C73

"The emperor seems to have secretly stepped up his Zhongcui Palace defense. I wonder if Su Rushuang can take action successfully."

Luo Ninghai thought for a moment, then said: "Su Rushuang's spies should be able to sneak into the guards …"

Suddenly, there were a few knocks on the door. Luo Ninghai waved her hand to get Qing Ning to hide at the side, and asked cautiously: "It's this late, who is it?"

"Empress Dowager of the Imperial Concubine Wan, this servant is someone sent by the Imperial Study. If Your Majesty wishes for this servant to come and see if the Empress has fallen asleep, if the Empress has not rested yet, may I trouble you to make a trip to the Imperial Study. The Emperor has a request."

Luo Ninghai and Qing Ning looked at each other and yawned loudly on purpose, "I am not in a good mental state today, I hope that eunuch can tell the Emperor that I beg his forgiveness."

The eunuch said from outside: "Then the Imperial Concubine Wan shall rest for now, this servant will return to the emperor."

Hearing the footsteps that had dispersed, Qing Ning came out from the darkness.

"Why isn't the Empress using her Donghua Palace? This is a good chance to be pampered."

"No," Luo Ninghai shook her head, "I'll first put the entire palace in the Consort Xian's stomach, I can't take the favor and become the target of public criticism."

Qing Ning asked, "Does the Empress not want to be like the Consort Xian, with a dragon embryo?"

Luo Ninghai's lips curled up in a bitter smile, "How could I not want to have my own child? It's just that as long as Consort Xian and I don't get rid of him, I won't be able to rest at ease for a day. I definitely can't expose my own child to them."

"It's just that," Qing Ning said hesitantly, "Consort Xian is still alright, Su Rushuang isn't easy to deal with."

"This woman enters the palace early, and the imperial harem's foundation is stable, so she is naturally unshakable," Luo Ninghai's eyes were filled with frost, "However, no matter how strong someone is, they still have their own weakness."

Qing Ning was startled, "The Empress has already found her weak point?"

"I guess you can say that," Luo Ninghai said as she carried the black cat onto her lap. "That day, after getting up, the emperor told me that although Su Rushuang is the concubine with the highest division in the harem, she isn't the harem master. When she spoke, his expression wasn't very good, but there must be some enmity between him and Su Rushuang."

"Su Rushuang is the Noble Consort, how could she not be the Palace Chief?"

"What does the Noble Consort matter? Our Great Qi has a Queen," Luo Ninghai laughed coldly. "It's just that the Queen often stays in the Donghua Palace and doesn't come out to walk around often."

Qing Ning understood what she meant, "This servant investigated secretly, and found out that Mu Langhua did indeed die from having an affair with an outsider."

"I know this as well, but whether or not the harem really is a mess is entirely different," Luo Ninghai said as she narrowed her eyes slightly, "Back then, the Emperor was afraid that the Mu Family would be powerful enough to send my brother to exterminate a traitor. I wonder if Mu Langhua's death would be the same as the Mu Family tragedy."

Qing Ning rolled her eyes and said, "This servant also knows one more thing. Back then, when Mu Langhua had tragically died in the palace, the Emperor and Su Rushuang were both present."

"Hmm?" Luo Ninghai was puzzled, "What is Su Rushuang doing there?"

"This, this servant doesn't know, but this servant always feels that the things that happened all those years ago were related to Su Rushuang."

Luo Ninghai thoughtfully nodded her head, "Su Rushuang is Mu Langhua's cousin. Seeing her sad expression when the former Empress is mentioned, I think it's very possible that she did it."

"Then the Empress," Qing Ning asked, "What should we do next?"

"Don't move, keep an eye on Consort Xian."

Spring had returned to the earth, and all things had come back to life. Consort Xian lightly tapped on the bud with her fingertip. When the spring breeze blew past the peach garden, she would once again experience the peach-blossom snow, which was beautiful to the extreme.

"Big Sister Consort Xian." Hearing someone call her from behind, Consort Xian turned around and saw that it was Imperial Concubine Wan.

"The spring weather is chilly, the big sister Consort Xian is pregnant, why didn't she sit in the palace and run to the imperial garden to enjoy the wind, she's not afraid of the cold."

The Consort Xian smiled, "There's no rush, I've been staying in the palace for a few days to get some fresh air."

"You're right," Luo Ninghai smiled tenderly. "I think it's not that big sister wants to breathe, it's that big sister wants to breathe."

Consort Xian was amused by her, "Imperial Concubine Wan really knows how to talk, there's no one in our palace more eloquent than you."

"If my words can make my sister happy, then I have the ability."

"Sister has just risen to the throne, aren't you uncomfortable living in Zhongcui Palace?"

Elder sister, don't be in such a hurry to chase away your sister. Although the Zhongcui Palace isn't very big, with elder sister here, I feel warm.

Consort Xian covered her mouth as she laughed, "It's good as long as you don't mind."

Luo Ninghai gave a sweet smile, "Since Big Sister is pregnant, by all reasoning, you should be allowed to enter the palace with your maternal family."

Consort Xian's face paled as she said with a smile: "I had told Imperial Concubine Wan before that I had no maternal family and had no one to rely on in the palace."

Luo Ninghai immediately comforted her: "Elder sister, don't be sad. I will treat my own sister as my own family. It would be better if I let my mother enter the palace to visit you.

"No need," Consort Xian hurriedly waved her hand, "Little sister is really great, it's just that when your mother enters the palace, she inevitably reminds me of my parents who passed away. Not only did I not feel sorry for her, I even felt sad for her."

Luo Ninghai's heart moved, and said guiltily: "I still haven't thought it through thoroughly, and have made things difficult for Big Sister."

"No matter what, you still have good intentions," the Consort Xian said gently. "You have just risen to the throne, so it's possible for your mother to come visit you."

"Mother will enter the palace in a month's time," Luo Ninghai said as she reached out to stroke her stomach.

Consort Xian's eyes flashed with maternal tenderness, "I hope you are a princess."

"Why?" Luo Ninghai was puzzled, "Everyone in the palace wants to be a prince, a show of honor."

"I don't care about those who have glorious positions, I just hope that the child can grow up safely," the Consort Xian said gently. "It's hard to avoid participating in the battle for the throne when a prince is born. I can't bear for my own child to be caught up in this ruckus, so being a princess is fine."

Luo Ninghai chuckled: "Princess can indeed avoid the battle for the position of ruler, but she can also possibly send it to a marriage alliance."

Consort Xian was startled, she had never thought about marriage.

Seeing the change in her expression, Luo Ninghai smiled and added, "Great Qi and Qin Nation have always been compatible with each other. If the Consort Xian Empress gave birth to a princess, she would be the only daughter of the imperial palace."

Consort Xian bit her lips and said: "I will definitely not hand her over to those people who have ill intentions."

"Then elder sister should give birth to a prince." Luo Ninghai squinted her eyes slightly. Being born into a prince could control Su Rushuang anyways, so it was a little more effective than being a princess.

Qing Ning suddenly entered the imperial flower garden, bowed to Consort Xian and whispered a few words into her ear.

Luo Ninghai's expression changed, she turned and smiled at Consort Xian: "Elder sister, please forgive me, but something has happened to sister's palace, I need to return now."

Consort Xian said: "Then you can go first, don't delay this matter."

Luo Ninghai followed the nervous Qing Ning back to the Zhongcui Palace, entering the underground chamber. She saw a person tied to a pillar.

"Hmm?" Luo Ninghai looked at the Eunuch who was dying, and could not help but frown, "Didn't you say that if there were more spies, you would be sent back to the Huayang Palace? Why did you bring him to my palace?"

"Empress," Qing Ning splashed a bucket of cold water on the eunuch's body, "This spy was newly sent by Su Rushuang, he's spitting out something else."

"Something else?" Luo Ninghai asked doubtfully, "Could it be that Su Rushuang is going to make a move against me?"

"No, he found something at the Consort Xian."

"What is it?"

"Consort Xian has a secret room hidden within her Bedchamber."

"What?" Luo Ninghai looked at the eunuch who was still half asleep in shock, "Why is Consort Xian building this secret room?"

"This servant doesn't know. It's just that when this servant discovered that the Consort Xian had opened a secret room, he had no choice but to withdraw. This servant also intercepted him halfway through his journey when he left the Zhongcui Palace."

"Splash another bucket of cold water on him and let him wake up," Luo Ninghai squinted her eyes dangerously. "This is a big matter, I have to find out."

The eunuch was quivering from the cold water. He begged for mercy worriedly, "Empress, please spare my life. This servant was sent by Noble Consort Ru. This servant will do anything."

Qing Ning said softly: "This thin subject has poison in his mouth, he originally wanted to beg for death, but this servant found out."

"You did well," Luo Ninghai said as she walked towards the eunuch with a smile. "You went to the Consort Xian and found out that she had secretly built a secret room?"

"Yes," the eunuch nodded in panic, "This servant saw it, but afterwards, afraid that it would be discovered, I immediately retreated."

Luo Ninghai held her breath: "Where is the secret room?"

"Behind the screen."

"Did you not see what was in the secret chamber?"

The eunuch shook his head abruptly, "I didn't see anything. I only knew that there was a secret room behind the Consort Xian's screen."

Luo Ninghai asked again, "Then did you tell your master about this?"

"I absolutely didn't mention it," the eunuch looked at Qing Ning fearfully, "I was halfway through my journey when I was discovered by someone close to the Empress."

Seeing that Luo Ninghai was deep in thought and did not say a word, the eunuch was extremely anxious, and hurriedly begged for mercy. "Empress, please spare my life, this servant has already said everything."

Luo Ninghai pointed coldly at the eunuch, then looked at Qing Ning, "Did he really puke out everything?"

Qing Ning said with a smile: "She said it after a few whips."

"That's good." Luo Ninghai nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave.

Qing Ning asked from behind her, "Empress, does this person need to be cleaned?"

"Mn," A trace of malice flashed past Luo Ninghai's eyes, "Kill him, send him back to Huayang Palace."

She gripped her sleeves tightly. If not for her brother sending Qing Ning to the palace to be her maid, she would not have known that Consort Xian's father was someone from the Mu’s Army. It was no wonder that the Consort Xian was always so warm and considerate towards her, not like a normal concubine.

"Consort Xian secretly built a secret room in her Bedchamber?" Su Rushuang was so surprised that her mouth was wide open. Privately establishing a secret room was a grave sin, how could Consort Xian, who had always been obedient, do such a thing?

"That is absolutely true, Empress," Chen Xiang nodded with certainty. "This is the information sent by the scout."

Su Rushuang still couldn't believe it, "All the spies from the past have mysteriously disappeared, how can we survive this?"

Chen Xiang smiled. "Empress, don't worry. This servant has specially groomed this body. It's much more reliable than the previous ones."

"But," Su Rushuang frowned, "what is she doing in the Bedchamber, building a secret room?"

"This spy didn't find anything. He only saw the Consort Xian opening the secret room, and before he could clearly see what was inside, he had already left."

"No matter how much you investigate, you still can't find out," Su Rushuang said as she held her forehead in a troubled manner. "Make me guess what the Consort Xian is up to."