Chapter 433: Scheming for Glory and Wealth
Yu Sangning had someone push Old Madam Yu into the lake, then used dieffenbachia poison to kill that person, while presenting herself as the savior who risked her life to rescue Old Madam Yu from the water. From then on, she gained Old Madam Yu's favoritism.
Later, to stand out from the crowd, she drugged Yu Sangzi during the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, causing red rashes to appear on Yu Sangzi's face. She then suggested that Yu Sangzi perform a veiled dance, while secretly changing the dance music at the last moment. The palace musicians, of course, were unable to adapt, which led to Yu Sangning accompanying her on stage. In this way, she achieved the reputation of the "Two Outstanding Yu Sisters."
From then on, even Yu Sangzi, who had always been her rival, changed her attitude and genuinely regarded Yu Sangning as a sister.
Yu Sangning was adept at appearing before her chosen targets in the guise of a benefactor, using acts of kindness to win favor. These people never realized that all the misfortunes were orchestrated by her.
If the Empress Dowager hadn't mentioned that the scented sachet was given by Yu Sangning, and if Shen Xihe hadn't coincidentally witnessed Yu Sangning's two previous grand schemes, she wouldn't have suspected someone without any basis.
Although it was possible she was overthinking, she still felt it necessary to warn Xiao Huayong. If Yu Sangning truly succeeded in her schemes and tasted the sweetness of success, she would find it hard to stop and would only become more ruthless in the future.
The Empress Dowager held a special place in Xiao Huayong's heart. Shen Xihe didn't want any regrets to arise due to his negligence.
"Youyou, thank you." Xiao Huayong held Shen Xihe's hand. "As a man, even if I pay my respects daily, the Empress Dowager always shares only good news and hides her troubles. I can't very well plant spies in her palace, as it would damage our grandparent-grandchild bond. That's why I inevitably overlook some things concerning her."
Shen Xihe smiled gently. "From now on, I will keep a closer watch over the Empress Dowager and ensure no one harms her."
You treat my dearest as your own, and I will naturally treat your dearest as mine.
This had always been what Shen Xihe considered the highest form of marital relationship: mutual understanding, mutual tolerance, mutual honesty, and mutual protection of each other's relatives and loved ones.
"Youyou, stay for dinner. The twelfth prince sent a roe deer. I'll have Jiuzhang prepare some fresh dishes." Xiao Huayong invited her.
Lately, the Youning Emperor had begun taking his entourage hunting in the mountains near the temporary palace. Each time, he would bring several princes but never Xiao Huayong. Instead, he assigned Xiao Huayong more political affairs, making it impossible for anyone to ignore Xiao Huayong's status. If the Emperor truly wanted someone to be respected, he had countless ways to achieve it.
Roe deer meat was tender and fresh, and Shen Xihe happened to enjoy it very much. In the cool temporary palace, even roasted meat could whet her appetite. By the time she finished dinner, Tianyuan had quietly investigated the events of the days when the Empress Dowager couldn't sleep peacefully.
"Reporting to Your Highness, from the twelfth to the fifteenth, there was nothing unusual in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber," Tianyuan reported.
"Nothing unusual?" Xiao Huayong turned to look at Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe pondered for a moment. "Were there any changes in the items displayed in the Empress Dowager's room?"
"Displayed items?" Tianyuan weighed his words carefully. "They change daily."
In the bedchambers of the Empress Dowager and the imperial concubines, flowers and plants were displayed every day. These items were replaced daily, with no fixed pattern as to what was chosen. They were allocated by the eunuchs, or sometimes the mistress would specifically request certain items to be prepared.
"What was displayed from the twelfth to the fifteenth?" Shen Xihe asked in detail.After arriving here, she had gained some understanding. Probably because her wedding with the Crown Prince was approaching, the eunuchs in the temporary palace treated her with the same respect as a princess. Every day, young eunuchs would bring flowers for her to choose from to decorate the rooms.
This was a desirable task, as most palace residents would give tips when receiving flowers, making it a mutually pleasant arrangement.
Tianyuan flipped through the record book: "Reporting to the princess, peonies were delivered during the day, and roses at night.""
Elderly people often prefer large, luxurious flowers. The Empress Dowager loved peonies and Chinese herbaceous peonies the most.
"Roses? Only for those three days were they roses?" Shen Xihe asked again.
Tianyuan checked the records and nodded: "Only these past few days had roses."
"Is there something wrong with roses?" Xiao Huayong asked. He had grown roses before and knew they weren't poisonous.
"Your Highness may not know, roses are fine when grown in the garden." Shen Xihe explained to Xiao Huayong, "But if doors and windows are tightly closed at night, or if the ventilation is insufficient, the fragrance of roses can spread and make it difficult to sleep."
Not many people knew this, because noblewomen would usually open windows even if they kept roses indoors. However, the Empress Dowager was elderly. When resting at night in the cool temporary palace, she would only leave a small gap in the window, preventing the rose fragrance from dissipating.
Xiao Huayong's eyes turned cold: "Investigate this. I want to see how many people have dirty hands!"
To accomplish this scheme, it couldn't have been just one or two people being bribed. First, the person delivering the flowers, then the person arranging them, and finally the person responsible for the windows—perhaps even more were involved.
"Your Highness, this is the temporary palace," Shen Xihe reminded him.
The temporary palace wasn't the main imperial palace. It was only occasionally occupied, and they had only brought one or two personal attendants each. It was impossible to bring all the staff, so it was common for loopholes to be exploited. There was no need to be angry.
"You should return early to rest. I'll inform you when there's news." Xiao Huayong escorted Shen Xihe back to her own courtyard.
Shen Xihe wasn't optimistic. Yu Sangning was cautious and knew how to assess situations. After realizing at Ye Wantang's birthday banquet that Shen Xihe wasn't to be trifled with, she had never dared to scheme against her again. This risky move must have been carefully planned. After such a long time, there was likely no evidence left.
Sure enough, the second message Xiao Huayong brought confirmed her suspicions: "She has quite the nerve."
"It might not necessarily be her." They had no evidence, even though Yu Sangning was the most suspicious.
"Wanting to be a princess?"" Xiao Huayong sneered, "I've already informed the Empress Dowager about all the suspicious aspects of this matter."
Lack of evidence didn't matter. Xiao Huayong's words were enough for the Empress Dowager to believe him completely. Yu Sangning had miscalculated everything except how much weight Xiao Huayong's words carried with the Empress Dowager.
Indeed, after that, the Empress Dowager never summoned the Yu sisters again and rarely called upon other noble ladies. Yu Sangning probably grew anxious, as within two days, rumors spread throughout the temporary palace that the Empress Dowager intended to marry a daughter of the Yu family to a prince, suggesting the Yu family would produce a princess.
Shen Xihe didn't know how Yu Sangning managed it, but more and more people were congratulating the Pingyao Marquis.
"Princess, is.".. is this Second Miss Yu's doing?" Biyu felt that such actions didn't seem beneficial to Second Miss Yu."It was her doing," Shen Xihe stated with certainty. "And she definitely did not use the Pingyao Marquis's influence. Even if the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty conduct a thorough investigation, they won't trace it back to her or even the Yu residence. The Pingyao Marquis commands two military garrisons and holds a pivotal position. With this matter causing such an uproar and the Yu family being innocent, I'm afraid Your Majesty will have no choice but to appoint a princess-consort from the Yu family."
(End of Chapter)
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