Quick Transmigration: Knowing I'm a Bad Woman, Yet Still Liking Me?

After regaining her footing, the Empress Dowager stared intently at Qin Guang. "Do you have any evidence for what you've said?"

Qin Guang held up a stack of records above his head. "Your Majesty, please take a look. The entry of the Fourth Prince's birth mother and Shen Xun'er into the palace were both orchestrated by Wang Shun'an. Moreover, there are some issues with the records of entering and leaving the palace on the day the Fourth Prince's birth mother gave birth; it seems that a portion of them was deliberately erased. Most importantly, the midwife and the imperial physician who were responsible for the delivery both met with accidents not long afterward. At the bottom are some information I found in Eunuch Wang's hometown. He wasn't originally surnamed Wang, but Shen, from the Shen family in the Northwest."

After he finished speaking, the Empress Dowager recalled the situation and began to believe him somewhat.

That woman was just a palace maid; when she gave birth, neither she nor the emperor, nor any other people in the palace, were present.

Only Wang Shunan and his men stayed there for half a day, and then said it was a prince.

Moreover, that woman was perfectly fine during childbirth and had even finished her postpartum confinement period when she suddenly died.

At the time, she simply assumed that it was a concubine from another palace who wanted the Fourth Prince, which was why she had targeted that woman.

But when she took the records and looked at them, she felt her head was throbbing with blood, and she could barely hear the sounds around her.

As for the Shen family in the Northwest, they were a family that was dealt with when the late emperor was still alive.

She then angrily threw the items on the ground, demanding, "Is there any witness?"

Qin Guang shook his head. "Your Majesty, I have investigated for a long time and found that there is not a single person still alive who was involved in these events."

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes and growled, "Bitch, that bitch, she's fooled us all."

Although the evidence in Qin Guang's hands could not directly confirm the identity of the Fourth Prince, the Empress Dowager thought that the Fourth Prince and the Emperor looked nothing alike.

The former crown prince and the second prince both bore a striking resemblance to the emperor, about five or six points.

All the doubts have come together, and the probability that the fourth prince is not of royal blood is too high. Who would dare to gamble?

Even if the fourth prince is truly of the emperor's blood, once he ascends the throne, imperial power will surely fall into the hands of eunuchs.

Even if the Fourth Prince is indeed of royal blood, if these things are in the hands of others, they can remove him at any time.

She would absolutely not allow the court to be thrown into turmoil.

Bai Yuan is now playing a game of strategy with her, forcing her to make a choice.

Then she laughed again, "The Imperial Concubine knew everything all along, hehe. She kept quiet, drawing both my and His Majesty's attention to herself, causing Wang Shun'an and his men to make their move. Now my Majesty and His Majesty have no choice. She thinks she can reap the benefits without lifting a finger? No way!"

She then composed herself, sat back in the sedan chair, and said in a chilling tone, "But she miscalculated. The women in the harem are the least valuable."

"She must die. Quickly, let's go to Jade Hibiscus Palace. Go and call Wei Ci, and have him bring some men over."

"Yes." The deputy commander accepted the order and quickly left.

The Empress Dowager urged the men to hurry. If they waited any longer, and the Prince of Jin and His Majesty finished their business, she might not have another chance to deal with that vile woman.

When she arrived at Jade Hibiscus Palace, she met up with Wei Ci, who had just arrived.

Upon entering, she instructed Wei Ci, "Without my order, no one is allowed to enter or leave. Do you understand?"

Wei Ci bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. I will accompany you inside."

After thinking for a moment, the Empress Dowager realized that the people around Bai Yuan did indeed possess some martial arts skills.

Although Granny Chen was skilled in martial arts, she was old after all, and it would be more prudent for her to be accompanied by Wei Ci. So she nodded, "Then you shall come with me."

At this moment, Bai Yuan was sitting inside the house playing with her son. As soon as she stretched out her finger, the little guy would grab it.

Upon hearing Xiao Qi's report, Bai Yuan said to Ting Xue, "Take him away and have someone keep an eye on him. Don't let our future little emperor be frightened."

Watching the little one leave, she stopped smiling, sat up straight, and reached out to adjust the hair ornament on her head. "Wanyue, from now on, I will never need to bow to living people again."

When the Empress Dowager entered the room, Bai Yuan didn't even get up. She just sat there quietly, watching her ask knowingly, "Your Majesty, why aren't you at His Majesty's place at this hour? Why have you come here to me?"

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly, angered by her attitude. "Consort, you don't really think you're in control of everything, do you?"

The imperial concubine raised an eyebrow and retorted, "Isn't that so?"

The Empress Dowager laughed upon hearing this, her disdain growing even stronger. "You've schemed everything. Your son is indeed my only choice, but you've underestimated your importance. Do you think Prince Jin and Bai Yaoting would agree if I killed you now and let your son succeed to the throne?"

Bai Yuan picked up her teacup, took a small sip, and gazed at the Empress Dowager's final glory.

The Empress Dowager was stung by her laughter. Time was of the essence, so she didn't waste any more words. "I'll give you two choices. First, you can commit suicide now, and I'll guarantee your son's succession and the prosperity of your General's Mansion for generations. Second, I'll have you dealt with right now, and your son can still succeed to the throne, but I can't guarantee the fate of the General's Mansion."

Bai Yuan put down her teacup and rested her chin on her hand to look at her.

The Empress Dowager was furious when she saw her nonchalant attitude. "Bai Yuan, don't forget the poisonous oath you made in Cining Palace."

"Oh?"

Bai Yuan parted her red lips slightly, her tone still casual, "Then Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, tell me what oath I made back then."

The Empress Dowager was taken aback when she heard this. Bai Yuan had said that she would not participate in the struggle for the throne unless the Emperor and she personally issued an edict.

But if you think about it carefully, Bai Yuan has been staying obediently in Yu Fu Palace. She really didn't participate. She just watched as the people in the harem gradually pushed things to the current situation.

The Empress Dowager was furious. She waved her sleeve and said, "Wei Ci, seize her for me. Since you don't want to die, I'll give you a hand."

The Empress Dowager finally realized how terrifying the Consort was. She was like a spectator, sitting at the chessboard, watching everyone fight on the board.

She dared not even imagine what would happen if the imperial power fell into Bai Yuan's hands.

The Empress Dowager became even more determined to kill Bai Yuan. However, after she gave the order, no one in the room moved except for Granny Chen, who realized the situation was not right and stood in front of her.

The Empress Dowager stiffly turned her head to look at her side.

Wei Ci, dressed in a black brocade official robe, stood tall and straight to one side, his hand resting on the sword at his waist, motionless.

Granny Chen turned deathly pale with shock, her shrill voice shattering the silence, "Wei Ci, how dare you defy the Empress Dowager's decree?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ci lowered his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes concealing the surging hatred in his eyes, and his voice remained completely calm, "This humble subject dares not."

The Empress Dowager's pupils suddenly contracted, and emotions such as fear, absurdity, and despair surged into her heart.

Bai Yuan looked at the Empress Dowager and thought that this old woman was indeed someone who had experienced many storms. She hadn't gotten through this, and her mental fortitude was truly strong.

She slowly rose. Now that things had come to this, it was time to reveal her hand. "Your Majesty, I'm giving you two choices. Either you cooperate with me to alter the imperial edict after His Majesty's death, allowing my son to succeed to the throne, and the General's Mansion and I will be extremely grateful to you for the sake of Prince Jin. Or... well, I guess I'll have to go and have a good talk with His Majesty myself now."

After saying that, she exclaimed "Ah!" and covered her mouth. "I just wonder if His Majesty would be angry if he knew that Eunuch Wang was the fourth prince's maternal grandfather?"