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"Little big brother, something has happened to your mother!"
Little Jing Kong looked worriedly at Huangfu Xian, "Don't be sad."
"I'm not sad." Huangfu Xian said calmly.
Little Jing Kong couldn't understand, scratching his little head. How could he not be sad? If something happened to JiaoJiao, he would be very sad.
Huangfu Xian slowly withdrew his hand grabbed by the little guy, "Maybe they heard it wrong. Nothing happened to my mother. You go back first."
Little Jing Kong: "Oh."
It was true that something had happened to Princess Ning'an at this time. The incident happened in the imperial study, and the news alarmed the whole inner palace once it spread.
Empress Xiao, along with Imperial Consort Zhuang, Imperial Concubine Shu, and others, hurried to the imperial study, only to find it surrounded by imperial guards, and no one was allowed to enter.
"Can't this Empress enter either?" Empress Xiao asked coldly.
The leader of the imperial guards, surnamed Fu, cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "We are currently searching for the assassin inside. For the safety of the Empress and all the Highnesses, please wait here for a moment."
"How is His Majesty?" Imperial Concubine Shu asked anxiously. contemporary romance
Imperial Commander Fu replied, "His Majesty has left through the back door and returned to Huaqing Palace."
Imperial Consort Zhuang rolled her eyes, "Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Did they all come here to catch the assassin?
Empress Xiao's group hurriedly made their way to Huaqing Palace. The Huaqing palace was also surrounded by imperial guards inside and out, but fortunately, there were no assassins here, so Empress Xiao was not stopped.
Imperial Consort Zhuang and Imperial Concubine Shu followed suit.
Empress Xiao's position was stable without need for mention, her son firmly held the position of Crown Prince, while her elder brother, Marquis Xuanping, was engaged in campaigns in the Southern Islands.
Imperial Consort Zhuang had lost favor for a while due to the incident with Ning Wang, but as long as Empress Dowager Zhuang and the Zhuang Family supported her, she would always have a place in the palace.
Imperial Concubine Shu was in a similar situation. Her two nephews had recently achieved great success on the border, so she was also riding high. Who dared to obstruct her path?
The fourth concubine to enter Huaqing Palace was Imperial Concubine Yu, the birth mother of Rui Wang.
Rui Wangfei gave birth to a little princess during the tenth month last year, contributing to the imperial family's expansion, which was considered an accomplishment.
The other concubines weren't so fortunate.
All the palace maids in Huaqing Palace were kneeling on the ground with their heads bowed, and the entire palace was filled with an ominous and heavy atmosphere.
For some reason, Empress Xiao felt a sense of foreboding in her heart. When she passed through the hanging flower gate, she suddenly stopped and looked at a kneeling palace maid, asking, "Did His Majesty come back alone?"
The palace maid nervously replied, "Responding to the Empress, His Majesty came back with Princess Ning'an."
Empress Xiao frowned.
Ever since Qin Chuyu had been bullied to tears by Huangfu Xian, Empress Xiao had lost much of her goodwill towards Princess Ning'an.
But since the Emperor occasionally came to appease her, she didn't find fault with Princess Ning'an.
However, she was still upset in her heart.
The Emperor and Princess Ning'an arrived all the way to the bedchamber in an imperial carriage. These palace maids and eunuchs didn't know the Emperor's condition, only hearing that Princess Ning'an was injured and covered in blood.
Empress Xiao didn't ask anything more and quickly walked towards the bedchamber.
At the door of the bedchamber, the palace maids and eunuchs were kneeling on the ground, wiping away the blood stains. Empress Xiao's heart tightened.
As she stepped inside, a strong smell of blood mixed with the scent of medicinal herbs hit her. Empress Xiao's scalp tingled.
"Your Majesty!"
Imperial Consort Zhuang bypassed her and went straight to the dragon bed!
Imperial Concubine Shu and Imperial Concubine Yu glanced at Empress Xiao but ultimately held back. They were worried about His Majesty's condition, but they didn't have the confidence to rush ahead like Imperial Consort Zhuang.
Princess Ning'an was sitting on a chair beside the bed, her forehead injured and her face covered in blood. Her right arm was also injured, and an imperial physician was treating her wounds.
Meanwhile, two other imperial physicians were gathered around the dragon bed, examining the Emperor's injuries. Eunuch Wei stood beside the bed, wiping tears nervously.
"Your Majesty, this imperial consort has come to see you!" Imperial Consort Zhuang rushed to the bedside, only to find the Emperor's forehead wrapped in thick bandages, his face pale, seemingly unconscious.
Imperial Consort Zhuang asked with a pale face, "What happened to His Majesty?"
Imperial Physician Liang finished examining the Emperor's right arm and started checking his left arm. Upon hearing Imperial Consort Zhuang's question, he bowed to her and said, "His Majesty has suffered a head injury. Currently, we are assessing other areas for injuries."
Empress Xiao stopped in the center of the bedchamber and said with authority, "Imperial consort, come here. Don't disturb the imperial physicians treating His Majesty's wounds."
"I won't! I want to stay with His Majesty!"
"Somebody!"
At the behest of Empress Xiao, Eunuch Su brought two strong eunuchs forward to restrain the shouting Imperial Consort Zhuang.
Empress Xiao's gaze swept over Imperial Consort Zhuang, Imperial Concubine Shu, and Imperial Concubine Yu, "All of you, wait outside."
Eunuch Su approached the three people and said, "Please, Your Highnesses."
Imperial Consort Zhuang didn't want to leave, but she also knew that circumstances were stronger than people. After Ning Wang encountered trouble, Empress Dowager Zhuang no longer favored her, and she didn't have the capital to challenge Empress Xiao anymore.
Imperial Consort Zhuang left the bedchamber angrily!
Seeing her leave, Imperial Concubine Shu and Imperial Concubine Yu didn't want to linger either, so they followed suit and left together.
Princess Ning'an came to pay respects to Empress Xiao.
Empress Xiao looked at her injuries and asked, "What did the imperial physician say?"
Princess Ning'an looked weary, "Superficial wounds, nothing serious."
Empress Xiao asked, "What exactly happened in the imperial study? This Empress heard there was an assassin."
Princess Ning'an lowered her head and choked up, "Yes, an assassin... attempted to assassinate His Majesty. I couldn't stop him, and His Majesty was injured because of me."
Empress Xiao's expression turned serious. "You go back to Bixia Palace to recuperate. This Empress will handle the matter of the assassin."
Reluctantly, Princess Ning'an glanced back at the unconscious Emperor.
And also glanced at Eunuch Wei.
Eunuch Wei quickly lowered his gaze.
After Princess Ning'an turned around, she bowed to Empress Xiao and said, "Yes."
After she left, Empress Xiao called Eunuch Wei over again and asked sternly, "What’s the matter with the assassin? How did they infiltrate the imperial study? Doesn't the Emperor have skilled imperial experts around him?"
Eunuch Wei looked troubled, "Yes, there are, but..."
"But what?" Empress Xiao furrowed her brow.
Eunuch Wei sighed and said sadly, "It happened too quickly. No one expected such a thing to occur. If Princess Ning'an hadn't intervened and blocked a blow for His Majesty, he might have been critically injured. When the assassin's first attempt failed, he grabbed the inkstone from the desk and struck His Majesty on the head..."
Empress Xiao's eyes turned cold, "Who is the assassin?"
Eunuch Wei lowered his gaze, "A constable from the Ministry of Justice."
After questioning Eunuch Wei, Empress Xiao finally understood the sequence of events surrounding the Emperor's assassination attempt. Apparently, the Emperor had been investigating a case related to the imperial family recently, and today, a prisoner in the Ministry of Justice's prison confessed.
The constable named Sun Ping was sent by Minister Xing, whom the Emperor trusted. Sun Ping took advantage of the moment when the Emperor was reviewing the confession letter to suddenly draw a hidden blade from his waistband and stab at the Emperor.
Eunuch Wei was at the door, far from the scene, and didn't see what Sun Ping was doing.
Princess Ning'an reacted first and rushed forward to block the blow. She sustained a serious injury to her right arm and accidentally hit her forehead on a stool when she fell.
By the time Eunuch Wei realized something was wrong and called for help, it was too late. Sun Ping was too close to the Emperor, and the inkstone he grabbed struck the Emperor.
He even attempted a second strike, but Princess Ning'an rushed forward, pulled out the knife still lodged in her right arm, and stabbed Sun Ping in the chest.
At that time, there were only the Emperor, Princess Ning'an, and Eunuch Wei in the imperial study, with no fourth witness.
Empress Xiao also questioned the guards at the palace gates and confirmed that Sun Ping indeed entered the imperial palace under the guise of delivering the confession letter.
Of course, Empress Xiao also sent Eunuch Su to the Ministry of Justice to verify, and the information obtained matched Eunuch Wei's account——Sun Ping came to deliver the confession letter.
However, the Ministry of Justice did not expect Sun Ping to attempt an assassination on the Emperor.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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