A corporate slave transmigrated into a baby and found herself to be God's daughter.

Chapter 69, 9th Lifetime: Bringing Down a Powerful Minister in the Harem

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Scheming for Power in the Harem: Downfalling a Powerful Minister

The prime minister's eyelids had been twitching incessantly lately, and he had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Sure enough, the political winds shifted dramatically in the court, and his own power withered away like a frostbitten eggplant.

He was frantic with worry and hastily summoned his trusted advisors to a secret room. His face was so dark it seemed like ink could be squeezed out of it. He slammed his fist on the table, making the writing brushes, inkstones, and other implements seem to sway and dance. He roared, "This damned weather lately! There are rumors everywhere that are bad for me! All of you, go out and investigate! Which bastard is pulling these tricks behind my back? If you don't find out, none of you will have a good day!"

The staff members trembled with fear, lowered their heads, and dared not breathe, looking like a group of schoolchildren who had made a mistake.

On the other side, our heroine, Luo Qingci, was nestled in her palace filled with rare treasures, leisurely lying on the chaise longue, a freshly peeled grape dangling from her mouth, her legs swinging back and forth like a rattle.

She toyed with a delicate little porcelain bottle in her hand, which contained her carefully crafted "Bewitching Pill." A sly smile played on her lips as she teased her personal maid beside her, "Look at the Prime Minister, he's like an ant on a hot pan, it's hilarious. The more anxious he gets, the easier it is for him to fall into the trap I've dug. Once my 'Bewitching Pill' takes effect, won't all his usual sworn brothers and advisors be in complete chaos, staging a farcical 'harmony between the general and the prime minister'?"

The palace maid covered her mouth, her eyes narrowing into slits with laughter, utterly admiring her mistress's wisdom.

Without hesitation, Luo Qingci spent several ingots of silver to bribe the money-grubbing eunuch in the Prime Minister's mansion who was always thinking about making a fortune.

She pulled the young eunuch aside, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a forced smile, "You know, as long as you can secretly put this powder into that Zhao Yu's cup, and you succeed, you'll be richer than gold and silver. But if you mess it up, hmph, you might lose your livelihood!"

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch's eyes widened like copper bells. He was both surprised and delighted, and nodded hurriedly, carefully tucking the powder into his robes as if it represented his future wealth and glory.

Not long after, a deafening argument erupted from the Prime Minister's study. Zhao Yu, who was always arrogant and conceited, believed that he deserved the most credit for advising the Prime Minister.

His face was flushed like a ripe tomato, veins bulging on his neck. He jumped up and down, pointing his finger at Sun Ming's nose and cursing, "Sun Ming, you ungrateful wretch! I stayed up for several nights in a row to write that memorial, and I lost a lot of hair. And you, on the other hand, acted like you were getting something for nothing in front of the Prime Minister, scrambling to claim credit. Do you think I'm easy to bully and are deliberately taking advantage of me?"

Sun Ming was no pushover either. He stiffened his neck, his face turning redder than a pig's liver, and jumped up to retort, "Zhao Yu, don't make baseless accusations! If I hadn't helped you polish and revise it, would your memorial have even caught the Prime Minister's eye? You're incompetent, yet you're jealous of me, throwing a tantrum here. Have you no shame?" The two argued back and forth, their faces flushed and their spittle flying. Neither was willing to back down, and they looked like they were about to roll up their sleeves and fight.

Hearing the commotion, the Prime Minister rushed over in a panic. Seeing the chaotic scene, he was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged like angry little snakes. He roared, "Shut up, all of you! What kind of behavior is this! Have you used all your usual strategies to argue? If you keep arguing, get out of the Prime Minister's residence!"

But the two were in a fit of anger and wouldn't listen. Instead, they argued even more fiercely, revealing each other's shortcomings and embarrassing mistakes. They brought up all the bad ideas they had made that caused the prime minister to lose face in front of the emperor, and their little secrets about accepting bribes in private. One by one, they revealed these things, leaving the people around them dumbfounded.

Hiding in the shadows, Luo Qingci watched this spectacular farce, laughing so hard tears almost streamed down her face, her stomach cramping. She was overjoyed: "Haha, this 'Mind-Bending Pill' is absolutely amazing, even better than I expected. If they keep causing this commotion, the Prime Minister's residence will be demolished. It seems we're one step closer to bringing down the Prime Minister."

Immediately afterwards, Luo Qingci arranged for several clever eunuchs to spread rumors in teahouses and restaurants near the Prime Minister's residence, saying that Sun Ming was secretly colluding with the censor and planning to betray the Prime Minister. They even embellished the story by describing how Sun Ming secretly met with the censor and how he was preparing to climb the social ladder after the Prime Minister fell from power.

The rumors spread like wildfire, quickly reaching the Prime Minister's ears. The Prime Minister sat in his study, his face so dark it seemed to drip water.

Looking at Sun Ming, whom he had always trusted, his eyes were full of suspicion and scrutiny, as if he were looking at a stranger, or a traitor: "Sun Ming, there are rumors outside that you have close ties with the censor in secret. Is that true? You had better tell me the truth. If you dare to lie to me, hmph, you know the consequences!"

Upon hearing this, Sun Ming turned pale with fright. He knelt down with a thud, his knees hitting the ground with a dull thud. With a sob in his voice, he said, "Prime Minister, I'm innocent! This is absolutely not true! Someone must be deliberately framing me to sow discord between us! My loyalty to you is as clear as day and night! I have served the Prime Minister's household faithfully, and even if I haven't done anything meritorious, I have certainly worked hard!"

But the Prime Minister was already suspicious and wouldn't listen to anything else. He just stared at him coldly without saying a word. His gaze was like a sharp knife, making Sun Ming feel a chill down his spine and his heart pound with fear.

Meanwhile, the meticulous Luo Qingci also set her sights on the prime minister's spy planted in the palace—a seemingly ordinary and inconspicuous little guard. Her eyes lit up, and a plan came to her. She and a palace maid put on a "double act" in the garden where the little guard often patrolled.

"Have you heard? The Prime Minister recently suspected that a junior guard in the palace was incompetent and might have leaked important secrets. He's going to make him a scapegoat to save the king." Luo Qingci deliberately raised her voice, pretending to be terrified and mysterious, and even exaggeratedly covered her mouth.

"Oh? Really? I wonder who's so unlucky. This prime minister is too ruthless, abandoning someone just like that." The palace maid cooperated perfectly, her eyes wide with surprise, and she deliberately looked around as if afraid of being overheard.

The young guard, who was hiding behind a nearby artificial hill, was so frightened by these words that his face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he trembled like a leaf.

He was filled with doubt: "I have served the Prime Minister wholeheartedly, through wind and rain. I have worked hard even if I have not made any great contributions. How can he treat me like this? No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. I have to find a way out quickly."

A few days later, the young guard secretly found Luo Qingci. Upon seeing her, he knelt down with a thud and cried a pitiful cry.

With snot and tears streaming down his face, he cried, "Beauty Yan, please save me! I know many of the Prime Minister's secrets. If you keep me safe, I'll tell you everything. I don't want to be used as cannon fodder by the Prime Minister and be kicked aside by him!"

Luo Qingci looked at him with a satisfied smile on her face, and said gently, as if coaxing a child, "Get up. As long as you cooperate obediently, you will be rewarded. Follow me from now on, and I guarantee you will live a life of luxury, much better than working for the Prime Minister."

With the help of the young guards, Luoqing porcelain was able to remove the prime minister's other spies in the palace more easily, just like pulling out one annoying nail after another.

On the Prime Minister's side, his power plummeted as his advisors turned against him and his spies were eradicated, as if he had fallen from the clouds into the abyss.

The memorials impeaching him were presented to the emperor like snowflakes. As the emperor looked at these memorials, his brows furrowed more and more, his face grew increasingly grim, and his dissatisfaction with the prime minister grew day by day.

In the imperial court, the emperor directly questioned the prime minister: "Look at what you've done! You've turned the court into a mess, and everyone is filled with fear. Tell me, how should this be handled? If this continues, what kind of order will the court maintain?"

The prime minister was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He knelt down with a thud, head bowed, not daring to breathe. He was filled with remorse but didn't know how to salvage the situation.

When Consort Shu learned of the Prime Minister's dire situation, she paced back and forth in her hiding place like a cat on a hot tin roof, muttering, "What am I going to do? The Prime Minister can't even protect himself, what am I going to do? I should have known better than to follow him and cause all this trouble. Why am I so unlucky to have such a muddle-headed father? Everything is ruined now!"

She tried to contact the underworld forces again, but the people she sent out either never returned or brought back bad news. She then realized that she was completely isolated and helpless, like a toothless tiger, only able to worry helplessly.

Luo Qingci stood at the highest point of the palace, overlooking the entire palace. A gentle breeze caressed her hair, and her clothes fluttered, making her look like a fairy descended to earth, yet she also carried a chilling aura of dominance.

Her eyes gleamed with victory as she declared loudly, "Consort Shu, Prime Minister, your era is over. From now on, this harem, and even this court, will all obey me! Anyone who dares to stand in my way, don't blame me for being ruthless. I will let everyone know that the consequence of offending me can be summed up in one word—misery! I will bring this palace and the court under my control and pave the way for my revenge!"

She knew that complete victory was within reach; she was just waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow to her opponents, ensuring they would never recover.