Chapter 39 - The Conspiracy

"Do you know the convoy is having The Emperor flag on it? If you still want your head intact, open the gate and let them in!" Zhang could not hold his anger and yelled at them.

"But.... sir...."

"No but... is Lord Chu already become the emperor that make you scare of him?" Zhang cannot hold his anger anymore. He changes into beast and start to instruct the eagle troop to make a way and open the gate. He returns to his horse and reports to the majesty about the delay. The Eagle troops manage to clear the road and let the people inside the capital after checking their credential and belonging. 

"Kneel down… You are almost losing your head because of stupidity. The royal highness the Emperor is passing now," Zhang tells the guards to kneel down as the Eagle troops are kneeling down which follows by the people.

Inside the carriage, Jin Yu seems not happy to hear about Lord Chu influence in the capital city. It is looking like lord Chu already spreading his wings and Jin Yu job is to cut off Lord Chu wings. It means he start to gather the power and the next thing; Lord Chu can start the rebellion like Yu Tian.

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In the house, Lord Chu and Yuan Chun Wang are having tea with lotus cake. They are having a grim expression to hear the report on Yu Tian rebellion. It seems their plan goes back few steps instead of advancing. Mr Zhao is listening in the next room feel amused with their early conversation whilst he makes a note.

"I can't believe That stupid Yu Tian fall down so easily… We are losing time and resources for him," Yuan Chun Wang is smashing his hand into the table.

"We have to recoup and plan more meticulously next time. As this plan is falling down, we can not put ahead our salt transportation from the warehouse to our cave," Lord Chu is drinking his tea with his solemn expression. He got onset headache to hear about the fail plan from Yu Tian chaos. 

"I cannot understand our bad luck when the emperor is actually going in the border and resolves the problem with his own hand. What is your daughter doing? It seems she is not competent to seduce the emperor to her bed," Yuan Chun Wang is mocking his daughter.

"Stop blabbering and do your part… I have to go and pay the respect for the late empress death," Lord Chu is getting annoyed with his business partner. If he is not having important part in this business, He thinks to kill him. The least things he hates is someone keep undermining him. No one can undermine his position and determination. He makes his own names, and he will flaunt it to everyone about his achievement. 

Yuan Chun Wang is standing up to respect him whilst Lord Chu walks out from the room. Mr Zhao is making a small letter and asks his subordinates to send it to Ni Qing. While the other subordinates are working to write up intelligences from the guest in the tea house. Mr Zhao is aware about the empress death and there are news going about it. In the letter, Mr Zhao also write up about the arsenic poison as the main killer of the Empress and no one catch the poison. It means someone within the palace wall is the main culprit, and yet, the emperor let it slip through his hand.

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They are arriving inside the inner Palace gates; Ni Qing is sleeping in the arm of Jin Yu. Xiao Nie is peeking inside the carriage to see her missus still sleeping. Jin Yu is signalling her to be quiet when He actually carrying her inside his arm. Ni Qing is still tired from everything and she is in deep slumber sleep. She like to snuggle inside her husband body, so she is actually adjusting her body to his arm when he carries her in his arm. He walks so elegantly with her in his arm to his own palace. Everyone in his Palace is in awe for him to bring the first woman inside his chamber. Jin Yu lays her into his bed before he walks to his study. He gives instruction to Eunuch Wang to call the prime minister to have talk with him. in his head, he will need to find way to demote Lord Chu from spreading his wing.

Eunuch Wang is dressing his Emperor with his yellow official dragon robe. His usual clothes inside the Palace with his golden dragon crown. He does not look like tired when he only has a few hours' sleep. Eunuch Wang is serving him the bird nest soup in his study when he read all his pending work in the court. Jin Yu is determining to finish everything on his work before he goes to the empress palace. Ni Sheng is going straight to his older sister Palace straight away and change his clothes to the mourning robe before joining his family to the main hall. 

In the main hall, he can see his father and mother pale face sit next to the empress coffin. They already change the empress palace into mourning place. 

"Mother and Father, how about you take break and rest? I will be here with my sister," Ni Sheng is proposing his parent to see their exhaustion expression.

"Where is Ni Qing? Is she not back with you?" Master Ni is asking his only son.

"She is coming back with me but she still with the majesty of Emperor. I think she will be here as soon as she finishes with his royal highness," Ni Sheng explains to his parent which withdraw the attention from Madame Ni.

"What is she doing with her brother-in-law? Her sister corpse is not yet cold, and she is already fooling around with her brother-in-law!" Madame Ni got riled up with the fact that her own daughter lay inside the coffin whilst the daughter of the concubine gets her way easily with her daughter husband. The heaven reality is so cruel that makes her want to scream.