Chapter 57

He hung his head, his ear tips were bright red.

Ling Wu stared at Yun Ji's head for a while, then slowly opened her lips, "What have you done wrong?"

She had a half-smile, her eyes shimmering.

Yun Ji looked up at Ling Wu, his panicked eyes perfectly timed, neither deliberate nor pitiful. "This servant was wrong because I failed in my duties and almost bumped into His Majesty..." He was still choking up.

"I heard you say that this was not your job, so why did you take it on?"

Yun Ji bit her lip, a hint of sadness crossing her youthful and adorable face. "Your Majesty, this matter... this matter has nothing to do with Brother Lu. It was not Brother Lu who forced me to come and clean the palace."

Ling Wu frowned. "Did he force you?"

Yun Ji hurriedly explained, "It wasn't Brother Lu, it was...no, it was Yun Ji's own request."

Ling Wu understood in her heart, and her face remained calm, but the words she uttered were cold.

"How could there be such a vicious person in the palace? Issue my decree: Lu Chengfeng, for abusing his power and bullying the weak, shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane and his salary shall be deducted for three months. This shall serve as a warning to the entire harem."

Lu Chengfeng, however, was filled with disbelief!

Is he vicious?

When did he pressure him?

When will Yunji come to clean this alley?

Yun Ji is practically half the master of this Yongxiang Palace in name only. How could he possibly control him?

And the dirty work in Yongxiang was wiping walls? What do you call the excrement he emptied from the chamber pots every day? Do you call that "clean" work?

And all these days, he's been ostracized by everyone, and he's done all the dirty and hard work by himself! What does that have to do with Yun Ji?

What a slut! A vicious slut, all you do is pretend to be a green tea b*tch! Shameless sissy! Sang Lingwu is clearly a modern person, how come she can't see through his flirtatious talk?

Lu Chengfeng struggled, but how could he, who was exhausted from working every day and barely had enough to eat, compare to these palace maids who were as strong as oxen?

The aunt in charge, however, was smiling so much that the wrinkles around her eyes seemed to bloom into flowers.

Oh dear, she said that Yun Ji was born with a life of wealth and honor. No matter how she said it, as long as it suited that person's wishes, then it was the best thing ever!

When Yun Ji becomes the master in the future, she will also benefit from it!

Thinking of this, the head maid couldn't hide her smile, and even her gaze towards Lu Chengfeng softened. She leaned closer to Lu Chengfeng and whispered:

"Some people are born to be masters, unlike you, who are destined to do all the dirty and hard work, with all the credit being stolen by others!"

Seeing Lu Chengfeng's ferocious appearance, the head maid frowned thoughtfully and said, "Maybe it's because you did all sorts of bad things in your past life and are paying for it in this one, otherwise... tsk..."

Otherwise, how could you be so unlucky?

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Chengfeng, with a meaningful implication, instantly stopped struggling.

In my past life...

In her past life, Sang Lingwu had also begged him, saying that she had never done those things, and he seemed to punish her without asking any questions.

Now that I think about it carefully, it seems that the way those women spoke was similar to Yunji's.

Unfortunately, his realization at this moment was futile, because he could neither repay the debt nor receive forgiveness.

At that moment, he was unaware that this framing of him by others was only the beginning.

Meanwhile, outside the door, Jinghongbi was vividly describing Lu Chengfeng's innermost thoughts to Lingwu.

Look how ridiculous.

When he was treated the same way, he began to doubt himself.

"What's your name?" Ling Wu asked gently, and when she saw the ambition in Yun Ji's eyes, she understood.

He's a promising talent who could make Lu Chengfeng vomit blood.

Since that's the case, she promised him wealth and honor, and he would then do his best to make things difficult for Lu Chengfeng.

"Slave, my name is Yunji."

"Yun Ji... convey my decree, effective immediately, Yun Ji is promoted to the rank of Fifth-Rank Imperial Attendant and shall reside in Qingming Pavilion." Ling Wu's voice was soft but extremely authoritative.

Such eloquence is quite fitting for this palace.

Qingming, a fragrant tea.

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty." Yun Ji respectfully kowtowed to express his gratitude, his heart filled with immense joy!

He rose from the rank of fifth-grade chief attendant, not from the lowest-ranking 'common attendant'!

Even Jingchun stared wide-eyed in surprise, not to mention the stewardess inside the door.

But after her initial shock, she was overjoyed!

As night fell, the continuous rain and mist showed no signs of stopping; in fact, the rain gradually intensified, and the raindrops under the eaves formed chains of beads.

Ling Wu stood under the eaves and said, "Step down."

Jing Chun hesitated, looking up at the pale figure in front of her. Under the pouring rain, it seemed as if she was the only one in the world.

Yet it was she alone who upheld the peace and prosperity of the entire Qi Dynasty.

There was no sound from behind for a long time, and Ling Wu did not turn around. Her voice was as indifferent and gentle as ever:

"what's on your mind?"

Startled awake, Jingchun immediately came to her senses. "I was thinking... Does Your Majesty sometimes feel tired?"

As soon as Jing Chun finished speaking, Sang Yu behind him also stopped in his tracks.

Ling Wu noticed Sang Yu's presence but pretended not to notice, instead asking calmly, "Why do you think that way?"

“I have been by Your Majesty’s side since Your Majesty ascended the throne three years ago. Your Majesty gets up before dawn every day and rests only when the stars are twinkling at night.”

"In recent years, the Empress passed away, and Prince Jin also lost his heart to you. Your Majesty is different from the late Emperor. Your Majesty does not have many concubines. Among the ministers and servants who are truly free from any personal desires, I seem to only know Consort Lan and the Left Prime Minister."

Jing Chun lowered her head and said softly, "Your Majesty..." She then suddenly looked up, "Your Majesty, you have done so much for Prince Jin, but she..."

He secretly colluded with court officials and bribed palace servants, his ambitions were obvious...

Before she could finish speaking, Ling Wu interrupted her, "Go down and punish yourself with ten strokes of the cane. Now leave."

Sang Yu remained indifferent when Jing Chun mentioned her.

But when Lingwu interrupted Jingchun, Sangyu couldn't help but feel her heartstrings tugged.

It turned out that all her supposed caution was so obvious that even a servant could see it.

And... what about her?

Jing Chun remained silent for a while, then kowtowed heavily before rising. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life. I shall take my leave now."

As Jing Chun turned around, he saw Sang Yu under the eaves. He bowed and took his leave without showing any emotion, but he still couldn't shake off his disgust.

“Your Highness Prince Jin.” Jing Chun curtsied.

Sang Yu ignored her, and as the atmosphere froze, the figure in front of her spoke.

"Ayu." Lingwu called softly, gazing at the torrential rain outside the corridor.

Sang Yu felt a chill run down her spine. Forgetting about making things difficult for Jing Chun, she stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Jing Chun was finally able to leave, but Ling Wu hesitated to call Sang Yu to get up.

Sang Yu, who had been kneeling on the ground for a long time, seemed to hear that gentle voice that had been with her since childhood, and murmured, "Was I really wrong?"

Sang Yu's eyelashes seemed to be damp from the rain, creating a halo of light.

With a gentle grace, Lingwu slowly turned around.

Sang Yu looked up and gazed at the woman in her eyes, whose nobility and gentleness permeated her very being, making her dare not look directly at her.

She pursed her lips, and the words "Your Majesty is right, it is I who am too ambitious" ultimately remained unspoken.

"Does Your Majesty suspect me?"