Palace Fighting Naive Concubines’ Ascent to Power
Chapter 625 Analysis

Chapter 625: Chapter 625 Analysis

His Majesty possessed great talent and strategic foresight, the former court was much more important to him than the Harem, if he knew it was the master’s doing, then ...

At this point, Xue Changgui prudently stopped, he couldn’t possibly curse his own master to death, could he?

However, Xue Ping understood and felt there was some truth to it.

Neither in the former court nor in the Harem had he ever shown a hint or trace that could lead back to him.

The Emperor was a person of firm will, he had the deepest understanding; so many officials at court had accused Xu Hu and his daughter, wanting them dead, yet the Emperor turned a deaf ear, dragging the issue to the present.

For so many years, numerous ministers at court had urged the Emperor to expand the Harem to ensure the succession of the Imperial Heir, but none could persuade him, not even when Minister Xie took action.

This showed that if the Emperor really didn’t want to do something, no one could force him, which might even lead to their own downfall, weren’t they the ones who tried to push their daughters into the Harem?

At this point, he had an epiphany, "You’re right, but also not quite right. The spread of these messages, I’m afraid was permitted by His Majesty."

Xue Changgui was stunned, "What does the master mean by this?"

He couldn’t understand it at all.

Xue Ping smiled slightly, confidently saying, "The person harming Wanjun, intended for it to be known that Wanjun had harmed the Imperial Heir. His Majesty must have known about this beforehand. With His Majesty’s suspicious nature, and since Wanjun had never acted before, how could he fully believe that it was Wanjun’s doing? Therefore, he merely permitted the news to be spread but did not directly accuse Wanjun."

Just as Zhao Zhong had once compiled various proofs, alleging that Consort De plotted against the Imperial Heir, wasn’t the Emperor also skeptical?

Xue Changgui was even more confused, "Why would that be ..."

Xue Ping shook his head, "The Emperor’s mind is unfathomable, there are things even I cannot comprehend, but one thing is certain; His Majesty does not wish to deal with Wanjun, just as he initially didn’t wish to deal with Xu Hu and his daughter."

Xue Changgui fell into deep thought.

This point, Xue Ping was confident about, he said, "But it’s all for the sake of ’balance’ only. If Wanjun were dealt with, then only Consort De’s family would dominate the Harem, which His Majesty does not wish to see, just as he keeps Consort De to restrict Wanjun. Our His Majesty, he truly excels in the art of balance."

If the power of Civil Officials became too great, he would bring up those brash warriors to balance it.

The Emperor allowed the news to spread and also obscured the people behind the scenes, but that too was for the sake of balance, releasing the news early to make his preparations.

So the question arises, who is manipulating all this from behind?

Xue Ping thought with both confidence and a grim tone, the answer was unspoken: It was Consort Xu De, who would benefit the most after the Noble Consort’s fall!

Xue Changgui relaxed his expression, "The master has seen through their cunning, so now by following His Majesty’s will, if we push everything onto Xia Lei, the Consort will be safe, right ..."

Xue Ping waved his hand to interrupt and sighed, shaking his head, "It’s not as simple as you think; the situation is still not optimistic. Whether or not it was Wanjun’s doing, I fear His Majesty will still want an explanation, do you think plotting against the Imperial Heir could easily be overlooked?"

If the Imperial Heir were still here, then it would be okay, otherwise, the price to pay could be substantial ...

Xue Ping fell into worry, the Emperor’s words at the court meeting about strict punishment still ringing in his ears. Unless he gave up his daughter, if he wished to save her, someone must bear the Emperor’s wrath.

But he did not regret taking action; eliminating the Imperial Heir was most crucial, it’s just unfortunate that he couldn’t eliminate Xu Hu and his daughter as well.

He was determined to save Wanjun, the only person from the Xue Family in the Harem, holding the position of Noble Consort. Besides, Wanjun’s body, which had been hurt by a miscarriage in the past, had already healed.

Thinking of this, Xue Ping’s heart gradually warmed.

All connections in the Harem had been severed, and he could not discern the situation inside. Some things still remained unclear, but if he wanted to protect his daughter, he would have to pay a price, which he understood clearly.

He needed to think carefully about how to solve this matter with the smallest possible price...

Just as Xue Ping was deep in thought, the Steward of Xue Residence hurriedly rushed in, "Master, it’s terrible! A group of rowdy soldiers has gathered outside the mansion, blocking the gate and hurling insults as soon as they open their mouths, unable to be driven away!"

Xue Ping was stunned—who dared to insult people outside the Xue Residence?

He asked, "What are they insulting exactly?"

The Steward of Xue Residence looked troubled, stuttering as he replied.

Xue Ping, losing patience, glared and scolded him, prompting the Steward to finally speak without hesitation.

After he had finished, Xue Ping was so furious that he cursed loudly on the spot.

At the moment, he only thought that the group of Military Generals had acted on impulse, not knowing that this was just the beginning...

...

In those days, major events followed one after another in the Capital, creating a whirlwind of activities.

Yet, there was this one place, starkly different from the commotion surrounding it.

Under a pigsty in the Capital, unknown to anyone, hid a secret chamber.

Pigs were raised above, and a secret chamber was dug below it, with the stench of pig feces seeping into the suffocating chamber, creating a foul odor.

When the pigs above shifted, the noise could be heard below, but no sound from the chamber could escape.

The chamber was small, only three zhang in size, with extremely simple furnishings—a broken stool, a crude table with a dimly lit oil lamp on it, leaving no light from outside to penetrate, making it hard to distinguish between day and night, eerily quiet.

Not far from the table, there was a wooden bed with someone lying vaguely on it.

This person’s face was pale, his shoulder was bandaged with cloth, indicating an injury, and a tattered quilt covered him, with much of its cotton stuffing pulled out.

This person was none other than Guo Neng, who had escaped.

The secret chamber, dug years ago for tormenting and imprisoning others, was intended to dehumanize the imprisoned to something worse than pigs, shunned from both heaven and earth.

When he dug the chamber years ago, never had he imagined it would become today’s life-saving straw, helping him evade his pursuers and protect his life.

He lay weakly on the hard bed, his body sore with injuries, especially the burning pain in his shoulder, which made him sweat profusely.

That night, the carriage had dashed madly, and he, unprepared inside, severely hurt himself after several harsh impacts, notably fracturing his shoulder.

Later, pursued by the Men in Black, he suffered other injuries in his frantic escape.

Guo Shun had already set his fractured bones, but nowadays, external medicines were strictly regulated and hard to obtain; the dressing on his injury was also procured by Guo Shun after great effort.

The Men in Black were terrifying indeed. They even tried disguising themselves to escape through the city gates, but they were almost discovered before reaching the gates. Despite seeming lax, the gates were closely monitored, waiting only to trap them like bait in a net.

Furthermore, their portraits were displayed in all medical shops across the Capital, and the medicines for treating external injuries were all regulated.