When Hong Qifeng heard the Marquis’wife repeatedly exclaim in Joy, she was full of doubts and asked, “Why is it so joyous?”
The Marquis’wife held Hong Qifeng’s wrist and said with a smile, “The empress is very happy.”
Ever since the longevity banquet, the Empress and the Empress had not been on good terms for a long time. Even at the Empress’birthday banquet and the second Prince’s anniversary banquet, the Empress did not receive any greetings from the wife of the Empress. It was the same today. It was only at the lunch banquet that she arrived late, and she was still unhappy with the emperor, she did not say a single word to the emperor.
“The Emperor thinks so highly of you and likes you. The empress is declining. If we help his majesty depose the Empress Today, perhaps you will be conferred the title of Imperial Consort later!”
Hong Qifeng shook off the hand of the Marquis’wife and said, “Aunt, what nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by the Empress and the Empress are at loggerheads after the birthday banquet? Clearly, two days ago, the emperor and the Empress were still very loving. Even when His Majesty read the excerpts, he still needed the empress to accompany him!”
“The reason why the Empress’Birthday Banquet was not held last time was because the empress and the Emperor went out of the palace in disguise and went to the Northern Mountain Imperial Manor for two days. During those two days, His Majesty even specially rested. Father also knew about this matter.”
“Also, the second Prince’s anniversary banquet only invited a few princesses, princes, and the Qiao family. It’s not that it wasn’t held. It’s just that the Empress didn’t want some unimportant people to surround the second prince.”
“Although I don’t know why the Empress and His Majesty are unhappy today, they really haven’t been as unhappy as you think for a long time!”
Hearing Hong Qifeng’s words, madam Hong said, “How do you know that His Majesty and the Empress are in love? Everyone outside has said that the Qiao family’s relatives have been dominant for a long time…”
Hong Qifeng said, “In Changle Palace, His Majesty has always shown those important memorials to the empress. When there are many memorials, His Majesty has always asked the empress to write and approve them. Why would he be afraid of the Empress?”
Madam Hong said, “Qifeng, are you joking? The harem is not allowed to meddle in politics.”
Hong Qifeng said helplessly, “Mother, aunt, what joke am I joking about? On the contrary, it is you people who are the ones who are joking. You can even say something like letting me enter the palace as a concubine. I advise you to stop!”
Madam Wu an marquis said, “You are still young. What Do You Know About Love? Moreover, even if it is love, with Ye Suxin’s evidence, I think there is hope for her to be deposed.”
Hong Qifeng asked, “What evidence is ye suxin?”
Madam Hong said, “Qifeng, don’t bother about it. It’s getting late. It’s time to enter the palace.”
“Mother, even if you want to seek death, don’t harm father and me!”
Hong Qifeng flicked her sleeves and left, her face full of anger.
..
The burning clouds in the autumn day were extremely shocking. The lanterns in the courtyard had already lit up. Looking far to the east, the large and round moon already had faint marks on it.
The officials and their families raised their cups to the empress to congratulate her on the mid-autumn Festival.
Lu Chen returned the toast and said, “On this mid-autumn Festival, when the Moon is full, I also wish all the people of Tang to be able to reunite with their families.”
After the banquet started, the ceremonial music sounded and the performers began to dance on the stage. Today’s dance included the local songs and dances of Yunzhou. The dance and music were all novel.
Just as everyone was watching the singing and dancing, Ye Suxin stood up and said, “Your Majesty, I have something to report.”
Lu Chen did not know the woman below. Seeing that she came out from the Hong family, Madam Hong did not stop her and asked, “What is it?”
Ye suxin took out a small piece of paper from her bosom. On it was a portrait of Lady Qiao Jin when she was young.
Ye suxin knelt on the ground and passed the portrait to the imperial servant at the side, she knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, this portrait is the portrait of the Empress when she was young drawn by a man. That man has been pretending to be a woman and pretending to have a close sisterly relationship with the empress, but in reality, he is having an affair!”
The imperial servant handed the portrait to Lu Chen. This was the first time Lu Chen had seen Lady Qiao’s face when she was young. When Xie Yun painted it, it was probably when Lady Qiao had just had her teeth changed. She was smiling so brightly that even her missing front teeth were exposed, there were also sweet dimples.
Lady Qiao quickly went forward to snatch the portrait in Lu Chen’s hands, but she saw Lu Chen put the portrait into his sleeve. It was not appropriate for Lady Qiao to snatch the portrait in Lu Chen’s sleeve in public.
Hearing this, Qiao Ruoyi’s face turned pale and she was extremely worried. It turned out that Xie Yun’s guess was true. If she really harmed her sister, what would she do?
Hong Qifeng stood up and said, “Ye suxin, what nonsense are you talking about? How could this portrait be in your hands?”
Ye suxin continued to kneel and said, “Your Majesty, you don’t have to snatch the portrait and destroy the body. There is also a Yun character written on it. This Yun character matches the handwriting of the head of the Xie family and Xie Yun. It turns out that the head of the Xie family is Xie Yun, and Xie Yun is the head of the Xie family.
“Back then, Xie Yun and the Empress were close sisters in Chang ‘an. It turns out that they were secretly having an affair…”
Lu Chen said lightly, “Xie Yun is a man’s affair. I knew about it when I was in Lin ‘an. As for Xie Yun and the empress, they have always been like brother and sister. When the Empress got married, Xie Yun even sent many congratulatory gifts to the Empress.”
“As for the Empress in this painting, she is only about five or six years old. How can there be love between a man and a woman? If she wants to frame the empress based on this painting, does that mean that any man who paints a woman’s portrait in the future is having an affair?”
“Hong Yang, who is this person from your family?”
Hong Yang came out trembling and answered, “This is the daughter of my wife’s sister, Ye suxin, the daughter of the Ye family.”
Lu Chen said to Qiao jinniang, “That day, you were kind enough to plead for the Ye family, but you didn’t want the Ye family to repay kindness with enmity.
“Someone, Ye suxin falsely accused the empress and randomly arranged the matters between a man and a woman. Someone sent her to the northwest border. The entire ye family was banished from Chang ‘an. For three generations, they were not allowed to take the medical examination.
“Madam Hong taught the younger generation poorly. With the exception of her imperial decree as a first-rank wife, they were not allowed to take the imperial decree for life.”
Madam Hong kneeled on the ground in panic. The Marquis’wife was shocked. She did not dare to say a single word. Fortunately, they had taken advantage of ye suxin. However, weren’t there rumors outside the palace that the empress was not on good terms with them?
How could the emperor not blame the Empress at all after obtaining this portrait? Instead, he had imposed such a heavy punishment on the Empress!
The third generation was not allowed to take the medical examination, and the Ye family was completely crippled.
Ye Suxin was still young after all, so when she heard these words.., she was so frightened that she fell to the ground and said, “Aunt, aunt, save me. It was you who said that you wanted cousin Hong Qifeng to enter the palace as a concubine, so you let me enter the palace to say these words. Aunt, please save me!”
Lady Qiao Jin’s gaze landed on the Marquis’wife. “Oh? So this matter was under the orders of the Marquis’wife. In that case, I might as well take away her title of first grade Marquis’wife.”
The Marquis’wife had the intention to kill ye suxin. She knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t dare to treat you like this.”
Zheng Xiao said, “What do you have to be afraid of? Old Madam Sun, two months ago when you came to discuss the marriage, you said something about a cousin of the Marquis’family entering the palace. The Marquis’family is treating you like a King!”
Old Madam Sun’s old face turned red. That day, she was anxious about the wedding date, so she naturally said something like this. It was indeed true that it was Wu an marquis’wife who said this to her.
She could only come out trembling and kneel down to testify.
