Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 543 Initial Move

Otherwise, what to do with the things she had wanted to do when she was punished...

As the two were conversing here, Consort Xu De was on the other side, meticulously pondering the profound meaning of the Emperor’s words.

Smart people do not need to say much; with just a hint from the Emperor, Consort Xu De could understand right away.

The Emperor had already set a trap, and she was part of it. All she needed to do was cooperate, ask no more questions, and if there was any need, the Emperor would come to find her.

Her face betrayed no emotion, yet in her heart, she felt as though a storm was brewing, a complexity that ordinary people might not comprehend.

After taking charge of the harem, she had come to deeply understand the intricate and interwoven relationships within it. On the surface things appeared simple, but beneath lay great complexity, with everyone from concubines to servants having their hidden agendas—apparent enemies who were not really enemies, and seemingly close sisters who stabbed each other in the back.

The incident of her sister being harmed came to her knowledge when she had previously taken leave under some pretext; she learned from Nanny Qi that her sister had been drugged, the poison put in her soup. People from Canglan Court had been sent to Huaning Palace to summon the Imperial Physician, and now news of her sister’s miscarriage was spreading through the harem.

She hadn’t even ascertained which servant was involved.

She had thought carefully about every concubine in the palace; none seemed likely, not even Xue Wanjun who had her reasons not to act. To sift through the myriad clues to find the truth would take a considerable amount of time, and the one who acted would surely erase their tracks, making the investigation even more difficult.

But the Emperor had already prepared his trap, what kind of monster was he...

From the time the Emperor had gone out and returned, it was just the time it took to have a meal; within such a brief period, it was certain that no useful information could have been ascertained. This meant relying on the scant information available to draw threads from the confusion for analysis and conjecture.

If she were handling this matter, at least she would have to get through the first round of inquiries before she could work things out and deduce something useful.

Yet under these circumstances, the Emperor had already arranged his trap, turning passivity into activeness, with a demeanor as calm as a passing cloud, orchestrating behind the scenes.

Her heart was greatly shaken. The mind of the Emperor was truly terrifying. He had appeared so anxious and distraught when he came to her, yet in the blink of an eye, he reverted to a composed and self-assured Emperor, which was truly chilling.

No wonder he had managed, with his frail appearance, to forge a bloody path among the many princes and ascend to the throne—the product of a man who had traversed over mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with unparalleled wisdom and strategy.

Fortunately, her father was loyally devoted and did not have a double-minded heart, winning the deep trust of the Emperor. Moreover, within the Xu family, her father’s line had no sons to succeed, no worries about being seen as a threat.

She had always known the Emperor to be sly, but now she found him even more demonic. To play mind games with such a person was simply courting death; whoever made their move would need all the luck they could get.

She was relieved; with the Emperor there, no one could harm her sister and get away unscathed.

Hmm... It seems best to avoid provoking him whenever possible.

Consort Xu De made up her mind, calmed the shock in her heart, and with a usual smile, said to Lian Hua, "Sister, I have other matters to attend to and must leave now. I will come to see you again next time."

She was just a pawn in the Emperor’s game. It was time for her to step out and fulfill her role.

What Consort Xu De did not know was that the Emperor did not bother with the red herrings laid out by the perpetrator; relying solely on the information contained in a soup bowl and deducing from those who stood to gain, as well as considering the grand scheme of the former court, he had already pinned down the culprit, striking at the heart of the matter, else it would be even more shocking.

Lian Hua, who was worrying about how to muddle through, immediately gave up on the idea upon hearing this: "Sister, are you leaving? Let me see you out then."

Saying so, she left the Emperor’s side and walked over.

"You are such a good girl," Consort Xu De said as she softly stroked Lian Hua’s hair, her valiant features softening.

Ready to leave, she passed by the Emperor on her way out and said to him, "I will now return to Huaying Hall and wait for His Majesty’s good news."

"Hmm," the Emperor responded indifferently.

He watched the two leave, walked over to the chair, and sat down, the very chair that the Little Concubine had just been sitting in.

His gaze fell on the palace door, his fingers tapping on the table, his expression inscrutable, leaving one clueless as to what he was thinking.

Outside the Side Hall, Xiao Jizi had the melon seeds and the melon seed pouch ready, and handed them off to Ming Jing, the items well-packaged, concealing their content.

Consort Xu De spoke a few more words with Lian Hua, and when Lian Hua attempted to continue delivering, she was stopped. Consort Xu De hurriedly left with her entourage.

Once they had exited the gates of Canglan Court, Xu Rongying’s expression instantly turned grave and forbidding, and just like on the way over, she exuded a furious and deadly aura as she strode towards Huaying Hall.

Nanny Qi had already been apprised of the Emperor’s scheme and had returned to her own quarters with Pang Ya, accompanied by Xiao Qing and Huang Zude.

Huang Zude currently could not leave; he had to stay within Canglan Court for the time being, and at Nanny Qi’s request, it was the perfect opportunity for him to take Xiao Qing’s pulse. After the examination, he wrote another prescription and handed it to Xiao Linzi to collect the medicine.

Xiao Linzi and Da Zhuang had previously fetched medicine once, and now the two hurriedly went out again, their expressions urgent, to collect medicine for the second time.

The continuous fetching of medicine confirmed the suspicions of those outside even more.

Inside the Imperial Prison.

Dong Xue and Xia Liu were both thrown into the Imperial Prison and incarcerated together.

As they were key handlers in Canglan Court, they received special treatment; they were separated and locked in individual cells to prevent collusion, waiting for interrogation.

Dong Xue’s face was pale, her lips cracked and dry, and she hadn’t had water in several hours. Initially detained in Canglan Court without anyone questioning her, she was later taken away by a eunuch from the Punishment Bureau with her mouth gagged, directly incarcerated in the Imperial Prison.

She was terrified, hugging her arms and shivering with fear.

She had no idea what had happened, no clue what she had done wrong—she had been detained for no apparent reason, and in such a dreaded place as the Imperial Prison.

She had heard sayings that the Imperial Prison was as terrifying as hell itself; those who entered could kiss their peace goodbye, and even if they were found innocent after trial, they would still be stripped of a layer of skin before being allowed to leave.

When she was brought in, she saw it—the various torture instruments—and from a distance, could smell the strong, repulsive odor.

At the time, someone was being tortured, the piercing screams like needles stabbing through the eardrum, and the bloody scene almost made her vomit on the spot.

She had never witnessed such scenes before; closing her eyes, she could not help but recall the sight of the torture, the flesh blur, and the stench filling the air. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

She could feel that the entire Punishment Bureau and the Harem were extremely tense. On the way when she was being led there, Punishment Bureau officials rushed about everywhere, arresting suspects.

Sister Xia Liu had been taken away just like her.

Her frail body was now thoroughly chilled, quivering slightly, and the dark and dingy cell filled with various odors invaded her nose. If only Sister Xia Liu were locked up with her, she thought. Xia Liu was smarter than her, and she wanted to know exactly what was going on.

Just then, it seemed that a few more people were being escorted inside, taken to other cells.

At this moment, a piteous cry echoed, "I’ve been wronged, I haven’t harmed Master Lian, please see the truth, sir, I’m innocent..."

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