northernbook Chapter 502 New Camp
Chapter 502 New Camp
"You don't want to implicate me?" Kang Xiaorong repeated. Only then did he think of this possibility.
Ji Anni nodded gently. The more normal Hua Rong looked, the more abnormal she seemed. "I'm really worried that she'll do something irreparable..."
"Her goal from the beginning to the end was to take revenge on the An family. She had previously secretly collected a batch of evidence with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Criminal Division, hoping to bring down the head of the government, An Chenghuan, but now that An Chenghuan has been assassinated, her target may have been Concubine An." Kang Xiaorong said uneasily. When talking about An Chenghuan's assassination, her expression was a little remorseful, but Ji Anni was so concerned about Huarong that she did not notice Kang Xiaorong's abnormality.
Then Kang Xiaorong told Ji Anni the secret of Huarong and Yuemao's identity exchange. From this, it is not difficult to guess the reason why Yuemao committed suicide.
Concubine An had been threatening the sisters Huarong and Yuemao with the antidote of Caihuaxiang, but Yuemao was the only one poisoned. In order to let Huarong regain her freedom and no longer be threatened by Concubine An, Yuemao chose to commit suicide. Before her death, she wrote a suicide note, hoping that Kang Xiaorong could fulfill the marriage contract and take care of Huarong in the future.
After knowing this secret, Ji Anni had no doubt that Hua Rong would take revenge on Concubine An.
"But her power alone is too weak, so she will definitely seek help from others. She used to encourage me to take revenge on Concubine An, but now she rarely talks to me about it. The only person she can rely on is you, but now she has even left you behind. Who else in the current palace can be pulled into her camp..." Ji Anni whispered to herself, her brows gradually furrowed. It was really impossible to guess how Hua Rong would take revenge on Concubine An.
At this moment, Kang Xiaorong suddenly had an epiphany and said in a low voice: "Maybe there is someone who can..."
Ji Anni hurriedly looked up and asked, "Who?"
Kang Xiaorong met Ji Anni's gaze and answered, "Su Congfei, Su Yizhen."
Kang Xiaorong guessed correctly that Hua Rong did want to win over Su Yizhen. But Yizhen spent most of her time with the emperor and rarely returned to the East Concubine Palace, so it was difficult to see her. Hua Rong was originally a maid serving the Concubine. Even though Ji Anni had been placed under house arrest in the Xian Palace, she could still enter and leave the East Concubine Palace freely.
Huarong had been lingering around the Dong Cong Fei Palace these days, keeping a close eye on Yizhen's room. Unfortunately, she had other things to do and couldn't stay at Yizhen's door all day. It was unknown whether Yizhen had never returned to the Dong Cong Fei Palace, or whether she had returned at the wrong time. Anyway, for three consecutive days, Huarong hadn't seen Yizhen.
The turning point happened three days later. That morning, when Huarong went to the imperial kitchen to help Ji Anni get lunch, she accidentally saw Yizhen. Yizhen was an acquaintance in the imperial kitchen, and most of the chefs here were from her hometown. She especially liked to cook for the emperor herself, but after Shui Furong and Concubine An falsely accused her of poisoning, she rarely appeared in the imperial kitchen.
When Huarong saw Yizhen, she hurriedly put down the basket in her hand and chased after her.
Yizhen didn't notice Huarong and walked towards the small kitchen she was familiar with. It was the busiest time in the imperial kitchen, everyone was busy preparing lunch, and there was almost no one on the road outside. When Huarong ran closer, Yizhen heard her footsteps and turned around suddenly.
"Your Majesty." Huarong bowed to Yizhen.
Yizhen was slightly surprised, subconsciously took a half step back, and said, "Hua Rong, why are you here?"
Hua Rong replied, "I'm here to get lunch for Consort Zhao."
When Yizhen heard the three words "Zhao Congfei", her expression stiffened slightly.
Hua Rong thought that Yi Zhen would follow her words and ask about Ji Anni's current situation - even if it was just a false concern, but Yi Zhen not only did not ask a single word, but also acted like she wanted to escape. However, Hua Rong cleverly moved slightly and blocked her way without leaving a trace.
Seeing that she had no way out, Yizhen had to say, "Today the emperor mentioned a Nanhu County snack that I made before. He missed it very much. I was just about to cook for the emperor." The implication was that she had something important to do and asked Huarong not to block her way.
Huarong had repeatedly told Ji Anni to stay away from Yizhen. Yizhen also knew that Huarong didn't like her and had never taken the initiative to talk to her. Now that Ji Anni was under house arrest in Xian Palace, Huarong suddenly blocked her way. Yizhen immediately thought that it was related to Ji Anni, so she just wanted to avoid it and didn't want to get involved.
However, Hua Rong suddenly asked, "My Lady, don't you want to visit Concubine Zhao Cong?"
Yizhen evaded the question and said, "The general has issued an order that no one is allowed to approach the Xian Palace. How can I visit?"
"Now the general has been assassinated, and the court is in turmoil. And the emperor loves you the most. If you just ask the emperor, how can you not enter the palace?"
Yizhen was slightly dissatisfied and asked cautiously, "Did Xiao Zhao ask you to come?"
"No. I just have a few words to say to Her Majesty." Hua Rong suddenly lowered her voice, appearing extremely cautious.
Yizhen looked at her suspiciously, not knowing what she was trying to do, and asked softly, "What do you want to say?"
"It's not convenient to talk here, let's find a quiet place." Hua Rong said and looked around.
Now they were standing on a lawn stone path, with the imperial kitchen on the right and a sparsely populated grove on the left. Huarong signaled Yizhen with her eyes to follow her to the woods to talk. Yizhen had always suspected Huarong's intentions, so how could she follow her obediently? She stood still and said in a low voice, "Just say what you want to say here."
Helpless, Hua Rong had to lower her voice and ask, "My queen, do you want to be the queen?"
Yizhen's expression froze for a moment. She stared at Huarong blankly, unable to answer a single word for a long time.
"My queen, please follow me." Without waiting for Yizhen to express her opinion, Huarong turned around and walked straight into the grove. From Yizhen's reaction just now, it can be seen that she has been hooked by her words, so Huarong is not afraid that she will not follow.
Yizhen hesitated for a while, and seeing Huarong walking further and further away, she wanted to catch up but was a little afraid, but she felt very uneasy if she didn't catch up. What did Huarong want to say? Could she make herself the queen? But she was Zhaoji's personal maid, why did she suddenly come to her? Too many questions crowded into Yizhen's mind at the same time, and she couldn't figure out anything at all. Seeing that Huarong's figure was about to disappear in the woods, Yizhen chased after her for some unknown reason.
Huarong took Yizhen deep into the woods and stopped only after making sure that there was no one around.
Yizhen was wearing a long skirt with a layer of gauze on the outside. She was walking back and forth in the bushes. Her steps were too fast, and many branches and dead leaves had already hung on the hem of her skirt and shoulders. The gauze was also torn, and she looked a little embarrassed. But in order to figure out what Huarong wanted to do, she didn't care about so much.
Seeing Huarong standing in front of her, she hurriedly walked up to her and said urgently, "Huarong, just say what you want to say."
Hua Rong looked back at her and smiled, saying, "My Lady, you are now the most favored by the Emperor, but the Emperor has yet to make you his empress. Do you know why?"
Yizhen replied in a deep voice, "Because it is not time to establish a queen yet." At the beginning, the emperor and the queen mother agreed to establish a queen three months after Zhaoji entered the palace. Now the queen mother has passed away, the emperor is seriously ill, important ministers have been assassinated one after another, the government is in chaos, and foreign threats are severe. The Tianyou Dynasty has already reached the point of life and death. At this time, how can there be leisure to establish a queen?
Hua Rong said, "Even if the political situation stabilizes, do you think the emperor will make you the queen?"
She asked the question very sharply, and her sharp eyes swept across Yizhen's face. Yizhen suddenly felt as if she was cut by a knife, and she felt both painful and clear-headed.
Hua Rong continued, "The Emperor delayed the date of the Queen just to give Zhao Ji a status. But now he knows that Zhao Ji is a fox demon, and he will never make her the Queen. Concubine An is eyeing the Queen position. Although the power of the An family is not as strong as before, there are still Prime Minister An Zhonghuan and the commander of the imperial guards An Youchen who hold important positions and should not be underestimated. The Emperor is now desperate. If someone mentions the matter of the Queen to him again, he will not resist like before."
Yizhen bowed her head and said nothing. Huarong was right. Now the emperor was submissive and often bedridden. He also learned that he was not of true dragon blood. The vigor he had when he first entered the palace had long been worn out. If An Zhonghuan persuaded him to make Concubine An the empress at this time, he might have nodded and agreed directly in order to prevent the harem from falling into disputes again.
"Concubine Su. Concubine An has already started to act. She wanted me to poison you to death..."
"What?" Before Huarong could finish her words, Yizhen screamed in shock, "She asked you to kill me?"
This sentence was fatal. Yizhen was threatened by Concubine An and drank a sterilizing drug, which made it impossible for her to get pregnant. She thought Concubine An would let her go, but she didn't expect that Concubine An would still kill her.
"Then why don't you kill me?" Yizhen looked up and stared at Huarong.
Huarong's expression gradually became sad. "I'm sure Your Majesty has heard about Yuemao's death?"
Then Huarong told Yizhen the whole story about Yuemao and herself.
After hearing this, Yizhen felt cold all over and was terrified. She murmured in a low voice, "If Yuemao hadn't committed suicide, the one who would have passed away now... would be me..."
Hua Rong nodded gently and continued, "Since Concubine An has already decided to kill you, if one plan fails, there is naturally another plan. She is in the dark and you are in the light, so it is impossible to defend yourself. If Your Majesty does not take the initiative, I am afraid that you will die innocently soon."
Yizhen was angry and scared, and had been completely controlled by Huarong. She asked hurriedly, "What should I do? What do you want me to do?"
"Avenge Concubine An. Strike her first before she kills you."
Yizhen was so scared that she took a step back, quickly looked away, stared at her feet anxiously and said, "No, I... can't do this..." Yizhen was timid by nature, which was completely opposite to Ji Anni's personality. It was really too much to ask her to stand up and be the enemy of Concubine An.
"My queen, don't be afraid. The palace is now in chaos, everyone is scheming, there are traps and crises everywhere. Don't you want to restore peace to the palace? Don't you want to be a queen in a peaceful and prosperous era and rule the country? I have heard a saying: whoever dominates the war will dominate the peace. My queen, what you need to do now is not to escape, but to fight and win. I will help you become a queen in an upright manner."