For the past month and more, True Lord Xuande and his companions had lived in constant fear.
They were almost always sleepless, startled awake in the middle of the night.
Now that the new emperor summoned them, it brought them a sense of relief that the matter would finally be settled and they wouldn't have to be uneasy anymore.
Therefore, as soon as Emperor Ronghua asked a question, they poured out all the information they had coordinated and rehearsed, and then knelt to beg for forgiveness.
This left Emperor Ronghua both confused and astonished:
"So you're saying that my imperial father might have been influenced by the demon Daoist Qi He, and attempted to make a move against the maternal lineage of the Noble Consort, who is suspected of possessing immortal blood, in order to refine elixirs for longevity using their bloodline.
This would be an offense against heaven and earth, and might even offend immortals and gods.
And that's why he met with an accident?
Are you sure?"
"Your Majesty, your humble servants dare not be certain, but this incident occurred just before Your Majesty's accident. To say there's no direct connection would be too much of a coincidence. Moreover, after receiving news of Your Majesty's accident, Qi He immediately took an elixir and committed suicide.
It is likely he also had his suspicions, and even knew that this matter was related to him, which is why he acted thus."
Regarding such matters, True Lord Xuande and the others did not dare to speak definitively, but could only try their best to smear Qi He's name.
At least they had to protect themselves first.
Hearing this, Emperor Ronghua didn't know what to say. He obviously couldn't accuse his imperial father of this matter, and at the same time, it was difficult for him to punish the deceased True Lord Qi He and his family any further.
After all, it was difficult to find a suitable excuse.
The best course of action was to quietly let it be as if nothing had happened.
"Enough. You shall pretend you know nothing of this matter. Since the demon Daoist Qi He is dead, I shall not pursue it further. Henceforth, any rumors that spread will be held against you.
You may withdraw. The palace no longer requires your presence."
Emperor Ronghua did believe in these superstitious matters to some extent. Moreover, the matter was indeed difficult to investigate further, so he could only let it go.
He then went to Cining Palace.
And spoke to his mother about the matter.
The newly appointed Empress Dowager thought for a moment and also felt that apart from this reason, there was indeed no other explanation:
"Fine. Let this matter remain between us.
Try to erase all related traces cleanly. Modify the daily records slightly. Also, you must not take your anger out on Consort Tai Zong. Be as respectful to her as possible.
Find some opportunities later to bestow favors upon her family.
If your imperial father's death is indeed related to coveting their bloodline and wanting to use it to refine elixirs for longevity, I fear your imperial father might not have a good afterlife and could suffer in the netherworld.
Therefore, it is best to bestow some kindness upon their family.
Perhaps it will be of some use."
Since they believed in this reason of divine retribution, they naturally had to believe in other supernatural matters. The Empress Dowager even instinctively felt a sense of apprehension towards the Noble Consort's maternal family.
She felt that perhaps she should be a little more respectful.
Give them some benefits, lest the deceased former emperor suffer.
"You don't think so..."
"Who can say for sure? What harm is there in trying!"
"Alright, but bestowing favors on the men of the Noble Consort's family might not be useful, should it? If we are to bestow favors, it should be on the women suspected of having immortal blood. So, Mother, you should be the one to do it. It's better if you handle the favor for the women."
"Agreed. I will find an opportunity later..."
...
In the rear sleeping quarters of Ciana Palace.
"The original host's last wish is a bit difficult to fulfill. I feel that rebelling and ascending the throne to become emperor would be slightly easier than becoming a true Empress Dowager and reaching the pinnacle of female status.
If I were younger and of a lower generation, I might have been able to imitate Wu Zetian and marry the former emperor's son or something. But my generation is higher than that of a great-grandmother, and I'm already over a hundred years old. Trying to do something like that would be harder than creating heaven and earth.
Uh, perhaps I could create a puppet worm.
And directly control the new emperor with the puppet worm, having him enfeeb me as Grand Empress Dowager Tai Zong Gao Zu. It seems only this way is possible. No, the new emperor's throne is not yet stable, and I currently have no merit.
Doing so would likely face opposition from all officials and nobles.
The imperial clan would also have opinions.
Alas, it's really troublesome. I shouldn't have been so hasty in killing Emperor Jin An back then. If I had used a puppet worm to control him and promote myself, it would have been much easier."
Unable to sleep in the middle of the night, Ding Yun naturally began to ponder the original host's last wish. But no matter how she thought about it, it seemed almost impossible to achieve the original host's wish through normal channels. She would have to employ some tricks.
Even some extreme measures.
After pondering for a long time, Ding Yun finally decided that she had to earn some merit for herself first. The matter of seniority is only useful if others are willing to acknowledge it. Once they are unwilling, it is worthless.
Only merit is tangible.
It can be recognized by others and inscribed in history.
As for what kind of merit to gain, given her current situation, it would be simpler, more convenient, and more reasonable to produce some high-yield crop varieties. Simpler and more convenient is because she has the Seeds of All Things and the Water of Life, making it incredibly easy to produce high-yield grain seeds.
Reasonable is mainly because, when the original host was not favored in the past, she had tried to grow some vegetables and fruit trees in open spaces to get some fresh vegetables. Later, when she became a neglected concubine, she continued to plant them. In the last ten years, although she no longer cultivated, she still took care of some potted plants.
Overall, she had a foundation in planting.
She wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish grains.
Producing high-yield wheat and rice might be somewhat unreasonable, but producing crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes, which are grown underground, could be barely justifiable.
With this thought, Ding Yun stopped sleeping.
She immediately rummaged around in the middle of the night, using the Seeds of All Things to create a high-yield, drought-resistant, and non-toxic potato, and a sweet-tasting and also high-yield sweet potato. She immediately planted the seeds of these two crops in flowerpots indoors.
Only then did she go to sleep with peace of mind.
It wasn't harvest season, but rather planting season. Even with the Water of Life, it wouldn't be good to force the potatoes and sweet potatoes to ripen against the season to offer them as treasures.
So there was no need to rush, they would just grow slowly.
When the potatoes and sweet potatoes matured according to natural laws, it would coincide with the Harvest Festival, when everyone would offer the plumpest ears of wheat or rice from their regions to the capital.
Then the emperor would lead those grains to offer sacrifices to heaven.
Praying for a good harvest in the coming year.
That would be the opportune time to present the potatoes and sweet potatoes.
After they were presented, and after two years of formal verification and successful promotion, she could then control the new emperor with a puppet worm to promote her to Grand Empress Dowager Tai Zong Gao Zu. It should not be a problem then. The officials would likely be willing to use this nominal title to offset Ding Yun's merits.
In short, Ding Yun felt that her plan was flawless and should succeed. From then on, she would live a normal life, until the plan succeeded and the original host's last wish was fulfilled.
It should not take many years.