"Go and find out exactly what happened on the day Concubine Xian was poisoned," Hua Yueye said with a gloomy face, his fists clenched tightly.
"Yes," the black - clad man nodded and disappeared into the night once again.
Hua Yueye stared at the bright moon outside the window. His eyes flickered slightly, and then he let out a bitter smile. Su Qingwen had become an indispensable part of his life. Therefore, he would do whatever it took to keep her alive.
In the Prince Rui's Mansion.
The man closed his eyes. His long eyelashes covered his slightly closed eyelids. His features were handsome and resolute, and there seemed to be a hint of mockery on the corner of his mouth. Hearing the steward's report, he opened his eyes.
"So, Su Qingwen is really at the end of her rope?"
"The imperial physicians in the palace can do nothing. There's surely no hope. We just don't know how many days she can hold on. Anyway, she deserves it. Didn't she cause you a lot of trouble before?" the steward said respectfully, blinking his eyes.
"Um," Prince Rui sneered. He remembered that the last time he tried to poison Hua Yueye with a Gu poison, it had no effect at all. Instead, it made Gao Quan a laughingstock. He always suspected that it was that bratty girl who had foiled his plan.
"By the way, how is Gao Quan now?" Prince Rui asked as if he had just remembered something.
"Since the last incident, the emperor has stopped bothering him. Gao Quan is quite happy with his carefree life. He does nothing but drink and enjoy himself at home every day," the steward said, unable to hide his look of disgust.
"This fool only knows how to enjoy himself. Doesn't he understand that now that Su Qingwen is poisoned, Hua Yueye must be in a terrible mood? Both of them are at their most vulnerable. Instead of seizing the opportunity, he is living a self - satisfied life," Prince Rui said angrily, slapping the table. He was so frustrated that he could hardly contain his anger.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Not everyone can be as far - sighted as you. Gao Quan doesn't have much strategy. He's just been lucky all the way to where he is today," the steward said, stepping forward quickly to console the enraged man.
"Useless thing. He has to rely on me for everything," Prince Rui waved his hand and said, "Bring me a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. I have to give him a good reminder, or we'll miss this good opportunity in vain."
"Yes," the steward quickly brought the things to Prince Rui and started to grind the ink.
Prince Rui waved his hand and wrote a letter in a flowing style. He handed it directly to the steward and said, "Give this to him. He'll understand what it means after he reads it."
"Um," the steward carefully folded the envelope and put it in his bosom. After bidding farewell to Prince Rui, he quietly went to Gao Quan's mansion.
At that time, Gao Quan was indulging in pleasure and never expected that Prince Rui would contact him suddenly. Without saying a word, he quickly read the content of the letter and immediately understood what Prince Rui meant.
"Does he want me to seize the opportunity and portray Su Qingwen as a shameless and evil seductress?" Gao Quan said thoughtfully, stroking his chin.
"That's right," the steward nodded. "If Su Qingwen dies, Hua Yueye will surely be greatly devastated. This will be beneficial to all of us."
"Got it," Gao Quan waved his hand. There was a hint of venom in his eyes.
It was exactly what he wanted. Anyway, he didn't like Su Qingwen. Why not teach her a good lesson?
The next day, Gao Quan put the plan into action. He joined forces with the civil and military officials in the court to submit a memorial, saying that Su Qingwen was the reincarnation of a fox spirit.
As long as she was alive, the court would never be stable, and the people would never live in peace.
This was clearly superstitious nonsense. Hua Yueye's face turned as dark as thunder when he heard this. He sneered and swept all the things on the table to the ground.
"Ridiculous! Isn't Concubine Xian one of the emperor's concubines? How could she be a fox spirit? Even when making up lies, there should be some plausibility! What you're saying won't convince anyone!"
"Your Majesty, since Concubine Xian entered the palace, there hasn't been a single peaceful day. Haven't you noticed? As long as she's around, we'll never truly have peace," Gao Quan said, taking the lead.
"Nonsense! How can you blame such things on a woman?" Hua Yueye glared at Gao Quan with anger in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, I've asked a divine being to calculate. Su Qingwen is the reincarnation of an evil spirit, a natural fox spirit. If we don't get rid of her, our country will surely be in turmoil!" Gao Quan was desperate and said such absurd things.
"A divine being?" Hua Yueye scoffed. "Where is this divine being? Why can't I see it?"
"Your Majesty, don't you disbelieve me. I've invited a Taoist priest with supernatural powers. He divined personally, and Su Qingwen is a fox spirit, an evil woman who brings disaster to the country!"
"Absurd! All of you shut up! Don't say such things. People who don't know better will think you've all gone crazy!" Hua Yueye roared angrily and strode away.
Gao Quan lowered his head. There was nothing but malice in his eyes. Just as he had expected, Hua Yueye would never believe such things. But it didn't matter. As long as others believed it.
Now, the civil and military officials had all believed his words. Moreover, the common people were even easier to incite. In just a few days, Su Qingwen would become "notorious".
"Achoo!" Su Qingwen had no idea what was going on. She had sneezed countless times in the morning. It was really strange. She couldn't possibly have caught a cold, could she?
[System: Could it be that someone is missing you?]
"Really?" Su Qingwen sighed helplessly. She was about to die. Who would miss her?
Just as she was thinking, a white figure suddenly appeared at the door. The man had an outstanding bearing. There seemed to be a hint of anxiety in his eyes. His handsome face was radiant, giving people a feeling of gentleness and elegance.
Shen Lingyun? It had really been a long time. Why did he come?
"Why is it you?" Su Qingwen propped up her still weak body and asked in confusion.
"Be careful," the man quickly stepped forward and grabbed her arm. He gently placed a cushion behind her waist to make her sit more comfortably.
"Um, why did you come?" She nervously glanced at the door. This was the imperial palace. It didn't seem right for him to come and go like this.
"Don't worry about that. I heard that you were seriously ill and rushed here immediately. Su Qingwen, how about leaving with me?" Shen Lingyun stared at her intently and asked seriously.