Chapter 289: No Small Matter
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the presence of the Empress Dowager’s somber countenance, Qin Zhenzhen remained remarkably composed.
She had already received a clandestine letter from Su Bin, alerting her to his efforts in disseminating rumors outside the palace.
She and her grandmother had never ventured beyond the palace walls, so they were entirely unaware of the events outside.
“Empress Dowager, has something untoward occurred?” Qin Zhenzhen inquired with an air of innocence, despite sensing the Empress Dowager’s mounting anger.
“You needn’t feign ignorance!” the Empress Dowager seethed. “Once I capture your associate, you shall both meet your demise!”
Qin Zhenzhen was taken aback. “Empress Dowager, but why?”
Empress Dowager paid no heed to her query and issued orders to have Grandma Qin taken away in isolation.
The frustration surged within Qin Zhenzhen. She knew that her grandmother faced immediate and severe punishment.
Indignant, she retorted, “Your Highness! If you dare separate my grandmother from me, I vow to withhold the remedy for your ailment!”
The Empress Dowager sneered in response, “Should you refuse, I shall annihilate your entire lineage!”
Qin Zhenzhen matched her sneer with her own determination. “Even if you were to obliterate the world itself, I shall not yield! You’ve been ensnared by someone else’s machinations, despite your supposed wisdom!”
“Though I am unaware of the specifics, I surmise that the Jiang family must have manipulated you into believing we were behind these actions, diverting your anger towards us!”
The Empress Dowager momentarily froze in astonishment.
Qin Zhenzhen pressed on, “Am I not correct in my assumption?”
“The Jiang family’s objective is to goad you into eliminating us in a fit of rage, thereby concealing their ulterior motives from scrutiny!”
The Empress Dowager couldn’t contain her curiosity and inquired, “What schemes does the Jiang Family harbor?”
However, Qin Zhenzhen hesitated, responding, “I am reluctant to divulge it now, for I fear you may not believe it without the Emperor’s presence.”
“This matter directly concerns the Emperor’s well-being.”
“It would be wise to summon the Imperial Hospital’s physicians as well; they can verify the veracity of my claims.”
The Empress Dowager finally grasped the gravity of the situation.
“Are you suggesting that someone has tampered with the Emperor’s food?”
The Empress Dowager, having witnessed a plethora of intrigues within the palace, was no stranger to subterfuge.
She was astute and quick to connect the dots—especially since the individual responsible for the Emperor’s meals during this time happened to be the beauty introduced into the palace by the Jiang family.
Qin Zhenzhen remained tight-lipped, her anger simmering.
The nanny seized the moment to discreetly whisper to the Empress Dowager,
“Empress Dowager, this is a matter of great significance…”
After a brief contemplation, the Empress Dowager decided to summon the Emperor and the physicians from the Imperial Hospital.
“And extend invitations to the Jiang Family’s beauty and Imperial Concubine Jiang as well!”
Whether Qin Zhenzhen’s claims were baseless or not, the truth would soon come to light.
“The Emperor is here!”
Upon the Emperor’s arrival, Qin Zhenzhen, the Imperial Hospital physicians, and the Empress Dowager’s attendants knelt in reverence to welcome him.
Imperial Concubine Jiang was significantly younger than the Empress Dowager, and during the periods when she enjoyed favor, she had managed to incur the Empress Dowager’s profound displeasure. Among the numerous concubines of the late Emperor, she was the one the Empress Dowager despised the most.
Beauty Jiang bore a striking resemblance to Imperial Concubine Jiang, which only intensified the Empress Dowager’s animosity, owing to the Emperor’s fixation on her beauty. The Empress Dowager harbored genuine concern that her son’s vitality was being sapped away by Beauty Jiang.
Facing both women, the Empress Dowager wore a strained expression, her apprehensions evident.
Especially now, the Empress Dowager found herself reluctantly hoping that Qin Zhenzhen’s claims were veracious—that the Jiang Family’s beauty had indeed tampered with the Emperor’s food.
Such confirmation would grant her the legitimacy to openly remove these two women surnamed Jiang from the palace.
Imperial Concubine Jiang’s heart raced at the tension in the room.
Beauty Jiang’s heart pounded just as intensely. She had conducted her covert actions so discreetly that not even the imperial physicians could detect them.. But Qin Zhenzhen’s discernment raised unsettling questions: had she seen through her clandestine activities?