The Second World in Ancient Times

Chapter 41: Bravely expose and make contributions

These days, Wanqing and I were like people groping in the dark, pieced together bit by bit the full picture of that palace conspiracy. After countless days and nights of investigation, I finally saw its outline clearly: a terrifying conspiracy that could plunge the entire palace into chaos and endanger the safety of the imperial family.

That day, Wanqing and I gathered again to analyze the evidence we'd gathered. Holding the letters and the information I'd obtained from the ministers' descendants, I frowned. "Wanqing, you see, all this evidence points to those powerful ministers and some concubines colluding to tamper with the order of succession."

Wanqing's eyes widened. "This is horrible! How dare they?"

I sneered, "For power, they'll do anything. They plan to support a puppet prince to take the throne while the emperor is seriously ill, and then control the government themselves."

We carefully studied every detail, and the obscure words in the letters and the scenes implied in the scrolls became key evidence.

"Look at this letter. It was written by a minister to a concubine. It mentioned that 'the plan is going according to plan and the young master is easy to control'. This is obviously evidence of their conspiracy." I handed the letter to Wanqing.

Wanqing read the letter and said angrily, "These people are truly despicable! So what should we do now? Although the evidence is strong, how can we convince the royal family? After all, those people have great influence in the palace."

I clenched my fists. "We must find a trustworthy member of the royal family and present this evidence. We can't let their conspiracy succeed."

We began to mentally screen for trustworthy members of the royal family. Wanqing said, "What about the Empress? She has always been fair and has the power to manage the harem."

I shook my head. "No, this conspiracy might involve some forces in the harem. The Empress might also be under their surveillance. We need to find someone more reliable."

Suddenly, I thought of an old prince who was highly respected and had always been loyal to the royal family and rarely participated in court struggles.

"Wanqing, let's go find the old prince. He should be able to help us." I said.

Wanqing was a little worried: "Will the old prince believe us? We are just little palace maids and eunuchs."

I said firmly, "We must try. This is our only chance."

We managed to find the old prince's residence and asked to see him. The old prince's butler was reluctant to let us in at first, but I shouted, "We have important information about the safety of the royal family. We must see the prince."

Perhaps my words had an effect, as the butler went in to announce us and let us into the palace. When we saw the old prince, we immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

The old prince frowned and said, "You two little brats, what important news do you have? If you dare to lie to me, I will not forgive you."

I raised my head and looked at the old prince. "Your Highness, we didn't lie to you. We stumbled upon a conspiracy in the palace. Someone is trying to tamper with the succession to the throne and endanger the safety of the royal family. This is the evidence we found."

I handed over the evidence, and the old prince took it and examined it carefully.

The old prince looked at the evidence, his expression becoming increasingly serious: "Where did you get this evidence?"

I told the old prince in detail about the secret compartment we found in the warehouse and the subsequent investigation process. The old prince nodded slightly after listening and said, "You two are very courageous. This evidence is indeed important, but it alone is not enough. We need more witnesses."

I quickly said, "Your Highness, we can try to find those who were exploited by them or who know the inside story, and have them come forward to testify."

The old prince looked at me and said, "You are quite courageous, little girl. Okay, I will trust you this time. You go find witnesses, and I will also investigate secretly."

After we left the palace, we began looking for possible witnesses. We found a young eunuch who had once worked in the palace of a minister involved in the conspiracy and who knew some inside information.

I said to the young eunuch, "You know their plot. If you don't stand up, once the plot succeeds, the entire palace will be plunged into disaster, and you will not end well either."

The young eunuch hesitated: "But they are too powerful. I am afraid."

Wanqing said, "Don't be afraid. The old prince is already investigating this matter. We will protect you."

The young eunuch thought about it and finally nodded: "Okay, I am willing to testify."

However, our search for witnesses was discovered by the conspirators. One day, on my way back to my residence, I was suddenly stopped by several men in black.

"Who are you? What do you want to do?" I asked loudly.

A man in black sneered, "Humph, you nosy girl, do you think you can stop us? Today is the day you die."

As he spoke, the man in black rushed towards me. I fought back with all my might, shouting, "Wanqing, run! Go tell the prince!"

Wanqing was not far away. She didn't run away. Instead, she picked up a stick and rushed over to help me: "I won't abandon you. Let's fight them together."

We engaged in a fierce struggle with the men in black. I scratched one of them with a knife I had hidden on my body, and Wanqing hit another with a stick. But they were outnumbered and we gradually began to lose.

At this moment, the patrolling guards heard the noise and rushed over. The men in black saw that the situation was not good and fled.

Wanqing and I were panting heavily. I said to Wanqing, "They won't give up. We have to speed up."

Wanqing nodded: "Well, let's quickly bring the witness to the prince."

We brought the witnesses to the old prince's residence. Seeing our miserable state, the old prince asked, "What happened to you?"

I told him about the attack by the men in black, and the old prince said angrily, "These people are too arrogant! Don't worry, I won't let them succeed."

Then we brought the witness before the old prince, who told him all the details of the conspiracy he knew. After hearing this, the old prince immediately decided to go to the palace to see the emperor.

The old prince brought us, along with the evidence and witnesses, into the palace and revealed the conspiracy to the emperor. Upon hearing this, the emperor flew into a rage: "How dare they attempt to disrupt the royal lineage!"

The entire palace was shocked by the news, and the ministers and concubines involved in the conspiracy were panicked.

"Your Majesty, we are innocent! We have been framed." A minister knelt down and begged for mercy.

The old prince sneered, "You still dare to quibble? The evidence is irrefutable, and the witnesses are here. What else do you have to say?"

Faced with the evidence and witnesses, the conspirators could no longer deny their crimes. The emperor ordered the ministers involved in the conspiracy to be dismissed and investigated, and the concubines to be banished to the cold palace.

"You disloyal and unjust people are trying to harm the royal family. Your crime is unforgivable!" said the emperor angrily.

Seeing the conspirators get what they deserved, I felt a sense of justice being served.

The Emperor looked at Wanqing and me, smiled, and said, "You two young maids and eunuchs have performed a great service this time. If you hadn't discovered and exposed the conspiracy, the consequences would have been disastrous. I will reward you handsomely."

Wanqing and I knelt down to express our gratitude: "Your Majesty, this is what we should do. We just don't want to see the royal family get hurt."

The Emperor bestowed upon us many treasures of gold, silver, and precious silks, and appointed me a lady-in-waiting to assist the Empress in the management of the harem. Wanqing also received corresponding rewards and promotions.

When we returned to the harem, the palace maids and eunuchs looked at us with awe.

"Sister Siqing, you are so amazing. You have become a female official now." A little palace maid said enviously.

I smiled and said, "This is all thanks to everyone. We just did what we thought was right."

The Empress also praised me highly: "Si Qing, you did a great job this time. You must assist me in managing the harem in the future."

I replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will definitely live up to your expectations."

My deeds spread throughout the palace, and everyone knew that I was the maid who bravely exposed the conspiracy and saved the royal family. Many people came to show their friendship to me.

"Lady in charge of love affairs, please take care of me in the future." A prominent eunuch said to me with a smile.

I nodded. "We all serve the court, so we should look out for each other."

I know that my status and reputation have greatly improved, but I cannot be proud of it. I will continue to work hard for the peace of the court and the dignity of the royal family.

After becoming a female official, I shouldered more responsibilities. I had to manage the daily work of the palace maids, deal with trivial matters in the harem, and assist the Queen in dealing with various emergencies.

Once, two concubines in the harem had a dispute, and I rushed over to mediate.

"My dear ladies, we are all family. Why should we ruin the harmony over such a small matter?" I advised.

One of the concubines snorted, "Lady of Love, please stay out of our business. This is a matter between us."

I said calmly, "Your Highness, the peace of the harem is my responsibility. I cannot ignore it. If the two ladies continue to argue and disturb the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, that would be disastrous."

With my mediation, the two concubines finally stopped arguing. I know that there are more challenges waiting for me in this palace, but I am confident that I can handle everything.