OBS Chapter 1198: Something is wrong
Chapter 1198: Something is wrong
Even if she went, she would go in an inconspicuous way and minimize her presence in the Cining Palace.
Like the most honest and useless shadow, quietly enduring the difficult times.
Concubine Kang raised her head, the panic in her eyes deepened just right, with a pitiful and weak feeling, her voice still soft: "I was mistaken..."
"The Empress Dowager is not feeling well. As a junior, it is my duty to serve her with medicine. No matter how uncomfortable it is, I have to endure it."
She paused, her delicate fingers gripping the heater, her brows furrowed even tighter. "It's just... my old cold problem seems to have come back in the past few days..."
"When we go to the Cining Palace, please prepare some warm clothes, so that I don't feel unwell and lose my composure in front of the Empress Dowager."
Cai Ju understood and immediately agreed: "Yes, don't worry, Your Majesty!"
"I will make every possible preparation and stay by your side every step of the way!"
Only then did Concubine Kang nod slightly and bury her small chin in the warm ermine fur collar again.
She held the heater in her arms, her eyes becoming quiet and gentle, as if the thoughts she had just had in that moment had never existed.
Only her slightly curled fingers, hidden deep under her cloak, revealed a hint of the tension deep within her heart.
For Concubine Kang, the Cining Palace was not a place to fulfill her filial piety. Instead, it was a dangerous place that required her to be extremely alert and prepared to deal with it.
……
When the news reached Zhongcui Palace, Shen Zhinian was drawing a black orchid on rice paper.
The tip of the pen hovered, and a drop of rich ink dripped silently, spreading a small, thick black shadow on the plain white rice paper.
She put down her pen, picked up the plain white silk handkerchief beside her, and gently wiped the ink stains from her fingertips.
Fuqiu held the freshly brewed Rain-Predawn Longjing tea in her hand, but her steps were filled with a barely perceptible solemnity. She gently placed the green jade teacup on the small table next to Shen Zhinian.
"My lady..."
Fuqiu frowned slightly: "The Queen Mother suddenly asked all the concubines in the palace to attend to the sick..."
"I'm afraid...something must be wrong when things are out of the ordinary."
Shen Zhinian didn't look up immediately after hearing this. A hint of cold understanding flashed across her charming fox eyes.
The Liu family collapsed completely.
Liu Chongshan was cut into pieces and no trace of his body was left.
Empress Dowager Liu was like an old tree with all its roots cut off in the small space of Cining Palace, and now only a barely breathing shell remained.
Her body had long been like a candle in the wind, hanging on only by a breath of unwilling resentment.
The imperial physician privately asserted that Empress Dowager Liu was merely enduring her life.
A man who was about to die and had no attachment to the world anymore suddenly summoned all his concubines to take care of him?
The corners of Shen Zhinian's lips slowly curled up into an icy arc.
She cast her gaze out the window, at the courtyard where withered branches swayed, and spoke with a calm, knowing voice, "What else could the Empress Dowager possibly be up to? She's just trying to use her last breath to make something of herself."
Handan was terrified as she listened to this. She couldn't help but take a step forward and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, you are saying... the Empress Dowager... she wants to..."
"She wanted her death to be useful."
Shen Zhinian's voice was soft, but every word was clear, like ice beads falling on a jade plate: "It would be best... to die while I am tending to the sick. Or, to die shortly after I leave."
Fuqiu and Handan's faces turned pale instantly!
Murdering the Queen Mother?!
Once you are accused of this crime, there is no redemption!
"But...but this is too ridiculous!"
Handan said anxiously, "Who would believe that the Empress Dowager was murdered by you... This doesn't make sense at all!"
"So what if it doesn't make sense?"
Shen Zhinian turned his gaze back to the frightened faces of Handan and Fuqiu, his eyes as deep as a cold pond: "The Great Zhou ruled the world with filial piety. Filial piety is the greatest shackle."
"Even just the word 'suspicion' is enough to crush everything!"
"I am suspected of plotting to murder the current Empress Dowager. Regardless of whether Your Majesty believes it or not, regardless of the truth... as long as this suspicion persists, I... will never be able to become the Queen Mother."
Having said this, she paused slightly, her fingertips unconsciously sliding across the smooth rosewood tabletop. Her voice was filled with a hint of cold mockery: "The Empress Dowager's move, although hasty, is vicious enough! And deadly enough..."
"This is the only way she could think of to disgust and hinder me when she is at her wit's end."
Fuqiu gasped in shock, "Your Majesty! How should we respond? Should we... take some precautions?"
"Like claiming illness? Or secretly arranging for someone?"
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant.
Handan also looked at Shen Zhinian nervously, waiting for her decision.
The inner room fell into a brief silence.
Shen Zhinian suddenly smiled softly.
The smile is like a calm lake, with a sudden ripple, carrying a reassuring confidence and an almost lazy indifference.
"Preparation?"
She shook her head slightly and picked up the cup of warm Rain-Predawn Longjing tea in front of her again. The curling tea smoke misted her calm brows and eyes. "No need. We don't need to do anything."
Fuqiu and Handan were both stunned and looked at Shen Zhinian in disbelief.
"Miss?"
Handan couldn't help but speak out, her voice full of confusion.
Shen Zhinian elegantly took a sip of tea, his eyes moving with the calmness of someone who understands the chess game: "Have you forgotten who is the one who can't tolerate the Empress Dowager continuing to act like a demon?"
She put down the teacup and said in a low voice, but with an invisible power: "Your Majesty has tolerated her to the limit."
"If it weren't for the reputation of raising her, and if the Liu family's mighty tree hadn't been completely felled, do you think... the Empress Dowager would be safe and sound, lying in the Cining Palace until now?"
Now, the Liu family has collapsed, even its roots have been dug up and burned to ashes.
Liu Chongshan was even sentenced to death.
The last bit of affection and concern that the emperor had in his heart, which had been born out of his upbringing and had long since worn away, also completely vanished with the demise of the Liu family.
A man who had lost all his worth, with only a last grudge left. He even wanted to use this grudge to plot against his beloved concubine, the Queen Mother...
Nangong Xuanyu, the emperor who purged the court with iron-blooded means, will he tolerate her continued existence?
Shen Zhinian's fingertips tapped the warm wall of the cup, making a very soft, crisp sound. It seemed to bring this farce to a halt.
"Your Majesty...will not give her this opportunity again."
Her words were calm, yet carried an unquestionable conviction.
It is not only a precise grasp of the emperor's mind, but also absolute confidence in one's own position.
Fuqiu and Handan stared blankly at Shen Zhinian's calm profile.
Look at the calm light in her eyes that sees through everything and controls the overall situation.
The panic and worry in their hearts gradually dissipated like mist dispersed by the sun.