Steal my marriage? Turn around and marry the tyrant to take the throne

Chapter 1474 Orders Consort Dun to Come and Receive Instruction

"At the crack of dawn, the eldest princess woke up once, drank half a cup of warm water, and seemed to be in better spirits. She has now fallen asleep again."

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhuang showed a look of relief: "That's good."

After having breakfast, she went to the eldest princess's bedroom.

The windows in the sleeping quarters were slightly ajar, letting in a bit of fresh air.

The eldest princess had woken up and was leaning listlessly against the soft pillows, her little face still somewhat pale.

Seeing Consort Zhuang enter, her eyes lit up, and she softly called out, "Mother Consort..."

Consort Zhuang sat down by the bedside, reached out and touched the eldest princess's forehead to make sure her temperature was normal, then tucked the blanket around her and asked gently, "Yun'er, are you awake? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

"What would you like to eat? Mother, please have the kitchen prepare it."

The eldest princess looked at the concern in Consort Zhuang's eyes and felt her gentle touch. The sadness she had felt over the past few days because of Bahargul's death seemed to lessen somewhat.

She suddenly reached out her little hand and hugged Consort Zhuang's waist tightly, burying her face in Consort Zhuang's sandalwood-scented embrace, and said dependently, "Yun'er heard from the nannies that Mother Consort took care of Yun'er for most of the night last night."

"Mother... Yun'er loves Mother the most!"

Such affectionate words would surely melt the heart of any ordinary mother.

However, Consort Zhuang's body suddenly stiffened.

She lowered her gaze to the top of the eldest princess's soft hair, and involuntarily thought of those whom the eldest princess had once loved...

None of them had a good ending.

Now the eldest princess says she likes her the most...

This affection made Consort Zhuang feel somewhat uneasy...

She concealed the coldness in her eyes, gently patted the eldest princess's back, and said in a still gentle voice, "Mother also loves Yun'er."

"Yun'er, you must get well soon so that your mother can rest assured."

……

Yikun Palace.

Xiao Tianzi bowed and carefully reported the news of the postponement of the palace selection to Consort Dun.

"Oh?"

Consort Dun's face revealed undisguised sarcasm: "That Imperial Noble Consort of Yongshou Palace always puts on an act of being virtuous, magnanimous, and fair. How long has she been pretending? As soon as a new concubine is about to enter the palace, she can't sit still anymore and her true colors are revealed?"

"She actually managed to persuade His Majesty to postpone the palace selection; she's really quite capable!"

Xiao Tianzi smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Your Majesty is right."

"Men are always fickle. With so many young and beautiful women suddenly flooding into the palace, with their sweet voices and graceful figures, it's inevitable that His Majesty's attention will be diverted."

"Even if the Imperial Noble Consort is favored by the Emperor, how could she not be flustered? It's not surprising that she would do something like this."

Consort Dun let out a cold snort, feeling increasingly pleased: "Imperial Noble Consort, oh Imperial Noble Consort, she's finally met her match!"

At this point, Consort Dun seemed to have thought of something, and she stood up and paced around the hall, her eyes gleaming with calculation: "Those families who were eagerly preparing to send their daughters to the palace, they've been waiting for so long, and now that their hopes have been dashed, how could they not feel resentful?"

"If this matter is stirred up even slightly, once it blows up... the Imperial Noble Consort's reputation for being jealous and intolerant will be impossible to shake off!"

The more Consort Dun spoke, the more she felt there was great potential in this matter, and a look of determination appeared on her face: "She wants to sit on the Empress's throne? Dream on! The probationary period is still long. Let's see how she keeps up the act!"

"Xiaotianzi..."

Xiao Tianzi quickly replied, "This servant is here!"

"You go……"

Consort Dun lowered her voice and instructed, "Find a few clever and reliable people to spread the word. Say that the Imperial Noble Consort is worried about the new concubines entering the palace and is acting arrogantly because of the Emperor's favor, and has begged His Majesty to postpone the selection of concubines..."

"You don't need to spell it out too clearly, but you need to make sure everyone can think in that direction, understand?"

Xiao Tianzi understood immediately, and a fawning smile appeared on his face: "This servant understands, I'll take care of it right away!"

……

Yongshou Palace.

Shen Zhinian is looking at the account books.

Han Dan and Fu Qu walked in one after the other, both looking rather unwell.

Han Dan was more impatient. After curtsying, she spoke with a hint of resentment: "...Your Majesty, some unfounded rumors have been circulating in the palace, implying that you... that you postponed the palace selection because you were unwilling to let the new concubines enter the palace due to your own selfish reasons."

"After we noticed, Fuqu and I immediately led people to suppress the rumors and prevent them from spreading."

Fuqu added from the side, "Although this matter has not caused a great uproar, the person behind it is despicable, intending to damage Your Majesty's reputation."

After listening, Shen Zhinian remained calm. She looked up at Han Dan, who still had a resentful expression, and said indifferently, "It has always been like this in the harem. Whenever there is any disturbance, someone will be eager to take advantage of the situation and find an opportunity to suppress their opponent."

She was neither angry nor flustered. She turned to Xiao Mingzi beside her and said, "Go and find out where these words originally came from."

"Slave, you obey!"

Xiao Mingzi bowed in agreement and immediately went to carry out his duties.

He was always cautious, and the next afternoon he came to Shen Zhinian again to give his reply.

"...Your Majesty, this servant has investigated and found out."

Xiao Mingzi lowered his head and said, "Those rumors all point to Yikun Palace as their source."

"It was Xiao Tianzi, who served Consort Dun. A couple of days ago, he secretly contacted several palace servants who worked in various places and were good at talking, and spread the rumors."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhinian showed no surprise, and a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips: "I understand."

Consort Dun... it really was her.

Such impatience and underhanded methods are still unacceptable.

Upon hearing that it was Consort Dun who was responsible, Han Dan's anger intensified, and she couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, Consort Dun's repeated underhanded sabotage is truly outrageous!"

"Do you really think Your Majesty is easy to bully?"

Shen Zhinian sat in the main seat, her gaze cold and sharp.

She was never one to repay evil with kindness, and had previously intended to use Bahargul to teach Consort Dun a lesson. However, the Emperor had other plans and eliminated Bahargul.

These days, things have been complicated, and Shen Zhinian hasn't had time to pay attention to Consort Dun, but Consort Dun has jumped out again to stir up trouble.

Shen Zhinian looked up at Xiaomingzi and Fuqu and instructed, "Xiaomingzi, go and bring over those palace servants who delivered the message, along with all the people they came into contact with. Make sure there are witnesses."

"Fuqu, go to Yikun Palace and convey my imperial decree, ordering Consort Dun to come and receive instructions!"

"Also, send a message to the six palaces, instructing all the ladies and concubines, regardless of rank, to come to Yongshou Palace."

Xiao Mingzi and Fuqu responded in unison, "Yes!"

Seeing this scene, Han Dan knew that the Empress was truly angry this time and wanted to use Consort Dun as a scapegoat to establish her authority in the six palaces.

……

The main hall of Yiku Palace.

After Fuqu entered, she curtsied to Consort Dun and said, "This servant greets Your Highness Consort Dun. May Your Highness be blessed with good fortune and peace."

Consort Dun raised her eyes and her gaze fell on Fuqu's expressionless face. Her heart skipped a beat for some reason.