Chapter 23: The Person Behind the Scenes

The two entered the bedroom.

Lianrui, who had been on edge all day, couldn’t help but say in fear, “I heard about what happened in Jingxi Palace, it was so scary! Thankfully, the powdered medicine was destroyed, and the mistress is safe. Noble Consort Li framed the mistress, she’s so hateful!”

“She has someone behind her.” Ning Wanyin lowered her eyes, her gaze icy.

Lianrui was stunned, “Could it be Concubine Xue?”

It was common knowledge that Noble Consort Li was Concubine Xue’s pawn.

“It’s someone else.” Ning Wanyin shook her head.

Today’s situation was made possible by a very inconspicuous coincidence.

If Danli had been far away from Concubine Liu, Concubine Liu would have been fine.

During the greeting ceremony, they were arranged in two rows according to their rank, with the higher-ranking concubines on the left and right. The first row was made up of consorts, concubines, and noble ladies, while the second row was made up of beauties, noble consorts, and so on.

If Danli and Concubine Liu hadn’t been on the same side, and had been far apart, nothing would have happened today.

And the one who arranged the seating order for the concubines was Concubine Shu.

She had been in the palace for many years, it was no surprise that she knew about Concubine Liu’s pregnancy.

Moreover, she had the only crown prince, if a second prince appeared, her position would be the first to be shaken.

Concubine Shu was most likely the real mastermind behind this.

“Without any evidence, it’s all speculation, let’s not talk about it for now.” Ning Wanyin said.

Lianrui nodded, then worriedly said, “I don’t know who the spy is, why don’t you ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to change the staff?”

“That would be letting the person who framed me go. And even if we change the staff, there will still be spies, it’s better to investigate them one by one. For now, we can rule out Xiao Guizi, if he were a spy, he wouldn’t have rushed to find the doctor for his granddaughter.” Ning Wanyin said.

Doctor Sun’s granddaughter played a crucial role in saving Concubine Liu’s child.

Lianrui nodded, seemingly understanding, but hesitated, “Why did you help Concubine Liu, mistress? You don’t know her, and she might not even be grateful.”

“It’s not about helping her, it’s about disrupting the mastermind’s plan. The mastermind wants to harm me, how can I let her get her way?” Ning Wanyin’s thin lips curled up in a pleasant smile:

“I’m happy when my enemies are unhappy.”

“Of course, it’s just a try. Although I invited the female doctor, whether Concubine Liu can keep the child depends on her luck.”

Lianrui suddenly understood, and said, “Why did you choose Xiao Guizi to handle such an important task, mistress? He’s a fence-sitter who changes sides with the wind and is greedy for money! I don’t think he’s reliable, Xiao Yuanzi is honest and hardworking…”

Ning Wanyin shook her head slightly and smiled, “Lianrui, you and I have been together since we were young, but how can others be truly loyal to me?”

“They are here to serve, it’s normal for them to want some benefits. If a person is selfless and hardworking, either he is a saint, or his real master has already given him enough benefits.”

“The spy is sent by his master, lurking around me. He won’t leave Lingxue Pavilion on his own initiative, even if he thinks I’ve lost favor, he won’t jump around looking for a new job, but will wait for his master to arrange his next destination.”

Lianrui suddenly realized, “I understand, Xiao Guizi thought you had lost favor, he even bribed the steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs… He’s always looking out for himself, he’s serving himself, not others… No wonder you used him, mistress, you are indeed a good judge of character!”

“The most important thing is that it doesn’t matter whether this succeeds or not, if it succeeds…”

In the Emperor’s eyes, gaining another merit would be insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Ning Wanyin looked at Lianrui and said, “The truly important things, I won’t entrust to outsiders. When the guards came to search today, was anyone acting strange?”

Lianrui said dejectedly, “This servant was on high alert, secretly observing everyone’s expressions, everyone looked scared, I didn’t notice anything. This servant is incompetent.”

“Don’t blame yourself, someone who can do something that could cost them their head, hiding well is normal.” Ning Wanyin comforted her.

It’s not hard to hide for a short time, but once they take action, they will inevitably reveal themselves.

…

In Jingxi Palace.

Concubine Shu was playing with a string of prayer beads in her palm, but no matter how she chanted, she couldn’t suppress the anger in her heart. She slammed the prayer beads on the table, “Ning Wanyin, you ruined my plans!”

She had calculated the timing perfectly, waiting for the imperial physician to arrive from the Imperial Medical Bureau, Concubine Liu would surely not be saved.

But unexpectedly…

Doctor Sun’s granddaughter arrived so quickly.

“The powdered medicine was also disposed of… It seems she guessed that someone was pregnant, so… To spite me, she doesn’t mind having another child in the palace.” Concubine Shu’s expression was gloomy, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

Fortunately, the nail was still in place.

Ning Wanyin’s every move was under her nose, she could still make further arrangements.

Concubine Shu calmed down a little, and Pearl hurried in to report, “Your Highness, Noble Consort Li didn’t confess to anything, she was executed by the Emperor. The Emperor promoted Concubine Liu to Consort Shun, making her the mistress of Changchun Palace, and he also moved Wen the Noble Lady out.”

Concubine Shu’s newly calmed mood worsened. It was expected that Concubine Liu would be promoted to a consort, given her rank, but to move out all the concubines who lived with her?

The Emperor was really going all out to protect Liu’s child.

However, there are still ten months of pregnancy, a long time to go.

Just wait and see.

…

Changchun Palace, the main hall.

Consort Shun looked at the magnificent palace before her, she had never seen such luxurious furnishings.

She was one of the first to enter the Prince’s mansion, the Emperor had always been indifferent to her, it was good if he remembered her once every few months.

She was able to be promoted to a concubine only because when the Emperor ascended the throne, apart from those who had children, the other concubines were all granted titles according to the time they entered the mansion.

She was a concubine in name only.

She couldn’t compare to the former Consort Li, let alone the Emperor’s new favorite.

Consort Shun thought that she would be a concubine for the rest of her life, just living out her days.

Unexpectedly, after the Emperor came last time, her period was late, and she knew that her luck had changed!

She was afraid of losing the child, so she deliberately concealed it, planning to tell the Emperor after three months, when the pregnancy was stable.

But she didn’t manage to hide it…

Fortunately, it was a close call.

“Mistress, now you are a consort! Your hard times are finally over!” Chunque, her personal maid, was overjoyed.

Consort Shun came back to her senses, reached out to touch her still flat belly, happy but also worried, “Everyone knows too early, this might not be a good thing.”

As the two were talking, the eunuch announced, “His Majesty has arrived!”

Consort Shun was about to get out of bed, but the maid Chunque had already knelt down and said, “Greetings to Your Majesty, my mistress is unwell…”

“Consort Shun, you don’t need to get up, just lie down.” Helian Qi walked straight to her, looking at her and said, “You concealed your pregnancy, you failed to protect the dragon seed…”

With each word Helian Qi spoke, Consort Shun’s face turned paler.

Consort Shun stammered, “Your Majesty, this concubine… this concubine was just guessing, so…”

“You need to know that this is my child. If anything happens, you must tell me.” Helian Qi stared at her, paused, and said, “You’ve injured your body, from now on, you are to stay inside and avoid visitors, focus on nurturing the child, you are exempt from greeting the Empress Dowager. I will also tell the Empress Dowager and Concubine Shu that you are unwell and cannot see visitors.”

Consort Shun was stunned, and immediately realized. The Emperor was forbidding her from leaving the palace from now on!

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your protection!” A sense of gratitude arose in Consort Shun’s heart.

Seeing that she was a sensible woman, Helian Qi’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, “This is my child, of course I will care for him. You’ve worked hard during your pregnancy, if anything happens, don’t be afraid to disturb me, come and report it immediately.”

Consort Shun nodded repeatedly, her eyes red with excitement.