Except for the Empress Dowager, the Emperor's trusted aides, and a handful of imperial physicians, only Qin Zhenzhen and her grandma were privy to the events unfolding within the palace. The veil of secrecy was carefully maintained.
To confuse the Jiang family and gather further evidence of their collusion with the Eighth Imperial Uncle's rebellion, the Empress Dowager executed a clever ruse. She feigned benevolence by sending Beauty Jiang and Imperial Concubine Jiang back to their residence, all the while placing them and their loyal followers under discreet house arrest.
To the public, a different narrative was concocted – that they were suffering from an undisclosed illness, accompanied by troubling rashes that made close contact with others perilous.
