Seizing the throne, abolishing the adopted son, the imperial concubine rose to prominence

"what happened?"

The emperor wondered.

"I just heard from Lady Wen that everyone in the palace is talking about what happened yesterday. They say you favored me and Zheng'er and ignored the Queen Mother's health. Should I have listened to the Queen yesterday..."

"Don't worry about these things. These people in the harem love to gossip."

The emperor's face darkened before he finished listening.

Seeing Gu Youning lowering his head and keeping silent, his hands subconsciously clenched the edge of his wide sleeves.

The emperor sighed, took Gu Youning's hand and held it in his palm: "Don't worry, I won't let Zheng'er go back to Ci'an Palace again."

Gu Youning looked up with joy, but soon lowered her eyes and said worriedly, "But if this matter gets spread too widely in the palace, I'm afraid the Queen Mother will embarrass you when she finds out. It's better to follow the Queen's wishes..."

When Gu Youning said this, his expression was extremely conflicted, as if he was really caught in a dilemma between the emperor and his son.

Gu Youning mentioned the queen twice in a few words, and the emperor suddenly felt dissatisfied with the queen and even a little suspicious.

There are many rumors in the harem, and as the queen, it is her responsibility to find a way to stop them.

"If I let Zheng'er go to Ci'an Palace again, you will cry to me again."

"emperor!"

Gu Youning pouted slightly, showing dissatisfaction and was about to shake off the emperor's hand.

"Okay, I said the wrong thing. Let's go to the back to see Zheng'er."

The emperor smiled and comforted her, but in his heart he was thinking about going to Fengyi Palace to visit the empress later.

The emperor stayed with the mother and son in the back hall for another quarter of an hour before leaving.

"Master, He'er is back."

After the emperor left, Tan Yin brought He'er in.

"I asked Xiao Anzi, and Xiao Yunzi died suddenly last night. The coroner said there were no signs of poisoning. It might be due to excessive torture, and Xiao Yunzi was too weak to withstand it."

"Eunuch He couldn't find any other suspicious points, so he had no choice but to punish the eunuchs who were in charge of the interrogation."

He'er reported.

"Is there an exact time of death?"

When the Queen took action, Gu Youning didn't expect to leave any obvious clues.

"It was within half an hour before being discovered."

He'er said.

Half an hour?

Gu Youning thought to himself that it would take two quarters of an hour for the imperial servants to go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to report to He Jin, and then He Jin would take people to the torture chamber. Moreover, more than a quarter of an hour had passed from the appearance of the pearl flower to Xiao Heng's order.

So, it was the Queen's people who went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to report the news in advance.

But later, when Cao Zhong checked the people entering and leaving Ci'an Palace, he found no one from Fengyi Palace.

As for Caifu, who was beside Concubine Zheng, she should have gone to the Imperial Hospital to arrange staff.

Gu Youning thought carefully about what happened last night and felt heavy in his heart.

The only people in the palace at that time were the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Concubine Zheng wanted to take advantage of the situation and planned to capture her and Gu Youxin in one fell swoop, except for the Empress.

If Xiao Yun'an's plan to murder Zheng'er was discovered by the Queen's people first, then the people in Fengyi Palace would indeed have the opportunity to take action in advance.

But if the queen knew nothing before her arrival, then the only people who could get the news as soon as possible that day and enter and leave Ci'an Palace without being suspected were the emperor's people.

The second guess shocked Gu Youning, and combined with Lady Wen's reminder just now, she felt a chill in her heart.

When she first entered the palace, she noticed that the emperor still trusted the queen very much, probably because the queen was not close to her aunt, but stood on the side of the emperor.

Therefore, if the queen wants to arrange someone to go to the imperial court, it is not impossible.

And if the emperor really had a confidant from Fengyi Palace, then in his previous life, he and Zheng'er were left alone in Changchun Palace...

When the emperor hurried over, the pain and regret in his eyes were real. Xiao Shengzi was arranged by Cao Zhong himself, and her Zheng'er had no one to treat him. Was it really that the emperor had no time to take care of her?

Gu Youning closed his eyes, and the miserable days of his previous life flashed through his mind one by one.

"master?"

Tan Yin called out worriedly from the side.

"Let the people in Ci'an Palace start the work tonight. Go and give instructions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs yourself."

Even if she continued to suspect the Queen, she couldn't do anything to her for the time being, but she could seek justice for Zheng'er from Xiao Yun'an.

"Yes, I will definitely take care of this matter."

Tan Yin responded.

……

Lady Wen was indeed efficient and brought the news to Gu Youning during dinner the next day.

"As you expected, it's really your stepmother who's causing trouble."

Lady Wen sat down with an angry look on her face.

"Is my mother in serious condition?"

Gu Youning asked anxiously.

"Madam Lan's food was poisoned with a debilitating poison, but because she was taking a hundred-year-old ginseng, it wasn't noticeable in her complexion."

"That hundred-year-old ginseng was sent by your stepmother."

"Luckily, you were alert and my mother left in time. Otherwise, in a few days, the poison would have entered her internal organs. Even if she could be saved, she would have needed medicine for the rest of her life."

Gu Youning clenched his fists after hearing this.

My mother would certainly be on guard against my stepmother, but the ginseng that my stepmother sent was not faulty. With this ginseng, my mother didn't notice that her health was deteriorating. By the time she realized it, she might have already died.

Gu Youning stood up and bowed to Lady Wen: "Thank you for saving my mother."

"What are you doing? Get up!"

"Your stepmother is from our Wen family. If you are so polite, I would like to apologize to you first."

Wen Meiren joked.

"Don't worry too much about Madam Lan's illness. The doctor said that as long as she takes the detoxification prescription and takes good care of herself, she will definitely get better."

Lady Wen suddenly remembered something when she said this, and took out a letter and handed it to Gu Youning: "I almost forgot, this is the letter that Madam Lan asked my mother to bring to you."

Gu Youning hurriedly took it and started reading it in front of Lady Wen.

In the letter, her mother not only comforted her but also asked her what to do next.

"Could you give me a copy of the doctor's prescription and pulse diagnosis?"

"It's not that I don't believe Mrs. Wen..."

"Okay, I'll have someone do it tomorrow."

Lady Wen agreed without waiting for Gu Youning to finish explaining.

"You don't have to explain. If my mother had been poisoned and nearly died, I would have been extremely cautious and would have consulted seventy or eighty doctors to confirm the matter."

"Thank you."

Gu Youning expressed gratitude.

"By the way, although your mother's matter is important, you should also pay attention to the rumors in the palace these past two days. My mother's letter said that many ministers in the court have petitioned the emperor not to favor you, a concubine."