OBS Chapter 322 Shen Zhinian wants to strike back at Concubine De (7 reward points plus more)
Chapter 322 Shen Zhinian wants to strike back at Concubine De (7 reward points plus more)
Shen Zhinian said: "The matter concerning the Third Prince is directed at me."
She didn't say the rest.
The emperor's favor and the crisis in the harem have always been inseparable. If Sun Changzai got the former, there was no way to avoid the latter.
Shen Zhinian hoped that her allies were smart people who could understand this truth, rather than secretly harboring resentment in their hearts and feeling that they were implicated by her.
Of course, based on her understanding of Sister Sun, Shen Zhinian believed that Sister Sun was not that kind of person.
As expected, Sun Changzai saw it very clearly: "Which favored concubine in the harem has not been framed or targeted? I have been favored by His Majesty, and I have lived a good life with my sister, so it is natural that I will be envied."
"I have been mentally prepared for this a long time ago."
"It's just that there are some things that I can't figure out..."
Shen Zhinian patiently explained her doubts: "Tell me about it."
Sun Changzai was not polite either: "The Third Prince is the only prince in the harem so far. It is no exaggeration to say that Your Majesty should treat him like a treasure, right?"
"Why did His Majesty not punish Concubine Zhou when the murderer was found out? Instead, he handed the matter over to you and the Imperial Concubine. Isn't it obvious that he wants to let Concubine Zhou go?"
Sun Changzai had no grudge against Zhou Guiren. She said this not because she wished her bad luck, but because she couldn't understand it.
Shen Zhinian said slowly, "Because in your Majesty's eyes, many things are not right or wrong, but only pros and cons. The Third Prince is your Majesty's child, so does the one in Concubine Zhou's belly not belong to you?"
"You are the one who makes the best of it. Since the Third Prince has not been harmed, whether Your Majesty believes in Lady Zhou or not, you will eventually compromise."
Sun Changzai nodded in sudden realization: "So that's how it is..."
"Sister Roupin, do you think Concubine Zhou did this?"
Shen Zhinian sneered: "How can it be easy for Concubine De to give birth to a prince in the harem? How could such a person let a mere Concubine Zhou harm her child?"
Sun Changzai became more and more frightened as he listened: "You mean..."
Shen Zhinian's fox eyes narrowed dangerously: "Sister, don't you think this series of tricks looks familiar?"
"First, they want to use you to drag me into this. If that plan fails, they will put the blame on Concubine Zhou and make everyone suspect the Imperial Concubine."
"It's a pity that Concubine De, despite all her calculations, overlooked His Majesty's attitude towards Concubine Zhou and did not investigate the matter further."
Sun Changzai seemed to have heard some big secret, her eyes were full of shock: "Sister Roupin, are you saying that what happened tonight was actually directed and acted by Concubine De?! Yuzhu is her person, and she was also instructed to bite Concubine Zhou?!"
"Even...even at your father's celebration banquet, the real murderer who poisoned Concubine Liu was not Concubine Liang, but Concubine De?!"
Shen Zhinian sneered, "Originally, I only knew that Concubine Liang was not the one behind the scenes, and I was not sure who the real culprit was. But today, when I saw this familiar handwriting, I knew that Concubine De was the real murderer, and it was almost certain!"
Sun Changzai's back broke out in cold sweat again: "Liu Changzai is the running dog of Concubine Wen. Although I don't like her, she and Concubine De have no grudges. In order to deal with others, Concubine De actually killed a life..."
"Isn't this killing without blinking an eye..."
"The Virtuous Concubine looks so gentle and kind. I have always believed that she had to pretend to be crazy because she did it for the sake of the Third Prince."
"I didn't expect... I didn't expect that she is even scarier than a poisonous snake!"
Seeing that Sun Changzai was so frightened, Shen Zhinian comforted her, "Sister, don't panic. In fact, Concubine De is not as scary as you think."
"If she can keep her composure and pretend to be gentle and kind, like Concubine Liang, and act like a good person in the harem, then after a while, everyone will say that she acted crazy and stupid because she was kind-hearted, and that her nature is not terrible. Then she will be a tough opponent indeed."
"But... maybe it was the death of the second prince that left a shadow in her heart; or maybe it was because she finally gave birth to the third prince and really wanted to plan a future for him. Defei was too impatient. She did so many things so frequently right after she came out of Gyeongbokgung Palace."
"And she is too targeted. This time, she has implicated the only two pregnant concubines in the harem, including me. If anything happens to me and Concubine Zhou, she will be the biggest beneficiary."
"Your Majesty is not stupid. He did not investigate the matter further for the sake of the Third Prince. But that does not mean he has no doubts about Concubine De."
"Also, the methods she devised each time were so similar. Once they were exposed one day, all the old accounts would be dug up."
"So, although Concubine De is insidious, she is not invincible. Sister, there is no need to be frightened by her."
Sun Changzai blinked, and it took him a long time to digest what Shen Zhinian said.
"I almost went to the Shenxingsi today. I was really scared by Concubine De!"
"I don't know why, but after hearing what you said, I'm suddenly not afraid anymore..."
"I am still curious about one thing... Yuzhu is still on trial at the Ministry of Punishment. This matter has not been completely resolved. How will it develop?"
Allies also need to improve, because no matter how smart Shen Zhinian is, he can't be perfect in everything. It would be bad if someone took advantage of him one day.
So, she did not answer Sun Changzai's doubts, but asked in return: "What do you think, sister?"
Sun Changzai analyzed seriously: "Your Majesty is suspicious, so he is not sure whether it was Concubine Zhou who wanted to harm the Third Prince, or whether Concubine De did it herself."
"But no matter who the murderer is, the result of the investigation will not be what Your Majesty wants. Since you said that Your Majesty's attitude is to smooth things over, then this matter will definitely end up in nothing!"
Shen Zhinian nodded: "Not bad."
For some reason, when seeing the look in Sister Roupin's eyes that said "this child is teachable", Sun Changzai suddenly dreamed of the past when she was in the palace, practicing the pipa with the female musicians and was praised for it.
She shook her head, getting rid of these messy thoughts.
"Sister Roupin, you have never offended Empress Defei, but she has tried to harm you again and again. This is really too much!"
Shen Zhinian lowered her head and touched her belly: "Do I still need to offend? If I have an heir in my belly, it would be a crime to possess a treasure."
"But does Concubine De really think that I am a soft persimmon that she can bully and squeeze at will?!"
Last time, she hadn't had time to find out who was behind it. Now she knew that it was all done by Concubine De. With Shen Zhinian's personality, how could she just passively defend herself?
Since she felt that Concubine De was not so scary anymore, Sun Changzai became excited when she heard this: "Sister Roupin, what do you want to do? Is there anything I can help you with?"
That abominable Concubine De almost harmed her badly. Of course, she wanted to take advantage of her sister Roupin's help to vent her anger!