The imagined scene of Ye Qingxue's bloodied and mangled body was shattered by Eunuch Huaifu's words. What appeared before Madam Min and Ye Cunjin was Ye Qingxue's flamboyant, cold, but perfectly intact face.

With a smile, Eunuch Huaifu went a step further: "His Majesty originally intended to reward the Marquis of Zhongyong for his excellent upbringing of his daughter, but after Minister Ye entered the palace to meet the Emperor, His Majesty gave up on that idea."

"His Majesty instructed me to tell Minister Ye that a man's ambition lies in all directions. It is not the way of a man to gain fame and fortune by relying on the women in his family. His Majesty greatly appreciates Minister Ye's behavior of severing ties with the eldest daughter. He believes that Minister Ye will eventually win fame and fortune for the Marquis of Zhongyong's family through his own hands and wisdom. Therefore, this time, the Marquis of Zhongyong's family will not be rewarded."

Ye Cunjin was stunned by the successive words of Eunuch Huaifu. His ears were ringing and he was dizzy, unable to distinguish between reality and dream for a moment.

Not only him, but also Madam Min, Madam Zhou, and even Ji Mingwei present all looked incredulous, as if they had been struck dumb by a heavy blow.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Huaifu had already sent people to unload boxes of 50,000 taels of silver, jewelry, and various fabrics from the carriage and deliver them to Ye Qingxue's Guanju Courtyard.

The palace servants were very happy to be assigned such a task, so their faces were beaming with smiles and their steps were light.

In contrast, everyone in the Marquis's mansion was frozen like stone. They couldn't smile, and there was even a hint that they were about to break down.

After an unknown amount of time, Madam Min pinched her palm, finally managing a stiff smile, and walked up to Eunuch Huaifu.

"Qingxue... never told us that she did such a big thing and made such a great contribution last night. It's really unbelievable to us."

"Eunuch Huaifu is a favorite of the Emperor, with a noble status. Don't try to fool us or make fun of us, okay?"

Even though the rewards had been carried to Guanju Courtyard box by box, Madam Min was still testing Huaifu to see if the story of Ye Qingxue's three great feats was true!

The entire household was waiting for Ye Qingxue to be severely injured or executed for trampling on the royal family's dignity.

Instead of seeing Ye Qingxue, who was seriously injured or dead, they saw Ye Qingxue who had performed three great feats.

Even if Madam Min dreamed of her son rising rapidly in rank, she wouldn't dare to dream of such a thing.

To be personally summoned by the emperor and to receive praise and rewards—what an honor! If Ye Qingxue were a man, he would probably have already been granted an official position by the emperor.

"It was a joke by the Second Madam!" Huaifu said. "How dare we falsely convey the Emperor's decree and make fun of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion?"

She added, "If the Marquis's mansion knew nothing about what the eldest young lady did last night, then why did Vice Minister Ye also enter the palace to meet the Emperor shortly after the eldest young lady entered the palace, and why did he sever ties with the eldest young lady and not claim any credit for her? Or is the Second Madam just joking?"

Madam Min felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water; she had to believe that this was not a nightmare, but a nightmare-like reality.

The Marquis's mansion could have received some benefits because of Ye Qingxue's merits, but they squandered those benefits themselves.

This must be what excruciating pain feels like.

Madam Min could no longer smile, but she still had to force a smile and try her best to keep her voice gentle and cheerful:

"Your Excellency has been working hard all evening on Qingxue's matter. I've asked someone to prepare tea and snacks. Please do me the honor of coming in, sitting down, and having some before you leave."

"We've delivered the goods, but we still need to report to the Emperor. We dare not delay. We appreciate the Second Madam's kindness." Seeing that the goods had been moved, Huaifu waved and prepared to leave with everyone.

Ye Qingxue stopped him, went up to him and gave him two silver ingots, offered him tea and snacks, and gave each of the other palace servants a handful of gold melon seeds, said some words of thanks, and then saw them off.

Ye Qingxue withdrew her gaze and found that everyone in the Marquis's mansion was still frozen in place, their faces full of shock, unable to recover for a long time.

Yes, these people originally wanted to use the emperor to either seriously injure or kill her, and then eliminate her completely. But not only did she not die, she returned with generous rewards. They certainly couldn't accept that.

Seeing their utterly devastated state, Ye Qingxue's arrogant face revealed a wicked smile.

This smile seemed to affect her entire body, causing her to suddenly feel a sharp pain. She could clearly feel the deadly poison of the Broken Moon Orchid rampaging through her blood.

Ye Qingxue's vision went black, and she collapsed into Xia Lu's arms.

In the instant before she completely lost consciousness, she thought: Fine, let Madam Min enjoy herself for a couple more days.

After Xia Lü took Ye Qingxue away, Madam Min, Ye Cunjin, and the others finally came to their senses.

Madam Min said, "Last night, did the eldest young lady really not have a secret rendezvous with Pan Heng all night? Is the person who killed three bandits, rescued Princess Rongqing, and helped the Pan family father and son catch the stolen goods really our eldest young lady?"

Ye Cunjin said, "I'll send someone to investigate right away and find out what's going on!"

How could a girl with a tarnished reputation suddenly become a remarkable woman who has made three great contributions?

The entire Hou family was shocked, bewildered, and incredulous. They all sat in the front hall, waiting for the people who had come to investigate to return.

The night wind was biting, causing the bare branches in the yard to sway and rustle, making a hoarse sound, like an old man's suppressed, hoarse sobs, which was unsettling.

Why would they still send people to investigate even when things were so clear? Perhaps they felt the losses were too great and too difficult to accept!

To their utter surprise, the servant who had been investigating not only brought back definite news of Ye Qingxue's meritorious service, but also news that His Highness Prince Ding had been flogged fifty times and had his salary deducted for half a year for breaking off the engagement.

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