bookcurios Chapter 129 Don't Let Her Escape
Chapter 129 Don't Let Her Escape
"It's rare for Imperial Concubine Jing to accompany the Empress Dowager. I will go back today and come back to serve the Empress Dowager tomorrow. I hope Imperial Concubine will recover soon."
The Queen Mother was pleased with Cui Rong's tact and praised her, "Thank you for your hard work today. You have made a great contribution to the improvement of Concubine Jing's health."
"These are what a servant should do." Cui Rong bowed respectfully and left. As she turned around, there was a barely perceptible smile on the corner of her mouth.
……
A few days later, when Song Yanyi and the Queen listened to the report from the palace maid placed beside Concubine Jing, the expressions on their faces were not very good.
"Noble Concubine Jing has been going to the Empress Dowager's palace frequently recently? Why didn't you report it earlier?" There was a hint of displeasure in the Queen's voice, and her sharp eyes swept over the palace maid kneeling on the ground.
The maid shuddered and said in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "It seems that the Imperial Concubine Jing has noticed something. I am afraid that she will be suspicious if I am not careful, so I dare not move around. This morning, the Imperial Concubine went to the Queen Mother to pay her respects. I saw an opportunity and dared to come secretly to report this to the Queen and the Crown Prince..."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head, clenched her hands, and looked extremely nervous.
"I beg the Queen and the Crown Prince to forgive my late reporting!" The maid's voice was full of pleading, her forehead almost touching the cold ground.
The queen was about to open her mouth to blame, but Song Yanyi gently raised his hand to stop her. His eyes were deep and his tone was gentle: "This can't be entirely blamed on you. After all, you have been with Concubine Jing for many years. If you hadn't been secretly keeping an eye on us, you would have been quite diligent in your work. But remember, if you encounter similar situations in the future, even if you can't come in person, you must try to pass on the news through other channels to avoid delays."
Upon hearing this, the maid nodded in agreement, her voice full of gratitude: "I will keep this in mind and will never do it again!"
Song Yanyi asked calmly, with a hint of worry between his brows: "Is there anything else you need to report?"
"There is one more small matter." The maid spoke softly, as if she was afraid of disturbing something. "In the past, the prescriptions written by the imperial physician were all prepared by me personally, but recently, this task has been taken over by the senior maid beside Concubine Jing, who is responsible for preparing the medicine herself."
“Perhaps I am worrying too much, but Imperial Concubine Jing’s complexion is indeed much better than before, and she seems particularly energetic.” When the palace maid said this, a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, as if even she herself could not believe what she saw.
The Queen frowned, her face full of disbelief: "How is this possible? As long as Imperial Concubine Jing continues to take the medicine specially made by Imperial Doctor Qi, how can her condition get better? There must be something hidden that we haven't noticed yet."
The maid replied tremblingly, her voice full of uneasiness: "It may be my illusion... Queen, please calm down. I will pay more attention and find out the truth of this matter!"
Song Yanyi knew that blaming the palace maid would not help, so he waved his hand gently, indicating that she could leave.
The palace maid was as if she had been pardoned. She quickly bowed and left, her steps brisk, obviously relieved.
"The Empress Dowager has suddenly become so close to Concubine Jing. There must be some unknown intention behind this." Song Yanyi's face was solemn and his eyes were far-reaching, as if he was thinking about something.
When the Queen mentioned Imperial Concubine Jing, her eyes were filled with disdain and contempt: "A woman with no background, who has been quiet for so long, has now learned to cling to the Queen Mother. With her fragile body, she still tries to please the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother doesn't even dislike her bad luck. It's really puzzling!"
"We have used drugs to control her for so many years. Her body has long been at the end of its strength. Does the Queen Mother want to use her to compete with me? It's simply ridiculous!" The Queen's words were full of anger and unwillingness.
During this period, the Queen witnessed her power being gradually stripped away by the Queen Mother, and she had no other options except anxiety and helplessness.
Rumors spread in the palace, and people were talking about her inability to manage the palace, which forced the Queen Mother to intervene in the affairs of the harem.
Although she secretly tried to suppress these rumors, they not only did not subside, but instead intensified, as if silently declaring her incompetence as the mistress of the imperial palace.
The frustration and dissatisfaction accumulated over a long period of time reached its peak at this moment.
If Song Yanyi had not stopped her in time, she would probably have severely punished the palace maid to vent her anger.
Song Yanyi was silent for a moment, with a hint of deep thought in his eyes: "The physical condition of Concubine Jing is indeed getting worse, but I am worried that there may be changes that we have not expected."
"Especially the young lady from the Cui family. We have all witnessed her close relationship with the Queen Mother and her extraordinary medical skills. I am worried that if she can really take care of Concubine Jing's body, then Concubine Jing will become a thorn in our hearts that will be difficult to remove."
Now, the mother and son are restricted in their movements in the palace and have lost their former freedom.
When Song Yanyi was unable to show up, the Queen always circulated among the court officials to win support for him.
Although many court officials have sided with them, the presence of the Queen Mother prevents them from acting as high-profile as before.
The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Although the empress dowager can ignore the rules on the grounds of assisting the emperor, the empress cannot.
Once the Queen crosses the line, she will be accused of having ill intentions and will arouse the Emperor's vigilance, and all their previous efforts will be wasted!
"Ms. Cui is too independent-minded. Even though I warned her, she didn't seem to care."
The queen's face darkened, and her tone revealed a bit of frustration. "The situation on the border is turbulent. I wanted her to marry you as soon as possible to stabilize the rear, but she always had various reasons to shirk."
"Now I asked the palace maid to invite her, but she used the Queen Mother's name as a shield and refused to come to see me." The Queen's words were full of helplessness and dissatisfaction.
Song Yanyi pursed his lips, feeling mixed emotions.
Although he had sent secret guards to secretly monitor Cui Rong, he had gained nothing so far. He was confused as to whether it was because the secret guards were not capable enough or Cui Rong was too smart.
He sighed softly. At this moment, Cui Rong was deeply loved by the Queen Mother, and the relationship between the two seemed to be getting closer day by day.
Even for him, it was difficult to get close to Cui Rong.
If he could complete the engagement with Cui Rong as soon as possible, perhaps he would be able to take the opportunity to gain the support of the Queen Mother, which was an opportunity he had never had in his previous life.
In his previous life, although he tried his best to win over the Queen Mother, he was never able to do so. Fortunately, that did not prevent him from ascending the throne in the end.
But now, he is restricted everywhere, and even suppressed by Song Yanchen in some aspects. How can he swallow this!
Song Yanyi looked through the window lattice at the gradually darkening sky: "Ms. Cui has not left the palace yet. I will go talk to her."
As long as the engagement is still there, Cui Rong will never be able to escape from his clutches!
The queen frowned slightly, as if she was not completely reassured by Song Yanyi's decision: "Miss Cui is not so easily persuaded. We have mentioned the matter of the engagement many times, but she always finds a way to avoid it."