"Did you say something to frame me before His Majesty!"
"How dare you, a mere noble consort, speak to the Empress like this!"
The wet nurse by the Empress's side had long been displeased with Consort Wei's arrogance. Seeing an opportunity now, she wouldn't dare to assert her authority.
The title "noble consort" stung Wei Guifei.
It was only a single word difference, but a world of difference in status.
As a noble consort, she was second only to the Empress. When she was most favored, she had looked down on everyone.
But a noble consort was an insignificant figure in the harem, how could she be worthy of her Wei family's status.
Extremely dissatisfied with the day's events, she retorted to the wet nurse who spoke.
"I am the Emperor's noble consort, the birth mother of the Ninth Prince, and the daughter of Duke Wei. Who do you think you are to act so presumptuously!"
Having been a noble consort for many years, even though she had been demoted to a noble consort, her imposing presence remained.
Thus, the wet nurse was momentarily stunned.
Those around her also dared not be too presumptuous towards her. Who knew if she would make a comeback in the future?
Therefore, they decided not to flaunt their power here.
The Empress smiled faintly, as if her wet nurse had not been retorted at all. She said with a gentle expression,
"My sister speaks wisely. Until the end, no one knows who will win. I look forward to the day you make a comeback, my sister, and still come to Chang Le Palace to pay your respects."
What was a noble consort, or a noble person, were they not all her subordinates?
There was only one master in the harem, and that was she, the Empress who ruled all under heaven.
Understanding this, the Empress had no intention of lingering here to bicker with her.
Her greatest concern was to understand why His Majesty had acted this way today, so they could devise a countermeasure.
As the doors of Han Zhang Palace were sealed, the once arrogant Consort Wei, now Noble Consort Wei, collapsed onto the ground.
The bluestone floor was no longer as warm as before, and a chilling cold rose from her back.
What she feared most now was implicating the Ninth Prince because of herself. After all, no matter what, her only hope was Xiao Yunli.
If he also met with misfortune, wouldn't that be trouble?
Therefore, she hoped her father would know soon, so that a solution could be found quickly.
The news of Consort Wei's demotion to noble consort soon reached the Wei family.
Wei Dalang felt worried, "Did the matter of the漕运司 not go well? And implicated Noble Consort?"
But it shouldn't be. They had started to wind down their operations long ago, how could they still be caught red-handed.
On the contrary, Duke Wei remained calm, his single eye still gleaming with sharp intelligence.
"Either Liang Quanbin is not truly dead and has revealed us, or the evidence he held has been discovered by Bai Chao'an and his ilk, which is why His Majesty has taken this action."
"Not truly dead!"
Upon hearing this possibility, Wei Dalang was furious.
"Useless fools! What are they all good for? Such an important person was not killed properly! Does he have nine lives?"
He wished he could transform into a falcon and fly to Jinling City to investigate.
But now was not the time to dwell on this. How to reinstate Noble Consort Wei, or rather, how for the Wei family to regain their former glory before His Majesty, was the most important thing.
"Inform the Ninth Prince. Isn't Liang Quanbin's daughter his secondary consort? Naturally, he should know what to do!"
"What about Lan'er..."
Duke Wei shook his head, "She is not the Ninth Prince. She is soft-hearted, and now she has the child of the Liang family. If the wrong information is leaked and Liang Pan escapes, it will be troublesome."
"Yes, Father, I will arrange it now."
After Wei Dalang hurriedly left, Duke Wei began to calmly consider how to proceed.
The messenger had mentioned that His Majesty had a private conversation with Prime Minister Bai for some time before issuing the decree.
Although Prime Minister Bai had always remained neutral, it was hard to say if he would favor his son due to the matter of the 漕运司.
After Bai Chao'an returned from this mission, he was bound to be promoted again. If he handled the task well, he might even ascend to the first rank.
In that case, the future prospects of the Bai family would continue.
So, what words would he use to convince His Majesty and prepare to act against the Wei family?
His eyes were slightly closed, his mind racing. Suddenly, he widened his eyes, recalling something.
"Could it be that the matter of Qianzhou has been discovered by him?"
It had to be said that Duke Wei was no less skilled than Prime Minister Bai in deciphering His Majesty's thoughts.
They both knew that as long as core interests were not threatened, Emperor Qi would prefer to maintain balance rather than break the status quo.
The only possibility was that he had exposed this matter.
Currently, Qianzhou was receiving some refugees, and official grain and previously embezzled money were also being transported to Qianzhou.
If His Majesty sent people to investigate secretly, they might reveal their tracks.
The private soldiers they had raised would take at least half a year to show any effectiveness. Currently, even with two hundred thousand men, they were merely ordinary people with no combat power. Let alone the Imperial Guard, they might not even be able to defeat the Jizhou Army.
If that were the case, they might have to sacrifice a pawn to save the king.
With this thought, a poisonous scheme quickly formed in his mind.
On this side, Duke Wei had already sensed the problem and began to devise other strategies.
Meanwhile, in Prince Li's mansion, Liang Luo was startled by the Ninth Prince, who stormed in with fury, causing her to retreat repeatedly.
When he came to her courtyard, he was always fierce, but never like this, as if...
As if he wanted to kill her to vent his anger.
Trembling, she called out, "Your Highness," but before she could finish, the Ninth Prince grabbed her by the throat.
Her guess was correct, the Ninth Prince wanted to kill her.
Soon, a feeling of suffocation overwhelmed her. Liang Luo's desperate attempts to pry his hands off were futile.
Beside her, Jinxiu could only kneel and beg for mercy, her forehead already bleeding.
"Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life!"
Unfortunately, their mistress and servant were facing the Ninth Prince, who had never shown mercy to women, so there was no hope of tenderness.
Just as Liang Luo thought she was about to be strangled to death, the Ninth Prince suddenly released his grip.
She fell to the ground, ignoring the pain of the fall, and frantically gasped for air, trying to cling to every shred of life.
Jinxiu crawled over to help her breathe, but the Ninth Prince kicked her in the chest, killing her instantly.
Liang Luo didn't even have time to say a word to her before she was taken away by guards who burst in from outside.
Before she left, she still didn't understand why she was being treated like this!
Suddenly, she saw the inconspicuous wisteria in the corner and looked at it with pleading eyes.
She regretted why she hadn't agreed to it back then. It could have saved herself, and perhaps her father as well.
But now, she couldn't reveal the wisteria. It was her only lifeline.