Chapter 26 Sincerity

Liu Yu changed the subject, chatting incessantly with Liu Xi all the way to the gate of the imperial city.

Although it was supposed to be a chat, Liu Yu did most of the talking while Liu Xi and Zhi Xiang listened to the commotion.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Huo Lin lifted the curtain.

"Princess, let me help you out of the carriage."

Liu Yu jumped out of the car ahead of Huo Lin and then reached into the car.

"No need to trouble General Huo, my sister can be supported by me."

Huo Lin took a small half step back to avoid Liu Yu stepping on his feet.

Although the emperor agreed to bring Liu Xi back to the palace, he had no intention of seeing her.

The eunuch who came to deliver the message told Liu Xi that His Majesty had ordered her to move to Qingning Pavilion for a while.

"Your Highness, the palace servants are quick and efficient, and they have already prepared Qingning Pavilion."

The old eunuch wore a fawning smile and kept introducing how wonderful Qingning Pavilion was, but Liu Xi knew that Qingning Pavilion was one of the most remote palaces in the harem.

Liu Xi remained silent. The old eunuch, worried that he might offend the noble lady, fell silent and did not continue speaking.

Gradually, the palace path became increasingly deserted, and even Liu Yu, who was not very familiar with the layout of the palace, noticed that something was wrong.

Liu Xi could tell he was about to lash out, so she quickly tugged at his sleeve gently.

"It is already a great privilege that His Majesty has allowed me to return to the palace. Now, no matter what happens, I must keep a low profile and try my best not to cause any trouble."

"Can……"

"What? You've lived in the dilapidated Cold Palace, but I, as your older sister, can't even stand living in a small, slightly remote place?"

"Moreover, with the Empress Dowager secretly taking care of her, my sister will not suffer."

Liu Xi ruffled Liu Yu's hair. "Thank you for thinking of me, Yu. Don't worry, the celestial phenomena mentioned by the Imperial Observatory can't hold me back. Before long, I'll definitely return to Yi Huai Pavilion and stay with Yu every day."

Liu Yu nodded and tightened his grip on Liu Xi's hand.

Before Liu Yu left, Liu Xi strictly forbade him from visiting her at Qingning Pavilion, and even more so, forbade him from begging the Empress Dowager.

Although Liu Yu was unwilling, he never refused Liu Xi's requests.

Just as Liu Xi said, with the Empress Dowager backing her up, none of the eunuchs and maids in the palace dared to neglect her.

Therefore, although Qingningxuan was deserted, its interior was no less exquisite than that of Yihuaige, and could even be described as exceptionally refined.

The palace servants serving here were all carefully selected by the Empress Dowager. Although they were new faces, they were more efficient than the original servants of Yihuai Pavilion.

Zhi Xiang immediately prepared hot water so that Liu Xi, who had been traveling for a long time, could get a good rest.

Liu Xi submerged half her face in the water and used the bubbles she blew to push away the petals in front of her face.

She specially asked Zhixiang to prepare several plain-colored long dresses, and she no longer wore complicated and gorgeous headdresses. She simply used a jade hairpin to tie up her long hair, making her look exceptionally gentle and elegant.

"Princess, do you think we'll have to live in this remote place for the rest of our lives?"

Zhi Xiang put the earrings on Liu Xi and looked up at the princess in the mirror.

"Zhixiang, guess who in this harem is the one who can save me from this predicament?"

Zhi Xiang tilted her head and thought about it carefully for a while.

"Empress Dowager?"

Liu Xi shook her head. "Guess again."

"Your Highness the Fifth Prince?"

Liu Xi was amused. "How could it be that idiot?"

“Then only the Seventh Prince remains.” Zhi Xiang said decisively, but Liu Xi still shook her head.

"It is the Imperial Concubine."

"The Imperial Concubine??"

Zhi Xiang raised her voice, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"In fact, the Imperial Concubine herself knew that if the Emperor became completely suspicious of the celestial phenomena reported by the Imperial Observatory, a thorough investigation would only do her harm and no good."

"Back then, my mother was executed as a demon, and many people were involved behind the scenes. The concubines who were in the same camp as the Noble Consort did not want to be involved, so they could only do their best to push all the blame onto the Noble Consort alone."

"Even if the Imperial Concubine has the Dingyuan General's Mansion or even the entire He family behind her, she still can't hold on."

"Therefore, the best outcome would actually be for the Imperial Observatory to immediately appear before the Emperor and say that the demonic calamity has been eliminated, auspicious omens will soon descend from the heavens, and all disasters will be dispelled, thus making the name of the demonic calamity true for the child already dead in the Consort's womb."

Liu Xi stood up, leisurely walked to the window, and opened it halfway, just enough to see the snow scene in the courtyard.

In her view, the Imperial Concubine was not a foolish woman; she must have thought of such a simple method long ago.

But why wasn't it carried out? Could it be that the Consort's hatred for him had become so great that she was willing to gamble her own future?

No, that's impossible.

There must be some secret behind this that Liu Xi failed to notice.

"Now that the princess has such a good idea, why not put it into practice quickly?"

Zhi Xiang's question hit the nail on the head, which was also Liu Xi's concern.

Perhaps the true master of the Imperial Observatory was not the Consort, just as Xiangying, who served by the Consort's side, was actually an undercover agent whom Liu Xi had turned against her long ago.

Liu Xi dared not make any rash moves, fearing that the guy hiding in the shadows would seize on his weakness and put her in a passive position.

"Let's wait and see. I'm betting that the Empress Dowager isn't the only one in the harem who wants to protect me, and I'm also betting that even if the Consort is confined, she still has the strength to struggle again."

Even if things really come to a standstill, Liu Xi still has a trump card to play.

Three days later, a eunuch from the emperor's side came to Qingning Pavilion and personally asked Liu Xi to make a trip to Mingzheng Hall.

Liu Xi was still dressed in her usual simple and elegant attire, and her long-unseen stroll along the palace road gave her a feeling of being in a past life.

Inside the Mingzheng Hall, many people were kneeling on the ground.

Consort Gui, Consort Wang, and a familiar-looking eunuch and maid.

The emperor and empress dowager were sitting together, and it seemed that the emperor was interrogating someone.

"Xi'er is here. Quickly, offer the princess a seat."

The maid placed a chair next to the Empress Dowager. As soon as Liu Xi sat down, the Empress Dowager turned around and took her hand.

"She's lost weight and looks quite haggard."

"It is my good fortune to be able to pray for my father and grandmother."

The Empress Dowager praised Liu Xi highly, saying, "Look at her, what a sensible child she is."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the emperor continued his interrogation of the Empress Dowager about the poisoned tea. Liu Xi listened for a while and noticed that the people present quickly fabricated another story full of loopholes.

Faced with the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine's questioning, Consort Wang initially resisted and struggled, but later desperately confessed to all the crimes.

She was the one who poisoned the Empress Dowager's tea, and she was also the one who bribed bandits to assassinate the princess. Everything she did was to frame the Imperial Concubine.

After a thorough interrogation, the emperor did not utter a single word related to the Imperial Observatory.

The situation is now quite clear: the Heavenly Manifestation Bureau has been dealt with, the Imperial Concubine has found Consort Wang to be the scapegoat, and the Emperor, due to his reliance on the He family's power behind the Imperial Concubine, has no choice but to turn a blind eye.

"My harem has such a vicious woman; she is utterly unworthy of being human!"

"Xi'er, today your father will decide for you. You can do whatever you want with Wang Shi."

Liu Xi was sitting comfortably when a hot potato was thrown at her the next second, leaving her unsure whether to accept it or not.

After hesitating for a moment, Liu Xi spoke.

"The concubines vying for the emperor's favor is not a big deal, but Wang should never have gambled with the Empress Dowager's safety."

"If other concubines follow suit in the future, or even try to poison the Emperor's tea, it will cause a great disaster."

As Liu Xi spoke, she shook her head, "I hope that Father Emperor will not consider our years of friendship and will punish this severely as a warning to others."

Upon hearing this, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor nodded in satisfaction.

"Guards, drag the criminal Wang Shi to the Cold Palace. She will be publicly executed in three days!"

"Your Highness, you were ordered to assist in managing the six palaces, but you failed to properly discipline the concubines in the harem, which led Wang to harbor evil intentions and plot against the Empress Dowager and the imperial heir. Effective immediately, you are demoted to the rank of Consort, moved to Xingyun Pavilion, and confined to your quarters for three months to reflect on your mistakes."

The emperor's decree was issued swiftly and decisively; from any perspective, it was the most perfect solution.

When Wang was dragged away, she did not cry or scream; she was even expressionless.

He Chongyuan lay exhausted on the ground and recited a sentence in a trembling voice.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager. I will take my leave now."

After leaving the Mingzheng Hall, Liu Xi took a few deep breaths.

After working so hard for so long, today marks the official completion of a milestone.

As she stretched her limbs outside the hall, Huo Lin appeared beside her without her noticing.

Liu Xi glanced at him a few times, then turned back casually, looking up at the sky as she teased him.

"General, your job seems quite leisurely. I always seem to see you in various places."

Huo Lin stretched out his hand, and in his palm lay the talisman that Liu Xi had given her before.

"I have come to return the token to the princess."

The talisman was small, about the size of a walnut kernel, lying in Huo Lin's palm, and it shimmered in the sunlight.

"General Huo, you should keep this."

Huo Lin thought he had misheard and let out a surprised and questioning sound.

Liu Xi took out a sachet from her waistband and opened it in front of Huo Lin. Inside was the Huo family crest that Huo Lin had given her earlier.

"Tokens of exchange show more sincerity."

“But this was given to the princess by the Empress Dowager.” Huo Lin’s hand holding the talisman trembled as he tightened his grip, afraid of dropping it.

"This is also the only precious thing this princess has."

Liu Xi took out the Huo family crest from the sachet, pulled Huo Lin's hand away, put the Empress Dowager's talisman inside, then carefully tightened the sachet and handed it back to Huo Lin.

"I hope General Huo can keep this safe for me, as it is my only trump card."

Huo Lin was flattered and held the sachet in his hand. When he spoke again, his voice began to tremble.

“The princess bears the mark of the Huo family. Whenever the princess needs us, the Huo family is always ready to serve Your Highness.”

What he wanted to say was that the princess was not without other trump cards and backers; if Liu Xi wanted it, Huo Lin was even willing to give his life to her.

Liu Xi smiled slyly, "Is General Huo going to hand over the entire Huo family to me?"

"certainly."

Huo Lin stroked the peony flowers embroidered on the sachet with his fingertips, his eyes once again filled with longing.

"Your Highness, I will do everything in my power to obtain whatever you desire."