Chapter 7: Kneeling until my hands and feet were cold, and my heart was cold too.

The mother and daughter from the second wife exchanged a glance.

Such a valuable gift—could it be that the Empress Dowager has ulterior motives, intending to replace the Ji family member chosen to enter the palace as a concubine?

Why choose to let Ji Qingwu enter the palace?

Wu coughed softly, and Ji Qingyuan immediately understood. She said casually, "Aunt's gift is not only valuable, but also shows great thoughtfulness. Fifth Sister, you must be careful and make sure the children don't bump into it or drop it."

"child?"

The Empress Dowager paused slightly in her teacup, a look of confusion on her face.

Ji Qingyuan deliberately didn't reveal this to the old lady, because she wanted to wait for the "best" opportunity.

She pondered for a moment: "Fifth Sister came home in a hurry, so she probably hasn't informed you, Aunt, yet."

He sighed again and said, "My fifth sister has been wandering around all these years, and when she came home, she was...

Seeing her hesitant manner, the Empress Dowager handed the teacup in her hand to Shixi and asked in an unpleasant tone.

"What happened? Qingyuan, explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened?"

Ji Qingyuan bit her lip, seemingly embarrassed: "She brought an illegitimate child back to the manor."

Has Qingwu already married and had children?

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, as if her plans had fallen through, and she twirled the prayer beads in her hand.

Shi Xi and Fang Hua knew that this was a sign that the Empress Dowager was in a bad mood, so they both lowered their heads.

The hall fell silent for a few seconds.

Madam Ji sat upright at the lower end of the table and asked in a heavy voice, "Qingyuan, I'm asking you, why didn't you tell me about this matter before Fifth Miss entered the manor?"

Ji Qingyuan explained with some helplessness, "I was thinking of telling my grandmother about this shameful news another day, but I never expected that my aunt would summon me that evening."

What a shameful piece of news.

The smile that had been on the Empress Dowager's lips vanished, and the atmosphere in the palace turned cold.

Hearing the Fourth Miss smear the Fifth Miss, Madam Qiao couldn't sit still and wanted to defend the Fifth Miss.

"Your Majesty, it was not Qingwu's intention. When she returned home, she openly appeared at the main gate of the Ji residence with her child. She did not want to hide it. However, today was too rushed, and she did not have time to inform Your Majesty and the Old Madam."

The Empress Dowager snorted: "It seems it was my fault after all; I was too hasty in summoning you."

At this moment, Ji Qingwu finally moved, shaking her head at the tense-looking Qiao Shi.

She lifted her lake-blue skirt and knelt directly on the ground.

His posture was humble, but his words were firm.

"Your Majesty, Qingwu was separated from her family at a young age and does not know the mystery of her origins or whose daughter she is. She has survived on the border for many years and was fortunate to have a daughter with her husband. Qingwu now has a blood relative. The claim that she was born out of wedlock is ridiculous. Qingwu believes that she has been reborn!"

Her baby should absolutely not be stigmatized as an illegitimate child.

Ji Qingwu lowered her head, her voice both gentle and clear: "Please, Your Majesty, make your judgment."

"A new life?"

Just then, a man's voice came from the entrance of the palace.

"Miss Ji is right!"

A tall young man in a royal blue robe entered the hall.

He walked to Ji Qingwu's side, tilted his head slightly, and chuckled softly.

Ji Qingwu's back was slightly stiff.

The man approached the Empress Dowager, lifted his robe, and said loudly, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Is this person the current emperor?

Ji Qingwu felt a little disappointed.

After all, she had heard too many rumors about the new emperor of Beili along the way, praising his great military prowess and unparalleled talent.

However, what we see now is that this wise ruler was so... frivolous and unrestrained.

When the Empress Dowager saw him, a smile immediately appeared in her eyes: "Minghong, what brings you to the palace today?"

The members of the Ji family also rose and bowed, offering their respectful greetings.

"His Royal Highness King Yong."

It turns out he was Prince Yong.

Ji Qingwu was already kneeling on the ground, so there was no need for her to bow or pay her respects. Her gaze met that of Prince Yong.

His smile seemed even brighter: "Mother, Changyan and I have just finished some important matters, and only now do we have time to pay our respects to you."

Empress Dowager: "Alright, I know what you do all day long."

Ji Qingyuan said with a knowing look, "Your Highness, so you were with your fourth brother. No wonder I didn't see him come home today."

Ji Changyan was born to Wu, the second wife, and was a few years younger than Prince Yong.

The two were cousins ​​and got along well. They always liked to be together "doing things," which were nothing more than abusing their status to do whatever they wanted, indulging in sensual and scandalous affairs.

Prince Yong was the Empress Dowager's son and a prince of the current dynasty, so he naturally acted with impunity in Lin'an City.

Prince Yong continued, "Is this the fifth cousin that my maternal grandmother's family recently found?"

"You certainly have excellent connections," the Empress Dowager said, a hint of helplessness in her voice.

Prince Yong stood at the bottom of the steps and said with a teasing expression, "You can't blame me for this. It's all over the streets and alleys of Lin'an that there's a carriage parked in front of the Ji residence, and a lotus fairy is getting off. I also want to come and see the fairy's beauty for myself."

Ji Qingyuan's eyes flickered slightly: "Your Highness, what do you think of Qingwu? Is she as beautiful and charming as the rumors say?"

At this moment, Ji Qingwu was still kneeling upright on the ground, her slender waist cinched by a carved and trimmed belt, and her light blue and white dress spread out on the ground.

Prince Yong's gaze swept over Ji Qingwu from head to toe.

Ji Qingwu lowered her head as if she were shy, but in reality she was frowning.

Being stared at by this person gave me an uncomfortable feeling, like being surrounded by a python.

Shi Xi added a seat for Prince Yong next to the Empress Dowager. After he sat down, he smiled and said, "I think my fifth cousin is not as rumored. She is not the ethereal lotus fairy. If we are talking about beauty, it has to be my fourth cousin."

Upon hearing this, Ji Qingyuan's face lit up with joy as she touched her cheek.

"Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. Although my fifth sister is not a lotus fairy, she is still quite pretty."

Prince Yong stared intently at Ji Qingwu, who had his head bowed, with interest in his eyes.

He had many beautiful singing girls in his mansion, but none of them had the voice and appearance of the woman kneeling in the palace.

She is dignified and elegant, yet possesses a charming and graceful demeanor.

He changed the subject, saying, "Fourth cousin, you've misunderstood. Fifth cousin isn't a fairy; she's clearly a delicate and beautiful young lady, like a lotus emerging from the water."

Despite being praised, Ji Qingwu couldn't be happy.

She felt that she would fall ill if Prince Yong even glanced at her.

But the other party was the Empress Dowager's own son, the Emperor's younger brother, and she couldn't afford to offend him.

Ji Qingwu clenched his fist secretly, trying to suppress this repulsive feeling.

Most of the people in this room had experienced love affairs, so they could easily see through Prince Yong's wicked gaze.

Madam Qiao, the first wife, frowned deeply.

The jade bracelet that the Empress Dowager just gave her... besides what she had thought before... there's another possibility: could it be that she's planning to marry Xiao Wu to Prince Yong?

Regardless of Prince Yong's character, there's only one point: he married the eldest daughter of the Grand Secretary two years ago, making her his Princess Consort. If Xiao Wu were to remarry, she could only become a concubine.

He is definitely not a good match for Xiao Wu.

We can't escape one fire pit only to fall into another abyss.

Without hesitation, Madam Qiao knelt down and solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."