Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 194: Wrap It Up in One Go

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Wrap It Up in One Go

Lian Hua saw this and smiled happily. This was like the perfect ending in a storybook, how wonderful.

The Emperor turned back, touched her head, and tenderly said to her, "Nannan, I have some instructions for Zhang Qing. It’s cold here, and you’re carrying a child. Why don’t you go inside first?"

Lian Hua nodded, her eyes sparkling as she said to His Majesty, "My lord, please be quick. I’ll wait for you inside~" She wanted to kiss His Majesty, a big kiss; she could hardly wait!

The Emperor "ummed" in agreement, and only then did Lian Hua return inside, reassured.

The Emperor watched her tenderly as she entered, and once she had completely gone inside, he turned around, his expression shifting to one of indifference, and walked over to Zhang Qing.

Zhang Qing was startled and was about to kneel down again in trepidation.

The Emperor raised his hand to stop him, saying, "The words I spoke earlier were not in jest, but your oversight this time is no small matter and cannot be dismissed so lightly. From today, you will temporarily hold the position of Imperial Chief Steward. If any mishap occurs within a year, you will leave the palace to spend the remainder of your days in peace."

Zhang Qing heaved a sigh of relief, knelt down again, and expressed his gratitude. Although the punishment was more severe than what had been mentioned earlier, he felt more at ease now.

In the end, the Emperor left him with these words, "The one you should really thank is her, not me."

Zhang Qing was somewhat stunned. His Majesty’s words meant that it was indeed Master Lian who had changed his mind. Otherwise, even if he had knelt to death outside, his fate would hardly have been altered.

He hadn’t expected Master Lian to carry such weight. Her seemingly casual actions had substantially helped him.

With great gratitude in his heart, he sincerely kowtowed in the direction of the Side Hall, sincerely thanking Master Lian for her kindness.

...

Inside the prison of the Internal Guard Bureau.

A person hurried in, knelt on one knee upon seeing Cao De, and reported in a low voice.

After the report, Cao De narrowed his fox-like eyes, "Dead?"

"Yes, he drowned after accidentally falling into the river while drunk."

Cao De stroked his chin, finding the situation interesting. Was this how people covered up a murder these days?

What he had previously been uncertain of, he could now confirm: the news of Little Beauty’s pregnancy had indeed been leaked through Wang Jinfang, otherwise, Wang Jinfang wouldn’t have died.

The Imperial Censor’s impeachment was very likely linked to this leak, and the person behind it must have been in a hurry. They feared that a Prince from a non-family affiliated concubine entering the palace might actually be born, so they took the opportunity to preemptively accuse the pregnant concubines. That way, even if a Prince was born, he wouldn’t be able to inherit the throne due to his mother’s tarnished reputation, and instead would be burdened by it.

Cao De sneered. They were thinking too far ahead, weren’t they? Yuchi Zhao had no idea, and they didn’t know whether the child in Little Beauty’s belly was a boy or a girl, yet they dared to take such a risk, laying out this plot in advance out of sheer calculation. Unfortunately for them, things wouldn’t go as they wished.

Today, the Imperial Censor who impeached Little Beauty was surnamed Wu, a disciple of Liu Xianzhang, the former Libationer of the Imperial Academy, who had retired to his hometown many years ago and had long ceased to meddle in politics.

It was also discovered that Wu had secret dealings with Xue Ping, the Minister of Revenue. The matter couldn’t be separated from Xue Ping, but it was unclear whether it had anything to do with his daughter, Noble Consort Xue.

Cao De had already mostly uncovered the truth behind the Serpent incident at Canglan Court. Initially, these people were tight-lipped, but after one of them was forced to consume a live serpent, foaming at the mouth and convulsing in death throes, the others, pale-faced and fearful, confessed everything.

Little Beauty’s method was indeed quite effective, and more so than severe torture. It was just somewhat disgusting.

Those men were desperados, with no family or tie, no strings attached, which was exactly why their backstage manipulator valued them. With money, one could make the devil push a millstone. They were given a large sum of silver, agreeing to take the blame and die if the plot was exposed. If nothing came to light during the day, they would have already scampered off after their tasks, enjoying their freedom with the silver in hand.

It’s a joke, treating desperadoes as Dead Soldiers, a choice made in haste, out of necessity.

These useless ones, they appear fierce but are actually frail inside, the Imperial Guard Prison hadn’t even used all eighteen interrogation methods. Just one technique from Little Beauty, and they spilled everything. Even someone as naive and simple-minded as Little Beauty is tougher than them, tsk.

What a pity, trash really is trash, they haven’t even caught a glimpse of the mastermind behind the scenes. They dared to carry out such a big affair based solely on the words of a man called Seventh Master.

It’s uncertain whether this Seventh Master is eloquent, or if they are just foolish. They were given silver and told to disguise themselves as craftsmen, to place a few serpents near the servants’ quarters, that would be enough.

If they succeeded, no one would pursue the matter—it was just a servant, after all. And if they failed, they could escape easily. In the worst-case scenario, if they were truly caught, they could just bite down on a poison pill and die without any burden or guilt. With this reasoning, they actually believed and agreed?

Because of this, they were careless and lax, which is why they got caught in one fell swoop.

Cao De shook his head, lamenting how there seem to be more and more fools in the world, the moral fabric of society is really declining.

The pressing matter at hand is to find out who all Wang Jinfang revealed the news of Little Beauty’s pregnancy to, who in the former court and Harem is aware of it.

Furthermore, it’s essential to ascertain the origin of the Serpent in Canglan Court, through what channels the wood was acquired, and whose hands it passed through.

Like picking silk from cocoons, he would have to clarify each issue one by one, then follow the trail to find out who is behind it all.

There is surely a connection between these two matters; it’s all too coincidental for him not to be suspicious.

He beckoner with his hand, giving orders to the people below.

After everyone had left, Cao De sat down on the chair, closed his eyes in contemplation, and, after a moment, opened his eyes and called for Chen Wei, "You take a squad and bring me the nephew of Imperial Censor Wu of Beauty Lian who submitted the petition today. I will attend to him personally."

Almost forgot about such an individual, this man wanders the streets and alleys, bullies the weak but fears the strong. Imperial Censor Wu’s concubine was the Yangzhou skinny horse he had selected and offered to his uncle. Presumably, he also knows some matters regarding Imperial Censor Wu.

Now, with a ready-made reputation for bullying both men and women, it’s extremely convenient to simply arrest someone without anyone in court being able to submit a petition against it.

Once everything was arranged, Cao De left the Imperial Guard Prison, feeling a sticky discomfort all over his body, uneasy without a bath.

Tonight is bound to be a sleepless night. Waiting for all the various agents to return, there will be interrogations to conduct...

He must take a bath first, otherwise, it would be unbearable.

Canglan Court.

The Emperor had just finished reviewing the last memorial when he saw his Little Concubine sitting at the dressing table, propping up her cheek with her hand, resting on the vanity, her gaze fixed on him. He didn’t know how long she had been watching.

He lifted the corners of his mouth. Was there anything more enjoyable than discovering unintentionally that his Little Concubine had been watching him the whole time?

He felt a sense of vanity, his heart bloated with happiness. He smiled broadly at her, put away the memorial, stood up, but noticed that his Little Concubine’s gaze hadn’t followed him at all, nor had she reacted to his smile.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that his Little Concubine seemed to be lost in thought, her face turned this way, but her soul was wandering elsewhere.

How presumptuous of him, sigh...

The Emperor walked over to her helplessly and waved his hand in front of her eyes. Only then did she react.