Rong Fei is not honored

After much deliberation, Sumalagu asked, "Your Majesty, why do you always have a grudge against Consort Rong?"

While it's not impossible, the probability is low, and it's not something the Empress Dowager would bring up so specifically.

Moreover, the Empress Dowager always suspected Consort Rong with the utmost malice, and Su Mala Gu had never seen the Empress Dowager so stubborn before.

The Empress Dowager let out a soft sigh and said, "I always feel that this Lady Ma Jia is too sinister. Her aura is unsettling and reminds me of Lady Dong E."

Sumalagu was startled, but then relaxed. She looked around, making sure only she and the Empress Dowager were in the hall, and that the servants at the door dared not peek out, before lowering her voice to speak:

"Over the years, Consort Rong has never done anything out of line. Apart from her otherworldly appearance and her unexpectedly tolerant attitude towards other imperial heirs, she is no different from an ordinary person."

Beauty may be hard to find, but there are always people more beautiful than you, and Consort Rong was not the only exception.

As for the latter, haven't you always been a bit skeptical? Perhaps it's just as you think.

Even if it were true, it would just be a pure and innocent heart, and there are many like that in this world, only most of them are tainted by the filth and corruption of worldly life.

Now that Consort Rong has lost the emperor's favor and protection, it's uncertain how long she can maintain this.

Sumalagu continued:

"As for Dong Eshi, the princess back then, we all know that her background is suspicious. Over the years, the people we have found in private who are similar to her have all acted outrageously and eccentrically."

Even those one or two who do possess some extraordinary abilities, a bit of cleverness, and know how to hide themselves, lack any real cunning and will inevitably reveal their strangeness unintentionally.

If Consort Rong was really like Consort Dong'e, how could she not reveal any flaws for more than ten years?

Putting aside other things, even her own little maid, who was previously well hidden, couldn't resist turning against her own sister when faced with the opportunity to enter the palace.

"It's possible that the two of them had a fight over wealth and status, but Ma Jia was just a bit more cunning."

“You’re being a bit unreasonable. Didn’t we send people to investigate back then? Consort Rong was always ‘normal’ at home, she just wasn’t as lively after her head was injured.”

Even the wound that was initially diagnosed as likely to leave a scar has healed. We've verified that it was purely due to Consort Rong's good fortune; she was born with a constitution that doesn't easily leave scars.

After Sumalagu finished speaking with a smile, she then said seriously:

"Actually, even if Consort Rong has problems, they are insignificant. In the past, she had His Majesty's protection, but what about now? Are you afraid that you can't deal with her?"

That's why I've been advising you not to worry about Consort Rong all the time; it's really unnecessary.

On the contrary, the person behind this is the one we should be most worried about right now. There is such an enemy hidden in the palace, who was able to plot against you without your knowledge and succeed.

Even if it doesn't cripple you, it's disgusting enough.

What worried Su Ma La Gu the most was this person's identity. Could he be the Emperor?

Regardless of what the Empress Dowager had in mind before, she had never actually harmed the Emperor. Even though the relationship between the two gradually became distant, it never came to that point.

However, if it really is the Emperor, then the two sides would have completely broken off relations, and the Empress Dowager's later years would certainly not be peaceful.

However, if it weren't for the Emperor, it might not be good news for the Cining Palace either.

This proves that the other party's power in the palace is far greater than they imagined, and is extremely well hidden, even escaping the eyes of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

The worst outcome would be the death of the Empress Dowager's old enemies.

After Emperor Taizong's death, the harem became the domain of the Empress Dowager. During this period, the harem experienced various upheavals during the reigns of the late Emperor and the current Emperor, and was purged multiple times by the Empress Dowager. Yet, some people still managed to survive.

Since they were able to go this far, hiding people in the Shou Kang Palace as well, what about the Ci Ning Palace and the Qian Qing Palace? Could they also have their people there?

Could the conflict between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor over the years have also been the result of their deliberate scheming?

The Empress Dowager naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Su Mala Gu's words. She suppressed the unease that always arose whenever Consort Rong was mentioned and forced herself to deal with the thorny issue at hand first.

"Let's get our people moving."

Sumalagu knew that the Empress Dowager meant to prepare to activate the few nails buried very deep in the Cining Palace.

Although doing so carries the risk of exposing them all, they couldn't feel at ease until the immediate problem was resolved, so this was the only option they could take.

Yuan Xu, who was listening to this, was getting numb. She suddenly remembered a sentence she had seen a long time ago: The ancients were just ancient, not stupid.

Perhaps because of their superstition and ignorance, or their limited knowledge, they attribute all inexplicable things to gods and ghosts. But it is precisely because of this that they are extra vigilant, and the slightest disturbance or unusual occurrence can attract their attention.

No matter how much they try to hide it, people who grow up under the red flag always possess a unique quality.

It was like a group of people prostrating on the ground, with a few standing still. They showed no fear of imperial power, but curiously looked around, their expressions ranging from cautious to disdainful.

Ultimately, they are different. Just like many of Ji Nai's ideas over the years, Yuan Xu dared not agree with them, and Yuan Xu's bold ideas also made Ji Nai's heart tremble.

Fortunately, even though Ji Nai has the opportunity to be reborn, she is still essentially a person of this era. So even if there are changes, she is still Ma Jia Ji Nai, who was born in the Qing Dynasty.

Otherwise, the Empress Dowager, who had been paying attention to Lady Magiya so long ago, would never have left such a hidden danger.

"It's hard to say whether the Empress Dowager's current hostility towards you stems from her suspicion that you are also a heretic."

"I never imagined that even in death, your adopted sister could leave us with such a huge mess."

[Ha, you believed that?]

Yuan Xu felt a chill run down her spine and said in a panic, "You don't mean that the Empress Dowager has already discovered me, so she deliberately told me on purpose?"

A chill ran straight to the top of Yuan Xu's head, making her want to scream.

Oh, it's not that bad.

Yuan Xu breathed a sigh of relief and touched the goosebumps that had formed on her arms. In just a few breaths, her hair had stood on end.

Seriously, that's terrifying.

Have you ever considered that no matter how much of an empress dowager's right-hand woman Su Ma La Gu was, she was still an independent individual?

Even if the other party knew all their flaws and malice, they wouldn't want to reveal it openly and constantly in front of Su Ma La Gu; they would always try to embellish it.

Seeing Yuan Xu's suspicious look, Ji Nai smiled.