Rebirth: Find a General as Your Backer

After the morning court session, the emperor specifically kept the Minister of Rites behind, wanting to hear his opinion on the matter. The emperor thought to himself that the Minister of Rites was meticulous and perhaps could offer a different perspective.

......

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

"Are you really sure?" The Empress's voice was sterner than ever before, each word deliberate and forceful, as if each syllable could leave a dent.

"Your Highness, I swear on the future of the Prince Rui's Mansion that I am not lying."

Su Lianxue's expression was firm, her gaze fixed on the Empress, her tone resolute.

At this moment, only the Empress's trusted confidantes were in the room. The nanny who served the Empress instantly turned extremely pale and softly called out, "Your Majesty..."

Su Lianxue slowly withdrew her hand from the Empress's wrist, her face full of regret. "It's just a real pity that Your Majesty's poisoning is so severe that with my current medical skills, I am powerless to cure it."

The Empress frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then ordered, "Someone, go and invite Doctor Lin from Daji Hall into the palace. Tell him that Princess Rui's headache has flared up and she needs his treatment."

She did not choose the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, who usually took her pulse, but instead chose the highly respected Dr. Lin from the common people.

The Empress was secretly furious. She never imagined that the bracelet she cherished so much would harbor such malice.

She still remembered that in order to give birth to a prince, she tried every possible method, even risking her life to try various folk remedies, for which she was reprimanded by the emperor for going mad.

As the empress, she should have been a model of virtue for the nation, but she was constantly harassed and bullied by Consort Yao. Her resentment grew day by day, and how could she endure it?

Openly and secretly, she clashed with the Imperial Concubine countless times, employing all sorts of tactics.

Especially after the imperial concubine gave birth to a prince, she tossed and turned every night, unable to sleep, her heart filled with anxiety and resentment.

Later, she went to the temple to pray to Buddha and received this bracelet. From then on, she was able to sleep soundly every night. She only thought it was Buddha's blessing, but she never thought there was a hidden story behind it.

As the empress, she knew that people in the palace were unpredictable, so she summoned Imperial Physician Wang, who was not yet the head of the academy, and asked him to carefully examine the bracelet to see if there was anything wrong with it.

Physician Wang lived up to expectations, uncovering many of the palace's unspeakable secrets for the Empress. As a result, he gradually gained the Empress's trust and rose through the ranks to become the head of the Imperial Medical Academy.

This bracelet had always been declared by Physician Wang to be a rare and valuable item, and the Empress trusted him completely. However, she never expected to discover today that it was this bracelet that had caused her to be unable to have children. How could she not hate it?

In fact, Su Lianxue had already secretly begun investigating the reason why the Empress had been unable to conceive for many years.

After all, the Empress's family was very powerful, and the Empress herself had always longed to have more children.

Su Lianxue often went to the palace to accompany the Empress. She noticed that although the Empress often changed her jewelry, she was particularly fond of that bracelet and never took it off.

This aroused her suspicion, so she secretly inquired with Eunuch Lu in the palace. When she found an opportunity to get close to the bracelet, she smelled a faint musky scent. At this point, the whole truth came to light.

Today, she pretended to have a terrible headache, fainted, and "accidentally" broke the Empress's bracelet.

The Empress was furious and threatened to severely punish Princess Rui, but it was all just a show put on by the two of them for outsiders. With the help of Eunuch Lu, Su Lianxue had already secretly told the Empress the secret of the bracelet. Today's commotion was just to cover up their scheme.

At this moment, inside Linghua Palace, Consort Yao was extremely anxious. She knew all too well the origin and purpose of that bracelet!

She gently raised her hand and dismissed everyone in the hall, leaving only her trusted nanny behind.

The old woman moved gracefully to her side, gently rubbing her mistress's temples as she softly comforted her, "Your Highness, please put your mind at ease and do not do anything unusual. So many years have passed, and many clues have long since vanished without a trace."

She sighed softly. Having been immersed in the inner palace for so many years, how could she not understand?

Clues are easy to create if you put your mind to it. But now that the die is cast, and since she and the Empress have always been at odds, she can only grit her teeth and refuse to give in.

After all, the Empress had no children, while she had princes by her side, which was her greatest source of confidence.

Thinking of this, her eyes suddenly sharpened, as if they could see through all the conspiracies and schemes behind the palace walls.

Having a prince by one's side is like holding the most solid bargaining chip, far more important than any treasure in the palace.

"Your Majesty, I heard at the morning court session that the Minister of War spoke a few good words for the Third Prince to His Majesty."

Seeing that her mistress's expression had softened, the nanny took the opportunity to bring up the matter of the morning court session, trying to divert her attention.

She nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes: "He is indeed a clever man. The marriage between Yu'er and his young master should be settled as soon as possible." With these words, the Imperial Concubine had already made up her mind.

The situation is now complicated. If her son wants to gain a foothold in this treacherous court struggle, he must win over more powerful figures and win their support.

Thinking of this, she recalled her previous arrangement: she had sent a message to the eldest prince's mother, instructing the eldest prince to serve her son, hoping that everything would go as she wished.

If someone is disobedient, we must find a way to deal with them; now is not the time to be soft-hearted!

A biting wind howled past, and large, fluffy snowflakes fell in abundance, soon turning the entire palace garden into a silvery-white world.

At this moment, Ling Shuqing was quietly accompanying the Second Princess Chu Moyu in her bedroom.

The atmosphere inside the hall was somewhat oppressive. Chu Moyu's face was full of resentment. She finally couldn't help but complain, "Everyone is forcing me to marry your brother, but don't you all know what kind of person your brother is?"

Ling Shuqing listened quietly, her lips slightly pursed, unsure how to respond.

She knew her brother's character perfectly well, but what could she do?

In this court where power is intertwined, doesn't her brother also need his father's support?

But she didn't say these words aloud. She knew Chu Moyu's temper too well; saying them now would only make her angrier.

"Is all of this really fate?" Ling Shuqing lowered her head slightly, muttering to herself, her voice filled with helplessness and resentment.

"Fate? Hmph, I've never believed in fate." Chu Moyu sneered, a resolute glint in her eyes. "What I, Chu Moyu, cannot have, no one else can easily have either." In that instant, the ruthlessness revealed in her eyes was that of the Second Princess who had struggled in the palace intrigues and never easily admitted defeat.

……