Chapter 178 Little Yezi Understands

The matter was finally settled. Su Peisheng watched as the several people in the hall, crooked and unsteady, were "invited" away by the eunuchs and nannies, and he shook his head inwardly.

"Summer harvest".

Yinzhen put down his pen, pinched the bridge of his nose, and spoke in a tired and heavy tone. A hidden door directly opposite the desk quietly opened, and Xia Yi came out from behind the door and knelt down neatly in front of the emperor.

"Your subject is present."

Yinzhen kept thinking about the faces that were so similar to each other. He still felt that there couldn't be such a coincidence in the world. His mother looked like her, and his daughters looked even more alike, one after another, and they were all appearing in front of him.

"Go and find out for me whether this Lady Zhen, Yun, is related to Chun Yuan." His two daughters were both younger than each other, and Chun Yuan had already passed away before they were even born. If we consider their ages, only this Lady Yun is a possibility. He wondered whether this was truly a coincidence or if someone had done it intentionally.

Xia Yi accepted the order and turned to leave. Yinzhen stared blankly at the imperial edict he had just written on the table for a long time. The persistent low-grade fever made him feel dizzy and unclear-headed. In just half a month, he had even developed a lot of gray hair, which showed that this illness had indeed taken a toll on his health.

Su Peisheng naturally noticed the Emperor's fatigue and lack of energy. He glanced at the sky outside and said in a relaxed tone, "Oh dear, it seems it's time for dinner. I heard that there are many people in Yongshou Palace today, and Her Majesty the Empress has prepared several hot pots for us to eat in. It's a bit colder than usual this year, so it's just right. How about... I prepare the same for Your Majesty?"

Although Yinzhen did not turn his head, he couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard him say that. He stretched out his hand and pointed at him from a distance, saying, "Since the Empress has already eaten hot pot, what else do we need to prepare? There are several hot pots, so there should be one for me. Come on, let's go take a look."

Su Peisheng, having achieved his goal, was naturally delighted—"Yes, sir, set up the Yongshou Palace!"

...

"Your Majesty the Empress!"

Early the next morning, before even the usual morning and evening greetings had arrived, Ye Lanyi appeared at the entrance of Yongshou Palace, anxiously wanting to go in and pay her respects. She couldn't even wait for Xuexin's announcement and started calling out from the doorway.

Inside, An Lingrong was selecting a perfectly blooming flower to adorn the Empress's ear, a sweet smile on her face as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly, they were both startled by the shouts outside.

Lu Jiaying looked up in surprise. This Consort Ye was usually quiet and aloof. She had never seen her so anxious before. She and An Lingrong exchanged a glance. "Go sit in the inner palace first. I will see what she wants."

An Lingrong's eyes lit up, and she thought to herself, "The Empress didn't ask me to leave, she trusts me a lot."

She pursed her lips and nodded, her shallow dimples appearing and disappearing on her face.

"Xuexin, I've finished my hair and makeup. Call Consort Ye in." Lü Jiaying adjusted the flowers in her hair in front of the mirror and called out to Xuexin outside.

No sooner had the words been spoken than a figure in emerald green rushed into the hall.

"Your Majesty, Prince Guo is innocent!"

Before she could even stand still, the words came through. Her eyebrows were practically standing on end in her haste. Despite her platform shoes, she strode quickly to the Empress, gave a curtsy, and before she could reply, continued, "This must be because the Prince was framed. It's that Zhen's fault."

Seeing her like this, Lü Jiaying couldn't help but laugh and shake her head—"Consort Ye, you are the Emperor's concubine, not someone from the Prince Guo's mansion. You have absolutely no connection with him. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Ye Lanyi did not reply quickly this time. Her eyes flickered, and after a long while, she only said one sentence: "Your Highness has saved my life. You are the kind of person who is willing to save even a sick palace maid. I do not believe that he would commit such a crime."

"The prince is a good man!" she said anxiously, trying to defend Prince Guo. She leaned forward quite a bit, looking unusually lively.

Lü Jiaying pointed to the seat next to her and said, “You haven’t been serving the Emperor these past two days, so there are some things you don’t know. In that case, I’ll tell you about them.”

Ye Lanyi lifted her clothes and sat down, eager to find a loophole in the matter for the prince from the empress's words.

Seeing her like this, Lü Jiaying didn't keep her in suspense any longer—"It's an open secret that Prince Guo and Lady Zhen are having an affair. No wonder you don't know. The Emperor has issued a gag order. You may have heard about it, but you've just forgotten about it."

"Prince Guo caught the Emperor red-handed at Lady Zhen's residence on Lingyun Peak, which led to the discovery of this affair. They couldn't even offer a reason for their actions. Moreover, there was their marriage certificate as proof, as well as dozens of letters exchanged between them via carrier pigeon, all irrefutable evidence laid out on the Emperor's table. Add to that Lady Zhen's pregnancy, and alas..."

She spoke in a low voice, and with each word she uttered, her expression darkened further as she looked at Ye Lanyi across from her.

"It was Zhen Huan, she's the one who killed the prince!"

Lü Jiaying, however, did not quite agree with her words. She felt that Zhen Huan was a troublesome person. But that did not stop her from thinking that Prince Guo was an even bigger troublesome person.

"If Prince Guo himself was unwilling, how could a deposed concubine in Ganlu Temple have such great ability and power? In the end, it was just a matter of mutual consent. Now that things have failed, they will naturally be punished together. Compared to Zhen Shi, Prince Guo's punishment is not too severe."

Ye Lanyi maintained her stern expression, arms crossed. Seeing this, Lü Jiayingfeng knew that Ye Lanyi hadn't really taken in much of what she had said, but she still couldn't help but instruct her—"You can just tell me what you said earlier; I've always had a bad memory and forget what I hear. But if you tell the Emperor..."

She paused deliberately—"His Majesty is in a fit of anger right now. Not only might Prince Guo punish you even more severely, but you yourself might also be implicated."

Ye Lanyi's gaze gradually warmed upon hearing her words, and she looked at the Empress as if she understood something. After thinking for a moment, she found the Empress's words to be quite reasonable.

If it's not Prince Guo's fault, if it's not Zhen Huan's fault... then blame the Emperor!

"Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you!" She was an impatient person, and she came and went in a hurry. Before Lü Jiaying could even understand what she had understood, she saw her disappear into Yongshou Palace in a flash.

While I was still in a daze, I heard another set of footsteps approaching me, and a sweet fragrance wafted towards me.

An Lingrong walked out of the inner palace, staring thoughtfully at Ye Lanyi's departing figure outside, and gracefully walked to the Empress's side.

"Your Majesty, this Consort Ye seems quite capable to me."

"Hmm?" Lü Jiaying didn't understand why she said that, and asked, "Why? Why do you think she's capable?"

An Lingrong smiled slyly—"She's willing to go all out, unafraid of death, and not easily suspected by others. She also has weaknesses that we can exploit. Isn't that the most useful person? But we have to be careful. I think she's a ruthless character who can take drastic measures. It wouldn't be good if we pushed her too far."

Lü Jiaying followed her gaze to the window, but Ye Lanyi was nowhere to be seen.

“Weakness…” she murmured repeatedly.

An Lingrong reached out and took the fruit from the side, carefully peeled it, and handed it to the Empress. "Your Majesty has noticed it too, hasn't she? This Consort Ye is as cold as ice to the Emperor, but she becomes extremely abnormal when Prince Guo is mentioned. What else could it be?"

It was just that the woman had fallen in love.