OBS Chapter 252 Consort Fucha
Chapter 252 Consort Fucha
Zhen Huan frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Yu Rao, your actions were too reckless."
The Sixth Prince is Empress Fucha's son. If you let Qingying get close to him, how could Fucha Peiyun sit idly by?
She's a cunning woman; she'll definitely suspect you have ulterior motives. This matter of the cold poison is very likely her revenge against you.
Zhen Huan took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and then slowly said:
"She seems gentle and mild-mannered, but I feel she is far more cunning and scheming than the previous deposed empress."
She would never allow anyone to harm her son.
Zhen Yurao looked shocked and retorted incredulously:
"How is that possible? How could she know I wanted to scheme against her son?"
I only asked Qingying to have a chance encounter with the Sixth Prince.
I didn't do anything else!
Even my personal maid Yaoqin was unaware of these plans of mine!
Moreover, I only let Qingying move around more in the palace; I didn't specifically instruct her to get close to the Sixth Prince!
How could Empress Fucha know about my scheme?
Sister, are you sure you haven't made a mistake?
Seeing Yu Rao's shocked expression, Zhen Huan couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
She frowned slightly as she looked at Yu Rao, a hint of helplessness in her voice:
"Yu Rao, you are still too naive."
How many unexpected encounters are there in the imperial harem?
When you sent Qingying to have a chance encounter with the Sixth Prince
She might have already been targeted by someone.
Your allowing Qingying to move around the palace has already aroused suspicion in others.
You must understand that in the harem, everyone is used to open and covert struggles, and the slightest disturbance will be noticed.
Fucha Peiyun, however, was no pushover.
Back then, when the deposed empress was still in power,
She was ruthless and cruel, and would not tolerate the concubines in the harem giving birth to children.
If she were pregnant with a princess, perhaps she could barely save her life;
But if she were pregnant with a prince, the deposed empress would absolutely not tolerate it.
Back then, Fucha Peiyun and I were pregnant around the same time.
My child was unfortunately miscarried due to the deposed empress's meticulous scheming.
In contrast, Empress Fucha was able to give birth to the sixth prince safely.
From this, you can understand how formidable Empress Fucha was back then.
In those years, the deposed empress repeatedly harmed Empress Fucha Peiyun and her son.
Empress Fucha, however, always managed to cleverly defuse crises and turn danger into safety.
Later, after Huanbi's true parentage was discovered, she found out she was pregnant while in the Cold Palace.
I told her not to rush into announcing her pregnancy.
To avoid being harmed by the deposed empress
Even so, she ultimately could not escape the clutches of the deposed empress and was framed.
At that time, I became pregnant again. Despite all my precautions, I still couldn't escape the consequences and was forced to have a premature birth due to being deposed.
This resulted in Lingxi and Hongzhan being born with congenital deficiencies.
He had to rely on medication to survive since birth…
The mere mention of Lingxi and Hongzhan, who were no longer with us, caused Zhen Huan unbearable pain, as if her heart was being torn apart.
Zhen Huan forced herself not to let her tears fall.
Seeing this, Zhen Yurao felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She wanted to comfort Zhen Huan, but Zhen Huan waved her hand.
Zhen Huan took a deep breath, trying to calm her grief, and continued:
"That deposed empress plotted against Fucha Peiyun and her son more than once or twice."
Fucha Peiyun was not a pushover to be bullied.
After being crippled, he plotted against her multiple times but never fought back.
The Emperor quickly realized the true nature of the deposed Empress.
Zhen Huan paused, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, and then continued:
"The Emperor initially intended to depose the Empress Dowager outright, but the Empress Dowager obstructed his plans."
Left with no other choice, the emperor had to imprison the then-deposed empress in Jingren Palace.
Since then, the deposed empress seemed to have vanished without a trace, and the people in the harem gradually lowered their guard against her.
At this point, Zhen Huan's voice choked slightly, but she still forced back her tears and continued:
"Who could have predicted that, a few years later, the deposed empress would find another opportunity to strike?"
She actually brought smallpox scabs into the palace, and Ulanara Yixiu, who was imprisoned, went mad.
Several princes in the palace unfortunately contracted smallpox.
Zhen Huan's body trembled slightly. She bit her lip and continued:
Fortunately, Fucha Peiyun reacted quickly and did a good job in epidemic prevention and isolation.
This also ensured that the princes who contracted smallpox received timely treatment and survived the disease.
But my Lingxi and Hongzhan were too young and too weak to make it..."
Zhen Huan's voice trembled slightly as she recalled those painful memories.
The grief and anger in her heart were beyond words.
The pain of losing a child is heart-wrenching.
Her eyes gradually welled up with tears, and a hint of undisguised pain and resentment flashed in them.
"That smallpox outbreak is a nightmare I will never forget in my life."
Zhen Huan's voice was low and sorrowful.
"Lingxi and Hongzhan, they are my most beloved children."
But because of that sudden tragedy, they left me forever…
Zhen Yurao couldn't help but hug Zhen Huan, feeling sorry for her sister's suffering.
He was also furious at the cruelty of deposing the empress.
She knew her sister had suffered a lot before she entered the palace, but hearing these stories with her own ears...
It was shocking.
"Sister, you've suffered so much."
Zhen Yurao said softly,
"The deposed empress was banished to the cold palace; this was the retribution she deserved."
But that's still too easy on her,"
Zhen Yurao's voice was filled with anger.
"I want to kill her. She's harmed so many people."
I want to kill her so she will pay for what she did!
"Sister, is the deposed empress still alive?"
Zhen Huan shook her head and slowly said:
"She's probably not dead yet, but she's living a life worse than death."
She suffered endless torment in the cold palace; this was the greatest punishment she could endure.
If you kill her, you'll only be giving her a quicker release.
Zhen Huan's tone was icy, and she looked at Yu Rao with a determined gaze as she continued:
"Yu Rao, you need to understand, right now, for you..."
The most important thing is not to investigate the fate of the deposed empress, but to save your own life.
Zhen Huan's tone was unusually serious.
"The cold poison you have is so strange that if it cannot be completely eradicated, your life could be in danger at any time."
If Fucha Peiyun is truly the mastermind, she will definitely not let you off easily.
Therefore, you must be more careful and cautious, and never act rashly as you did before.
In this harem, you can't underestimate anyone.
The older sister failed to protect her child, and failed to protect Huanbi, her child, and Liuzhu.
And the entire Zhen family, there's a reason behind their scheming to depose the empress.
The older sister's arrogance and incompetence also contributed to the problem.
Zhen Huan patted Zhen Yu Rao's hand again, calming her emotions slightly, and continued:
"I'm telling you all this so that you can clearly understand how formidable Fucha Peiyun is."
Her ability to protect the Sixth Prince in such a complex and dangerous environment is a testament to her exceptional skill, which should not be underestimated.
They, mother and son, endured so much scheming and hardship.
I remain highly vigilant and sensitive to any sudden people or events that appear around me.
Zhen Huan paused for a moment, then continued:
"You send Qingying to get close to the Sixth Prince."
This will definitely raise her alarm.
The people around the Sixth Prince will definitely investigate Qingying's identity.
What appear to be many unexpected encounters in the palace are actually meticulously planned schemes.
With Fucha Peiyun's abilities, it wouldn't be long before she could find out everything about Qingying.
At the same time, she will naturally notice you.
When I went to pay my respects to her yesterday,
Not only did she know you were my sister, she even gave me a warning.
Let's not do this for too long.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Yu Lao's face grew paler and paler, and fine beads of sweat began to appear on her forehead.
Zhen Yurao never expected things to escalate to such a serious point.
Zhen Yurao was not afraid of death, but she did not want to implicate her sister.
Zhen Yurao's eyes were filled with shock and guilt.
She held Zhen Huan's hand tightly, her voice slightly choked:
"Sister, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong."
I shouldn't have been so impulsive and brought this trouble upon myself.
I don't want to drag my sister down with me.
Sister, what should we do now?
Zhen Huan was actually just as flustered.
She didn't know how much Fucha Peiyun knew about them.
"Family members know their own affairs," she has plenty of dirt on herself.
Just like her affair with Yunli, and the true backgrounds of Lingxi and Hongzhan,
These are secrets that absolutely cannot be known to outsiders.
Although Lingxi and Hongzhan have tragically died young, if Fucha Peiyun were to uncover these secrets...
That would probably be enough to plunge her into an abyss of no return.
She lost everything except Yu Rao.
She herself no longer cared about life or death, but she didn't want anything to happen to Yu Rao.
And then there's Yunli; they also share a beautiful memory.
She didn't want to drag him down with her.
And as for the sisters' scheming against the Emperor, I wonder if Fucha Peiyun was aware of it.
Zhen Huan closed her eyes slightly, trying to calm herself down.
She raised her head, looked at Yu Rao with unwavering eyes, and slowly said:
"Yu Rao, the most important thing now is to stabilize the situation."
"We must not panic,"
Zhen Yurao bit her lip and nodded:
"Sister, what do you think we should do?"
Zhen Huan pondered for a moment and said:
"Don't make any rash moves for now, and don't let Qingying get close to the Sixth Prince again."
I will find an opportunity to see Wen Shichu and have him examine your cold poison more carefully.
Let's see if there are other ways to completely eradicate it.
At the same time, I also need to sound out Fucha Peiyun and see how much she actually knows about us.
Zhen Yurao looked at Zhen Huan with concern:
"Sister, isn't it too dangerous for you to go see her alone?"
Zhen Huan patted Zhen Yu Rao's hand and gently comforted her:
"Yu Rao, don't worry, I know what I'm doing, nothing will happen."
If Fucha Peiyun really knew too much about them, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Zhen Huan's first reaction was to find a way to get rid of Fucha Peiyun to prevent future troubles.
However, Empress Fucha Peiyun, as the highest-ranking empress, possessed supreme power in the palace.
There must be a lot of people at hand.
Moreover, the Fucha family outside the palace was even more powerful, being a major Manchu clan with deep roots.
In contrast, the sisters had nothing but each other.
They had neither the power nor the manpower.
Not to mention that the Zhen family has long been destroyed, even if the Zhen family still existed...
To contend with a powerful Manchu family like the Fucha would be utterly hopeless.
Take the cold poison that Yu Rao was poisoned with this time, for example. Yu Rao didn't even know how she was poisoned.
How could the two sisters fight against her?
She looked at Yu Rao and said earnestly:
"Yu Rao, you must keep a low profile in the palace and avoid revealing any flaws."
I'll go and meet Fucha Peiyun; even if it's dangerous, I have to try.
If we can figure out her bottom line, we can make plans accordingly.
Although Zhen Yurao was full of worries, she knew that her sister had made up her mind, so she could only nod in agreement.
She felt truly guilty; she had underestimated the complexity of the concubines in the palace.
You're underestimating Empress Fucha.
She acts too impulsively, and her older sister has to clean up her messes.
Zhen Yurao reflected on herself, wondering why she had acted this way.
Because after entering the palace, she found that Empress Fucha was very gentle.
There didn't seem to be much obvious infighting among the concubines, which gradually made her lower her guard.
She originally just wanted Qingying to move around more in the palace.
By subtly approaching the Sixth Prince, Qingying gained his trust.
They'll then plot to ruin the Sixth Prince.
However, she never expected that the waters of the harem would be so deep, far more complex than she had imagined.
Looking at Yu Rao's guilty expression, Zhen Huan couldn't help but sigh.
She gently comforted her, "Yu Rao, you don't need to blame yourself too much."
The complexities of the imperial harem cannot be understood overnight.
Since you're new here, it's understandable that you might feel a little confused as you're not familiar with the situation.
Zhen Huan gently patted Yu Rao's hand and continued:
"The most important thing now is to stabilize the current situation and find out the truth of the matter as soon as possible."
Only in this way can we find a solution to the problem.
Yu Rao raised her head, looked at Zhen Huan, a resolute glint in her eyes, and nodded, saying:
"Sister, I'll listen to you."
Zhen Yurao raised her head, looking at Zhen Huan with a firm gaze.
"Sister, I know I was wrong."
Zhen Yurao's voice was slightly low, but full of sincerity.
"I will try to control my temper and not be as impulsive and reckless as before."
Zhen Huan looked at her younger sister, a hint of relief in her eyes.
She knew that Zhen Yurao was a smart child, but sometimes she was too naive and straightforward.
"Yes, it's good that you think that way."
Zhen Huan said softly, "In this harem, you must learn to protect yourself."
Zhen Yurao nodded vigorously, "Sister, I'll remember."
Then, Zhen Yurao added:
"When you go to see Empress Fucha, you must be very careful."
"It's my fault for dragging my sister into this; I was just afraid she would make things difficult for you."
"Don't worry, I'll be careful."
Zhen Huan comforted her, "You should go back to the palace and rest well. Getting your health back is the most important thing."
The two sisters chatted for a few more minutes before Zhen Huan got up to take her leave.
Zhen Yurao escorted Zhen Huan to the door, watching her departing figure, silently praying that her sister would have a smooth journey.
Cui Jinxi had been quietly waiting nearby.
Upon seeing Zhen Huan emerge, she hurried forward to greet her.
"Your Majesty, you've come out."
Cui Jinxi said softly.
Zhen Huan nodded slightly, then lowered her voice and instructed Cui Jinxi:
"Jinxi, go and make the arrangements. I need to see Wen Shichu as soon as possible."
Cui Jinxi understood immediately and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."