After being reborn, the empress only wanted to seduce the emperor and seize the empress's posit

Chapter 36 Consort Lu Makes Her Move
The candlelight flickered in Zhongcui Palace. Consort Lu gently stroked the embroidered sleeves of her dress, a hint of anxiety barely perceptible in her eyes.

"How are the preparations going?"

Li Mama's eyes were full of confidence: "Your Highness, rest assured, everything is in place. Peach blossom powder has been secretly mixed into the ingredients used in the banquet. It is colorless and odorless, and no one will notice it."

Upon hearing this, Consort Lu's eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her voice: "Did no one notice?"

Granny Li shook her head slightly and lowered her voice: "This servant is careful in her actions and has made no mistakes whatsoever."

Consort Lu lowered her voice again, her tone resolute and leaving no room for doubt: "Is that person really reliable? Will there be any more problems?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Li immediately replied firmly, "Your Highness, it's absolutely reliable. It was arranged personally by the Madam, so there's no chance of anything going wrong."

Consort Lu nodded slightly, a cold smile curving her lips, her eyes gleaming with calculation: "That's good. We must make sure the eldest princess eats that dessert. Only in this way will the Imperial Concubine not let her off easily. At that time, Lu Jingning will be held accountable, and no matter who she is, she will not escape death."

"Yes, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

As the night deepened, Consort Lu fell into a deep sleep.
Fearing something might be wrong, he took advantage of the guards being asleep and tiptoed through the dark palace corridors to the imperial kitchen once again.

She lowered her voice and said to the palace maid in charge of the dessert, "Be careful, don't let anyone find any fault with us."

The palace maid was somewhat frightened and asked anxiously, "Won't that peach blossom powder kill the eldest princess?"

"The peach blossom powder might make the eldest princess's stomach uncomfortable at most, but it won't cause any problems."

Li Mama's words seemed to reassure the palace maid.

"That's good. Otherwise, if something happened to the Grand Princess, the Imperial Concubine would definitely kill my whole family."

Granny Li whispered in her ear, "After it's done, you should quickly take your family and leave, and make sure Consort Lu doesn't find out about you."

"Yes, Granny Li, don't worry."

After giving her instructions, Granny Li turned to return to Zhongcui Palace, but unexpectedly, at the corner, Xiao Linzi was staring wide-eyed at her from the shadows.

Xiao Linzi held his breath, afraid of making the slightest sound, but his heart was pounding like a drum. He followed Li Mama closely until she entered Zhongcui Palace, and then squatted for a long time before returning to Chengqian Palace.

Xiao Linzi ran into Chengqian Palace, panting, and gestured nervously to Lu Jingning: "Your Highness, just as you predicted, Granny Li went to the Imperial Kitchen late at night and whispered with that palace maid for quite a while."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingning frowned slightly, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, and said softly, "That palace maid is indeed suspicious. We will go to Changchun Palace first thing tomorrow morning to report this to Her Majesty the Empress."

Chun'er was so angry she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot hard: "I never expected Consort Lu to be so audacious as to dare harm even the eldest princess!"

"She only wanted to get rid of me, but she didn't expect that Yunlu had already switched sides with me. This time, neither she nor Madam Lu will escape!"

"Your Highness is wise," Xiao Linzi complimented from the side.

Lu Jingning looked at Xiao Linzi and praised him, "Xiao Linzi, you handled this matter well. After this matter is resolved, I will promote you to the position of chief eunuch in my palace."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Linzi's face flushed with excitement. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly, his voice trembling: "Thank you so much for your great kindness, my lord. I will do anything for you, even die for you!"

Lu Jingning gently raised his hand and said in a gentle voice, "Get up. Just do your job well from now on."

Xiao Linzi stood up, his eyes shining with gratitude.

At dawn, as the first light of day broke, Lu Jingning, dressed in an elegant palace gown with her hair styled in a high bun, hurried through the palace gates with Chun'er and Xiao Linzi, heading towards Changchun Palace.

Upon entering, Lu Jingning bowed respectfully, her voice tinged with urgency: "This concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress, may Your Majesty be blessed with longevity and peace."

The Empress was sitting before a bronze mirror, her long hair being combed by a palace maid. Hearing this, she turned her head slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes: "Jingning, why have you come so early today? You've been working so hard these past few days, why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Lu Jingning's expression was solemn. She placed her hands on her waist, bowed slightly, and spoke with an undeniable seriousness: "Your Majesty, I do have something important to report. It concerns the safety of the First Princess, and I dare not delay in the slightest."

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned slightly: "What? How could this be?"

Her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Seeing this, Lu Jingning felt even more anxious and quickly stepped forward: "A few days ago, I noticed that the palace maid was acting strangely, so I had my people follow her. I never expected that last night I would discover that a matron and that palace maid were plotting to harm the eldest princess."

Upon hearing this, the Empress frowned, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. She quickly waved to her personal maid, Qingming, and said, "Qingming, go to the Imperial Kitchen immediately and secretly detain that palace maid's family. Do not alert them. I will interrogate them personally."

Qingming accepted the order, turned around gracefully, and left the room quickly but silently.

The Empress turned to look at Lu Jingning, her expression solemn yet reassuring: "Jingning, I will thoroughly investigate this matter and will not allow anyone to harm the eldest princess. Please remain calm."

After speaking, the Empress gently raised her hand, gesturing for Lu Jingning to sit down to the side.

"By the way, do you know which palace that old nanny belongs to?"

Lu Jingning shook her head, pretending not to know: "This concubine doesn't know, Xiao Linzi didn't get a clear look at that nanny's face last night either."

"Alright, rest assured, I will definitely investigate thoroughly."

Lu Jingning immediately knelt on the ground, her skirt gently spreading out like a blooming white lotus.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for upholding justice for me."

Upon seeing this, the Empress was slightly taken aback, and quickly helped her up, saying, "What's wrong? Get up quickly."

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty."

Seeing that it was still early, the Empress said to her, "You should go back and rest. You've worked hard these past few days."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this concubine takes her leave."

After leaving Changchun Palace, Chun'er helped Lu Jingning walk back.

"Why don't you tell Her Majesty the Empress that the old nanny is someone from Consort Lu's side?"

Lu Jingning shook his head slightly, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and whispered to Chun'er, "If we reveal everything now, wouldn't it be too deliberate? Her Majesty the Empress is shrewd and wise. We should leave some room for her to discover it herself; that's what makes it interesting."

Upon hearing this, Chun'er nodded in sudden understanding, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes: "I see. Your Highness is truly farsighted. With the Empress's abilities, she will surely be able to find out who is behind that palace maid. But why not wait until the banquet to tell the Empress?"

"Firstly, if this happens, my words cannot be entirely trusted. Secondly, the princess is still young; regardless, the peach blossom powder will still harm her health. The child is innocent."

As she spoke, her gaze pierced through the layers of palace walls. She could stop at nothing to achieve her goals, but she could not go against her conscience.

(End of this chapter)