Consort Zhao ignored the lead palace maid. She looked at the lead palace maid coldly and then asked in a cold voice. “Whose is it?”
The lead palace maid was startled by her cold eyes. She realized that the person in front of her was Emperor’s favorite consort, so she didn’t say anything and stepped back to let Consort Zhao ask.
He Yufen turned her head around in accordance with the tone of Consort Zhao. “It’s… it’s… it’s Second Sister’s.” Suddenly, she saw He Yuxiu, who pretended to be frightened in the crowd but actually laughed in a mean way. She felt a little bit of hatred in her heart, and subconsciously answered with her teeth clenched.
It seemed that she couldn’t blame it on Mo Xuetong this time. Then let He Yuxiu take the blame!
Consort Zhao’s eyes also fell on He Yuxiu. “Is it your Second Sister’s?”
Everyone looked at He Yuxiu’s clothes and at the sachet on the floor. Both of them were of the same color and cloth. They were all from the same set. They could not help but scream in surprise.
He Yuxiu was watching a good show, so she didn’t come to help He Yufen. When she thought that He Yufen was soon going to ruin her reputation, her uncle and father would have no choice but to send herself to King Xuan’s Manor, she was complacent. Since He Yufen was in trouble, she herself would be the only choice. Even if her reputation was smeared before, it would be better than that of He Yufen, who stole the Empress Dowager Dowager’s golden phoenix head accessories.
Weighing the pros and cons, she decided to choose the less serious one, and she would steadily be King Xuan’s Consort. How could she not be overjoyed when she thought of this?
Therefore, she did not have the slightest intention to help He Yufen explain. Instead, she hoped that the more miserable He Yufen ended up today, the better. It would be better if He Yufen could be sentenced to death directly, so that she would finally see the hope she deserved. As for Yu Mingyong, it was not a problem at all. She believed that her father and uncle would have a lot of ways to let the libertine take the initiative to cancel the engagement.
Suddenly, she saw that everyone was looking at her as Consort Zhao looked at her. She immediately felt that something was wrong and her back was covered with cold sweat. She stood up and waved her hand hurriedly, saying, “Your Highness, that sachet is not mine. I didn’t take them.”
There was no emotion in Consort Zhao’s eyes as she looked at He Yuxiu coldly. “If it’s not yours, why did it appear in your elder sister’s hands?”
He Yufen, who had received Consort Zhao’s hint, came to her senses. “It’s you. Second Sister, it’s you. No wonder you gave me this sachet. You, how could you do this?” She pointed at He Yuxiu and said miserably. Tears were falling from her eyes drop by drop, which made her look both shocked and painful.
He Yuxiu’s face turned pale. “It’s not me… It’s not me, it’s you, it’s you.” Her lips trembled and she couldn’t say a word. She almost couldn’t stand up straight. The great fear made her almost unable to speak. She never thought that this thing would happen to her.
Consort Zhao looked at He Yuxiu with a gentle face and sighed. She seemed to be disappointed at He Yuxiu’s dishonest behaviors. “Xiu’er, how can you envy your sister so much and do such a thing? It’s a great sin. Go to beg the Empress Dowager. You are still young and ignorant, so she’ll…”
“Your Highness, it’s really not me, it’s really not me.” He Yuxiu pushed aside the maidservant who supported her and knelt down in front of Consort Zhao, crying and sobbing, “Your Highness, it really has nothing to do with me. It’s Elder Sister, she…”
Consort Zhao shook her head and sighed as if she didn’t hear what He Yuxiu said. “Xiu’er, how could you do such a thing?” She didn’t want to ask anymore, so she turned around and walked to the high platform with the help of the palace maid.
Behind her, He Yuxiu looked at Consort Zhao in disbelief. Then, she looked at He Yufen with a look of hopelessness and hatred in her eyes.
After He Yufen’s accident, the two them actually wanted to push all the blame to herself.
Consort Zhao knelt down in front of Empress Dowager with tears on her face. “Your Majesty, my niece is young and immature. I thought it was just a dispute between sisters. Who knew that it would turn out to be like this? It’s my fault that I didn’t teach them well. Your Majesty, please punish me.” Her words were miserable and sad, and she looked gentle, as if she wanted to take all the blame herself.
It should be He Yuxiu who took it. Consort Yu’s face darkened. She knew that this second miss of the He family would marry her younger brother soon. Furthermore, it was said that the two had met in private once before. Her younger brother was very satisfied with the second miss of the He family. However, He Yuxiu’s current situation would indeed implicate Yu Mingyong.
Consort Yu couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, there’s something wrong with this matter. It’s obvious that the sachet fell from the elder sister. Why did the younger sister become involved? Sister Zhao, they are both my nieces. You can handle this according to the truth.”
Consort Zhao followed Consort Yu’s words and sighed. “Sister Yu, it’s all my fault. The last time when I saw the sisters, I gave the elder one a big pair of jade bracelets and the younger one a pair of earrings. Maybe because she saw the jade bracelets were better than earrings, Xiu’er was a little upset. And she wanted to strive for a higher status too. She just came to the capital and didn’t how to behave. She must have wanted to embarrass her sister, but she didn’t expect that she’d get into such trouble. It was all because she’s too young and hasn’t seen the world yet.”
Consort Yu liked the way she put it. The girl was young and ignorant; she did not really want to harm her sister. It was just that when you were young, you would try to win. It would not be a big deal if the matter was resolved like this.
Consort Yu turned to Empress Dowager with a relieved smile. It was up to Empress Dowager whether the matter would be big or small. It was all up to Empress Dowager. “Your Majesty, what do you think?”
Since Consort Zhao didn’t really want to put all the blame on He Yuxiu, she could at least help the girl a little.
The Empress Dowager suddenly said coldly, “Take the second miss of the He family away and send her to the Emperor.” Then Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and looked at He Yuxiu. Then Empress Dowager fixed her eyes on Ling Rui’er. Ignoring the two consorts in front of her, Empress Dowager turned around and held the lead palace maid to walk in.
“Is she going to be severely investigated and punished?”
Everyone looked at the two consorts on the high platform in astonishment; they had a few more plans in their minds. Two eunuchs came over, grabbed He Yuxiu’s hand, and dragged her out.
Although He Yuxiu was dragged out, she still turned around and glared at He Yufen. “He Yufen, it’s you. It’s you who framed me. I won’t let you go. I won’t let you go for life…” Her two hands were grabbing something in the air. Her voice was sharp and full of hatred. Her hair was in a mess and her expression was fierce like that of a ghost.
It made people shudder with fear when they saw it.
The voice finally disappeared outside the hall, and there was a strange silence inside.
Mo Xuetong suddenly looked up and met Consort Zhao’s cold eyes. Mo Xuetong did not dodge but faintly smiled. However, her smile was chilly to the bone. Sometimes, everyone knew something, but there was no need to make it clear…
Such a big event happened in Cining Palace. Soon it spread to the whole palace and everyone one was talking about it. Those misses who attended the meeting didn’t have any fancy ideas anymore. They just wanted to get out of the mess and went home in a hurry. However, Mo Xuetong didn’t leave. She went back to the imperial garden and stayed there for a while, saying that she would wait for Feng Yuran to pick her up and go back together with him.
Mo Ye said that she was going to find Feng Yuran and went to Caiwei Palace quietly. She left behind something and secretly returned to the imperial garden. She only said that she could not find King Xuan in a short time. Mo Xuetong had no choice but to bring her two maidservants out of the palace.
They had just walked halfway when they heard an angry bellow from behind them. “Mo Xuetong, stop.” They turned around and saw Ling Rui’er rushing over angrily.
Mo Xuetong stopped and gently asked, “Sister-in-law, what can I do for you?”
However, the smiling face looked so annoying in Ling Rui’er’s eyes. Feeling an unexpected anger welling inside, she walked up to Mo Xuetong in a few steps and said with a cold smile, “Mo Xuetong, you are really good at hiding your talents!”
Mo Xuetong’s smile grew even more gentle. The sarcasm in her eyes grew even more intense. Because she had not been implicated, she had become a person who had hidden her true strength. Could she only be considered innocent and upright when she had been injured? Ling Rui’er had thought that everyone should be a toy in her palm. She wanted everyone to die as she pleased.
She turned around and walked up to Ling Rui’er. She smiled and said, “My Lady, I call you Sister-in-law because King Xuan is King Chu’s younger brother. But why are you calling me Mo Xuetong when it comes to me? I don’t know where My Lady got the courage to play the tricks in front of Empress Dowager. Did Duke Ding know what you’ve done?”
Ling Rui’er was almost mad at Mo Xuetong’s sarcasm. “Mo Xuetong, you…” She thought of what happened today. It was a coincidence. She had calculated so well and even used the Ding General Manor’s secret pieces. In the end, she had again let Mo Xuetong escape safely.
Mo Xuetong pointed to a corner of the imperial garden. “My Lady, you don’t have to make a fuss every time. Do you really think that others have to become your stepping stones? You were so arrogant before you became Lady Chu, but you’re still so arrogant now. Look at how your arrogant elder sister ended up, and you can tell what kind of person one should be. Look, is the lead palace maid of the Cining Palace coming over? Did Her Majesty want you and ask you to give her an explanation?” The lead palace maid of the Cining Palace hurried over with a few eunuchs.
“Think about it with that stupid head of yours. What’s important for you now is how to escape Her Majesty’s punishment.”
Ling Rui’er was so angry that she did not know what to say. She glared at Mo Xuetong hatefully, gritted her teeth, and said, “You, how dare you…”
Mo Xuetong smiled coldly and mocked Ling Rui’er without mercy. “Why wouldn’t I dare? If you want to harm me, would I have to wash my neck clean and wait for you to kill me? Ling Rui’er, you’ve really gotten into big trouble this time. I hope His Highness still has some affection for you and will save you. Otherwise, you’ll be in trouble this time!” Then, she pushed Ling Rui’er away and ignored her.
Ling Rui’er was not on guard. She was pushed back two steps away and almost fell. Her two maidservants hurried to support her.
The two maidservants asked with fear, looking at the lead palace maid who was looking at them with an unfriendly look not far away. “My Lady, what should we do now?”
Ling Rui’er gritted her teeth and did not dare to stay in the imperial garden any longer. “Let’s go!” She turned to another door and walked out of the palace. She really felt guilty. If the Empress Dowager knew that this matter had something to do with her, Her Majesty would definitely not spare her.
In Consort Yu’s Caiwei Palace, Consort Yu rubbed her belly and glared angrily at her personal palace maid Caining. She said resentfully, “Did you really hear it clearly?”
Caining answered quickly, “Your Highness, don’t get angry. Be careful not to hurt the little prince in your belly. I heard it clearly. Consort Zhao’s palace maids said it. I was about to serve your ginseng chicken soup when the two of them walked past with smiles.”
Consort Yu’s face was livid with anger. She opened her eyes wide and held her belly with one hand, gasping for air. “He Suzhao, how dare you plot against my younger brother. I won’t let you off.”
Caining hurriedly came up to pat her on the back. She yelled hurriedly, “Your Highness, Your Highness, don’t be angry. You still have the little prince in your belly. Consort Zhao can’t be compared to you at all. You have to take care of yourself. Don’t let anything happen to you. Otherwise, who will Sir Yu depend on in the future?”
