Who Would Understand, Her Ladyship Wrote A Hundred Palace Regulations - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: The Person Behind the Scenes

The mistress and servant entered the bedroom.

Lian Rui had been nervous for most of the day and couldn’t help but say with fear, “I’ve heard about what happened in Jingxi Palace. It was really scary! Fortunately, the medicine ash was destroyed, and Mistress is safe. Li Guiren’s accusation against Mistress was really hateful!”

“She was manipulated by someone behind the scenes,” Ning Wanyin said, her eyes cold.

Lian Rui was taken aback. “Could it be Xue Zhaoyi?”

As everyone knew, Li Guiren was Xue Zhaoyi’s loyal follower.

“No, it’s someone else,” Ning Wanyin shook her head.

The situation today was made possible by a subtle coincidence.

If Dan Li had been far away from Liu Zhaoyi, nothing would have happened to her.

When paying respects, the concubines were arranged in rows according to their ranks. The first row consisted of Consort, Zhaoyi, and Jieyu, while the second row consisted of Meiren, Guiren, and others.

If Dan Li and Liu Zhaoyi hadn’t been in the same row, or if they were far apart, nothing would have happened today.

The person responsible for arranging the seating order was Consort Shu. She had been in the palace for many years, and it wouldn’t be surprising if she knew about Liu Zhaoyi’s pregnancy.

Moreover, she had a son, and the appearance of a second imperial son would threaten her status.

Consort Shu was likely the real person behind the scenes.

“It’s just speculation without evidence. Let’s not talk about it for now,” Ning Wanyin said.

Lian Rui nodded and expressed her concern. “It’s not safe to know who the traitor is. Maybe Mistress should ask the Imperial Household Department to replace the servants?”

“That would be like letting the person who framed me go free. Even if we replace them, there would still be spies among the new servants. It’s better to investigate one by one. For now, we can rule out Xiao Guizi. If he were a traitor, he wouldn’t have rushed to call the female physician,” Ning Wanyin said.

The female physician had played a crucial role in saving Liu Zhaoyi’s pregnancy.

Lian Rui nodded, seeming to understand, but she still looked worried. “Why did Mistress help Liu Zhaoyi? You don’t know her, and she might not even appreciate it.”

“It’s not about helping her, but about ruining the plan of the person behind the scenes. If they’re trying to harm me, I won’t let them succeed,” Ning Wanyin said with a smile.
“If my enemies are unhappy, I’m happy.”

“Of course, it’s also a test. Even though I called the female physician, whether Liu Zhaoyi’s pregnancy can be saved still depends on her luck,” Ning Wanyin added.

Lian Rui understood and said, “Why did milady choose Xiao Guizi to do such an important task? He’s a spineless person who only cares about benefits. I’m not sure if he’s reliable. Xiao Yuanzi is more honest and reliable…”

Ning Wanyin shook her head and smiled. “Lian Rui, you and I have been together since childhood, but can others be loyal to me?”

“They’re here to serve and expect benefits. It’s normal. If someone is selfless and diligent without expecting anything, either they’re a saint or their true master has already given them enough benefits,” Ning Wanyin said.

“The traitor is following their master’s orders and hiding around me. They won’t leave Lingxue Pavilion on their own, even if they feel that milady is no longer favored. They’ll wait for their master to arrange their next move.”

Lian Rui suddenly understood. “I see. Xiao Guizi thought Mistress was no longer favored and even tried to bribe the Imperial Household Department’s steward… He’s always looking out for himself, so it’s indeed suitable for milady to use him. Mistress truly knows how to choose people!”

“The most important thing is that the outcome doesn’t matter much. If it succeeds, it’s an additional merit in front of the Emperor. If it fails, it won’t affect the overall situation,” Ning Wanyin said, looking at Lian Rui.
“I won’t entrust important tasks to outsiders. When the guards came to search today, did anyone seem off?”

Lian Rui looked disappointed. “I was paying close attention to everyone’s expressions, but they all seemed shocked. I didn’t notice anything unusual. I’m incompetent.”

“Don’t blame yourself. People involved in such matters would naturally hide their tracks well,” Ning Wanyin comforted her.

It’s not difficult to hide one’s tracks for a while, but as long as someone takes action, they’ll eventually slip up.

In Jingxi Palace.

Consort Shu was fidgeting with a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her palm. Despite reciting Buddhist scriptures, she couldn’t calm down her anger. She slammed the prayer beads onto the table. “Ning Wanyin, you’re ruining my plans!”

She had calculated the timing perfectly, expecting the imperial physician to arrive too late to save Liu Zhaoyi.

But she hadn’t expected…

The female physician to arrive so quickly.

“The medicine ash was also disposed of… It seems she suspected someone was pregnant, so… She doesn’t care about having another child in the harem, just to block my plans,” Consort Shu’s expression turned dark, and she grew angrier.

Fortunately, she still had a pawn.

Ning Wanyin’s every move was under her watchful eye, and she could still make arrangements.

Consort Shu calmed down slightly, and Zhen Zhu hurried in to report. “Your Highness, Li Guiren didn’t confess anything and was executed by the Emperor. The Emperor promoted Liu Zhaoyi to the rank of Shun Pin and moved her to the main hall of Changchun Palace. He also moved Wen Baolin out.”

Consort Shu’s mood worsened. Given Liu Zhaoyi’s rank, it was expected that she would be promoted. But the Emperor was going all out to protect Liu Zhaoyi’s pregnancy, even moving out the concubine who shared the palace with her.

However, a pregnancy lasts for ten months. There was still time to wait and see.

In the main hall of Changchun Palace.

Shun Pin looked at the luxurious palace in front of her, and she had never seen such a magnificent setup.

She was one of the earliest people to enter the prince’s mansion, and the Emperor had never shown much favor to her. She was lucky if he remembered her once every few months.

She was promoted to Zhaoyi only because when the Emperor ascended to the throne, the concubines were promoted according to their seniority, except for those who had children or were favored.

She was just a Zhaoyi with an empty title.

She was not as good as Li Jieyu in the past, and she couldn’t compare to the Emperor’s current favorites.

Shun Pin thought that she would be a Zhaoyi for the rest of her life, just waiting for her old age.

But after the Emperor visited her last time, she realized that her period was late, and she knew that her luck had changed!

She was afraid that she couldn’t keep the fetus, so she hid it and planned to tell the Emperor only after three months, when the fetus would be stable.

But she didn’t expect that she couldn’t keep it a secret…

Fortunately, everything turned out okay.

“Your Highness, you’re finally a Pin now! Your hard days are finally over!” The personal attendant, Chun Que, was overjoyed.

Shun Pin came back to reality and touched her still-flat belly, feeling both happy and worried. “Everyone knows about it too early. This might not be a good thing.”

When they were talking, a eunuch announced, “The Emperor has arrived!”

Shun Pin quickly got up from the bed, but Chun Que had already knelt down. “Your Majesty, my lady is not feeling well…”

“Shun Pin, don’t get up. Stay in bed,” Helian Qi walked straight to her and looked at her.

“You hid your pregnancy and didn’t take good care of the imperial heir. That’s a serious offense…”

With each word Helian Qi said, Shun Pin’s face turned paler.

Shun Pin stuttered, “Your Majesty, I… I just suspected that I was pregnant, so…”

“You need to know that this is my child. You should tell me about anything that happens,” Helian Qi stared at her and paused.
“You’ve hurt your body, so from now on, you won’t receive guests. You can skip the morning court and pay your respects. I’ll also tell the Empress Dowager and Shu Fei that you’re not feeling well and can’t receive guests.”

Shun Pin was taken aback and quickly understood. The Emperor was telling her not to leave the palace from now on.

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your care,” Shun Pin felt a surge of gratitude.

Helian Qi saw that she was a sensible person, and his frown softened slightly. “This is my child, and of course, I’ll take care of you. If anything happens, don’t be afraid to disturb me. Come and tell me immediately.”

Shun Pin nodded repeatedly, her eyes welling up with tears.