Anti-Knochen-Scharlachlied

Kapitel 56

"Mother...how could you..."

"Lan'er, you silly child, what are you doing coming in here?" Empress Song sighed, holding Wanlan's hand.

Wanlan glanced quickly at Yuanniang, who was supporting the Empress on the other side. Seeing that Yuanniang's eyes were lowered and she wasn't looking at her, she became suspicious. But she said, "Mother, don't worry about me. I'm fine. You're so weak. You should go back and rest."

After saying that, he looked at Yuan Niang and instructed her, "Yuan Niang, you help Mother back to rest first. I'll sit here for a while."

Yuan Niang seemed startled, nodded silently, and helped the listless Empress towards the inner palace. After they left the side hall, Wan Lan dismissed all the palace maids serving inside and sat down alone on a chair to the side.

A moment later, Yuan Niang returned to the side hall. When she saw Wan Lan, she paused and did not move another step.

The hall was so quiet it was almost suffocating.

"Xianniang."

A flustered Yuan Niang looked up sharply at Wan Lan, who had appeared before her without her noticing, and her breath caught in her throat. "Madam?"

Wanlan quietly watched her uneasy face, her brows and eyes remaining unmoved. "I heard from Xuan'er that you came to the Prince of Qin's mansion to see me last month, but you didn't tell them what it was about. So now you can tell me, why did you come to see me?"

“Madam…” Yuan Niang looked troubled, her gaze never meeting Wan Lan’s.

Seeing her like this, Wanlan's doubts gradually became clear, and she realized the seriousness of the situation. Her face turned very pale. She turned around and returned to the chair she had been sitting in. "What has happened cannot be avoided. You should tell us as soon as possible so that we can think of a solution."

Yuan Niang walked over with a sullen face. "Madam, it's not that I wanted to hide it from you, I just didn't know where to begin..."

“You don’t need to rack your brains for an answer. I’ll just ask you two questions and you’ll understand.” Wanlan took a deep breath, raised her eyes, and looked at her intently. “First, is the child the Emperor’s?”

Yuan Niang's face turned deathly pale, and she stared at her in shock, unable to reply.

Wanlan paused for a moment, not expecting her to answer such a shocking question, and continued, "Second, does Imperial Uncle know about Mother's current condition?"

"Madam... how come you seem to know everything?"

Wanlan closed her eyes, forcing down the turmoil in her heart.

How could she know? She was just guessing. The historical Empress Song had no children. If this child was Emperor Taizu of Song's, how could it not even have a name? It must have been a child that couldn't be seen in the light of day, or even a life that shouldn't exist.

"How long does Your Majesty intend to imprison the Empress Dowager?" From that brief encounter, she clearly understood that the Empress's health was deteriorating day by day, and how could things continue like this?

Yuan Niang quietly wiped away her tears with her sleeve. "His Majesty said that everything will be discussed after Your Highness gives birth to the child."

"Mother is going to give birth to this child?!" Wanlan jumped up in surprise, staring at her in disbelief.

“I… have no choice but to give birth…” Yuan Niang gritted her teeth and turned her face away.

No……

Wanlan shook her head. It wasn't like that. This child shouldn't exist, or the Imperial Uncle would go mad! Although she did hope that the Imperial Uncle could replace Zehua, and she did want to use her mother to persuade the Imperial Uncle, she absolutely couldn't let this matter lead to the Imperial Uncle usurping power. Such an outcome would not benefit anyone!

"Does the Imperial Uncle know about Mother's current condition?" she asked again, her heart pounding with fear.

"How could he know?" Yuan Niang gritted her teeth angrily. "What else could he do besides bring disaster to Your Majesty? He'll never know! This child belongs to the Emperor; he has nothing to do with it!"

Wanlan breathed a sigh of relief. "So, for now, only the three of us know about this. Yuanniang, you must keep this secret, especially the Imperial Uncle. Don't let him find out anything!" Otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Madam, there's no need for further explanation. I will defend everything to the death," Yuan Niang said softly. This matter concerned the Empress's reputation and life, so she naturally wouldn't let a word slip.

If you were to ask Wanlan why she entered the palace, she herself wouldn't actually be able to answer.

She simply arrived at the "scene" of the impending incident early. Neither Zhao Guangyi nor Zhao Dezhao were people she could control, but at least she could maintain control at the time of the incident.

The Empress was not in good health. Every day, the Emperor would send medicinal meals to the Funing Palace. Wanlan rarely bothered her. Presumably, the Empress already knew that she knew everything, so she did not come to see her. Although the two lived in the Funing Palace, they rarely met.

Wanlan continued weaving auspicious knots as if no one else was around. These were for Xu'er, and she had already finished weaving the love knots for Zehua and placed them under her pillow. She was just waiting to finish her work so that she could send someone to deliver them to the Prince of Qin's residence.

Fortunately, she had found Wang Ji'en a few days earlier. With his help, although she was confined to the Funing Palace, she was not isolated from the outside world. Moreover, Wang Ji'en's information reached directly to the Prince of Jin's residence, so she knew that the Prince of Jin and Zhao Pu planned to make Zehua the crown prince at the end of October, followed by a power struggle.

Wanlan couldn't understand why.

If Prince Jin's original plan was for the end of October, then why did the palace coup occur on October 20th? What unexpected event caused him to change his plans? Could it be because of the Empress's unborn child? If that's the case, then she must prevent this secret from being exposed.

Therefore, on the fifteenth of October, Wanlan asked Wang Ji'en to help her take the auspicious knot out of the palace. At the same time, she wrote a letter and secretly delivered it to Prince Jin. The letter contained an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of Zehua's ascension to the throne and his ascension to the throne. Of course, the most important factor in this "advantages and disadvantages" was the Empress.

She didn't expect him to change his mind immediately, but as long as he hesitated even slightly, with Zhao Pu and Wang Ji'en by his side to persuade him, everything would fall into place naturally.

But she forgot one thing.

Plans can never keep up with changes.

On the evening of October 19th, the temperature suddenly dropped. The Emperor held a banquet at Qingshou Palace, summoning Prince Jin, Prince Yan, and Prince Qin to dine together.

Upon hearing the news, Wanlan trembled with tension, as if something was about to happen. The agonizing fear made her unable to sit still for a moment. She pleaded with the Imperial Guards guarding outside the palace to let her go to Qingshou Palace, but unsurprisingly, she was turned away. No matter how much she argued, it was no use.

But this is just the prelude to the storm.

At 7:15 PM, the Emperor sent Wang Ji'en to the Funing Palace to invite the Empress to dine together at the Qingshou Palace. Wanlan's expression immediately changed drastically. After exchanging a glance with Yuanniang, who was equally shocked, she quickly whispered a few words in Yuanniang's ear, then summoned Wang Ji'en to the outer hall and loudly questioned him:

"What's going on? Why would the Emperor suddenly summon the Empress Dowager?"

The Empress must not appear, especially not before Prince Jin, or everything will be over! If Prince Jin were to see the Empress's current condition, all his plans would likely be ruined.

Wang Ji'en, bowing slightly, replied, "Your Highness, this servant does not know the reason either. His Majesty only said that since tonight is a family banquet, it would be better to invite the Empress to dine together as well, so he sent this servant to fetch Her Majesty."

"Then you should report back to the Emperor and say that the Empress is unwell and unable to travel."

Wang Ji'en remained silent, slowly approaching Wanlan, and whispered, "Your Highness, Your Highness must go. If the rumors between her and Prince Jin cannot be dispelled tonight, it may become a hidden danger for Prince Jin to seize power in the future."

Wanlan squeezed her eyes shut. A hidden danger! If Zhao Guangyi also considered his relationship with the Empress as a hidden danger that would prevent him from ascending to the throne, she would definitely slap him hard across the face!