A secret buried deep in his heart was uprooted, and Fu Qing's expression changed drastically. The usually gentle man suddenly became gloomy, staring intently at the Empress, and issued a stern warning.

"Your Majesty, please be careful with your words! Some things should not be said carelessly!"

Yu Ying had only asked casually because she found it strange, but she never expected her brother's reaction to be so strong!

Could she have been right? Does Second Brother really have feelings for Consort Chun?

How could the two of them have any contact? Yu Ying was puzzled, but now was not the time to ponder this; the most urgent task was to dissuade Fu Qing.

"Second brother, we all live for the family. Nothing else matters. You have to consider the bigger picture."

As her younger sister spoke in high-sounding words, Fu Qing felt that she was a complete stranger.

“Yuying, you’ve changed. You weren’t like this before. Back then, when you saw your older brother bring back a rabbit, you felt heartbroken and refused to kill it. You even bandaged and treated it. Now, you’re indifferent to human life, and you won’t even spare the unborn child in your womb!”

Yu Ying hurriedly denied it, "I said I didn't harm her, it was just a momentary lapse of judgment on Dong Ling's part. The Su family is fine now, why are you so concerned?"

The reason he was unharmed was because he happened to be there; the murderer shouldn't be absolved of his crimes just because Yu Shan luckily escaped.

“If I hadn’t been there yesterday and hadn’t been able to save her in time, and she and her unborn child had both died, could you live with yourself? Bao’er and Yonglian, in heaven, what do you think they would think if they saw how cruel you are? They would definitely be very disappointed in you and ashamed to have a mother like you!”

Whenever Yu Ying thinks of her children who died young, her heart aches.

"Stop talking! Stop talking! This wasn't my idea. As for Dongling, I will punish her, but you have to promise me you won't tell the Emperor about this!"

I know you don't care about your own future, but what about Fuheng? He's currently highly regarded by the Emperor. If you reveal this, Fuheng's future will be ruined!

She knew exactly how to exploit his weaknesses. The moment his family was mentioned, Fu Qing became hesitant, clenching his fists in anger.

"You threaten me with your family, and you have never shown any remorse! You shirk responsibility and protect the wicked. You are her accomplice. Why do you pretend to be so innocent?"

I used to think you were pitiful because you weren't favored by the Emperor, but now I've changed my mind. Someone as outwardly virtuous but inwardly ruthless as you is completely unfit to be Empress! Yu Ying, you have truly disappointed me!

His younger sister had become unreasonable and was no longer the kind girl she used to be. He wanted to seek justice for Yu Shan, but he couldn't disregard the future of his family; otherwise, he would become a sinner against the family!

Fu Qing remained undecided about what to do.

He didn't argue further and turned away angrily. Dong Ling's heart pounded with unease.

"Master, will the Second Master really tell the Emperor about this?"

After a moment of silence, Yu Ying shook her head. "He wouldn't. How can a woman compare to a family? I believe he wouldn't do something so foolish."

Dong Ling muttered to herself, "It's strange, why would the Second Master be so protective of Consort Chun? They shouldn't even know each other, right?"

Yu Ying hadn't paid much attention to it before, but Fu Qing's reaction today was truly strange. Upon closer reflection, she noticed some clues.

"Don't forget, Su Yushan also has Yunfang by her side. According to my second brother, he lived in Yunfang's house during the time he lost his memory, and they fell in love, but they couldn't be together in the end."

Su Yushan said that Yunfang was her cousin. She suddenly disappeared during those two months. The emperor said that she was recuperating at a villa, but I think Su Yushan should have left the capital!

Who knows, maybe she went to her cousin's house during that time and happened to run into my second brother..."

Dong Ling pondered for a moment, then widened her eyes in surprise, "Your Highness, do you mean... the person Second Master truly loves is actually Consort Chun?"

"I cannot be certain; it is merely a guess."

The Empress's speculation gave Dong Ling a sudden inspiration: "If the Emperor knew that Consort Chun had ulterior motives, he would definitely no longer favor her!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ying was immediately terrified and rebuked him in a low voice.

"Silly girl! What foolish thing are you doing? The Emperor must not find out about this. If he does, not only will Su Yushan fall out of favor, but your second brother will also be suspected by the Emperor, and even the Fucha family will be disliked by the Emperor. This is a lose-lose situation. You can't do something so foolish!"

Only after his master reminded him did Dongling realize that he had said something foolish.

"It was my fault for being confused. I was only thinking about making Consort Chun lose favor, and I completely forgot to consider the consequences."

Yu Ying also looked forward to the day Su Yushan fell out of favor, but she couldn't gamble with her brother and family, so she had to give up the opportunity.

"From now on, you must discuss everything with me beforehand, and never act on your own initiative! This time you were discovered by your own family, so I can still protect you, but next time it might not be so!"

Dong Ling was still shaken. Fortunately, her master protected her, otherwise she would have been doomed!

Fu Qing was still hesitating about what to do. When the Empress Dowager heard that Consort Chun had been frightened, she was both worried and angry. She was worried about the safety of the imperial heir and angry that Consort Chun did not listen to her.

The emperor had consistently refused to send Lady Su back to the palace, and the empress dowager was powerless to stop him. Now that this incident had occurred, the empress dowager seized the opportunity to demand that the emperor send Lady Su back to the palace once again.

"What did I say? She was pregnant and shouldn't have come to the hunting grounds, but you insisted on bringing her. Now that something has happened, who's to blame?"

Is the Empress Dowager showing concern for Yu Shan? She's clearly just looking for trouble. "I'm investigating that matter thoroughly. It was an accident; no one could have predicted it. Why is Your Majesty blaming me?"

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