Raising a concubine under her nose, the reborn mistress marries the prince

Duke Zheng sat in his study, with cold sweat on his forehead and growing increasingly anxious.

He paced back and forth constantly, thinking over and over again about the events that had happened in recent days. Especially the thought that the emperor might have known about Concubine Zheng's poisoning made him feel even more uneasy.

"No, this matter must be clarified as soon as possible!" Duke Zheng stopped suddenly and shouted to the outside of the door: "Someone, come here! No matter what method you use, you must find out where the Taoist priest is imprisoned now? Go quickly!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a subordinate hurried in and said, "Yes, sir! I'll do it right away!" After that, he turned and left.

Looking at his subordinates walking away, Duke Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, but the anxiety in his heart did not ease at all.

He pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Go and invite the lady!"

Not long after, Mrs. Zheng walked in with an unhappy look on her face.

At this moment, she was happily preparing for her daughter's wedding, and she never expected to be called by Duke Zheng in such a hurry.

As soon as she entered the room, Madam Zheng complained, "Master, what is the big deal that you have to call me here at this moment? Is there anything more important than our daughter's marriage?"

However, before she could finish, Duke Zheng waved his hand to dismiss all the servants in the room, and said in a low voice: "Madam, something terrible has happened! The emperor has been poisoned, and the poison was given by the imperial concubine."

"What?" Mrs. Zheng was shocked, and the anger that had arisen from her dissatisfaction disappeared in an instant.

Even though she was just a woman who had lived in the royal palace for a long time, she knew that this matter was of great importance and was a serious crime that would implicate her entire clan.

"Then...how is the emperor now?" Mrs. Zheng asked tremblingly.

"He's awake and is fine." Duke Zheng replied unhappily.

After hearing this, Mrs. Zheng felt relieved, but then she realized something was wrong.

Now that the emperor has woken up, this matter is not over.

She asked quickly, "Master, you asked me to come here, but what do you need me to do?"

Duke Zheng looked at her and said, "You should go to the palace right now and test the Imperial Concubine's opinion to see how much the Emperor knows about this matter. Remember, you must not reveal any flaws!"

Although Mrs. Zheng was extremely frightened, she also understood that this matter was of great importance and that she could not afford any hesitation.

She nodded quickly and said, "Okay, I understand. I'll go and pass the card to enter the palace." After that, she hurriedly left the study.

Duke Zheng looked at the direction she left and sighed, "Alas, I hope we can survive this disaster safely this time, otherwise our Duke's Mansion will be in great trouble!"

......

Royal Palace

After hearing that the emperor had woken up, Concubine Zheng was extremely anxious and had not closed her eyes for several days.

She was well aware of Emperor Rong Sheng's vengeful character.

If she is found guilty, the emperor will kill her without a burial place.

However, what made her feel helpless was that the Qianlong Palace was now heavily guarded and she could not set foot inside at all.

The emperor issued an edict, expressly forbidding anyone to approach him. Except for Wang Defu and Imperial Physician Zhou, no one else was allowed to get close to him.

Even Jiang He, a highly respected guard, could only perform guard duties outside the palace.

In just a few short days, all the princes and concubines who came to inquire about the news returned empty-handed, unable to set foot in the Qianlong Palace.

Concubine Zheng was extremely anxious and went to Qianlong Palace several times in person, carrying carefully prepared ginseng soup, trying to visit the emperor, but was ruthlessly blocked outside the door by Eunuch Wang every time.

Eunuch Wang had a smile on his face all the time, and he said slowly, "The emperor needs to rest and recuperate at the moment, so I hope the imperial concubine can go back and rest for a while!"

Faced with such a situation, Concubine Zheng had no choice but to turn around and leave with a feeling of reluctance and disappointment.

However, she did not give up, but returned to the Qianlong Palace again and stood outside the palace with a pious look on her face, "The emperor has always liked to drink the ginseng soup that I personally brewed. Please go in and tell him for me, eunuch."

Unfortunately, Eunuch Wang remained unmoved, and didn't even look at Concubine Zheng. He just responded indifferently: "Your Majesty, please don't embarrass me. The emperor has already gone to bed, so please go back to the palace as soon as possible!"

After saying this, he walked into the palace by himself and no longer paid any attention to Concubine Zheng.

Seeing Eunuch Wang's attitude, Concubine Zheng was even more frightened.

Could it be that the emperor knew about this?

Looking at Eunuch Wang's receding back, Concubine Zheng's face was filled with resentment, and in the end, she could only leave slowly with reluctance.

Seeing this, Nanny Zheng was heartbroken and stepped forward to comfort her, "Don't worry, madam. The Taoist priest who knew the inside story had already been poisoned and silenced by our people. Even if he wanted to say something, he would be powerless."

Hearing what Madam Zheng said, Concubine Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, but the worries in her heart had not completely dissipated. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "But do you think the emperor will suspect me?"

"Everyone in the palace is a suspect, your Majesty, please relax!"

Nanny Zheng looked at the imperial concubine with a face full of worry. If this continued, the empress would be frightened to death before the emperor passed away.

Concubine Zheng's face was as pale as paper, her delicate body limp on the couch, her beautiful eyes filled with regret and fear.

Thinking back to the past, I wonder how I could have been so obsessed as to listen to Shen'er's idea.

What puzzled her even more was which link had gone wrong? The emperor should have died after taking the medicine, but he was safe and sound.

At this moment, a palace maid came hurriedly to report: "Your Majesty! The eldest lady wants to see you."

"Please come in quickly!" Upon hearing this, Concubine Zheng responded quickly as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.

At this moment, she was already at a loss and just hoped that her parents' home could lend her a helping hand.

Soon, Madam Zheng walked quickly into the hall.

When she saw the imperial concubine's distraught look, she was shocked and asked with concern: "What's wrong with you, madam? You look so haggard, are you feeling unwell?"

Concubine Zheng calmed herself down and quickly waved to the palace servants beside her to leave. After everyone left, she lowered her voice and said to Madam Zheng, "I am also at a loss now. I don't know what to do. Sister-in-law, did my brother send you here?"

Madam Zheng nodded and responded softly, "That's right. My family heard about what happened in the palace. The master was worried about the queen, so he ordered me to come and visit her. I wonder if the emperor has asked the queen about this matter?"

"No, I haven't even seen the emperor in all these days." Concubine Zheng said.

Madam Zheng's heart sank. Was the Emperor becoming suspicious?