43 Frame-up

◎I did it on purpose◎

Rong Qianyu changed into a plain dress and arrived about half an hour later. "Greetings, Mother."

Bai Yi saw that she looked exhausted and asked, "Why did you come so late?"

She replied, "Ever since Consort Liu was hit last time, I've been chanting sutras and praying for blessings in the Buddhist temple. I heard from the palace maids that Consort Liu was about to give birth, so I hurried over. It's still more than ten days before the due date, so how could she suddenly be giving birth?"

She has always been a person who takes a step back to advance, and has never let herself get involved. Seeing Bai Yi's unhappy expression and Cui Rumei's drooping face, she guessed what was going on.

"Ask her!" Bai Yi was calm as usual, but there was a hint of forbearance in his tone.

Rong Qianyu stood up, pretending not to notice Cui Rumei. She knew she was probably being punished, so she was about to rub salt into her wounds. "Cui Cairen is here too. Why are you here so early?"

Cui Rumei naturally didn't dare to say much, and the atmosphere could only be kept secret.

It has been almost a year since Rong Qianyu came to the Great Zhou for marriage. She has been very cautious during this year and is still a gentle and virtuous daughter-in-law in front of Bai Yi. Although this is true, Cui Rumei has seen her.

Her talk of being virtuous and unconcerned was all just a facade she put on to bluff people. She wasn't virtuous at all when she punished Cui Rumei by making her copy books, but she didn't dare speak out about such a shameful thing. No matter how angry she was, she was the legal wife, so it was only natural for her to teach a concubine a lesson.

Liu Chunyan was giving birth in the house, with more than a dozen palace maids and old women coming and going to guard her, providing her with hot water, herbs, and handkerchiefs. The more lively the house was, the quieter it was outside.

Seeing this, Feixu, the palace maid beside her, fell in front of Bai Yi, pulling at her dress and crying out, "Empress Dowager and Crown Princess, please understand, my mistress was due to give birth at the end of the month. It's not a coincidence that she suddenly had blood today. It's all because of her!" She pointed at Cui Rumei, making the already tense atmosphere even more anxious.

She didn't dare speak loudly, her nose aching, tears welling in her eyes. "Even if I lose my head today, I will seek justice for my master. This purse was given to me by Consort Cui during the epidemic, saying it would be placed by my pillow to ward off illness. But it's filled with fennel from the Western Regions. Fennel can cause miscarriages!"

Feixu was assigned to Liu Chunyan by Rong Qianyu. Fortunately, this girl was loyal to her master and unexpectedly could not defend Liu Chunyan at this moment.

Bai Yi was already having a headache after hearing her talk, and now it was even more difficult. "Is this true?"

Cui Rumei naturally denied it, "I, I don't know!"

"What does the Crown Princess think should be done about this matter?" Bai Yi asked.

"I think that right now, it is more important to let Concubine Liu give birth smoothly. As for this matter, let's discuss it later. The Queen will have to make the final decision."

Rong Qianyu seemed to be answering but not really answering. It would be fine if she just gave a suggestion, but matters like this still had to be decided by the Queen.

"Where is Hua'er?" she asked her aunt beside her.

"The prince is in the palace."

Upon hearing this, the palace erupted in anger. "Call him over quickly! This is his child, not mine. Look at what terrible things his beloved concubine has done. The Crown Prince must show up today no matter what. Tell him that the Queen is waiting and he shouldn't be so arrogant. If he doesn't show up, I'll drag this bitch out and chop her into pieces!"

"yes."

"You shameful bitch, kneel down in peace before me," she scolded Cui Rumei and then went back to scold Rong Qianyu. "And you too, you had such good intentions, but in the end you ended up doing it for such an ungrateful person!"

She was not angry that Rong Qianyu took her into the palace, but she was angry that such an ungrateful person let her into the palace and gave her a status, but in the end, she was supporting trouble for herself.

After all the hard work, I have made wedding dresses for others. I don’t expect him to be grateful, but I can’t burn the bridge after crossing it.

This is why Bai Yi did not agree with Fu Hua taking Cui Rumeixu as concubines. With such character and moral character, she was not up to the important task and could not be the mother of a concubine or prince.

"Your Majesty, please don't get angry yet. Be careful not to get yourself hurt by anger." Aunt Sun comforted her.

Rong Qianyu also came over to her side and coaxed her, "Have some tea, Queen Mother. The harem is still counting on you. If this baby is a boy, it will be your first little grandson."

The two of them tried to coax Bai Yi in unison. He was so angry that he felt weak and had no strength left. He just slumped in the chair, doing nothing but sitting quietly.

An hour later, accompanied by a clear and loud cry, Fu Hua's second child was born.

"It's born, it's a little grandson," a dirty old woman came out to announce the good news, "Congratulations to the Queen and the Crown Prince!"

Yes, the eldest grandson of the Emperor of the Great Zhou was born.

The joy of having a son was over, and the nine months of waiting were now filled with joy. Everyone outside the house bowed and congratulated the Queen on the birth of her eldest grandson.

Liu Chunyan had a difficult birth, which lasted from noon to midnight, and she finally gave birth to the baby safely.

Bai Yi looked at the child, a rosy-cheeked baby sleeping soundly, wrapped in a blanket. She looked incredibly cute. Although she didn't say anything, her expression betrayed her; she was already grinning from ear to ear.

It was the eldest grandson that everyone was looking forward to.

"Great, great, it's great that it's a grandson, great," Bai Yi was so happy that he couldn't stop smiling, even happier than Fu Hua, the father, "How is Talented Liu?"

The midwife reported that Lady Liu was exhausted from the birth and had recently been frightened, so she had fallen asleep. The incident had happened so suddenly that there was no time to prepare supplements as planned. Bai Yi also ordered everyone to make arrangements quickly. Childbirth is the most damaging to the body, so it is necessary to nourish the body well.

"You all need to take good care of the child and make sure nothing goes wrong. Take the child down first, and the rest of you go to the main hall."

After giving the instructions here, it’s time to focus on solving the cases involving his son’s concubines.

"Tell me, what's going on?"

But no matter how many times she asked, Cui Rumei simply didn't know how to care for a pregnant woman. "Your Majesty, I really don't know. I've never been pregnant before, so I'm not qualified to know anything about this. Besides... besides, it's always been the Crown Princess who's been taking care of Concubine Liu. I'm truly clueless!"

Bai Yi has always been fair and strict, and no one in the harem disobeyed him. Thinking of this, he felt that his reputation was ruined. He had been cautious all his life, but in the end he was being teased by this lowly woman.

This person was smooth-talking, but he was only doing it for the sake of his son. He was a secluded person who enjoyed playing with his grandchildren, so he didn't want to kill easily. If this had been the case twenty years ago, when Cui Rumei first caused trouble, Bai Yi would have made an example of her by putting her in a humiliating position.

Fireworks were set off outside the house to celebrate the birth of a grandson. Everyone was depressed and no one spoke. The red pillars of the magnificent palace were burning high, and the heavy atmosphere made people almost breathless.

In a moment, a gust of wind howled and heavy rain came. Yujie knelt on the ground and cried, "Your Majesty, please understand. I have something to say."

She cried as if she had suffered a great injustice. Only Rong Qianyu knew that she had been waiting for Yujie to jump up and down for a long time.

"What do you want to say again?" Bai Yi asked.

She kowtowed three times to Rong Qianyu, looking like she was willing to die to prove her resolve, but in reality, she was just being annoying. "My Lady Crown Princess, I can't protect you no matter what! My Lady Queen, these things... weren't done by Concubine Cui. The Crown Princess had me do them to frame Concubine Cui!"

She spoke so convincingly that everyone was amazed.

Rong Pan pointed at her and cursed, "How dare you! The Queen has been very kind to you, so stop lying here!"

"I have evidence!" Her mind raced, trying to remain calm and logical. She was the youngest, and this was her first time exposing someone's secrets in public, so she was inevitably nervous. "The Crown Princess and Master Xue are colluding, plotting to murder the prince and frame the concubines!"

This statement sparked even more discussion.

There were those who didn't believe it, and naturally there were those who were skeptical. Looking at the fairy-like appearance of the Crown Princess, one would have never expected that she was a despicable woman who climbed into the bed of a eunuch for status.

Think about Xue Ji again. He has always been alone. There are even rumors in the palace that he is a homosexual. How come he is hooking up with the Crown Princess?

Bai Yi was obviously a little annoyed, but he suppressed his anger and said, "Qianyu, what do you say?"

"Your son has nothing to say."

"You admit it?"

"Of course I don't." She was not at all flustered. "You know, mother, that at the time, Lord Xue was in charge of the smallpox clinic outside the palace. My maid Rong Pan, who came with me as a bride, was outside the palace. She did exchange letters with Lord Xue, but only two or three letters, describing the progress of his illness."

Yu Xie became anxious and asked, "Why did she leave the palace for no reason? I'm afraid the Empress did it on purpose."

She only knew one side of the story. Rong Qianyu didn't betray her in many things, which made him feel fearless. However, there were undercurrents beneath this calm surface.

Rong Qianyu: "Indeed, I did it on purpose."

Seeing her confession, Yu Xie repeated the same thing and brought up another incident. "This time, the haunting of Zong Simen was no accident. It was designed by the Crown Princess. She didn't want Concubine Liu to have a child and then blame Concubine Cui. It was she who instigated Concubine Tan Liang to test the seed on the princess."

She talked a lot, both good and bad, and now it was all done by Rong Qianyu.

Bai Yi remained composed. She didn't believe anyone's one-sided story. After thirty years in the palace, she could clearly see through the twists and turns of jealousy. "Does the Crown Princess have anything to explain?"

Rong Qianyu was dressed plainly today, as if she had anticipated this. She might have been praying peacefully or accepting punishment. "I originally thought this was a shameful matter, and I made the decision privately, not wanting to cause any more trouble and embarrass everyone. But since you've made such an assumption about me, I have no choice but to tell you everything."

"It's all because of your son's inability to win over Your Highness's heart, which led to the outbreak of the smallpox epidemic and almost killed Your Highness." She rashly cried out for injustice, and Bai Yi was a little confused.

But at this point, Fu Hua's face looked unhappy.

Bai Yi: "Where did this come from?"

Fu Hua was naturally afraid that she would tell the truth, which would make him lose face.

Rong Qianyu pretended to be embarrassed and spoke with difficulty, "Your Highness the Crown Prince went to the countryside more than two months ago... met a few friends, and also went to the temple fair... and then suddenly developed a high fever after returning to the palace. It's all my fault for not investigating. If I had been able to please Your Highness, there wouldn't be so much trouble. To avoid making a big fuss, I sent Rong Pan out to find Master Xue to privately investigate the matter, and also ordered the temple fair to be cancelled immediately! In an emergency, I didn't have time to be thorough. I immediately informed Her Majesty after giving the order, and it was also my fault for not thinking carefully, so Rong Pan was detained outside the palace."

"Seriously." Bai Yi was a little skeptical. It wasn't that she doubted what Rong Qianyu said, but she knew her son too well. Was he really just visiting the temple fair and meeting friends?

"Your Majesty, I understand your understanding. Considering my care for His Royal Highness, I admit my mistake. Next time, I will resolve the issue properly and leave no room for criticism."

At this point, not only did Fu Hua save face, but the explanation also made sense. No matter how stupid Yu Jie was, she knew that she shouldn't find fault with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince anymore.

Consort Liu, draped in a thin fur coat, stumbled over and said, "Your Majesty, it's not what she said. It was Consort Cui who deliberately caused my premature birth. The sachet I had was given by Consort Cui, and it contained fennel. This matter has nothing to do with the Crown Princess."

Now that the person involved has arrived, Bai Yi has to let the matter go for her sake. The matter of Huixiang is easy to investigate. They remember clearly who took what, how much, and what it was used for in the Imperial Hospital.

Both of these things are self-defeating.

Bai Yi then asked Yu Jie, "If that's the case, you're the Crown Princess's maid, why are you defending Cui Cairen?"

Yujie panicked, having been tricked into revealing something in just a few words. She turned to look at Cui Rumei, hoping she could defend herself. But Cui Rumei was a nobody. She had no power, no influence, and was disliked, so how could she defend her? From the moment Yujie opened her mouth, she fell silent, eager to clear herself of all charges.

Cui Rumei was frightened by her look, "Stop talking nonsense, I didn't do it at all, I'm afraid you are just trying to frame me!"

"Cui Cairen, you can't do this. You said you would help my parents so I..." Seeing that things failed, even if I died, I couldn't be alone. "Since this is the case, everyone should forget about shame!"