Si Zhan sipped his tea, “As soon as news of Si Suo’s illness spread, Ling Ziru executed all the palace maids who delivered the soup and those who had contact with it, charging them with malicious intent. Afterward, there were no witnesses to prove Ling Ziru’s involvement.”
“So the Empress Dowager got away with it?”
Si Zhan coldly sneered, “On the surface, she escaped, but in people’s hearts, she can never hide. Once suspicion takes root, it’s like maggots clinging to bone.”
Ning Wanwan nodded and did not ask further.
They initially thought the Empress Dowager would be too preoccupied with the Emperor’s condition to guard against Si Zhan, hoping to peacefully pass the year and head to Qian Nan in the spring.
Unexpectedly, within days, Si Zhan returned from the palace wearing a fifth-rank crimson official robe as an Imperial Censor.
This position, responsible for investigating and correcting official misconduct, has the power to impeach officials at all levels, making it challenging and potentially dangerous.
The rift between Si Suo and Ling Ziru had grown unbridgeable, compounded by rumors of non-biological parentage and suspected poisoning. Si Suo could no longer remain passive. However, the Ling family’s influence—Right Minister Ling Hui, Salt and Iron Commissioner Ling Hai, Ministry of Punishment Minister Ling Shao Yuan, and Ministry of Personnel Deputy Ling He Ming—seemed overpowering.
If Si Suo were Ling Ziru’s biological child, these would be his strengths, but now they were threats. Desperate to eliminate these dangers, he viewed Si Zhan, whom Ling Ziru most mistrusted, as an excellent ally.
Ning Wanwan had worried that Si Zhan’s appointment would hinder their plans to leave for Qian Nan, but events proved her concerns unfounded.
In fact, Si Suo actively pushed Si Zhan away. With the Lu Ming Pavilion intelligence network, Si Zhan uncovered evidence leading to the downfall of Ling Hai and Ling Shao Yuan, undermining several of Right Minister Ling Hui’s key subordinates.
Fearing Si Suo, Ling Ziru distanced herself from court affairs, resulting in the rapid disintegration of the Ling family’s influence. Si Zhan was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief, becoming a thorn in their side.
