Chapter 136: The Struggle for the Throne
targeted by the blade as the Ripple Golden Elixir neared completion. The blade seemed to want to forcefully take possession of Ripple's dantian, but before it could even reach her, a loud "clang" ech...Her beauty and virtue shone like jade, yet she paled noticeably. As the Empress's closest maidservants, how could they have failed to notice her poisoning
"How could the physician not have diagnosed this I've sent the chief physician of Seong-Taek Hospital over."
Huìqì immediately got up and prepared to announce the news.
"Huiqi, you're too impetuous. Let me finish my words."
Liàn Yī chū shēng zhì zhǐ dào, suí jì qǐ shēn fǔ zhe Lán xīn de yàng bì, zuò le dao chuáng biān.
Having heard this, Huiqi finally stopped her steps. However, her brows remained furrowed as she followed the Empress's footsteps forward.
"Your Majesty, have you discovered something"
"As my personal maids, I'm sure you have your suspicions."
Ripple asked calmly.
With a look of understanding, the Orchid Heart and the Gentle Soul knelt before the ripples, their heads bowed to the ground as they trembled, "
“It is I who deserves to die! Thinking that the three princesses are all flesh and blood from the empress, they shouldn't do such a treasonous thing. So I occasionally leak some palace news to them to reassure them, but I never expected them to dare to poison the empress.”
The two of them had seen all kinds of power struggles (ya), and if the Empress fell gravely ill, it wouldn't be hard to guess who would benefit most in the end. They just couldn't figure out if it was the hand of one of the three princesses.
They've grown up and each has their own thoughts. You all don't want us, the mother and daughters, to be separated, but it's a pity that they used your caring hearts for this.
The ripples didn't blame the two female officials, after all, they revealed some mundane daily life unrelated to politics. However, these children took advantage of this and attacked her.
"Just now, please carefully inspect the incense burner and the spices inside. Also, check the ginseng soup sent by His Royal Highness. Don't alarm anyone. If you find anything amiss, arrange for your confidants to keep an eye on them and don't move them for now."
The ripples commanded directly.
Yes, Your Majesty!
"You go ahead and rest for a while. I'll stay here."
Ripples assigned the two a mission and sent them off to handle it.
Despite her refined nature and gentle heart, she still served Lian Yi by lying down. Only then did she quietly and gracefully withdraw from the sleeping quarters.
"Phoenix Head!"
Ripples lay on the bed, two words tumbling from her mouth.
At this moment, a female dark guard in black lightly landed before Lian Yi's bed, kneeling on one knee and whispering,
"My subordinates are to blame! But I found no trace of their poisoning."
"Everything in the world is born and destroyed, they brought two completely harmless things, letting them enter my body one after another. This is something even a skilled doctor wouldn't notice immediately. Your strength doesn't lie here, it's inevitable that you would overlook it."
What needs to be done by the subordinates
"Send someone to keep an eye on the three princesses' residences. I need to know everything that happens there, big or small."
"Yes, sir, I'll arrange it right away."
Also, check on the guards I assigned to the eldest and second princesses. Have they all pledged their loyalty to their new masters
"Understood. What if they're already on the princess's side"
The phoenix lowered its head and asked.
Then they must be prepared to accept the consequences of their choices.
Without even opening her eyes, Lian said directly.
Feng Shou was startled. The Empress had clearly given up on those guards.
Do not try to warn them. If you alert them, and ruin my entire plan, I will hold you responsible!
"I dare not!"
Feng Shou immediately said, her thoughts and concerns were clear to the Empress.
After a while, the Empress remained silent. The phoenix head then quietly withdrew from the sleeping quarters.
Once it was confirmed that no one else remained in the sleeping chamber, Lianyi finally reopened her eyes, a flash of cold light passing through them.
As the Empress of Fenming Country, she had no outstanding achievements and never made any major mistakes in state affairs. She diligently guarded the territory established by her ancestors. However, things went wrong with her heir.
She had three imperial daughters. The eldest was born to her before she ascended the throne, with her former husband, a prince consort. After she rose to power in a stunning upset, the Empress Dowager worried that she lacked powerful support from her family. So, she arranged for her current husband, and demoted her former husband to a mere attendant, thus missing out on the position of imperial consort.
When she first took power, she was constrained at every turn. There was no other way, and with the Empress Dowager personally issuing a decree, she had to grit her teeth and accept it. But as compensation, she elevated the original emperor's consort to the position of chief consort among the four attendants. Before the second princess was born, she also showed special favor to the eldest princess.
The newly arrived emperor understood that without an heir, he couldn't solidify his position beside the new empress. Moreover, the empress and Rong Shijun shared a bond far deeper than his own, as he was a late addition to their world. Therefore, he consciously differentiated himself from Rong Shijun, showcasing his magnanimity and treating the empress's existing court members with kindness.
After he became the emperor's consort for a year, the empress became pregnant, and it was confirmed that the child was his. Only then did he feel at ease. In the anticipation of the masses, the second princess was born. Naturally, the emperor's consort held her close and raised her by his side. From then on, he also had someone to rely on.
The father of the Third Princess was a lowly attendant. He had no powerful family behind him; he only gained the favor of the Empress, which resulted in the birth of the Third Princess. After the princess came of age, the Empress promoted the attendant to the position of the last wise attendant among the Four Attendants.
The original owner was rather restrained and did not indulge in love affairs. Having three heirs, she decided against having more children. However, as the princesses grew older, there was growing tension between the eldest and second princess. They engaged in constant underhanded rivalry, each with their own supporters.
The older generation in the palace all support the elder princess, believing she is the rightful eldest daughter. The second princess only holds the position of a legitimate daughter because of the Empress Dowager's decree. It is only with her husband's backing that she can compete with the elder princess.
Meanwhile, some new officials supported the second imperial princess. After all, she was the empress dowager's designated husband, so her daughter was naturally the legitimate heir and qualified to inherit the throne. The first imperial princess's family wasn't powerful enough to give her much support.
Thus, the seeds of discord were sown. The two sides engaged in a bitter rivalry, neither willing to yield. The original owner, unwilling to see his blood shed, tried desperately to maintain balance between them. Unfortunately, as they grew older, both princesses lost their patience and eventually attacked the empress.
These two were not stupid. They knew that if their biological mother died suddenly, it would surely arouse suspicion from the royal relatives. So the two of them gave the original body a chronic, non-toxic medicine separately, intending to make the original body feel unwell and without the energy to handle state affairs, thus ceding power to them.
Unfortunately, these two chronic non-toxic medicines, when combined, created a new chronic poison that began to eat away at the original body. The imperial physician did not notice this at first, and by the time it was discovered in the later stages, it was too late to recover.
When the original body learned the cause of his physical deterioration, he was furious and immediately threw both of them into prison. He also dealt with their entire clan.as right to do what he did."Well, father agrees with that. However, this whole process took time and cost eighteen taels of silver because we had to rush it."Zhang Cheng spoke in a low voice."It was w...