The Queen Mother played this trick beautifully. She only needed to delay for a little while, until the people in the palace left. Without witnesses and without the imperial physician to examine and testify, she could not only survive this crisis, but also could turn around and slander and frame Tang Cheng.
What a good calculation.
Do you really think that Tang Cheng is a soft persimmon and has no brains
If the Queen Mother had someone privately buy back all the rewards at a high price immediately and sealed the deal with silver, Tang Cheng would definitely have been happy to accept them.
but-
The Queen Mother took another approach to trick her, so Tang Cheng wasn't polite.
For some people who value their reputation and face, it is most appropriate to use public opinion to deal with them.
Tang Cheng called Tang Ping over, avoiding everyone present, and whispered to him to do something important.
Tang Ping's eyes sparkled.
The young lady's move was brilliant. If the empress dowager knew about it, she would probably be so angry that she would vomit blood.
Mei Yun and Nanny Li had no idea what was happening in the palace, but the longer they waited, the more uneasy they became, always feeling that something bad was going to happen.
When the Queen summoned all the imperial doctors to Kunning Palace to treat the Queen Mother who suddenly fainted, a rumor quickly spread throughout the capital.
"Big news, big news. Word spread in the palace that the Queen Mother had fainted. The Queen summoned all the imperial doctors. Miss Tang Si now has no imperial doctors to help her with her examinations and rewards."
"It's such a coincidence that the Queen Mother fainted. Do you think there will be problems with the rewards?"
"How is that possible?"
"How could it be impossible? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? The Queen Mother just fainted, not suffering from a terminal illness. Is it necessary to summon all the doctors at once? It is obvious that they dare not let the doctors go to the Zhenguo Mansion to examine the rewards."
"You have a point. Miss Tang was thrown into a hornet's nest when the Queen Mother summoned her. Now there is this questionable reward... It's terrifying to think about it. The Queen Mother doesn't want the line of the Duke of Zhenguo to be extinct, right?"
"It's possible. Don't forget that the Cheng'en Mansion and the Zhenguo Mansion have a grudge against each other."
"That's terrible! If Fourth Miss Tang didn't like to spend money on auctions, who would have known that there were problems with the rewards? I heard there were a lot of precious medicinal herbs!"
"That's right. That's right."
"… "
With Tang Ping secretly sending people to deliberately guide the matter, the news that there was something wrong with the reward given to Fourth Miss Tang by the Empress Dowager and the Queen became more and more serious.
When Wen Huaian heard the news, his handsome face sank. He sneered in his heart and silently added fuel to the flames. Now the whole capital is full of rumors that the Queen Mother and the Queen are plotting to murder the fourth Miss Tang.
The reputations of the Queen and the Queen Mother plummeted.
When the news reached the palace, the emperor raised his lips. Although this matter would damage the royal family's reputation if it became a big deal, it was also exactly what he wanted.
"Eunuch Fu, for the sake of the Queen Mother and the Empress' innocence and reputation, you go to Kunning Palace and convey my order to have Doctor Chen take three doctors to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to examine and reward them."
The corner of Eunuch Fu's mouth twitched. Doctor Chen was the emperor's confidant. Not only was he an excellent doctor, but he was also an upright person.
If the Queen Mother and the Empress's reward is fine, then it's fine. But if there is a problem...
Eunuch Fu silently lit candles for the Queen.
"I obey your order!"
Eunuch Fu followed the order and went to Kunning Palace. As soon as he arrived at Kunning Palace, he conveyed the emperor's oral order. The queen's face turned pale, and the empress dowager who had pretended to faint woke up on the spot to stop it.
"Don't go!"
"Empress Dowager, now there are rumors everywhere that there is something wrong with the reward you and the Empress gave to Madam Wen. For the sake of the reputation of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, the Emperor has decided to let Doctor Chen take people to inspect the reward in public and clear the Empress Dowager and the Empress."
Eunuch Fu said respectfully, but he was speechless in his heart. Didn't the Queen Mother faint? She woke up too quickly.
Are you pretending to be faint
Eunuch Fu's words sounded nice and reasonable, and the Empress Dowager and the Queen had no reason to stop him. However, if any problems were found during the examination, their reputations would be ruined.
The queen was so anxious that she couldn't help but look at the empress dowager. At this moment, the empress dowager seemed to have aged a few years.
Having been successful for most of my life, I never expected to fall for a spoiled and brainless junior with a bad reputation.
The Queen Mother had never felt so aggrieved.
"No need to go. I have ordered someone to bring back the rewards."
This statement indirectly acknowledged that there was something wrong with the reward.
Kunning Palace suddenly became quiet.
Even though the imperial doctors had guessed it long ago, they couldn't help but be shocked when the empress dowager admitted it herself.
Eunuch Fu's expression remained unchanged. He had expected this, but he did not expect the Queen Mother to admit it so straightforwardly.
If you think about it carefully, it's not surprising. The Queen Mother is nominally the Emperor's mother, and the one who ultimately bears the wrath of the Emperor and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is only the Queen who was also involved in this matter.
The queen had obviously thought of this as well. She didn't expect that she would be abandoned by the queen mother. Her head exploded, her eyes went dark, and she fainted instantly.
…
Tang Cheng ate and drank leisurely, and ate a lot of bird's nest snacks. Finally, someone from the palace arrived.
Tang Cheng was very angry when he heard that the Empress Dowager had ordered the revoke of the reward, not to mention compensation or even consolation.
"No, these rewards are mine. I have already spread the word that they are going to be auctioned. I cannot go back on my word."
"Let's ask the doctor to check it out."
What a joke! Things have come to this point, and you still want to make a big thing small and a small thing disappear? Forget it!
Tang Ping: “…”
Pearl and coral: "…"
"Madam Wen, this is the Empress Dowager's decree. Do you want to disobey it?" The nanny who came to convey the decree looked at Tang Cheng unkindly.
If Fourth Miss Tang had not been so bold as to auction off the rewards from the Empress Dowager and the Queen, she wouldn't have caused so much trouble and ruined the reputation of the two ladies.
"I never knew that rewards could be taken back. Could it be that this reward is really as problematic as the rumors outside suggest? Do the Queen Mother and the Empress want to harm the baby in my belly?" Tang Cheng pretended to be angry.
The nanny paused and scolded angrily.
"What nonsense! The Queen Mother is of noble status, how could she do such a thing?"
"Since the Queen Mother would not do such a thing, let the imperial physician examine these rewards to clear the Queen Mother's name." Tang Cheng refused to budge.
The nanny looked very unhappy, obviously she didn't expect Tang Cheng to be so difficult to deal with.
"You... you dare to disobey my order!"
Mei Yun and Nanny Li also looked unhappy.
Tang Cheng sneered.
"Alright, don't bluff me with the Queen Mother's decree. I'm not a fool. Your attitude shows everything. The Queen Mother knew that I liked silver, but she rewarded me with a bunch of silks and precious medicinal herbs. When she heard that I wanted to auction it and asked the imperial physician to examine the reward, she fainted and summoned all the imperial physicians away. Who would believe me if I said there was no trick?"
"I risked my life to protect the Queen Mother and the Empress yesterday. If you don't want to reward me, just say so. I don't really need it. Is there any need to give me a questionable reward? Now that the truth has been revealed, you still want to take it back and pretend nothing happened. This is too much. No, I have to go to the palace and ask the Emperor to make the decision."
The nanny's face turned pale and she glared at Tang Cheng with gritted teeth.
"Madam Wen, what exactly do you want me to do in exchange for letting this old servant take the reward back?"
Before she came, the Queen Mother privately instructed her to bring the reward back no matter what.
The people in the Duke's Mansion all widened their eyes.
What did they see? The nanny beside the Queen Mother compromised, compromised...
Tang Cheng narrowed his eyes.
It seems that the Queen Mother is determined to suppress this matter. In this case, don't blame her for being rude and blackmailing you.
"If you only give me 100,000 taels of gold, I will expose this matter."
"One hundred thousand taels of gold, why don't you go and rob them?"
Mammy screamed in disbelief.
Tang Cheng raised his chin slightly: "For only 100,000 taels of gold, I can guarantee that the Queen Mother's reputation will be clean and innocent."
She was only talking about the Queen Mother. As for the Queen... Tang Cheng would not let her go.
Wen Huaian, who had already rushed back, saw Tang Cheng's response and curled the corners of his mouth slightly.
He knew that Tang Cheng would not suffer any loss.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother and the Empress still wanted to assassinate Tang Cheng. A cold light flashed across Wen Huaian's eyes.
The author has something to say: Thank you all for the flowers, muah
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated [nutrient solution]:
╭(╯^╰)╮ 184 bottles; Yu Zan, Ting 5 bottles; Ye Mei 4 bottles; Zhu Rongrong 3 bottles; Xiang Xue Hai, Da Bai, Hong Dou, Wawa 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!