Chapter 23 Parting with Willow Branches

Faced with Liu Pinliang's counterattack, on Ye Mingzhu's advice, the Qin family sent a message to Consort Shu in the palace.

That very evening, Consort Shu in the palace made her move.

She found a pretext to punish Consort Liu, making the five-month pregnant woman kneel outside her palace gates until the emperor arrived to relieve her. Only then did she allow Consort Liu to get up.

Consort Liu was in poor health, and it is said that she suffered a miscarriage at that time, so the imperial physician was summoned.

However, Consort Shu was deeply favored by the Emperor and was unharmed. The Emperor was even worried that she had been frightened by Consort Liu's screams, so he rewarded her with a box of century-old ginseng to calm her nerves.

Consort Liu, the eldest daughter of the head of the main branch of the Liu family, suffered a great injustice. That very day, she wrote a letter to her father, suspecting that Consort Shu's targeting of her was related to Liu Pinliang, and asked her father to deal with it as soon as possible.

After all, everyone knows what kind of person Consort Shu's younger brother, Wang Jing, is, so his appearance as a "witness" in the Qin Xuefei drowning incident is already very puzzling.

Even if we guess wrong, so what?

In any case, the dragon heir in her womb is the most important thing.

The tenth day after the lotus banquet.

The Emperor issued another decree, rebuking Liu Pinliang for his moral depravity, stripping him of his title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), and cutting off his path to officialdom.

The rumors that Liu Pinliang was trying to frame Liu Rumei in an attempt to retaliate against the Duke of Wei's mansion were quickly disproved.

On that day, Liu Xian's family was expelled from the main branch of the Liu family, leaving them with no family to rely on.

Liu Pinliang was beaten half to death by Madam Liu and thrown out of the house. No one pleaded for him, not even his aunt dared to say a word in his defense.

Early morning of the eleventh day after the lotus banquet.

The western suburbs of Yanjing (modern-day Beijing).

Ye Mingzhu broke off a willow branch and gave it to Qin Xuefei, who was dressed in a black outfit and looked very dashing: "Your journey is long and arduous, so please take good care of yourself. If you run out of the medicine I gave you, write back and I will send you more."

"Yes!" Qin Xuefei nodded vigorously. "I will, thank you, Sister Mingzhu!"

Ye Mingzhu smiled gently.

Watching Qin Xuefei and her entourage ride away, she looked at Madam Qin beside her, who had a worried expression on her face: "Madam Qin, let's go back."

Madam Qin reluctantly withdrew her gaze, and sighed with a smile, "I really envy Xuefei. What she is doing now is what I wanted to do twenty years ago."

Ye Mingzhu couldn't help but chuckle: "So you granted her wish."

Madam Qin smiled and said, "Yes."

The two boarded the carriage.

Ye Mingzhu sighed, "It's a pity we didn't take care of Wang Jing as well."

"Using one tiger to devour another is already the best outcome," Madam Qin said, patting her hand with a smile. "Even if Wang Jingcai was the one who truly harmed Xuefei, Consort Shu is now very powerful, and our Qin family wouldn't dare to confront the Wang family anyway, so let's not dwell on it too much. A gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years, and now His Majesty is getting old..."

Madam Qin didn't say anything more after that, but Ye Mingzhu understood.

His Majesty is old and frail; how many more years can Consort Shu remain smug?

Although she enjoyed the emperor's favor, she had no prince by her side.

Madam Qin then asked with concern, "What about you? It seems that Liu Pinliang's matter has been resolved, but there's still a lot of gossip. Will it affect your household?"

Ye Mingzhu smiled and shook her head: "With His Majesty's final verdict, the matter is cleared up and there's nothing to worry about. It won't affect our Duke's Mansion."

It only had a significant impact on Liu Rumei.

Because of this, even the old ancestor who went to the manor to escape the summer heat couldn't stay any longer and said he wanted to come back. Liu Rumei is probably going to suffer a big setback this time.

In her past life, Liu Rumei hid behind Sheng Huai'an, committing all sorts of evil deeds, yet maintaining a gentle and graceful image, becoming the enviable Duchess of the State, enjoying endless wealth and honor.

In this life, she has been exposed so early. Can she still have the "luck" from her previous life?

Will Sheng Huai'an always protect her?

...

Linfeng Hall.

Ye Mingzhu drank a few sips of cool mung bean soup from Ruyi's hand to cool off, and finally felt the sweat on her body subside a little, making the heat less unbearable.

Yu Fu stepped forward and reported, "Miss, the old master has returned to Songhe Hall. He arrived a quarter of an hour ago."

"I understand," Ye Mingzhu said. "Help me change my clothes, I'll be there as soon as possible."

Baozan, worried that she might not be able to handle it, advised her, "Miss, you got up early this morning, why don't you rest for a while before going? The old ancestor has just returned, and Songhe Hall must be in chaos, with everything needing to be cleaned up."

"No, thank you," Ye Mingzhu said with a smile. "I won't stay at Songhe Hall for long. I can rest after I've paid my respects."

Just as she expected, the old ancestor looked visibly tired from the long journey.

She sat for a while, fulfilling her proper etiquette, and then the matriarch allowed her to return home.

The ancestor had instructed her to go to Songhe Hall with Sheng Yunche that evening, as she had something to say.

When Ye Mingzhu returned to Linfeng Hall, it was already late noon.

With Baozan's help, she removed the hairpins from her head, intending only to take a short nap. However, she ended up sleeping until evening, when Sheng Yunche returned from his shift.

He noticed her being lazy, and she sat up, still half asleep, wrapped in the blanket. She raised her hand to tidy her hair, feeling a little embarrassed.

Sheng Yunche's Adam's apple bobbed, and from an angle she couldn't see, his large hand behind his back clenched tightly before releasing it.

Looking intently at her, he asked, "Have you slept enough? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

Is this being sarcastic or unfriendly?

Right?

When he wasn't looking, she secretly rolled her eyes at him.

After dinner, Ye Mingzhu, fearing that they would waste time, urged Sheng Yunche to head to Songhe Hall.

Unexpectedly, when she was almost at Songhe Hall, she saw Sheng Huai'an.

Sheng Huai'an was dressed in a light blue robe after the rain, with a black gauze hat on his head. He had lost some weight but looked even more handsome and otherworldly. His eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

Ye Mingzhu felt nauseous and uncomfortable after just one glance at him, as if she had been forced to drink a large bowl of lard.

She couldn't help but frown, but the next moment, a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

With a face as cold as water, Sheng Yunche blocked her way, pinching her chin to force her to look up, and declared forcefully, word by word: "He's not as handsome as me, look at me!"

Ye Mingzhu: "...?"

Isn't he more handsome?

Subconsciously, she glanced at Sheng Huai'an, who was not far away.

Before Sheng Yunche could get angry, she shifted her gaze back to his face and nodded in deep agreement: "Indeed, you are more handsome. He only makes me feel..."

The expression of forbearance on her face already revealed the difference.

Sheng Yunche held back his laughter.

He gave a soft hum, his handsome brows relaxed, and the hand that had been holding her chin fell naturally to his side, taking her hand in his: "...Good taste."

Ye Mingzhu looked at him helplessly: "Someone will see us later."

"So what if I see it?" Sheng Yunche retorted.

Ye Mingzhu: "..."

Baozan and Ruyi, who were following behind the two, exchanged a glance and secretly smiled.

When Ye Mingzhu and Sheng Yunche arrived at Songhe Hall, Sheng Huai'an, who had arrived earlier, was talking to the old ancestor, making the old ancestor laugh so hard that he clapped his hand and called him "good grandson".

Soon after, Princess Ronghua and Madam Jia arrived. One of them was dignified and serious, revealing no emotion, while the other had an old face that looked furious.

They waited and waited, but Liu Rumei never arrived.

The old lady frowned and instructed the head maid beside her, "Send someone to the west mansion to see why Madam Liu hasn't arrived yet. So many people are waiting for her; tell her to hurry up."

"Ancestor..." Sheng Huai'an suddenly called out, seemingly wanting to plead for Liu Rumei.

But when Madam Zhao looked at him, everyone in the hall looked at him. He moved his mouth but didn't say anything. After a moment of silence, he turned and asked about the old lady's health.

Ye Mingzhu lowered her eyes indifferently, a cold smile creeping across her face.

This is what storybooks refer to as true love that breaks through the shackles of worldly conventions.