I was sold when I opened my eyes! My sick and disabled husband comforts me every night after he wake

The assassin who attempted to kill her was now kneeling before the Empress, begging for forgiveness for his failed mission.

The Empress's face darkened, and she began to question him.

"Xiaoxia, you have truly disappointed me. You failed to kill her outside the palace, and you failed again inside. You even shot your arrow in front of Yujie. The Empress Dowager's birthday is approaching. If this matter is brought before the Emperor, he will surely be furious and investigate thoroughly. If it is found that you were responsible, not only will you not live, but I will also be implicated. With such recklessness, how can I trust you to do things in the future?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down. If Princess Yujie hadn't suddenly appeared, I would have succeeded."

"Hmph! An excuse. Forget it. Let's put this aside for now and avoid causing trouble for the next few days."

"You're not going to kill her?"

"I've noticed that His Majesty looks quite well these past few days. He said it's because he took the medicine she gave him. She has done something worthwhile, so let's let her live a few more days!"

"Yes, I understand."

After Xiaoxia left, an unfathomable look appeared in the Empress's eyes.

Since Lan Zhi arrived, the Empress Dowager's illness has improved, and the Emperor's health has also recovered. She doesn't know whether she should hate her or thank her.

In any case, as long as the Emperor is in good health, Wei Jian'an won't be able to cause any trouble, and she will have a chance to help Ye'er seize his position as Crown Prince.

……

Lan Zhi encountered an assassin in the back garden. Yu Jie was afraid that she would be in danger again, so she insisted on staying by her side. Lan Zhi felt helpless and had no choice but to stay with her.

At the entrance to the imperial study, she looked at her with a solemn expression.

"Yu Jie, you go back first. I have a few words to say to the Emperor."

Yu Jie shook her head in protest.

“Father has nothing to hide from me. I’ll go in with you.”

"No, either you wait for me outside, or I won't talk to you anymore."

Seeing Lan Zhi's resolute attitude, Yu Jie had no choice but to reluctantly nod.

"Alright, then take care of yourself. I'm going back to Shuxiang Palace first. Remember to come find me when you come out."

This Yu Jie is such a troublesome little princess.

She finally left, and Bluetooth, guided by Qin Shun, arrived before the Emperor.

After Lan Zhi finished her greetings, the Emperor waved his hand, and Qin Shun withdrew. Only then did the Emperor speak and ask:

"How's the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

In fact, the emperor suspected the empress was the one who poisoned him, but without confirmation, he could not draw any conclusions.

Lan Zhi took out a packet of medicinal powder from her bosom, held it above her head with both hands, and said with a solemn expression:

"This packet of medicine is what caused your poisoning. It was secretly put into the bowl of medicine you were drinking, and it would be difficult for an ordinary person to find out."

The Emperor's face turned ashen instantly as he looked at the medicine packet in her hand.

Where did this packet of medicine come from?

"I have not yet verified this matter. Please grant me two more days, Your Majesty."

"Two days? The day after tomorrow is the Empress Dowager's birthday. I don't want this joyous occasion to be disturbed by these trivial matters. You can investigate this matter first, and we'll talk about it after the Empress Dowager's birthday."

"I understand."

"Step down! Don't tell anyone about this. I don't want foreign envoys to laugh at me."

"I understand. I will take my leave."

Lan Zhi bowed and took a few steps back, then turned and went out the door.

Looking at the clear blue sky outside, she took a deep breath and strode towards the Longevity Palace.

The air here made her feel suffocated, but thankfully, she would be free in two more days.

Before leaving, she wanted to find out who wanted to harm the emperor, so that his trust in her wouldn't be in vain. Besides, she also hoped to use this opportunity to ask the emperor for her reward of ten thousand taels of silver.

She had wanted to bring up the matter of the reward money earlier, but she swallowed the words back.

Since she can't leave the palace now, let's wait until after the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration!

Prince's Mansion

Tomorrow is the Empress Dowager's birthday. While preparing a grand gift for her, Wei Jian'an is also busy with his own grand plans. Although he is looking forward to it, he also feels very anxious.

He both looked forward to the day he would ascend the throne and feared the day he would fail and become a prisoner.

At this moment, he was sitting in the main hall of the Crown Prince's residence drinking tea, seemingly confident of victory, but in reality, he was very flustered.

Ade stepped forward to report.

"Your Highness, Lord Zhu and Lord Zheng have arrived."

Ade's voice pulled him back from his chaotic thoughts, and he casually raised his hand.

"Invite them in."

Zhu Kui was a first-rank Grand Commandant in the imperial court, in charge of all military affairs in the Northern Wei Kingdom. He was also Wei Jian'an's uncle, and all of Wei Jian'an's actions were orchestrated by him behind the scenes.

Lord Zheng is the Minister of War. Although his position is lower than Lord Zhu's, he has made many contributions to the matter of Wei Jian'an.

Therefore, both of them held a very high position in Wei Jian'an's heart.

When Ade led the two of them in, Wei Jian'an quickly got up to greet them.

"Uncle, Lord Zheng."

Zhu Kui immediately waved his hand.

"Everyone, step back."

Seeing his uncle's solemn expression, Wei Jian'an dared not delay and quickly signaled Ade to take everyone away.

Once only the three of them remained, Zhu Kui couldn't wait to ask:

"Back then, did you personally see Wei Jianning's body? Are you certain he was dead?"

Wei Jian'an paused for a moment, then nodded.

“Ade made the move, there’s no mistake.”

“That’s strange. In the past few days, my men have reported back that someone is impersonating Wei Jianning and is secretly investigating some things.”

"what?"

Upon hearing this name, Wei Jian'an felt his scalp begin to tingle.

Wei Jianning's name has always been a taboo subject for him; he doesn't want to hear it or mention it.

"That's impossible. It was Ade who did it himself back then. There's no mistake."

"Have you disposed of his body?"

After pondering for a moment, Wei Jian'an shook his head.

"No, he died in the imperial prison and was thrown into a mass grave. Later, it is said that the emperor ordered people to collect his body, but his body had disappeared. We analyzed that perhaps one of his former subordinates couldn't bear to see his body exposed to the wind and sun, so he buried it!"

"Foolish..."

Zhu Kui suddenly slammed his hand on the armrest of the chair and shouted angrily.

"Without seeing his body, we cannot prove that he is completely dead. If he is still alive, all your efforts will be in vain."

Is he still alive?

These words reminded Wei Jian'an of Mo Ning, Lan Zhi's husband.

His eyes always gave him a feeling of familiarity and fear, and he always wore a mask and never spoke to him. Could he be the living Wei Jianning?

He was terrified by the thought that things were going too far.

"Uncle, give me some time, I'll handle this."

Zhu Kui hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"We don't have much time, so you have to hurry. We absolutely cannot have any accidents on the Empress Dowager's birthday, otherwise all our years of hard work will be in vain, and our lives will be in danger!"

Zheng Shucheng echoed this sentiment.

"Yes, when Lord Zhu told me about this, I also found it unbelievable. But there's no smoke without fire, and some things have to be believed. What if Wei Jianning really isn't dead, and he's secretly investigating these matters? Then our plan might be difficult to implement!"