a better way? How can a ruler secure his position if he is not decisive in killing and ruthless?"
The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment: "Father, I just feel that it would be detrimental to our reputation in the court."
"Reputation? How many people can climb to that position without infamy? Once you're in it, whether it's infamy or merit is up to us. Chengzhi, we've been preparing for this for far too many years."
“Nafu’er…”
The old man smiled dismissively: "Since ancient times, what kind of logic has there been in women ruling? If she is obedient, she is a noble princess; if she is disobedient, my granddaughter is no different!"
Zhang Chengzhi was startled, and at the same time felt a chill run through his body.
A father only likes obedient sons; if a son is disobedient, he may even abandon him.
Isn't that how the eldest branch of the Zhang family operates?
The eldest son was exceptionally intelligent and produced a prime minister who inherited his grandfather's mantle but blocked his father's path, ultimately leading to the tragic death of his entire family.
My father's plans began long before he became prime minister.
The Yan Kingdom is now in a precarious state, like an old man in his twilight years, making it the perfect time to make a move.
Zhang Chengzhi suppressed his discomfort and respectfully said, "I understand, I will make the arrangements immediately."
Ning Yao infiltrated the Zhang family and discovered their conspiracy.
"Shooting down refugees? How could you even think of that? With such tyranny, you still dream of ruling as emperor? Dream on!"
The moment Zhang Chengzhi came out, Ning Yao instantly knocked him unconscious, then entered the study, knocked out the old prime minister Zhang, and tied him up.
"You old bastard, vicious and despicable! And ugly too! We'll empty your house, let's see what you have left to fight off the refugees!"
Ning Yao didn't kill him, but poisoned him until he became mentally impaired and unable to take care of himself.
After ransacking the study, he turned and went to other parts of the Zhang residence.
The wealth accumulated by three generations of prime ministers was more than the national treasury, leaving Ning Yao dazzled.
"Not only is he vicious and ugly, but he's also incredibly greedy! A treacherous minister!"
Ning Yao didn't stand on ceremony and took it all into the secret realm!
Like a goose plucking feathers as it flies by, in the end, the Zhang family left nothing but this grand mansion with its seven courtyards and seven gates.
"I'd like to see how you, without food or water, are any better off than the refugees outside the city in this freezing winter!"
Ning Yao patted her bottom and left.
This wasn't Ning Yao's first visit to the Lin family, a family of merchants.
Rich people are different; they always have something new to offer when they come here!
Ning Yao first came last June, just in time for the Lin family's patriarch's birthday banquet.
The gifts were dazzling, and a whole room was specially set aside to store them.
There were too many people that time, and Ning Yao was afraid of being discovered, so she didn't take action.
The second time was three months later. Coincidentally, it happened to coincide with Madam Lin's chrysanthemum appreciation banquet, which was once again packed with people.
However, the priceless and rare variety truly tempted Ning Yao.
The ten boxes of gold she gave Ning Wenyi amounted to only 100,000 taels of gold.
Even a regular chrysanthemum appreciation banquet is worth a tenth of this; it's hard not to be tempted!
The third time was on New Year's Eve, by which time Ning Yao had figured out the Lin family's patterns.
The Lin family would never let go of any opportunity to host a banquet.
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