Mistakenly Treated The Princess As A Concubine - Chapter 95

When Yan Qi headed towards the Taihe Hall, his expression was extremely gloomy. Upon seeing Yan Qinglan’s palanquin on the way, his gloominess reached its peak.

The only golden fish tally that could command troops had been taken by his elder sister.

With military power in her hands, where did that leave him, the ruler of the nation?

And now, it had been lost!

It had brought him such a huge disaster!

The more Yan Qi thought about it, the angrier he became. By the time he reached Yan Qinglan, the ferocity in his eyes had not yet dissipated.

“Where is elder sister going?” Yan Qi asked, suppressing his emotions.

Yan Qinglan had already seen Yan Qi but pretended not to, as she was still “blind” at the moment.

Yan Qi’s expression was unfamiliar, gloomier than the brother she knew.

Yet his words still tried to maintain peace.

Yan Qinglan felt a slight stir in her heart but did not pay it much mind, only paying more attention to the people following Yan Qi.

A few eunuchs, and Yan Qi’s own Black Armor Army. Yan Qi was extremely cautious, even within the palace.

Yan Qinglan thought that if she wanted to have the skilled embroidered-clad guards capture Yan Qi, it would require a major effort, and it would be easy.

The number of embroidered-clad guards was even fewer than the Black Armor Army, especially within the palace, where most were Yan Qi’s people. It would be impossible to capture someone silently.

Moreover, the garrison troops that Yan Qinglan had summoned to the capital with the golden fish tally were called under the pretext of protecting the emperor. Those people did not dare to actually rebel.

“Is that A Qi? I feel a bit clearer in my head today and wanted to have a few words with A Qi.” Yan Qinglan said softly, also suppressing her emotions, her tone carrying a hint of urgency.

“What words?” Yan Qi asked, his voice still calm, but his hands were tightly clenched.

He did not like Yan Qinglan calling him by his name directly.

“I want to speak with A Qi alone.” Yan Qinglan said, wanting to see if Yan Qi would dismiss his attendants.

“Alright, everyone leave.” Yan Qi said, waving his hand.

Yan Qinglan saw her own people leave, but Yan Qi still had people standing by his side, realizing he was deceiving her, the “blind” person, and also guarding against her.

“Elder sister, you can speak now.” Yan Qi said.

“A Qi, last time Xuanzhen tricked me into going out and stole the golden fish tally. I felt something was very wrong at the time, but my mind was muddled and I didn’t think deeply about it. Now that I’m a bit clearer, I’ve figured some things out. The Tianxuan Palace has sinister intentions and is likely to ruin our Northern Jin dynasty. My health is deteriorating day by day, probably due to Jiangxiao’s doing. The incense I’ve been using was all given by Jiangxiao. A Qi, your health is better than mine, so the effects might be slower, but you must stop using that incense. Also, change the group of imperial physicians for your diagnosis. I trusted her so much, yet she wants to kill both of us siblings.” Yan Qinglan said, her voice still weak but filled with emotion.

When Yan Qinglan was first imprisoned, her biggest worry was Yan Qi. Her first assumption was that Yan Qi, like her, had been deceived and might also be poisoned.

Now knowing the truth, if there was no possibility of cooperation with Tianxuan Palace, Yan Qinglan would not be here dealing hypocritically with Yan Qi.

Yan Qi looked at Yan Qinglan, his expression frozen.

After being exposed to the divine incense, Yan Qinglan’s mental state had not been good, often muddled.

Now she was indeed much clearer.

“Elder sister, I didn’t disturb you because of your poor health. In fact, Tianxuan Palace does have rebellious intentions. The nearest garrison troops from all four directions of the capital have been summoned back to gather in the capital. Those further away are probably already on their way. Tianxuan Palace has too many followers. If there are rebel troops surrounding the city outside and followers responding to Jiangxiao’s call inside, the Northern Jin dynasty will truly be ruined. I need elder sister to lend me a hand to eliminate Jiangxiao and her accomplices together!” Yan Qi said after some thought.

Most of Tianxuan Palace’s followers believed in the Celestial Goddess, that is, Yan Qinglan, the reincarnation of the Celestial Goddess. Jiangxiao was only managing Tianxuan Palace on her behalf.

Only if Yan Qinglan told the followers that Jiangxiao was guilty and needed to be replaced as the head of Tianxuan Palace would they believe it.

Previously, he had allied with Jiangxiao to seize power from Yan Qinglan.

Yan Qinglan’s health was deteriorating day by day, but she had refused to hand over the golden fish tally to him, and he had searched everywhere without finding it.

Now that the golden fish tally had been stolen by Tianxuan Palace, cooperation with Tianxuan Palace was no longer possible.

Since Yan Qinglan had said so, he would borrow her remaining strength to deal with Tianxuan Palace together.

To seize Tianxuan Palace from Jiangxiao’s hands into his own.

By then, the weak, blind, and trusting Yan Qinglan would no longer be a concern.

“Of course, I will help A Qi. Let the embroidered-clad guards be at your command. Qin Zhen and Qin Che are skilled; let them help you. Also…” Yan Qinglan said.

The people she mentioned were the embroidered-clad guards who had been killed protecting her.

“Thank you, elder sister.” Yan Qi said, his expression changing slightly but still speaking.

“It’s a pity that my eyes can’t see clearly, and my mind is sometimes clear and sometimes muddled, so I can’t help much.” Yan Qinglan said regretfully.

“It’s fine, Elder sister only needs to point out Jiangxiao’s crimes and let the followers overthrow her together. I’ve just summoned people to the palace; elder sister, come with me to the Taihe Hall.” Yan Qi said.

Yan Qi’s words were exactly what Yan Qinglan hoped for, so she naturally agreed and went with Yan Qi to the Taihe Hall.

When Yan Qinglan went to the Taihe Hall, Wen Zhuojin was following Consort Li’s palanquin to her residence at Shoukang Palace.

On the way, Wen Zhuojin couldn’t ask much, only following respectfully, answering whatever was asked of her.

“I won’t beat around the bush with you, It was the girl Le’an who sent me a letter. You’ll stay with me for a few days. If you want to stay in the palace, I’ll speak to the emperor and get you a good position. If you don’t like it, you can leave the palace after the selection is over.” Consort Li said slowly after sitting down and drinking some tea at Shoukang Palace.

Hearing Consort Li’s words, Wen Zhuojin understood.

Princess Le’an had partnered with her in opening several shops, making her a business partner. She had indeed sought help from Princess Le’an before, asking if there was any way out. Princess Le’an hadn’t responded at the time, but now it seemed she was quite capable, having even reached out to Consort Li for help.

“Thank you, Consort. This humble girl is coarse and unrefined, unfit for such grandeur. I only wish to peacefully make incense outside the palace and do not have the fortune to stay within.” Wen Zhuojin quickly thanked and declined.

The selection process would take a few more days, and the chosen girls would have to stay in the palace for observation until the emperor decided who to keep and what titles to confer before they could leave.

Though anxious, Wen Zhuojin had no choice.

“Alright, I understand. You’re good at making incense; make some more for me while you’re here.” Consort Li said with a smile, seemingly unsurprised.

Mentioning incense-making, Wen Zhuojin focused more, asking about Consort Li’s preferences and symptoms of her headaches, trying to prepare corresponding incense and medicine for her.

Consort Li had many incense materials here, and any missing materials could be fetched from the imperial hospital, making it very convenient.

When Wen Zhuojin entered the palace, she brought nothing but silver notes, focusing on making incense for two days, using the materials to create the incense she wanted, for protection, detoxification, etc.

In the palace, one couldn’t move around freely. With guards at Shoukang Palace, Wen Zhuojin couldn’t go elsewhere, only focusing on making incense.

These were the days Wen Zhuojin used to love the most, but now, without her beloved sister by her side, making incense had lost its flavor.

Every day, she tried to exhaust herself, but when she lay down after washing, the longing became intense.

Each day it grew stronger, sometimes thinking until Wen Zhuojin’s eyes would unconsciously redden.

She wondered if her beloved sister missed her, if she was sick, if the maids were taking care of her, if she was afraid of the heat as the weather warmed, if her menstrual cycle had come, how she endured the pain…

Wen Zhuojin couldn’t go out and didn’t know what was happening outside until one day, while she was making incense, several eunuchs arrived.

“By the emperor’s oral decree, the daughter of the Marquis, Wen Zhuojin, is summoned for an audience.” the eunuch said in a sharp voice.

Wen Zhuojin didn’t know why the emperor suddenly wanted to see her, so she slipped some silver notes to the eunuch to inquire.

“Recently, Tianxuan Palace has been restless and was disciplined by the emperor. You’re a registered disciple of Jiangxiao; be careful with your words.” the eunuch reminded Wen Zhuojin, considering the silver she gave.

Wen Zhuojin roughly understood the situation.

She knew there was conflict between Tianxuan Palace and the emperor. She hadn’t even started sowing discord after entering the palace, and Tianxuan Palace had already acted up and been dealt with?

Regardless, this was good news.

“Let Matron Lin accompany you.” Consort Li said, pointing to an old servant by her side to follow Wen Zhuojin as she was about to leave.

Wen Zhuojin thanked Consort Li and left with the servant.

On the way, Wen Zhuojin painfully slipped more silver notes to the eunuch to gather more information.

The eunuch initially didn’t want to talk much, but seeing the amount of silver notes Wen Zhuojin offered, he was tempted.

Thinking of other disciples of Jiangxiao from Tianxuan Palace, even imperial concubines who had been arrested, while Wen Zhuojin was only being respectfully summoned, she must be treated specially. These messages weren’t secrets, and Wen Zhuojin would find out sooner or later, so it was better to do her a favor.

“The head of Tianxuan Palace, Jiangxiao, who once claimed to be divinely ordained, was a fake. She was originally a fraud and, moreover, a Southern Chu person! She came to Northern Jin under the orders of Southern Chu to harm our people! The incense sold by Tianxuan Palace was also poisonous. Tsk tsk, the divine incense contained poison, and everyone who used it had problems. How terrifying! All of this was thanks to the elder princess’s thorough investigation, truly the reincarnation of the Celestial Goddess, seeing through their schemes!”

The eunuch spoke to Wen Zhuojin in a very low voice, but the emotional tone was still strong.

Hearing the eunuch’s words, Wen Zhuojin felt relieved knowing Jiangxiao had been convicted, but also very surprised.

The divine incense of Tianxuan Palace had been exposed, and it was the elder princess who led the exposure.

This elder princess was truly formidable.

Previously, when she was in cahoots with Jiangxiao, the two were very close.

It was said that every year the elder princess would spend many days in seclusion at Tianxuan Palace, and Jiangxiao being the head of Tianxuan Palace was also appointed by the elder princess. The divine ordination and blessings for Northern Jin were also proclaimed by the elder princess. In short, Jiangxiao’s deification was inseparable from the elder princess’s support.

Now, perhaps as the saying goes, when the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when no longer useful, it can be disposed of.

Those involved in power schemes are indeed very cunning.

Once being a disciple of Tianxuan Palace was an honor, but now it’s likely a disaster.

Wen Zhuojin gathered some information she wanted, feeling somewhat uneasy, not knowing why the emperor wanted to see her, but she had no choice but to continue towards the Taihe Hall where the emperor had summoned her.