Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 73 Crisis

Zheng Luoqi felt very dangerous when she thought about the organization with the pattern on its face, which might hold a lot of dirt on powerful people.

So how much of the Prime Minister's mansion's secrets did they uncover?

Thinking about this, Zheng Luoqi felt that this organization had to be eliminated, but she didn't know where these people came from.

However, it would be worthwhile to investigate the concubines in the private quarters of other powerful and wealthy families to see if any of them behaved similarly to Yueji.

Zheng Luoqi thought this method was feasible, so she immediately sent a lot of people to investigate.

To prevent Yueji from doing something like this again, Zheng Luoqi dismissed all the people in the inner quarters, both those she hadn't favored and those she had.

Each month, a new batch of people were sent. Anyone who had been favored by the emperor was sent away the next day, and those who had not been favored were not allowed to stay in the prime minister's residence for more than a month.

After the order was given, many people in the backyard cried their hearts out, as if they were dying.

Many spies who had infiltrated the area immediately wrote back to their masters, telling them that the route of sending people to the back of the Prime Minister's residence to gather information was no longer viable.

...............

Inside the palace

The Empress Dowager was resting on a reclining chair in the Cining Palace, with a nanny fanning her. The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment.

"Is there any news from Yanxi? I ​​wonder what's going on with her. The Emperor often visits her palace, so why didn't she seize the opportunity to give birth to a prince? There's no sign of her pregnant belly at all?" The Empress Dowager suddenly asked the nanny beside her.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has indeed been visiting Consort Xi's palace much more often than before. But I wonder if it's because Consort Xi has been receiving too much favor lately. When I visited Consort Xi the other day, she didn't seem to be feeling well. I've already instructed the Imperial Kitchen to send more tonics to Consort Xi's palace," the nanny replied respectfully.

"Oh, is that so? Yanxi is not well. Why hasn't she sent anyone to inform us? This can't go on. We need to call an imperial physician to examine her and prescribe some medicine to regulate her body. Otherwise, when will she be able to conceive? This first child is very important. It can't be in someone else's womb. It can only be in my Wen family." The Empress Dowager said leisurely.

"Go and summon a few imperial physicians to examine her, and while you're at it, send some more tonics to Consort Xi's palace," the Empress Dowager added.

The old woman bowed respectfully and then quietly withdrew. The Empress Dowager closed her eyes wearily and continued to rest.

When Wen Yanxi heard that the Empress Dowager had sent a large amount of tonics and had even specially invited the imperial physician to examine her, she was terrified and her face turned pale with fright.

She was terrified that the examination would reveal something wrong and that the Empress Dowager would find out about her health problems. She was also afraid that if the Emperor knew that the Empress Dowager knew about her punishment, he would definitely punish her. She didn't want to be forced to kneel and locked in a dark room.

Now, Wen Yanxi's servants are actually the Emperor's people. Even the palace maids sent by the Empress Dowager have turned against the Emperor. Wen Yanxi doesn't know what to do.

At this moment, Wen Yanxi did not know how to refuse the imperial physician's examination. She could only bite the bullet and let the physician conduct the physical examination, hoping that she could give him a meaningful look later.

After a while, the imperial physician finished taking her pulse and only said that Consort Xi needed to rest more, that she was weak and needed to replenish her body, and that there was nothing else wrong. Wen Yanxi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The imperial physician was a seasoned veteran; having been in the palace for so long, he must know what to say and what not to say.

Seeing that the imperial physician said that, the nanny didn't suspect anything. After delivering the tonics that the Empress Dowager had asked her to send, she went back to report.

.................

Inside the Imperial Study Room

Ye Churan was playing chess with Xue Huaiyu when a eunuch came to report to Xue Huaiyu what had happened on Wen Yanxi's side.

Xue Huaiyu chuckled and said, "She's quite sensible; she knows what she should and shouldn't say. Has the Empress Dowager discovered anything?"

The eunuch shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, no."

"Go down."

"嗻"

After the eunuch withdrew, Xue Huaiyu turned to Ye Churan and said in a calm tone, "Churan, between the Prime Minister and the Grand Commandant, which do you think should be addressed first?"

Ye Churan smiled slightly and replied, "Your Majesty, I have said that this matter cannot be rushed. We can slowly boil the frog in the water, gradually eliminating the faction, or let the Grand Commandant and the Prime Minister fight it out first, and then reap the benefits!"

Xue Huaiyu nodded, placed a piece on the board, and said, "Chu Ran, do you have some ideas?"

Ye Churan casually suggested, "Your Majesty, why not inform the Wen family that when Wen Nanwan left the banquet, Zheng Luoqi's subordinate also left at that time, and that someone witnessed the subordinate following Wen Nanwan? As for the Wen family's reaction, that's none of our business."

Xue Huaiyu's eyes lit up, and he agreed, "Let's make arrangements as Chu Ran suggested."

....................

Grand Commandant's Mansion

"What did you say? During Nan Wan's absence, Zheng Luoqi's men also left the table at the same time and even followed Nan Wan?" Grand Commandant Wen stared coldly at his men.

"Yes, sir, it was witnessed by the guards at the banquet; there is no falsehood in this account," the subordinate affirmed.

Commander Wen frowned and thought for a moment. How could this rumor suddenly appear? But it was probably true. After all, Zheng Luoqi's men did leave the table at the time, which Chuan'er witnessed. But whether it was Zheng Luoqi who did it was hard to say.

After thinking about it again, Grand Commandant Wen also felt that it was not impossible for Zheng Luoqi to have done it.

He originally intended to use his daughter's marriage to win over a capable minister. He had already arranged the candidate and was just waiting to bestow the marriage upon her on the day of the wedding. However, the Ji family boy interfered.

Although the Ji family was also an official family, they had always been neutral and never took sides. Scholar Ji was also known for his aloofness, looking down on partisan strife and not allowing his descendants to participate. Therefore, the Ji family was of no help whatsoever.

For Grand Commandant Wen, Wen Nanwan's marriage was like a decorative item in his home—good to look at but useless.

The failure of this marriage is also beneficial to the Prime Minister's Mansion, so it's no wonder that Zheng Luoqi would take action.

The more Wen Taiwei thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

"How dare you ruin my daughter's marriage! Zheng Luoqi, you just wait!" Wen Taiwei thought angrily.

He then summoned his servants, gave them a few instructions, and they withdrew.

A few days later

morning

In the imperial court, Grand Commandant Wen stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report." He then handed the prepared memorial to the emperor.

Then, Grand Commandant Wen spoke up, saying, "This old minister wants to impeach Wu Hansong, the prefect of Xuzhou, for forming cliques for personal gain, embezzling public funds and perverting the law, and he deserves to die ten thousand times over."

Zheng Yuxiang and Zheng Luoqi felt a chill run down their spines, realizing something was wrong, because Wu Hansong was on their side. Xuzhou, which Wu Hansong governed, was a crucial transit point for many merchants traveling to the capital for trade.

Many shops in the capital belong to the Prime Minister's residence. If the merchants' access to goods is blocked, they will have to take detours, which will cause them to spend more money.

This would greatly reduce the Prime Minister's mansion's financial resources. How would they support their private army then?