Chapter 986: Slander
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The one who had advocated the expedition was the emperor, and it was also the emperor who had insisted on going against everyone’s opinions. Now that the entire expedition to the North had been destroyed, Duke Ning and his son had taken the blame, still causing the emperor to lose all his dignity and face. The emperor couldn’t wait to settle the matter. If Concubine Lan didn’t know her place and continued to attack Empress Ning, the matter would escalate.
Not long after, she realized that the emperor had rejected the Zhan Residence’s suggestion to choose teachers for the emperor’s eldest son.
The Zhan Residence wanted to build a solid foundation for the emperor’s eldest son in advance.
These people would be the teachers of the emperor’s eldest son when he was
young.
When the eldest son of the emperor grew up and was conferred the t.i.tle of crown prince, they would be the crown prince’s aides.
When the crown prince ascended the throne, they would be the emperor’s right-hand men.
Ever since the emperor’s eldest son was young, the teachers would have been tied to his interests. They shared honor and disgrace, and the status of the emperor’s eldest son had become unshakable.
Therefore, choosing teachers for the eldest son of the emperor was the most important. It often took a year and a half, or even a few years, to go from inspection to selection. The sooner they prepared, the better.
At that time, the emperor had high hopes for the crown prince. He even wanted Mr. Hu Shan to return to the court and raise the emperor’s eldest son.
The emperor’s sudden rejection of the Zhan Residence’s suggestion made Concubine Lan acutely realize that the emperor’s intention to nurture the emperor’s eldest son had faded.
The majestic ambition in Concubine Lan’s heart was like wild vines.
She made a crazy and bold move.
She took the opportunity to attack the crown prince.
Not long after the emperor’s eldest son was born, his soul was very light. The empress was too sad and neglected the emperor’s eldest son, causing him to die prematurely. It was reasonable.
The emperor’s eldest son had died prematurely, and the empress was no longer a threat to Concubine Lan.
It was also the Empress’s fault for losing her virtue.
The Empress lost all her dignity, and her position was nothing.
Empress Ning continued, “You controlled the Ganji Palace and instructed the Senior Imperial Censor to write a warning to bring the news of the emperor’s serious illness to the surface, further inciting conflict in the court. I’ll govern Consort Xu’s harem, and the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince will compete for the throne. Then, you will be able to contact the ministers in the court who support the Second Prince and enter the Ganji Palace to ask the emperor to appoint the Second Prince as the heir.”
Concubine Lan subconsciously denied. “You’re talking nonsense. The emperor has the final say in the matter of choosing the heir. I’m just a concubine. How can I have the ability to control the emperor’s heart?”
Empress Ning sneered. “You can’t change the emperor’s mind, but you’ve always been good at a.n.a.lyzing his heart. You’re also the best at catering to his will. By serving the emperor’s heart, you can always achieve your goal.’
Concubine Lan still refused to admit it. “The Weining Marquis Residence owes the emperor a favor. It’s only right for us to share the emperor’s burdens.”
Empress Ning did not argue with her. “Back then, the Xu Residence partic.i.p.ated in the old matters of the Ning Residence. Although it went according to the emperor’s wishes, it also became a thorn in his heart. All these years, the emperor has been very tolerant of the Xu Residence because of this. The Xu Residence relied on the emperor’s kindness to form cliques in the court for personal gain. They’re deeply rooted, causing the emperor to be afraid and want to get rid of them.”
Concubine Lan’s heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling.
Indeed!
Empress Ning changed the topic. “However, the Ning Yuanbo’s Residence was hiding behind the scenes and helping to encourage it. You used the Xu Residence to uproot the Ning Residence.”
At that time, the Ning Residence was supporting the new ruler, and they were like the sun in the sky.
As the first wife, her position was very stable.
Concubine Lan had been conferred the t.i.tle of Imperial n.o.ble Consort. In terms of status, she would never surpa.s.s the Empress, and she was still a concubine.
However, the position of Imperial n.o.ble Consort was only a step away from the Empress, as if it was at hand.
The defeat in the north had allowed Concubine Lan to find a chance to rise to power.
At that time, the general guarding the North was one of the generals who had partic.i.p.ated in the expedition to the North.
This person was greedy for credit and advanced rashly, flattering the emperor. When he was on the northern expedition, he often slandered the emperor, causing the relationship between him and her father and brother to become more and more tense.
Discord between rulers and ministers was a huge taboo on the battlefield.
It was precisely because of this person that the emperor was so smug as a result of winning a few rounds of battle, causing the calamity of Lishan.
At that time, the emperor had wanted to push the blame to this person. However, the emperor did not wrong him completely.
It was the Weining Marquis Residence who had interfered, causing the bad reputation that shouldn’t have been borne by Empress Ning’s father and brother to fall on them.
However, Concubine Lan had never expected the Empress Dowager to step in to protect the Empress.
This had completely cut off Concubine Lan’s path to success.
However, she had also lost her eldest son because of this.
Concubine Lan sneered. “Empress, don’t slander me.”
Empress Ning was not angry. “The Xu family forged evidence of my father and brother’s mistakes on the battlefield. The Weining Marquis Residence was hidden and helped to encourage them, so they know very well. They even took the opportunity to preserve the evidence of the Xu family framing loyal officials. They secretly have something on the Xu family.”
Therefore, Concubine Lan had never taken Imperial Concubine Xu seriously.
From the beginning, Imperial Concubine Xu was like a gra.s.shopper in her hands.
Concubine Lan held her breath for a moment, but she quickly calmed down. “All of this is just the Empress’s wild guess.”
Empress Ning did not mind if she admitted it or not. “You just have to tell the emperor that back then, the reason why the emperor was trapped in Lishan was because Duke Xu had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the emperor by selling his information to the Di people. After that, Duke Ning and his son died tragically when they saved the emperor. Duke Xu was shameless and stood up to save the emperor righteously. Then, he was ungrateful and played the blame game. He slandered Duke Ning and his son, and blamed the Ning Residence for the crushing defeat of the expedition to the North. As a result, he achieved his goal of framing loyal and kind people.”
At that time, the emperor was besieged, and her father and brother led troops to Lishan to save him. At that time, Duke Xu, who was still a small general under Duke Ning, was arranged to wait at the foot of Lishan to receive the emperor.
Although her father and brother had died tragically, they had still severely injured the Di Army who had been lying in ambush at that time.
That was why Duke Xu could successfully save the emperor.
Concubine Lan’s expression changed drastically. “Don’t slander me.”
Empress Ning sneered. “Back then, the Xu family could forge evidence of my father and brother’s mistakes on the battlefield. Why can’t Ning Yuanbo’s residence forge evidence of the Xu family colluding with the enemy to betray the country? After so many years, there are already some slight flaws. I don’t think there’s any way to investigate. Ning Yuanbo’s residence doesn’t have to worry about being exposed at all.”
This was why Concubine Lan was so brilliant.
It was as if a dirty poisonous snake was spying on the enemy at all times, not missing any opportunity to bite back.
Concubine Lan couldn’t help but gasp and take a deep breath. “The Ning Yuanbo’s residence has always looked up to Duke Ning and the heir for loyalty and righteousness. We happened to find out the tip of the iceberg behind the crushing defeat of the expedition to the North. I couldn’t bear to see Duke Ning and the heir be so loyal, yet end up with a reputation full of dirt. Therefore, for so many years, I’ve been secretly investigating the truth of the crushing defeat in the northern expedition back then. I wanted to avenge Duke Ning and the heir.”
When Empress Ning heard this, her face was filled with mockery. “The emperor might fall for it, but I won’t fall. Forging evidence and framing charges are all the usual methods of Ning Yuanbo’s residence. How did King Li of Zhou die back then? You did it once in the past. This time, you’re even more proficient..”