Ruan Ning sensed something was wrong. Having watched many palace intrigue dramas, she recognized that this sudden approach with a seemingly virtuous smile indicated a hidden agenda. She quickly responded, “Guifei sister, I’m not smart, and I’m alone here. What ability do I have to help you? Please speak to the Emperor directly.”
Sun Guifei gritted her teeth, frustrated by Ruan Ning’s refusal. “Only you can help me. Because of you, the Emperor is angry with my grandfather and humiliates him. My grandfather is over sixty and has suffered greatly. But the Emperor is still relentless and wants the Sun family to explain. Guifei sister, the one who tied the bell must untie it. Only you can persuade him.”
Ruan Ning was surprised and asked, “Sun Taifu is over sixty years old?”
Yan Xuan had informed her about arranging shifts for Sun Taifu. She had heard that over twenty women were involved and pictured him as a middle-aged strong man, never expecting him to be a vigorous sixty-year-old.
Sun Guifei responded, “Yes, he’s of great age, a veteran of two imperial courts. By rights, the Emperor should show some consideration.”
Ruan Ning’s imagination began to run wild, thinking Sun Taifu must have some secret to maintaining youth.
Shortly after Sun Guifei left, Yan Xuan arrived with Gao Song, who brought several eunuchs to search her rooms.
Confused, Ruan Ning looked at Yan Xuan, who disdainfully tapped her forehead: “What exactly do you have hidden here? You don’t even know when you’re being schemed against.”
Ruan Ning was puzzled; she was just sitting, drinking tea, eating snacks, and listening to gossip. Who could be plotting against her?
A eunuch quickly found an item under the bedding and handed it to Gao Song, who presented it to Yan Xuan: “Your Majesty, please look.”
Ruan Ning glanced over to see a small cloth doll with writing on it and pins stuck in it.
Thanks to palace intrigue dramas, she recognized it as a witchcraft doll, commonly associated with “witchcraft disasters.”
How did this end up under her bed?
Sui Huan glanced at Ruan Ning, then walked to Ning Ye, inserting a pink rose into her hair and whispering, “Don’t forget.”
