in2ebook Chapter 498: Game within a Game (3)
Chapter 498: Game within a Game (3)
Murong Shiling closed his eyes again. He was grateful to God from the bottom of his heart that even at his age, he could still have a true lover and find spiritual resonance!
What Murong Shileng didn't see was that Concubine Yu showed a cold smile in his arms. This harem or this throne can only belong to her and her child!
This night when Murong Shiling and Concubine Yu slept in each other's arms was destined to be a sleepless night for some people, such as Queen Li in Qifeng Palace.
The emperor's decree took away Murong Feng's power and Queen Li's power. What made Queen Li even more angry was that the emperor actually gave the Phoenix Seal to Concubine Yu.
This was an absolute humiliation for Empress Li! She was extremely anxious, yet she had no idea why this had happened. All the news she had received previously indicated that the Emperor would never wake up again, which was why Empress Li was so impatient to have Murong Feng contact the generals.
But everything changed in just a moment. Before Queen Li could even figure out what was going on, Murong Feng was imprisoned by the Ministry of Justice, and the phoenix seal in her hand had another owner.
A palace maid came in tremblingly, carrying a midnight snack that Queen Li had ordered prepared earlier.
"My Lady, the bird's nest you requested is ready."
Queen Li waved away the tray in the maid's hand, and the boiling hot soup on the tray splashed onto the maid's arm, causing her to scream, "Ah..."
"Useless thing, you can't even serve soup properly, what use are you?"
The maiden looked aggrieved, her arms red from the burns, but she didn't dare to say a word. She just knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, "Your Majesty, spare me, Your Majesty, spare me!"
"Get out of here!"
The maid crawled out of the palace, tumbling and tumbling, as if pursued by an evil spirit. Empress Li vented her anger and calmed down a little. Only then did Nanny Li dare to step forward and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, calm down. Your Majesty, you must not act rashly now. If you do, what will the Crown Prince do?"
Queen Li seemed to come to her senses suddenly and murmured to herself, "That's right! Feng'er is still in the cell. I must rescue him as soon as possible! But how should I do it? What should I do now?"
Queen Li looked a little manic, and even her well-maintained face was distorted.
"Your Majesty, you need to rest now. Everything will be fine. Your Majesty, if your health collapses, how can you save His Highness?"
Nanny Li reminded Empress Li in a low voice. Empress Li calmed down a little after hearing this. She gritted her teeth and said, "You are right. Everything will be fine. Nanny Li, prepare another midnight snack for me."
"Yes!"
Nanny Li was quite quick. After a while, a portion of bird's nest was placed in front of Queen Li again. Queen Li finally fell asleep after eating the midnight snack.
The next morning, an uninvited guest came to Qifeng Palace, and Queen Li was informed before she even got up.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's wife requests an audience!"
Empress Li rubbed her slightly aching forehead and frowned, "What is she doing here? She replied to me, I won't see her!"
Nanny Li hesitated. "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess said she has something to discuss with you regarding the Crown Prince."
"I've already said I'm gone, why are you still nagging? Just kick him out."
"As you command!" Li Ma said as she walked out of the hall.
"Wait..." Queen Li suddenly stopped her, "Let her in."
Nanny Li paused and said respectfully, "Yes!"
Soon, Yu Qingli brought Xiluo into the Qifeng Palace. Perhaps because she did not sleep well last night, Queen Li looked a little haggard, but she seemed to be in good spirits. At least when Yu Qingli came in, she still maintained a superior attitude.
Yu Qingli bowed respectfully to Queen Li. Queen Li told her to take a seat before asking, "What brings you to see me?"
"Of course it's about His Highness. I think the Queen Mother will be interested."
Queen Li looked at Yu Qingli with half-belief and half-doubt before ordering the palace maids to leave temporarily.
"Do you have any news about Feng'er?"
Although Queen Li did not like Yu Qingli very much, the current situation was special. If this woman could be of use to her, she would not mind making friends with her.
Yu Qingli sneered in her heart. She had always been fully aware of Queen Li's selfishness and ruthlessness. She lowered her eyes, and when she looked up again, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"Yes, mother, in fact, last night I went to the prison of the Ministry of Justice."
"What? You went to see Feng'er? You're so bold! If His Majesty knew about this, wouldn't he accuse Feng'er of all sorts of crimes?"
"Mother, please calm down. I am only worried about Your Highness. Besides, I have already made arrangements in advance. I believe no one will know."
Queen Li was silent for a moment and then said, "You are so thoughtful. Is Feng'er doing well in prison?"
"Your Highness is in good spirits, but he seems to be in a bad mood. I brought him some of his favorite dishes yesterday, and he ate some. Your Highness is very concerned about the situation in the palace, so he has been unable to sleep or eat well."
"Oh! This is really putting Feng'er in a difficult position. I don't know why His Majesty has suddenly become so cruel? He actually arrested Feng'er just because he invited someone to dinner. The prince must have spread rumors and caused trouble, hoping to kill Feng'er!"
"Mother, I'm afraid things are not that simple!"
Yu Qingli interrupted Empress Li's speculation. As expected, Empress Li gave her a very strange look. "Then why do you say that the Emperor has suddenly become so cruel? The Emperor has always doted on Feng'er, and Feng'er is very filial. Even if he made a mistake, he could have just been confined to the palace for a few days to reflect on his mistakes. Now, he's been sent straight to the Ministry of Justice. Who else could it be but Murong Cheng? Oh, and then there's his mother."
"I don't deny that the Crown Prince and his faction were behind this, but I'm afraid someone else played a greater role."
"Oh? You mean, besides the prince, there's someone else who wants to kill Feng'er? Who is it?"
Queen Li stared at Yu Qingli's face, her eyes seemed to see through her!
Yu Qingli still looked calm, "Empress Yu!"
"What? This is impossible!"
Queen Li subconsciously denied it. In her opinion, although Concubine Yu was a bit coquettish, she should not be so bold!
Yu Qingli smiled. "Doesn't your mother think that Imperial Concubine Yu has always lived in seclusion, and even though she is deeply loved by our father, she has never shown off or acted arrogantly, so she might not have the courage to attack His Highness?"
Queen Li nodded slightly. This was exactly what she was thinking. Moreover, Concubine Yu was just a woman from the underworld. How could she have such a scheme?
"Mother, what if Concubine Yu has other plans?"
"What are you planning?"
Empress Li was stunned for a moment. Concubine Yu was already incredibly favored, a tremendous honor for a woman in the harem. What else could she possibly want? Could it be the position of Empress?
Wait, the position of queen!
Queen Li's eyes suddenly turned cold, and even her gaze towards Yu Qingli became sharp. "You mean, she wants to take the throne of Queen?"
Yu Qingli complimented him at the right moment: "Mother, you are wise, but in my opinion, Imperial Concubine Yu probably wants more than just this."
Queen Li narrowed her eyes, her gaze dangerous. "If you have something to say, just say it. I really hate people who keep things in suspense."
Having said this, Yu Qingli felt there was no need to keep it a secret any longer. "There's something that Queen Mother may not know yet. Imperial Concubine Yu is already pregnant."
"what?"
Queen Li opened her eyes wide in surprise and did not come back to her senses for a long time.
After a long time, Queen Li finally grasped the armrests of the phoenix chair tightly, and her nails were almost broken.
"Are you telling the truth? Where did you get the information?"
"There's no need for the Queen Mother to know this, but I can guarantee that this news is absolutely true. It was precisely because Concubine Yu suddenly became pregnant that she took such a cruel action against Your Highness!"
Queen Li knew very well in her heart that if Concubine Yu was pregnant as Yu Qingli said, then she would have the motivation to do everything. Just like Concubine Lin and herself, all the women in the harem, especially those who were already mothers, made plans for their children. The best way to gain power was naturally for their offspring to ascend the high throne and become the emperor that everyone was paying attention to.
Seeing Queen Li fall silent, Yu Qingli knew that she had been successfully convinced by him and probably believed what he said.
Empress Li muttered to herself, "No wonder, no wonder His Majesty suddenly imprisoned Feng'er and gave this woman the Phoenix Seal from my hand. Now that I think about it, they had it all planned long ago. But why didn't Imperial Concubine Yu deal with the Crown Prince first, but instead chose to attack Feng'er first?"
"I guess he thinks His Highness is gentle and kind, and easier to deal with than His Highness the Crown Prince."
Queen Li snorted coldly, "This damned woman! Qingli, is your information accurate?"
"Whether it's accurate or not, Queen Mother, please investigate. This belly can't be concealed. Even if it's not obvious now, after a while, Imperial Concubine Yu will probably be unable to hide it even if she wants to!"
"That's right. I never thought that woman could be so vicious. Qingli, now that you've investigated this information, do you have any countermeasures?"
"My Queen Mother is wise. I do have a plan, but I need your help and cooperation."
"As long as Feng'er can be rescued, everything will be as you say!"
Queen Li obviously had no other choice, so Yu Qingli's proposal was a timely relief for her. What's more, she was now eager to take back the rights that belonged to her.
Seeing that Queen Li had easily taken the bait, Yu Qingli couldn't help but smile. This was just the first step. Next, she would let Queen Li and Murong Feng see who controls their future!