diskusbooks Chapter 267 Acceleration
Chapter 267 Acceleration
Seven days after Zheng Yuxiang was placed under house arrest, all the businesses of the Prime Minister's residence, large and small, suffered a significant blow. One-third of the businesses in the capital were directly shut down.
It must be said that the Chen family acted swiftly.
Yu Yifei was so anxious that he immediately went to Zheng Luoqi to pour out his troubles.
Inside a teahouse in Beijing
"My lord, you are truly unaware of the truth! Her Majesty the Empress specifically requested that our family's fabrics and spices be used. I have been extremely careful and have checked them meticulously several times!"
"There was absolutely no problem! But who knew that a problem would still be found!" Yu Yifei's face was full of sorrow, and tears flowed like a burst dam.
He continued, sobbing, "That's not all! Her Majesty the Empress specifically requested that our family's seamstress come to the palace to sew clothes for her."
"After these seamstresses entered the palace, they were replaced batch after batch because of all sorts of messy things, such as them accidentally offending the Empress. In just seven days, they were replaced three times!"
Yu Yifei became more and more excited as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly: "And those craftsmen who made Buddha statues for the Empress!"
"They are working day and night to finish the work for the Empress, saying that they want to pray for the Emperor's well-being. They are carving a new jade Buddha, and if there is even the slightest dissatisfaction, the whole thing has to be redone."
"She only gave you a few days but insisted that you make new jade Buddhas, and not just one. Isn't that making things difficult for you?"
"Many shops in the capital have temporarily closed down and all have gone to the palace to serve the Empress. They have already lost a lot of income because of the closure, and now they are being asked to do this thankless work. How can this continue!"
Finally, Yu Yifei couldn't hold back any longer. He pleaded with tears streaming down his face, "Sir, you must think of a way! If this continues, our family business will be ruined!"
"Alright, stop crying!" Zheng Luoqi looked at the person in front of her who was crying so hard, speechless.
“She’s clearly here for the Prime Minister’s residence this time,” Zheng Luoqi said calmly, seemingly unsurprised by Chen Xianlin’s actions.
"She's determined to cause trouble, what can you do?" Zheng Luoqi's words seemed to contain a hint of sarcasm.
"Wait two more days, or maybe... less than two days!" Zheng Luoqi's words were pointed, leaving Yu Yifei stunned.
Yu Yifei looked up, puzzled, and asked, "What do you mean, two days and one day? My lord, do you have a plan? Or is it that Her Majesty the Empress will send all those people back in the next two days?"
Zheng Luoqi took a small sip of tea, the rim of the teacup gleaming coldly in the light.
He looked out the window; the afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the street, casting a warm, orange glow, but his eyes were like the frost of winter.
"If the Empress really wants to make a move, do you think she will give us a chance to breathe?" He put down his teacup and tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic sound.
Yu Yifei wiped away his tears, barely managing to stop sobbing, "What does Your Excellency mean..."
"She's forcing us to take action."
"She wanted to panic us, throw us off balance, and then crush us in one fell swoop."
"Then what should we do?" A hint of despair flashed in Yu Yifei's eyes, as if he could already see his own end.
Zheng Luoqi smiled slightly: "The more she presses us, the less we can afford to panic. She thinks we'll lose our composure, but in reality, we just need to wait for the right opportunity."
"Wait for the right opportunity?" Yu Yifei was stunned, his confusion deepening.
“Yes, timing.” Zheng Luoqi’s gaze turned to the window again. “She is in the light, we are in the dark. She thinks she has everything under control, but she forgets that the game continues and the outcome is still uncertain.”
Yu Yifei nodded, seemingly understanding, though he didn't quite grasp what Zheng Luoqi meant by "timing"...
夜晚
"Ah!!!!" A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence of the palace.
The screams originated from Consort Shu's bedchamber. When the head maid rushed over in a panic, she found Consort Shu lying lifeless on the bed, her face as pale as paper and her eyes tightly closed.
The palace maid who discovered that Consort Shu had died was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Before she could recover from her fear, a group of guards rushed in and arrested her without saying a word.
The sudden death of Consort Shu was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.
The tense situation was completely reversed in an instant, plunging the palace and the outside world into chaos and panic.
Consort Shu had the same symptoms as the Emperor, which made many officials think of the Emperor's illness.
In addition, there was the incident some time ago when the Prime Minister, worried about the Emperor's condition, forced his way into the inner palace, only to be stopped by the Empress and ultimately confined to his quarters.
Many people have put these two things together, and now all sorts of speculations and rumors are spreading like wildfire.
Inside the palace
"Crack!" With a crisp cracking sound, porcelain shards scattered like snowflakes, instantly covering the floor of the Empress's Palace.
This wasn't the first porcelain vase Chen Xianlin had smashed to the ground; shards were scattered all around it.
Chen Xianlin's eyes were bloodshot, and her hair was disheveled from excessive anger.
Like a madwoman who had lost her mind, she kept grabbing the porcelain vases around her and smashing them to the ground. Each impact was accompanied by the sound of porcelain shattering, which echoed in the empty palace, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" The eunuchs and maids around them were already pale with fright. They knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, begging the Empress to calm her anger.
Chen Xianlin is now completely deaf to the outside world; her heart is filled with endless anger.
"Why did this happen? Why did it have to happen at this time? Why did she have to die at this critical juncture? Did she have to oppose me even after she died?" Chen Xianlin's voice was sharp and shrill, and she had completely lost control of her emotions.
"If she dies, the Emperor's affairs will be exposed. What will all my actions during this time mean then?" Various thoughts flashed through Chen Xianlin's mind.
Suddenly, Chen Xianlin seemed to remember something, and she remembered the old man.
Her laughter suddenly rang out in the palace, "Hahahaha, so it was all planned from the very beginning! I was tricked from the start!"
"Their target has always been me! Do they want to solidify this charge against me?"
"Your Majesty, be careful, walls have ears!" a palace maid who was very close to Chen Xianlin whispered a reminder.
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Xianlin slapped her across the face, and the left side of the palace maid's face swelled up instantly.
The palace maid covered her burning cheek, not daring to utter a single word.