Imperial Concubine

Yeting Prison

Tao Li was tied to a wooden frame, her hair disheveled, her skin torn and bleeding, blood dripping onto the ground, and the air filled with the stench of blood.

She has been here for seven days and seven nights without saying a word, even after being told that Minister Lu had confessed.

"My lady, why do you stay here? This place is unlucky," Danhong advised Sui Zhixu, who had been observing from the corner.

Sui Zhixu shook her head. "It's nothing."

Danhong thought that Sui Zhixu was still worried about the Pei family, so she comforted her, "Anyway, Minister Lu has already confessed. As long as the officials work in court, the Pei family will be released soon. Madam, you don't need to worry about Madam Pei and Madam Ning anymore."

"Oh."

The salt-soaked leather whip fell on Tao Li's body, making a crisp sound as it touched her skin, accompanied by her muffled groans.

The crack of the whip masked her earlier sneer, leaving only her weak words, "The Pei family deserves to die."

"Minister Lu said you were born to his mistress, but when you were born, the elders of the Lu family refused to accept your mother, so he did not bring you back. After your mother died, you entered the palace as a maid and served under Consort Zhou. It wasn't until three years ago that Minister Lu remembered you and wanted to use you to plant people in the palace to seek benefits for the King."

"Why do you hate the Pei family? Especially the Empress Dowager?" Sui Zhixu took out a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve and shook it gently.

The bottle was obtained from Minister Lu, and the original intention was to give it to Tao Li to poison the Empress Dowager.

This was a deal between Tao Li and Minister Lu. She helped the Lu family plant people in the palace, and in return, Minister Lu would find poison for her in the palace.

Lu Siqing hates the Pei family because of Pei Qinglian and Lu Songjin's marriage and the Duke Pei's scheming in the court, but what is Tao Li's reason?

"Because of Consort Zhou?" Sui Zhixu noticed the change in her eyes; a different emotion flashed in her eyes when Consort Zhou was mentioned.

"It was them! They killed the Imperial Concubine! They all deserve to die!" Tao Li suddenly went mad, desperately pulling at the iron chains on his arms.

As Xu Zhixu's eyelashes fluttered, it was Lady Zhang, who served the Empress Dowager, who discovered Tao Li's past in Consort Zhou's palace.

The Emperor was deeply affectionate. After Consort Zhou passed away, most of the maids and eunuchs in her palace were given gold and allowed to return to their hometowns. Tao Li, however, stayed behind because she was still young and had no parents.

"The Imperial Concubine committed suicide by hanging herself," Sui Zhixu said calmly.

For a concubine in the palace to hang herself was a serious crime, but the Emperor and Empress Dowager, considering that she was heartbroken and devastated by the loss of her daughter, did not pursue the Zhou family.

Tao Li screamed in anguish, “No! You don’t understand anything. Her Majesty isn’t that fragile. She’s clearly determined to move on. She’s even planned my future. She couldn’t possibly hang herself.”

Since the matter concerned the cause of Consort Zhou's death, Xu frowned. Dan Hong wanted to speak but was stopped by Xu, who said, "Go and call Lady Zhang first."

Wenzhao was the posthumous title given to Consort Zhou by the Emperor. Her importance in the Emperor's heart was such that even many years after her death, there were no new concubines or children in the harem.

Despite the pressure from former court officials and princes of the fiefdom, he remained alone, and although he knew that Xu Ke dared not casually take on matters related to Consort Zhou.

The Prime Minister's residence and the Sui family are already in the eye of the storm; they cannot afford to get caught up in this.

Xu stopped talking to her and stood aside silently waiting for Zhang Niangzi to arrive.

Tao Li wept bitterly; the man who had remained calm for seven days was now experiencing a surge of emotions.

"It's all the Empress Dowager! It must be the Empress Dowager! The Imperial Concubine, the Imperial Concubine—"

"His Majesty deserves to die too. Why didn't he protect the Empress as her husband? He deserves to die! They all deserve to die."

Sui Zhixu didn't want to listen anymore. Regardless of whether it was true or false, the best thing about things in the palace was to know nothing.

Unfortunately, just as she was about to leave, Lady Zhang arrived, along with the current emperor.

Sui Zhixu quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you good health. May Your Majesty be in good health and free from illness."

The ochre-yellow round-necked casual dress features intricately detailed dragon scales on the chest, so lifelike they seem ready to burst forth at any moment.

The Emperor waved his hand, and Xu Zhixu tactfully withdrew. Before leaving, she glanced at Tao Li, the hatred on her face seeming genuine. She didn't look at her any longer and hurriedly left the Yeting Prison.

Dan Hong is right. She didn't really need to come. Whether Tao Li speaks or not, the matter is already settled. The rest is up to the Emperor and the Prince Xun, which is not something she can interfere with now.

With the examples of Xun Wang and the Lu family, His Majesty needs the Pei family, and from any perspective, the Pei family will definitely step forward.

She just didn't want to go back, didn't want to be idle.

She found a pavilion to rest. The task she had given Cui Wan that afternoon was simple: to expose Cao Bai's affair with the guards in front and take advantage of the situation.

Although Xu could only tell that she was a woman of slender build, the women in Xingqing Palace were mostly slender due to the year-round vegetarian diet.

The only option was to let Puyang Kai go forward and listen to their voices. Thinking of this, Sui Zhixu felt that he was quite bold. She wondered how her father had taught him to do this, since he dared to follow his superior so soon after taking office.

Or was it simply because Minister Lu usually left work on time, and they felt it was strange that he was suddenly staying at the Dali Temple?

In short, Puyang Kai discovered the connection between Lu Siqing and the palace maids of Xingqing Palace, and overheard words related to the Pei family.

Cui Wan clamored for Cao Bai to be dealt with, using Princess Chaoyang as an example to justify the corruption in the palace. She insisted that Cao Bai's affair with a guard and his disruption of the palace could not be tolerated.

Send a palace maid from Xingqing Palace to find Chaoyang. On the way, have Chu Shiguan and Puyang Kai lead the way and take the opportunity to gather information.

If not, Puyang Kai gave Cui Wan a look that suggested she pretend to be angry and think the Xingqing Palace maids were too slow, and then call a few more people.

Some of them were lucky; Tao Li was among the second group.

If it doesn't work the first time, Cui Wan will have to try other methods.

Sui Zhixu had suspected Tao Li. Tao Li's behavior was too exaggerated. How could a palace maid who had been in the palace for at least a few years be so flustered when she saw people?

Moreover, given Xingqing Palace's style, Sui Zhixu felt that no matter how hard he knocked, they wouldn't open the door; the only one who was willing to help in Xingqing Palace was Cao Bai.

However, Xu was not certain, so she asked Cui Wan to arrange for Tao Li to be in the second or third batch, near the front but not inconspicuous.

As it turned out, Sui Zhixu's first instinct was correct.

The wind blew up the earrings on Sui Zhixu's ears. Without the mermaid pearl, she changed to a jade pendant in emerald green. The end of the slender silver chain hooked the teardrop-shaped jade pendant, and there was still only one.

"What are you standing there for?" Yueling suddenly appeared behind her and hugged her, her tall figure completely enveloping her.

Sui Zhixu instinctively shrank back and complained to her, "You scared me."

"Tch, you little brat who's so easily scared. You should be used to my style by now." Yueling pouted. "Useless cute little brat."

Xu Zhixu, too lazy to listen to her nonsense, picked up a fresh peach from the plate and stuffed it into her mouth.

A cherry that has come to life eats a fresh peach.

No, we can't think like that. She usually likes to call her mother a ripe peach tree. The smell is comforting, and a tall and fragrant peach tree is the most suitable for her mother.

"What are you thinking about again?" Yueling reached out and flicked her forehead.

Sui Zhixu covered his head and said in a muffled voice, "The people of Daqi believe in you, and the literati praise you. They don't know your personality at all, they just blindly admire you and write you as aloof and otherworldly. If they saw you on the street, they would definitely not think you were the Grand Preceptor."

"Who says the Imperial Advisor has to be some kind of otherworldly being? I'm not a real immortal. Besides, who has ever seen an immortal? Have you seen one or have they? Immortals are just figments of their imagination, so don't worry about them."

Yueling waved her hand and laughed, "But it's not bad to establish such a tall and mighty image for me. It makes me sound very powerful."

"People will only believe what they believe." Just like the auntie who sells sesame cakes.

For example, ordinary people affected by the fortune of Prince Xuanping.

"I don't really want to see you." Sui Zhixu lowered her head, her voice muffled.

"What's wrong? Your little maid told me you've been like this ever since you came back from your lover's place."

Sui Zhixu looked up at her. "You've always known, and you even watched me lie to him. Is that interesting?"

Yue Ling narrowed her eyes, her tone unusually serious, "The one that was pushed out was the one you remembered, no, it should be the one you pushed out."

“Isn’t this good?” she said.

"Why would it be good? I'm on the verge of being completely oblivious, and I don't even have the ability to pretend I'm deaf and dumb. I'd rather I knew nothing and stole his luck to take revenge than be like this. Well, I don't want to be like this either."

As she spoke slowly and deliberately, her eyes met Yue Ling's. Looking into Yue Ling's calm eyes, she felt a little deflated. "I was born into the wrong family. I shouldn't have been born as a human. I can't handle so many emotions. Just a single inexplicable hatred is enough to overwhelm me, not to mention all the strange relationships and feelings between people."

"I don't know how to face this." Sui Zhixu sat on the stone bench and buried her head in her hands.

She didn't want to go back and face Fan Lingzhang; she had deceived him before, and now...

She sighed.

"That's you too." Yueling patted her head. "Having a chance to start over, you don't want to end up with the same fate, do you? This time, you have to make the decisions yourself. Flowers and plants can't play tricks on each other, nor can they seek revenge or steal his luck."

"Besides, if you become 'flowery and carefree,' the world will lose someone to take care of them. Be more carefree, follow my example, eat and drink more good food, and get your fill before you start working. I can feel that the heavens have reduced their protection of him a lot, and your luck has improved considerably."

Yueling laughed heartily, and boasted about her cultivation method.

"Is the system asking him to gain fortune by taking other people's lives? Although He Miao is an evil cultivator, the Yungang Village sacrifice seems to have been prepared for him."

Feeling the jade pendant swaying by her ear, she said, "The mermaid pearl has been stolen."

Yueling reached out and picked up the jade pendant that Sui Zhixu had just put on, nodding casually. "The new one is quite pretty. Wear it. The mermaid pearl is ugly and doesn't match your face."

Sui Zhixu's eyes widened slightly as Yueling flicked her head again.

"Relax, things will work themselves out. Why worry about things so far ahead? Take it one step at a time. For example, your little lover got drunk last night and ran to the Prime Minister's mansion. He was caught by your family's guards halfway up the wall and thrown in front of Sui He and Cong Lan. Worry about that. He's still being held by your parents."

"Huh?" Before Sui Zhixu could ask any more questions, an uninvited guest walked into the pavilion.

"What's the Imperial Preceptor doing here?" The Emperor walked out of the Yeting Prison and saw Yueling and Sui Zhixu in the distance, so he came over to greet them.

"Who was captured by the Prime Minister and the head of the Sui family? And the Prime Minister's residence was burgled?"

"Who knows? Cong Lan has a lot of treasures, and someone might be eyeing them." Yue Ling laughed as she hugged Sui Zhixu from behind, her large arms making it difficult for him to break free.

Sui Zhixu looked up at her cunning eyes and raised eyebrows, as if to say, "Tell me, and I'll let you go."

The Emperor chuckled twice and echoed, "The Prime Minister certainly has quite a few treasures. When he was young, he worked incredibly hard to save up for his bride price. I remember he would ask for a reward for every task he did, or he would just give up."

"Isn't that right? Your harem is so boring, so I've found some fun here." Yueling poked Sui Zhixu's cheek and laughed, "You've gained a little weight. The palace is taking good care of you."

"The young lady is in the Empress Dowager's palace. She has always liked the young lady and will not mistreat your disciple."

Yue Ling's nose twitched slightly, her face showing displeasure. "Alright, you smell so strongly of blood on you, go wash up quickly. My little disciple and I are about to leave; she's in a hurry to go home for dinner."

The Emperor's expression froze slightly, but returned to normal after a couple of seconds. He pointed at her helplessly and said, "You, go ahead."