Two dark shadows opened the back door of Qiuyue Pavilion and slipped in.
At this time, Jiang Qiqiu, who had been demoted to a commoner, was sleeping on a shabby wooden bed.
She had been banished to the cold palace for more than half a year, and had tried every possible way to get out, but she had not been able to do so. She was now somewhat disheartened.
People are like this. As long as you let go of the thought of leaving and settle down steadily, you will be able to eat and sleep well.
When the two men in black came to Jiang Qiqiu's bedroom upstairs, she was still sleeping soundly.
"Sister, wake up!" The virtuous concubine in a black cloak gently shook Jiang Qiqiu's shoulders.
"Ah..." Jiang Qiqiu was awakened and screamed. Eunuch Yang quickly covered Jiang Qiqiu's mouth.
"Don't shout, Your Majesty. It's Your Majesty the Consort who's here to see you."
The virtuous concubine turned around, took out a tinderbox and lit the candle on the table.
Jiang Qiqiu calmed herself down and with the help of the dim candlelight, she finally saw clearly that the person in front of her was Concubine Xian, and her heart finally settled down.
"Fangfei, you came to see me!" Jiang Qiqiu was so excited that tears streamed down her face.
The virtuous concubine's maiden name is Niu Fangfei. For many years, the virtuous concubine has always stood on Jiang Qiqiu's side and is Jiang Qiqiu's die-hard lackey, so Jiang Qiqiu is used to calling her Fangfei affectionately.
"I thought you'd forgotten me since I came into this place. I didn't expect you still had a conscience."
Ever since Jiang Qiqiu was deposed, except for the Empress Dowager who came secretly twice, everyone else seemed to have forgotten Jiang Qiqiu and never showed up.
Jiang Qiqiu was naturally very moved when she suddenly saw Concubine Xian tonight.
"Sister, I've always wanted to come see you, but your Qiuyue Pavilion is heavily guarded, so it's not easy to get in."
"Recently, a guard I'm familiar with was transferred to look after Qiuyue Pavilion, which is why I was able to come in."
As the virtuous concubine spoke, she personally opened the food box, took out plates of delicious dishes and snacks from it, and placed them on the table.
"Look, sister, I brought you your favorite food."
Jiang Qiqiu stared at the things on the table, and she didn't show the usual elegance and grace of a royal concubine at all.
"That's great. Fangfei is really thoughtful." Jiang Qiqiu said as she lifted the quilt and jumped off the bed.
"Ah, braised chicken legs, braised beef, braised shark's fin, and peach blossom cakes, oh, they are all my favorites."
Before she could finish her sentence, Jiang Qiqiu had already bent down, picked up the chopsticks and stuffed the food into her mouth one bite after another, while her left hand did not forget to grab the big chicken leg and chew it fiercely.
"You have no idea how bad the food here is. It's worse than dog food. There's not even any meat in the whole month..."
Jiang Qiqiu was chewing and talking incoherently.
The virtuous concubine glanced at her with disgust and covered her nose with a handkerchief.
Jiang Qiqiu really smells bad.
When Jiang Qiqiu had eaten her fill and was burping loudly, Concubine Xian spoke, "Sister, you've been in this cold palace for several months. Have you figured it out?"
Jiang Qiqiu sat on a wooden stool, picking her teeth with her fingernails. She paused for a moment and said calmly, "What if I figure it out? What if I don't? It's of no use to me."
The virtuous concubine's eyes turned: "Sister, why do you have to say such discouraging words? As long as a person is still alive, there is still a chance to turn things around."
Jiang Qiqiu's eyes lit up: "Fang Fei, what do you mean? Do you have a way to get me out?"
"Don't be anxious, sister. I have already come up with a rough idea, but I haven't thought about the details yet." The virtuous concubine deliberately kept the secret.
Jiang Qiqiu stretched out her greasy hands and grabbed Concubine Xian's sleeves, begging, "My dear sister, please tell me quickly."
Xian Fei held Jiang Qiqiu's hand with a handkerchief, pulled out her sleeve, and said slowly, "Sister, first of all, you have to understand who is the root cause of your current horrible appearance?"
“Once you find the root cause, the solution will naturally emerge.”
After hearing this, Jiang Qiqiu's eyes darkened, and she seemed to be thinking about something. "Queen, it's that bitch Queen."
Concubine Xian extended her index finger and shook it in front of Jiang Qiqiu: "It's her, and it's not her."
"Why not her! Ever since she gave birth to a daughter, she has been the exclusive favorite of the emperor! Her luck has completely changed. But my aunt and I have started to have bad luck and are in dire straits." Jiang Qiqiu's eyes were filled with hatred, and she said with gritted teeth.
The virtuous concubine said gently, "Don't be anxious, sister. Just listen to me."
"Didn't you also say that the Queen's luck has improved since Xia Miaoyuan was born?"
"And it's not just the Queen's luck; the Crown Prince and the Second Prince have all had good fortune as well. Even stranger, even the Emperor's personality has changed drastically."
"Now, the emperor doesn't care about what outsiders think, and takes Xia Miaoyuan to court every now and then."
"Furthermore, whenever the Emperor brings that girl to court, eight out of ten times he issues unexpected decrees. Even the handling of government affairs has become ruthless and decisive."
"A few days ago, news broke of Prince Jing's assassination of a village doctor's family 18 years ago, and he actually sentenced Prince Jing to death. This behavior is completely different from the submissive Emperor Mingxi of the past."
Jiang Qiqiu's eyes widened in shock when she heard this: "Is this really true?"
She lowered her head and thought for a moment before speaking again, "When my third brother raped the palace maid, he was just as cold-blooded and ruthless."
"In the past, we aunt and nephew could just cry and beg for mercy, and that would have been enough to fool people."
Xianfei sat down next to Jiang Qiqiu and whispered, "When the emperor issued these orders, the little girl was always by his side. So, what do you think is the root cause?"
Jiang Qiqiu suddenly said, "Are you saying there's something wrong with Xia Miaoyuan?!"
The virtuous concubine patted Jiang Qiqiu's shoulder with joy: "Yes, sister is really smart. I just suspected that there was something wrong with Xia Miaoyuan."
"All the changes started with the birth of this little girl."
"My sister recently sent spies to investigate, and also had my father observe carefully. They discovered that this girl is not an ordinary child. She must have some supernatural qualities."
Jiang Qiqiu said: "Then what should we do?"
"Would it be better to just kill her?!" Jiang Qiqiu's eyes suddenly revealed murderous intent.
The virtuous concubine shook her head and said, "Ah, sister, although this little girl is the key, killing her is the worst option after all."
"I haven't thought about the details yet, but I have this idea now. As for how to do it specifically, we sisters should think about it again."
"As the saying goes, three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang. If we sisters come up with ideas together, it will always be much faster than if I come up with them alone."
Jiang Qiqiu suddenly looked at Concubine Xian with a wary look and said, "You mean you want to help me? But why would you help me?"
The virtuous concubine smiled silently: "Sister, why are you confused? I am yours, and the Queen knows it. She probably also knows about everything we did in the past."
"No matter how much I try to curry favor with her, it's useless. She won't treat me sincerely. Sooner or later, she will kill me."
"Sister, why don't you fight hard, rescue you, and defeat her. Only when she is defeated, will sister have a place to stay."
Jiang Qiqiu's eyes filled with tears, "Fang Fei, you're the best."
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