Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

The study in Yude Hall.

"Your Highness, our men, together with Her Majesty the Empress's men, have made progress in investigating Consort Su's palace attire."

An Shun bowed slightly, raised his head a little, and looked respectfully at His Highness the Crown Prince, who was focused on reviewing memorials.

Jun Zechen's expression was solemn. He held a vermilion pen in one hand and was carefully reviewing the memorial. His handsome face was expressionless, yet he exuded an invisible pressure.

"Before Consort Su entered the palace, the palace maid Ru'er served in Qiluan Palace. Later, because she was not favored by the Crown Princess, the Crown Princess sent her back to the Imperial Household Department."

Anshun's voice carried a hint of caution. After all, everyone in the Eastern Palace knew that the two most important mistresses were the Crown Princess and Consort Su, yet now they were entangled in this kind of relationship.

Jun Zechen's deep, still-penetrating eyes flickered slightly, but he continued to write and review.

Anshun continued, "Later, Ru'er relied on some money and connections to be assigned to Xiyan Palace after the concubine entered the East Palace."

As Anshun spoke, he secretly observed the Crown Prince's reaction.

"The palace maid Ru'er went to the lotus pond after the concubine went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and was then pushed into the lotus pond and drowned. The palace coroner also examined Ru'er's body and confirmed that she had indeed drowned."

"When they found her, Ru'er had already been soaking for several hours, and her body was bloated, so they couldn't tell anything. The only thing they found was An Liangdi's handkerchief in her arms."

Anshun paused slightly at this point.

Jun Zechen's brows furrowed even more, a flash of anger crossing his eyes. These women really would stop at nothing.

"This servant personally asked Consort An, and one of her maids said that she had accidentally lost this handkerchief several days ago, and she didn't know why it was on Ru'er."

An Shun felt a little regretful. He originally thought this was a breakthrough, but An Liangdi reacted quickly and directly sent a palace maid to take the blame.

"This servant took the palace maid away for questioning, but it turned out that the palace maid had taken advantage of her servants' inattention yesterday and killed herself by banging her head against a wall."

At this point, Anshun revealed a hint of tension and worry.

This was a key figure, and now that he's dead, the trail has almost gone cold.

A ruthless glint flashed in Jun Zechen's eyes, before he coldly uttered two words: "Useless."

Upon hearing those two words, Anshun's heart tightened, and he immediately knelt down, his body trembling slightly. "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my negligence."

"Although the lead on An Liangdi's side has gone cold, Her Majesty the Empress has made a new discovery," An Shun quickly added.

Jun Zechen slightly raised his head, looked at An Shun, then lowered his head to continue reviewing the memorials, signaling him to continue.

"This palace maid, Ru'er, entered the palace at a very young age. Before serving in Qiluan Palace, she worked in the palace of Consort Shu."

"However, that happened several years ago. If Her Majesty the Empress hadn't specifically gone through those old files, it would probably have been difficult to find."

You must understand that those dusty archives are not to be consulted casually; without the Empress's permission, it is absolutely impossible.

Moreover, the palace archives were numerous and complex, and it took the Empress a great deal of effort to find the record of a mere palace maid.

Jun Zechen naturally understood the hardships involved and was always grateful to his mother.

"Her Majesty the Empress said that if Consort Shu is involved in this matter, it will not be simple."

"If Consort Shu first placed this person in the Crown Princess's palace, and then after the Consort entered the Eastern Palace, she transferred her to the Consort's palace, Her Majesty the Empress suspects that Consort Shu intentionally harmed His Highness's heir..."

Anshun lowered his voice slightly.

Upon hearing this, Jun Zechen finally put down his pen.

He stared straight ahead, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes, sharp as a blade, sending chills down one's spine.

He unconsciously twirled the ring on his hand, his face expressionless, yet he exuded an extremely oppressive aura.

Could it be that Consort Shu still harbors hope for the Third Prince?

Ha, even if he has no heir, does the Third Prince really think he can shake his position as Crown Prince?

His position as crown prince was appointed by his father, and with his father's support, most of the old ministers of the royalist party stood on his side.

Moreover, he has recently proposed many policies on the reform of the imperial examination system and the appointment and removal of court officials, and most of the officials in the court have already submitted to him.

Not to mention that after his great victory in the expedition, he had always held military power.

Only Consort Shu, a woman in the harem, was short-sighted, thinking that the lack of an imperial heir would prevent him from ascending the throne.

Or was he too kind, giving the third prince a glimmer of hope?

Jun Zechen pondered to himself, his expression growing increasingly cold.

Xiyun Palace.

An Jinyan sat on the couch with a serious expression, her brows furrowed, her heart filled with doubt and unease.

She never imagined that the matter of Consort Su being contaminated with motherwort would implicate her.

How did her handkerchief end up on the palace maid Ru'er?

If she hadn't taken precautions beforehand and made the palace maid Ting'er confess directly, she probably would have been framed for this.

Who could be framing her?

Crown Princess?

Although An Jinyan didn't know who was behind this, she understood that some sacrifices were inevitable under these circumstances.

Although Ting'er died because of this, she would write to her mother, asking her to take good care of Ting'er's family.

Since learning that she was to enter the harem, An Jinyan resolutely abandoned her kindness. In the treacherous harem, she had to proceed with caution at every step.

After all, the slightest misstep could lead to utter ruin, so she absolutely could not afford to make the slightest mistake.

"Your Majesty, Ting'er is dead. This matter concerning Consort Su has been completely severed from your ties."

"Although the Crown Prince and the Empress will not punish you for this, if His Highness the Crown Prince becomes suspicious of you, how will you ever gain his favor?"

Bai Zhi said with a worried expression.

An Jinyan's eyes darkened; this was indeed what she was worried about.

Tang Fengyi can be said to have won a great victory in this matter concerning her child.

Although the imperial heir is still in Tang Fengyi's womb, after suffering so much, Tang Fengyi's frail body may not be able to give birth.

Even if she were to be born, Tang Fengyi would likely face a near-death experience.

The Crown Princess's golden book was also taken away by the Empress, and now it has become almost a mere decoration.

If the Crown Prince's golden edict has not been retrieved by the time the Crown Prince ascends the throne, then she will not even be qualified to be made Empress!

but……

She absolutely cannot lose His Highness's favor!

"His Highness and the Empress are investigating the matter concerning the concubine. I did nothing wrong, so I have a clear conscience."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of discernment and will certainly not hold a grudge against me."

An Jinyan could only console herself with this thought at this moment.

"Moreover, the concubine is kind. I will go to her later and reason with her. If she doesn't doubt me, Your Highness naturally won't say anything."

With so many things happening in the Eastern Palace recently, the entire palace seems to be shrouded in a thick gloom, so oppressive and suffocating that it's hard to breathe.

But inside the Xiyan Palace, there was a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

"Your Majesty, several days have passed, and it seems that His Highness and Her Majesty the Empress have not yet traced the matter back to Consort An."

Miaoyun asked softly from the side, her voice tinged with doubt.

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in them.

If that's really the case, then the palace maid Ru'er might not have been An Liangdi's person.

An Jinyan had been in the Eastern Palace for even less time than her, so she didn't have many people she could use.

Unless they were carefully cultivated within a family.

However, An Jinyan was not a fool. Using people trained by her family before His Highness had even ascended the throne was hardly a wise move.

Moreover, if the Empress were to investigate the people trained by the family in detail, it wouldn't be impossible to find them.

Moreover, the Empress valued this pregnancy highly. While the Crown Prince was personally investigating, the Empress was also sending people to investigate.

The Empress has more people in the harem than even the Crown Prince. If the investigation doesn't find anything on An Jinyan, then perhaps it really wasn't her who did it.

"It doesn't matter, as long as my goal can be achieved."

Su Jingyao gently stroked her belly and said softly.

Her face betrayed no emotion, only a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth revealed a hint of smugness.

"But Master, didn't you want to kill two birds with one stone? Now that the Crown Princess has had her golden book revoked, Consort An is quite pleased with herself."

Miaoyun said somewhat indignantly, her brows furrowed and her face full of dissatisfaction.

"Miaoyun, you can't judge things by appearances alone."

Su Jingyao raised a meaningful smile, a smile that carried a hint of cunning and calculation.

"My goal has always been clear: to make the Empress dislike the Crown Princess and prevent her from ascending to the position of Empress; to make the Crown Prince dislike Consort An, causing Consort An to fall out of favor. Haven't I achieved all of that?"

She wasn't going to kill them both.

First and foremost, Ling Yue absolutely cannot die now. If she dies now, she will become an eternal pain in Jun Zechen's heart.

As for An Jinyan, if she didn't harm her own child, then let her go.

An Jinyan comes from a good family; her father is a marquis with some power, so he cannot be punished arbitrarily without evidence.

Throughout history, those in power in the royal court have always wanted to separate the imperial court from the harem, but how could they truly separate them?

With a good family background, even if An Jinyan is not favored by the Crown Prince, she will not live too badly.

Unless the Crown Prince's dislike reaches a certain level, like that of the original owner in the original book, An Jinyan might not have a good time.

After listening to her master's words, Miaoyun pondered for a while and felt that her master was right.

Then, Su Jingyao continued, "There aren't many women in the Eastern Palace right now. The Crown Princess's Golden Book has been taken back by the Empress. If Consort An is also punished, I will be the ultimate beneficiary. Smart people judge by results, and the attention focused on me will increase significantly."

Su Jingyao didn't want to expose her ambitions now, and she didn't want to break the innocent image she had worked so hard to build.

"Now that Consort An is safe, everyone will only think that it is a struggle between Consort An and the Crown Princess, while I am always the innocent victim."

"Your Majesty is wise; I have learned much from you," Miaoyun said respectfully.

Su Jingyao was very satisfied with the current situation; all she needed to do was give Ling Yue another push.

The Empress was completely disappointed in the Crown Princess, making it difficult for Jun Zechen to make Ling Yue Empress after his ascension to the throne.

Su Jingyao casually stroked her nail polish, a slight smile playing on her lips.

She couldn't wait to see Ling Yue demoted from wife to concubine; she wanted to max out Ling Yue's descent into darkness.

As for An Jinyan, let her be her shield for now.