Too high to reach

Chapter 360 Seizing the Initiative
"My lady..."

Granny Zhao's expression was very serious. "This news is indeed very important. The things that happened to our Empress, the Crown Prince, and the Princess were all too suspicious."

There were also Consort Dong and Li Zhen, who were the emperor's most beloved concubines, yet they died in the cold palace... Empress Jiang at the time could never have done any of this.

That person of hers... if she hadn't become the biggest winner, no one would have suspected her.

I've always suspected the Empress Dowager, but... many things just don't make sense.

Firstly, she had no motive. Previously, the Empress Dowager's family had committed an irrefutable crime with conclusive evidence; the Qian family had confessed, and they were not wrongly accused. The Emperor not only did not hold a grudge against the Empress Dowager, but also showed leniency towards the Qian family because of her. The Empress Dowager was fully aware of this!

Later, the Qian family line nearly died out; that was a natural disaster, not man-made. Based on this, she shouldn't harbor such deep hatred. And even if she did have grievances, they should have been directed at the Emperor! What does it have to do with our Empress and the Crown Prince?

Furthermore, the Emperor has indeed treated the Empress Dowager very well; she could easily enjoy her later years in peace! She has no children, no grandchildren, and her maternal family line has almost completely ended. Getting involved in these matters is utterly pointless!

There's another point... she and Empress Jiang, from the past to the present, have shown absolutely no close connection... we've checked countless times!"

Mo Yi interrupted her: "But as Mo Yuan said, they do indeed have a deeper connection. The fact that a descendant of the Qian family passed the imperial examination in the capital means that the Qian family still has respectable descendants... Moreover, the Empress Dowager wants to marry her grandniece to the fifteenth prince, which shows her deep scheming. Therefore, she may not really just want to enjoy her old age in peace..."

"But who is that person? Over the years, we investigated the backgrounds of almost everyone. We even checked the Empress Dowager's hometown and clan, but there was indeed no one who could assist her in doing things."

"In southern Sichuan... that was indeed an oversight. But Old Master Qian has traveled to many places... the documents are all stored in the basement of the library."

"Take a look. This is urgent, and we must seize the initiative," Mo Yi said decisively.

Granny Zhao quickly grabbed the key and walked to the back, saying, "I'll go find it myself."

Mo Yi stood up and paced back and forth in the room: If the Empress Dowager and the Empress were cooperating, it would only be for enormous profits. But such a thing would risk the extermination of nine generations of their families.

Once it begins, both sides must move forward without hesitation.

Finally, even if you succeed, the only way to secure the spoils of victory is to silence the enemy.

Especially Empress Dowager Qian, who had no children and no heir. Taking the same risks, her gains were clearly less than Empress Jiang's. Judging from the current outcome, this is indeed the case! The Empress, the Crown Prince… Empress Jiang's gains far outweighed hers!
To deal with this situation, the Empress Dowager would certainly need to conceal the other party's weaknesses.

After years of peaceful coexistence, things have changed: perhaps the Queen is unwilling to be constantly hampered.

And the Empress Dowager… the Empress Dowager's ambitions had grown. She actually intended to marry her grandniece to the fifteenth prince…

Then she'll push the fifteenth prince to the throne and make him empress! So... the Empress Dowager is involved with Consort Dong and Prince Yong'an again?
No, no, no, it's not just that her ambition has grown. She's simply out of options...

The Emperor is old and in poor health. If he passes away and the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the Empress Dowager will surely die!
With her dead, no matter what leverage her family has over her, who would dare to use it?

Who would dare to take it?

Then it's useless.

No, that's not right. There's also the prince... Once he's in the prince's hands, regardless of whether Li Huan becomes emperor or not, he'll be in serious trouble.

So that's how it is... No matter how you look at it, it's going to be a fight to the death.

My legs went weak, and I sat down on the chair next to me.

Some people are born with no control over their own destiny.

Some things, once done, are beyond one's control when to stop...

Granny Zhao came in, carrying a box. "Hongyan, please invite the two gentlemen in."

The prince's two advisors, having drunk tea and eaten snacks outside, entered satisfied.

Granny Zhao opened the box, and a musty smell wafted out...

Mo Yi felt nauseous upon smelling it, her stomach churning uncontrollably, and she vomited until her face turned red and her neck thickened.

Fortunately, a spittoon had been prepared nearby... The girl busied herself around Mo Yi for a while, and it took her quite some time to manage to suppress the feeling.

The two gentlemen were startled at first and quickly stood up, looking rather flustered.

But seeing the maids' skillful performance, they couldn't help but exchange a glance, their eyes filled with amusement: Is Her Majesty pregnant?!

"Excuse me..." Mo Yi rinsed her mouth and wiped it. "Granny Zhao, please continue."

Granny Zhao moved the box a little further away, invited the two gentlemen over, briefly explained the matter, and then everyone went off to look at the documents.

Hongyan took a clean, unscented handkerchief, moistened it with tea, and had Moyi cover her mouth and nose with it...

Mo Yi, who had just vomited, weakly took it, covered her mouth, and when she inhaled again, she could no longer smell any strange odor.

Feeling much better, he nodded to Hongyan.

Granny Zhao took the documents out and said as she looked at them:

"The Empress Dowager spent her childhood there. Her father had done a lot of good things. It is recorded here... Lord Qian often went away for a year or two, while the Empress Dowager's mother stayed in Wen County with her brothers and sisters. Her mother was strong-willed and jealous, and there were no formal concubines or illegitimate children in the family."

One of the aides said, "Perhaps her father had the child while he was away on business and didn't bring her home?"

Another nodded: "That's possible. Perhaps the Empress Dowager knew about it. Later, due to a family tragedy, their descendants almost died out, and that's when they were found again."

Granny Zhao nodded. "That was a long time ago, and there isn't much information about it here."

"Never mind all that, just send them!" Mo Yi, suppressing her discomfort, made a decision: "When the Prince left, he left me with three first-class guards. Send two of them first. One to search in Wen County, and one to the surrounding areas. Leave one to follow that guy named Wang Xi. See what clues the Crown Prince's men can find... If they go there, have him follow them. If the Crown Prince finds it first... have him bring some sleeping pills or something, and find an opportunity to steal it directly!"

Granny Zhao nodded in agreement, "Yes. There's no time to lose, we have to leave immediately!"

The aide added, "Southern Sichuan is not within our prince's sphere of influence, but during the grand martial arts competition, there was a General Ling stationed nearby, whom the prince greatly admires. We could make use of him."

“That’s fine,” Mo Yi nodded, “but only as an assistant. This matter must be kept secret from everyone except us and three guards.”

After saying these words, Mo Yi felt unwell again.

Seeing her discomfort, the maid said, "Your Highness, let the maid help you inside to rest for a while. I'll arrange the rest later and explain in detail. The inner room is where the Prince rests when he's tired from talking."

Granny Zhao calmed herself down, and the three of them discussed the matter. The journey was long and unfamiliar, and with only these few clues, finding people and things would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Even in an emergency, things should be done meticulously. Some letters requesting assistance were also written, stamped with the prince's private seal…

The three guards arrived upon hearing the order and joined in the discussion.

As luck would have it, one of the guards knew Wang Xi from the Crown Prince's residence and was familiar with his methods, so he volunteered to follow them...

As evening approached, the two guards set off...