Chapter 1293 - Weird, Could There Be a Reversal
Chapter 1293 Weird, Could There Be a Reversal
“Nanny Wei, you are in such a hurry. Why?” The chief supervisor talked about something else. After a glance at her, he smiled and asked.
Nanny Wei paused subconsciously but pretended to be calm. “Her Majesty was worried about Princess Chen. I walked faster because I was anxious to learn about her condition. Fortunately, she is not seriously injured. Otherwise, it would be hard for me to report it to Her Majesty!”
Nanny Wei put her palms together devoutly as she spoke. She seemed grateful that Princess Chen was lucky enough to have had a narrow escape.
“Not seriously injured?” The chief supervisor smiled and said, “Well, you don’t need to report it!”
“Why?” Nanny Wei was stunned. She put down her hands and had a bad feeling in her heart.
“It happens that Prince Chen has gone to the Palace today. At this time, he must have seen the Empress Dowager. He knows the best about Her Highness’s injury condition,” the chief supervisor said, smiling broadly.
“Has Prince Chen gone to the Palace of Benevolent Peace?” Nanny Wei asked, and her face drastically changed.
“He should have gone there. Before entering the Palace today, my master said he wanted to see the Empress Dowager!” The chief supervisor said.
“Since you are here to watch over Princess Chen, I will return to serve the Empress Dowager in the Palace!” Nanny Wei planned to leave. She snickered nervously, bowed to the chief supervisor, and hurriedly left.
The chief supervisor watched Nanny Wei retreat in a hurry. His smile faded away, and his mouth twisted in a contemptuous sneer. They both served in the Palace and were their masters’ trusted subordinates. Whoever obtained their high positions must be clever in dealing with people. Though they just exchanged a few words, they got a lot of information.
“Chief supervisor, Her Highness invites you in!” Qiu’er came out and bowed to him.
The chief supervisor nodded and asked two servants to guard outside. He followed Qiu’er into the main room.
A screen was placed before Shao Wanru’s bed, which completely blocked her bed, and the chief supervisor answered from outside the screen.
“Has Nanny Wei left?” After the chief supervisor bowed, Shao Wanru asked him to sit down and asked slowly.
“Yes!” The chief supervisor nodded. He came in time because Shao Wanru specially invited him over.
“Nanny Wei is a little strange. Do you think so?” Shao Wanru asked. Since she was not seriously injured, she sat up again and lay on the bed.
“She didn’t want my master to tell the Empress Dowager the truth about you. Besides, she deliberately said you were lucky to escape with minor injuries. This matter seems to have involved Ruiping Great Elder Princess.” The chief supervisor analyzed.
Shao Wanru nodded with genuine admiration for the chief supervisor. Sure enough, he had become a capable general steward in the Palace. Even if he didn’t hear what Nanny Wei said to her, he could make a close guess.
“Nanny Wei came here to plead for Ruiping Great Elder Princess and asked me to help her. I heard Ruiping Great Elder Princess had knelt before the Imperial Study, but the Emperor hasn’t yet responded to her,” Shao Wanru said. She was not very clear about affairs in the Palace, so she especially mentioned this matter and asked the chief supervisor’s opinion.
In the mansion, the chief supervisor was the most suitable person to handle this.
“Nanny Wei asked you to help Ruiping Great Elder Princess beg for mercy in the Imperial Study?” Although Shao Wanru didn’t say much, every word she said was crucial. At once, the chief supervisor understood what these words meant. His face darkened as he concluded.
“I think so,” said Shao Wanru.
“You can’t go!” The chief supervisor blurted out without thinking.
“Why?” Shao Wanru asked with her long eyelashes fluttering. What she had thought of might not be what the chief supervisor had in mind. There should be something different.
“Your Highness, you can’t plead for Ruiping Great Elder Princess. There are two reasons. One is that my master is now in charge of this case. If you intervene at this time, the Emperor will be embarrassed. He has been in poor health, so the attitude he reveals is critical!”
This idea also occurred to Shao Wanru. At this time, she couldn’t hold Chu Liuchen back. She nodded and said, “Then, what’s the second reason?”
“Prince Zhou has an accident, and only Prince Yue and my master have an untarnished reputation. At this time, we should be more careful in everything. Infanta Yuan’an schemed against you behind the scenes, and you are the victim. But if you enter the Palace to help Ruiping Great Elder Princess, the situation will be reversed. You may become the person who framed others. At that time, no one will intercede for you!”
The chief supervisor said seriously.
Her words aroused Shao Wanru’s interest. “How could such a situation be overturned?”
“Your Highness, everything can be changed before the final conclusion is reached!” The chief supervisor said, “Especially in the Palace, there are all kinds of possibilities.”
Shao Wanru surely could understand his clear warning out of good intentions. Right away, she nodded. “Rest assured. I will be careful. What do you think they will do?”
“Ruiping Great Elder Princess might also be sacrificed. If anything happens when she is kneeling there…” The chief supervisor thought it over and said.
“You mean Ruiping Great Elder Princess will have an accident?” Shao Wanru straightened up and said, “But she has such a noble and high status. How could it be possible?”
“Why not? Do you remember where Infanta Yuan’an got the Changxing Grass? She is in a coma and on the verge of death. No one will know who has the Changxing Grass without her confession,” the chief supervisor said.
Shao Wanru fell silent with cold sweat on her back because she realized she hadn’t considered everything carefully. She didn’t want to hinder Chu Liuchen, but it had never occurred to her that the situation could be reversed. The most important thing was that Infanta Yuan’an was in a coma. At this time, everything was possible.
Ruiping Great Elder Princess might try to frame her with her life. In addition, some other evidence against her might be dug out in Infanta Yuan’an’s place. Most critically, her injury was not serious. With all the evidence, she would look very suspicious. Even Princess Yue and Princess Zhou were involved. As Princess Chen, why couldn’t she design and put on a show?
If she helped Ruiping Great Elder Princess, others might think she did it with a guilty conscience. Later, if something happened to Ruiping Great Elder Princess… In other people’s eyes, it must be Princess Chen who hurt Ruiping Great Elder Princess. It was because Ruiping Great Elder Princess held evidence against her. Afterward, more evidence would be “discovered” in the place of Infanta Yuan’an, who was still in a coma.
If that were the case, Shao Wanru would come to a dead end.
Tightly clenching a corner of the quilt, Shao Wanru said with a frosty look, “Chief supervisor, if such a thing happens, who will benefit from it?”
Thinking of what Nanny Wei had said and done just now, Shao Wanru knew such a thing was very likely to happen.
“If such a thing happens, the Ruiping Great Elder Princess’ Mansion will benefit the most. Of course, there might be other people who gain benefits in the confused situation!” The chief supervisor said in a deep voice.
This time, Shao Wanru didn’t make a detailed inquiry. After thinking for a while, she ordered, “Dong’er, catch up with Nanny Wei and tell her I’ll go and help Ruiping Great Elder Princess ask for mercy before the Imperial Study.”
“Yes!” Though Dong’er didn’t know what Shao Wanru meant, she still went out immediately. She walked fast. With Shao Wanru’s order, she would certainly speed up to catch up with Nanny Wei.
“What do you mean, Your Highness?” asked the chief supervisor.
“Since Ruiping Great Elder Princess is waiting for me to go there, I should let them know I will be there. Otherwise, they won’t go on with their plans!” Shao Wanru said coldly. Since some people were plotting against her, she might as well use this opportunity to gain her end.
“Do you mean to induce the evildoers to expose themselves?” The chief supervisor pondered over it and immediately understood what Shao Wanru meant. He nodded repeatedly and said, “This strategy is feasible. Since Ruiping Great Elder Princess wants to frame you by putting herself in danger, she must have made preparations in advance. They won’t take the next step if you refuse to go there.”
Ruiping Great Elder Princess certainly wouldn’t die for no reason. There must be a process prepared long before Shao Wanru went over. But it depended on what Shao Wanru would do next.
“Who do you think is most likely to have the Changxing Grass?” Shao Wanru nodded and asked.
“Princess Yuyan! I think she is most likely to do it,” the chief supervisor said bluntly, without hiding anything about this matter. His master’s meaning was evident, and Princess Chen was bright and capable. Thus, the chief supervisor felt entirely at ease to tell Princess Chen this secret.
“What does Princess Yuyan want to do?” Shao Wanru spoke in a low mumble as if to herself. She didn’t seem to ask the chief supervisor but was more like asking herself. Her eyes were cold. After thinking for a while, she said, “Chief supervisor, thank you for this. Please go back!”
The chief supervisor would have to deal with a lot of affairs in the outer court. Thus, Shao Wanru did not ask him to stay any longer.
The chief supervisor nodded and stood up to leave.
Shao Wanru relaxed, leaning back on the soft, high pillow behind her. Carefully, she checked the possibility of the whole matter, according to the chief supervisor’s analysis.
Princess Yuyan, most likely, it was her. But what about Chu Qing behind her? Chu Qing had never been simple-minded. She had seen and thought of many things done by him. In addition, she remembered everything that had happened in the Yuhui Nunnery. All the clues seemed to have something to do with Chu Qing. Could it be possible that Chu Qing was…
“My Lady, I’m back!” Dong’er came back and reported to her, interrupting her meditation.
“Have you caught up with Nanny Wei?” Shao Wanru came back to her senses and asked.
“Yes. Nanny Wei has entered the Palace. She also walked very fast!” Dong’er said.
“What did she say? How did she react?” Shao Wanru asked.
“Nanny Wei was very delighted when hearing you would go there. She kept praising you for being kind-hearted. Also, she asked when you would come over. I thought about it and told her you would arrive in about two hours. Then, Nanny Wei said she had something to do and hurriedly left. She walked as fast as before!” Dong’er emphasized Nanny Wei’s state.
Princess Chen had made it clear that she would not go. Dong’er just went there to pass on a message and was smart enough to say the approximate time her master might come. But whatever she said, Princess Chen would cancel the arrangement.
Shao Wanru showed a smile on her face. She had never been a person who would resign herself to fate. Princess Yuyan should be the next one. She married Commandery Prince Qing to maintain a peaceful relationship between the two countries. But she must have had a hard time in the Commandery Prince Qing’s Mansion…
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Chapter 1294 Great Elder Princess Venture Her Fortune on a Single Move
Ruiping Great Elder Princess knelt on the ground for a long time. Her legs went numb, and her forehead was dripping sweat. But even so, she still gritted her teeth and endured it. She had to stick at it. Many people in her mansion were nervously waiting for the Emperor’s order.
She hated her granddaughter, Infanta Yuan’an. If she had known she was such a disappointing granddaughter, she would not have tried her best to promote her.
Except for Infanta Yuan’an, she had a lot of grandsons and granddaughters. She was reluctant to sacrifice everyone for her. But now, she could do nothing but scold Infanta Yuan’an for being a useless idiot.
Infanta Yuan’an was her eldest legitimate granddaughter, the most steady one. Therefore, she entered the Palace and asked for a reward for her. That was how Infanta Yuan’an got her title. By improving her status, Ruiping Great Elder Princess intended to let her marry the crown prince of the Eastern Palace in the future. However, it was a pity that the Emperor had not appointed a crown prince yet. In the end, she could only choose Prince Zhou.
The position of the Empress was relatively secure, and Prince Zhou was most likely to be the crown prince.
Unexpectedly, Prince Zhou was imprisoned overnight. From then on, he could never be the crown prince. Instead, he became an imprisoned criminal who could only keep his life.
Infanta Yuan’an got herself into trouble overnight and implicated her grandma. Ruiping Great Elder Princess was overcome with regret. Now she was forced to save herself.
A young palace maid sneaked over and seemed to pass by. But when she walked past Ruiping Great Elder Princess, she whispered, “She will come in two hours!”
Ruiping Great Elder Princess could hardly hold on. Instantly, this short sentence lifted her spirits. She let out a long breath with a trace of sharpness across her eyes. How could she not be arrogant as a noble Great Elder Princess? When cornered, she would not let others have an easy time.
Infanta Yuan’an fell into such a miserable situation because of her deficient plan and Shao Wanru. Without Shao Wanru, Yuan’an wouldn’t have been like this.
Ruiping Great Elder Princess clenched her teeth in bitter hatred. Lowering her head, she carefully took out a pill from the pocket in her sleeve and swallowed it. The pill needed some time to take effect, and its impact should last about four hours. She was no longer in a hurry now, for she had to wait for Shao Wanru to come over.
With sweat dripping from her face, she became overly frail now. She looked up at the Imperial Study glittering with gold in the sunlight before her. Everything seemed to be in the clouds, and she was falling from the clouds. When Shao Wanru arrived, Ruiping Great Elder Princess thought she could first ask her for a glass of water.
Even if it was not Shao Wanru, she could let Shao Wanru’s servant girl do it. Then if something happened to her, it would be Shao Wanru’s problem. As long as she calculated the time correctly, she would not die, and no misfortune would happen to her mansion.
She was waiting… waiting for Shao Wanru to come.
Since her legs were numb, she could feel nothing but the dull pain. However, no more news came from the Imperial Study. The Emperor seemed to have determined not to forgive her. The corners of her eyes trembled slightly, but Ruiping Great Elder Princess calmly accepted the consequences. At present, her main task was to wait for Shao Wanru.
But it had been a long time. Why hadn’t Shao Wanru come yet? Ruiping Great Elder Princess raised her numb head and looked behind her. Every once in a while, she would check if Shao Wanru was coming. But until now, she couldn’t see her anywhere. Hardly could she hang on there any longer.
A few blurry figures flashed across the corners of her eyes. It seemed that someone in the Palace was coming. But Ruiping Great Elder Princess didn’t know if it was Shao Wanru. All of a sudden, a trace of enlightenment flashed in her eyes. “What if Shao Wanru chooses not to come?”
As this idea came across her mind, Ruiping Great Elder Princess blacked out and collapsed. Hearing someone cry in fear near her, she wanted to open her eyes but failed to lift her heavy eyelids…
“Ruiping Great Elder Princess had an accident?” Shao Wanru remained calm when receiving the news, slightly rolling her watery but indifferent eyes.
She would never be soft-hearted and feel sorry for those who framed her.
These people had to bear the consequences of their evil deeds.
“She was said to be poisoned!” Chu Liuchen said carelessly. He brought the news to her. Taking the towel handed over by Xiao Xuanzi, he wiped his face and threw it back to him.
Xiao Xuanzi and the other servant girls left.
“You got the news in the Empress Dowager’s place?” Shao Wanru said with a smile. Because she was lying in bed, she let her hair down. Against her dark hair, her little face appeared as white as snow and her rosy lips bewitching. What a beauty of considerable charm!
Chu Liuchen walked over, picked her up with the quilt, and moved her inside. Then he strode forward and lazily leaned against Shao Wanru.
“How is Nanny Wei?” Shao Wanru asked with a cold smile. She would have had to take the blame if she had gone there.
“Nanny Wei wanted to leave but had to stay to serve my Imperial Grandmother,” Chu Liuchen smiled. With tenderness, he touched Shao Wanru’s head and his forehead. When he ensured that Shao Wanru’s forehead temperature was normal, he smiled with satisfaction. Back then, what happened to Nanny Wei in the mansion was immediately reported to him.
As soon as Nanny Wei arrived at Empress Dowager’s place, she was so occupied with tasks assigned by Chu Liuchen that she had no time to go out.
“Why would Imperial Grandmother ask me to plead for Ruiping Great Elder Princess?” Shao Wanru came closer and took the initiative to lean on his outstretched arms. She raised her watery eyes, which were instantly filled with Chu Liuchen’s figure.
Her eyes looked clear and pure!
“She heard you were fine and could get up. Besides, Uncle the Emperor hadn’t yet made the final decision. It was said that you were seriously injured and almost had a severe accident, so he must punish Ruiping Great Elder Princess. Imperial Grandmother knew you were fine, and Ruiping Great Elder Princess begged her in tears. Thus, she asked you to go there and help to plead for mercy. What happened to Infanta Yuan’an had nothing to do with Ruiping Great Elder Princess.”
Chu Liuchen sarcastically raised the corners of his mouth but didn’t want Shao Wanru to see his malicious and insidious eyes.
Ruiping Great Elder Princess might not have participated in the scheme, but that was clearly not the case now. How dare she plot against Zhuozhuo with her life? Then, he would no longer show mercy to the Ruiping Great Elder Princess’ Mansion.
Shao Wanru didn’t see the darkness in his eyes. She just played with the warm jade hanging on his waist and rubbed against it with her fingers, saying, “Who spread the news to the Empress Dowager? Nanny Wei?”
“She was not alone in this.” Chu Liuchen shook his head. “Sometimes, Imperial Grandmother would follow Nanny Wei’s advice. But she would not be so obedient. There must be someone else.”
“When I get better, I’ll see her in the Palace!” Shao Wanru held his jade pendant and said. It was not good for Chu Liuchen to interfere too much in the things of the Palace, especially those about the imperial harem. Moreover, Chu Liuchen had to deal with these external affairs when the Emperor was seriously ill. At this time, he could not make any mistakes.
After saying that, she cutely pulled at his jade pendant, not wanting to be refused.
Chu Liuchen looked down at her adorable appearance, and his heart softened. He lowered his head and gently kissed her on the forehead. “Okay, it’s up to you, but you must stay safe. If you can’t guarantee that, I won’t let you go to the Palace and will keep you in the mansion. I will deal with everything outside.”
“I’ll be careful. See? I’ve been wearing the bracelet you gave me all the time. There are Qiu’er and Dong’er. I’ll take them with me when I go out!” Shao Wanru blinked her liquid eyes and said, looking at him expectantly. She shook the bracelet around her wrist and casually showed Chu Liuchen the sapphire on it, reminding him this bracelet was different from ordinary ones.
Chu Liuchen couldn’t help laughing and nodded helplessly. He knew she had always been stubborn and intelligent. She went this far because of his support behind the scenes and her efforts. Therefore, he must have faith in her.
“If you meet any tricky problem, don’t force yourself to do anything. I’m with you all the way! I can do anything for you!” Though he thought so in his heart, Chu Liuchen was still worried and couldn’t help reminding her. He reached out and hugged her tightly. “Take care of yourself first. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“I know!” Shao Wanru obediently buried herself in his arms and nodded in agreement.
Chu Liuchen gently patted her on the back and coaxed her into napping. Qiu’er, who had been serving her, said that Shao Wanru had not slept well since Nanny Wei came over. She had been lying in bed and brooding over things.
He deftly patted Shao Wanru’s back with appropriate strength to put her to sleep. He did an excellent job because he had done this many times. His long eyelashes lowered as he quietly looked down at the meek, mild woman in his arms. She was his only wife, the priceless treasure in his heart. How audacious were those people to hurt her? Suddenly, his eyes turned dark and bloodthirsty. Essentially, he was still his old self in darkness…
Ruiping Great Elder Princess suddenly fainted and was carried straight to the Imperial Institute of Medicine. Seeing her appearance, doctors immediately concluded that Ruiping Great Elder Princess had been poisoned!
She had been fine when kneeling there. How could she suddenly be poisoned? It didn’t seem Ruiping Great Elder Princess was poisoned when she left the mansion. She had knelt before the Imperial Study for a few hours. She couldn’t have been poisoned when she came out of the mansion. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have knelt with the poison in her body for such a long time.
Then who had come into contact with Ruiping Great Elder Princess in this process?
All the people who passed by Ruiping Great Elder Princess were investigated, but whatever method was used, it was unknown who poisoned Ruiping Great Elder Princess when she knelt there.
Ruiping Great Elder Princess was in a delicate condition. She was in a coma, and the imperial physician had detoxified her. Because it was a slow poison, her life was left at the mercy of fate.
A Great Elder Princess was poisoned in the Palace. The news made everyone in the Palace uneasy. If Ruiping Great Elder Princess could be poisoned, others might also be poisoned silently without them noticing it. Thinking of this, all the people in the imperial Palace panicked. Many masters became very cautious and did not dare to eat the food sent from the imperial kitchen for fear of being poisoned…
In the evening, a figure sneaked out of the Palace of Benevolent Peace and got into an empty palace like a thief in the night…