Transmigrating into a book, seducing him to rise to power

The next day, Su Jingyao slowly woke up, her face full of a refreshed look, and her beautiful eyes shining brightly.

Great! At least I don't have to serve men for several days and can give myself a break.

However, Jun Zechen did not leave Zhaochun Palace last night, but instead went to a side hall of Zhaochun Palace.

As the emperor, considering that leaving Zhaochun Palace in the middle of the night would inevitably trigger various speculations about her in the palace the next day.

To avoid these things, Jun Zechen chose to sleep in a side hall.

Su Jingyao agreed. He went back to Qianqing Palace late at night, and she would be the subject of gossip tomorrow.

Last night, Jun Zechen, lying on the bed in the side hall, stared straight at the ceiling, somewhat dazed.

I don't know how I got here.

How could he have agreed to sleep in the side hall!

He's the emperor!

Jun Zechen even felt a pang of annoyance.

Well, it was her birthday yesterday, but it made her so sad. It's good that it helps her calm down.

Su Jingyao found it amusing to think about how Jun Zechen left her bedroom last night.

Yesterday's probing gave Su Jingyao some insight into Jun Zechen's feelings for her.

At least Jun Zechen's attitude towards Ling Yue is developing as she expected. The fact that he only uses the word "wife" to describe Ling Yue is enough to show Ling Yue's current position in Jun Zechen's heart.

If Ling Yue were to let go now, perhaps Jun Zechen's slight sense of guilt would guarantee her a life of wealth and honor.

Unfortunately, people are always greedy.

At this moment, Miaoyun walked in, her face showing a hint of worry.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty's face was so dark when he left this morning, is he really alright?"

Su Jingyao raised an eyebrow slightly and replied calmly, "It's alright, I know what I'm doing."

A moment later, Miaoxia hurried in and announced, "Master, Aunt Jinhua has arrived."

Su Jingyao was slightly taken aback and raised an eyebrow. Could it be that the Empress Dowager was looking for her for something good?

She then walked towards the main hall, where Aunt Jinhua was already respectfully waiting.

Aunt Jinhua bowed and greeted, "This servant greets Consort Chunshu."

Su Jingyao raised her hand to indicate, "Aunt Jinhua, please rise. Does the Empress Dowager have any instructions?"

Aunt Jinhua straightened up. "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager instructed you to investigate the matter of the Imperial Concubine's poisoning yesterday. This is the evidence that His Majesty sent people to find yesterday. Your Majesty may take a look."

As he spoke, he presented the evidence.

Su Jingyao reached out and slowly took the stack of papers from her aunt Jinhua's hand.

His gaze immediately fell on the paper, and he began to examine it carefully.

As she looked at it, her eyebrows furrowed slightly involuntarily, and a hint of doubt appeared in her eyes.

"All this evidence seems to point to Consort An?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Aunt Jinhua replied respectfully.

"These were discovered by His Majesty yesterday. His Majesty originally intended to convict Consort An directly, but the Empress Dowager felt that the current evidence was insufficient to convict Consort An, who is one of the Nine Consorts. Convicting her in this way would be too hasty."

"So the Empress Dowager's intention is to hope that Your Highness will find out the truth within three days. If it cannot be proven that this matter has nothing to do with Consort An, His Majesty will directly convict Consort An based on this evidence."

Su Jingyao's lips curled up slightly, but her smile seemed somewhat forced.

She looked at Aunt Jinhua and said softly, "Aunt Jinhua, this case doesn't seem so easy to handle."

Aunt Jinhua quickly said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has always believed in your abilities, and His Majesty and the Empress Dowager both highly regard your kindness and fairness. Consort An and the Imperial Concubine have a good relationship with Your Majesty. Therefore, the Empress Dowager feels that it is most appropriate for you to investigate this case."

Su Jingyao nodded slightly and said slowly, "I thank the Empress Dowager for her kindness and will do my best to find the culprit who poisoned the Consort."

"Then this servant will take her leave." Aunt Jinhua bowed and departed.

After Aunt Jinhua left, Su Jingyao held the stack of evidence in her hand, walked gracefully to the bed, and sat down.

She placed the evidence on the table, her eyes fixed on it, lost in thought.

What exactly do the Empress Dowager and Jun Zechen mean by this?

Are we going to put her in the middle?

Clearly, Jun Zechen didn't want to continue investigating after reaching Consort An. As the emperor, Jun Zechen was a man of deep thoughts and it was impossible for him to be completely oblivious to everything.

Since he had given such a signal, Su Jingyao had no choice but to speculate.

Because Ling Yue held a certain weight in his heart, Jun Zechen wanted to convict An Zhaorong regardless of whether Ling Yue had plotted against her or An Zhaorong had poisoned her.

An Zhaorong's previous tricks had completely disgusted Jun Zechen with her. Even if Ling Yue retaliated and framed An Zhaorong, Jun Zechen would definitely choose Ling Yue over An Zhaorong.

But now the Empress Dowager has handed this thorny issue to her, clearly wanting her to investigate it thoroughly, rather than letting Jun Zechen handle it as he pleases.

Hmph, what a dog of a man. It's one thing for the Empress Dowager to test her.

This scoundrel actually agreed, so don't blame her for smearing his beloved "wife".

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly, which were as clear as autumn water, and a thoughtful light flickered in them.

Her slender fingers gently turned the exquisite bracelet on her wrist.

Yesterday, she said she didn't like the jewelry Jun Zechen sent her, which was obviously intentional.

Only in this way can she better demonstrate her noble character and her indifference to external things. She also doesn't want Jun Zechen to always be seen as a superior, self-important gift.

The thoughtful gift that Jun Zechen put his heart into was always more important than these external things.

However, the items he sent were indeed extremely fine; the jewelry in the palace was always exquisite and luxurious.

Moreover, these tributes were equivalent to limited edition items in modern times; they were not only extremely valuable but also very rare.

The bracelet on her wrist was given to her by Jun Zechen not long ago when he noticed her beautiful hands and remembered that there was a kingfisher feather bracelet inlaid with purple jade sent by a subordinate country in the warehouse.

Regardless of the superior quality of this jadeite, its color alone is already exceptional, not to mention the intricate kingfisher feather inlay technique, which is extremely complex.

It requires carefully selecting brightly colored and smooth kingfisher feathers, which are then used in an extremely delicate inlay process to decorate gold and silver, and then tightly wrapped around the bracelet.

Now that I wear it on my wrist, I find it pleasing to the eye.

"How does Your Majesty plan to investigate this case? If it turns out that Consort Gui framed Consort An, will Your Majesty report it truthfully?" Miaoyun asked softly.

Su Jingyao remained calm.

"Being in the inner palace, one must be careful with every step. The Consort made such a scene yesterday, and I was also angry because His Majesty broke his promise. If I were to tell His Majesty directly that the Consort had carefully planned and framed me, even if I presented the evidence to His Majesty, he would still inevitably suspect that I framed the Consort out of jealousy and hatred."

"But if it was all a conspiracy by the Imperial Concubine, then Master is merely investigating the truth." Miao Yun's face showed a hint of confusion.

"Ha, Miaoyun, now we're all in this game, even His Majesty is part of it. What does the truth even matter?"

Su Jingyao's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile on her face.

"What matters most is how our Emperor views this, who he believes the murderer to be, and how the case is investigated in a way that satisfies both the Empress Dowager and His Majesty."

"So regardless of whether the Imperial Concubine is truly the culprit, I will not allow her to be punished openly this time."

Su Jingyao's short-term goal was not to make the Consort suffer, but to make Jun Zechen not care about the Consort, or even feel guilty.

If she were to tell Jun Zechen and the Empress Dowager that all of this was a conspiracy meticulously planned by the Imperial Concubine.

The Empress Dowager will surely uphold justice and strictly enforce the law to punish the Consort. However, once the Consort is punished, Jun Zechen may feel sorry for her.

They might even feel that the Imperial Concubine was isolated and helpless in the harem, and that everyone was conspiring to frame and bully her.

After all, some of a man's thoughts are often inexplicable.

Now that the Imperial Concubine has already taken action, her original image of "kindness and purity" is no longer valid. Su Jingyao will only make Jun Zechen's disgust for the Imperial Concubine deepen in the process.

She would try her best to avoid making Jun Zechen feel even the slightest bit of guilt or pity towards her.

Whether the truth comes out in her investigation of this case is not important; what is important is to make Jun Zechen clearly and plainly aware that it was the Imperial Concubine herself who meticulously plotted to frame others.

Su Jingyao will stand firmly on Jun Zechen's side, do her best to protect the Consort, help the Consort, and give the Consort the dignity she deserves.

"Your Majesty, Consort An is outside requesting an audience," Miaoxia said respectfully as she entered with light steps.

"Don't see her, let her go back."

Su Jingyao frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure flashing in her eyes, her tone cold.

She had just accepted the important task entrusted to her by the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Was Consort An coming here at this time to openly bribe her?

idiot.

Just as Miaoxia turned around to leave, Su Jingyao suddenly spoke up again.

"Return and tell Consort An that I will handle this matter impartially."

When Su Jingyao said this, she even deliberately emphasized the words "upright and impartial".

Miaoxia naturally understood the meaning behind her master's words, nodded quickly, and then quietly withdrew.

Su Jingyao said that because she was worried that An Zhaorong would lose her composure.

After all, Jun Zechen did intend to use her as a scapegoat, so An Zhaorong's eagerness was understandable.

Miaoxia told An Zhaorong that she would handle the matter "fairly" in order to put An Zhaorong at ease.

Su Jingyao unconsciously turned the bracelet on her wrist again, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she looked thoughtful.

But there had to be a scapegoat for this. Consort An was still useful, and she didn't intend to let Consort An be dismissed so easily.

So who should be the scapegoat?