Chapter 211 Qi's Bribery
Concubine Ning nodded slightly, her expression cold. "That's right. The person who plotted this secretly wanted my father to present the money he had received to the emperor, thus convicting him of bribery."
"If my father refuses, that person will present the evidence of his crime before the emperor. Then both your family and my mother's family will be doomed."
Liu Yuetang unconsciously clenched her palms with her fingertips, a cold light flashing in her eyes: "Rather than saying that they are coming for the Liu family, it's better to say that they are coming for me."
"That's right, Your Majesty, you are pregnant with an heir. If the Liu family becomes a criminal, your unborn heir will be criticized in the future, and Your Majesty... I'm afraid there will be no hope of promotion."
With Liu Yuetang's current favor, even if she is not immediately named a noble concubine after giving birth to a royal heir, Ningpin believes that sooner or later she will be named a noble concubine.
But if the Liu family really becomes a criminal, not only will their future path to promotion be blocked, but their current status will also be in jeopardy.
Liu Yuetang took a deep breath and pondered, "My legitimate mother has always been vain and greedy. I thought she had restrained herself in the past two years, but unexpectedly she has become even more unscrupulous and dared to commit such a serious crime as bribing court officials."
Concubine Ning was also extremely worried: "This palace's father is no exception. The position of Minister of Personnel has always been coveted by those below him, and he broke the law knowingly, and was caught by someone else."
After gathering her thoughts, Liu Yuetang looked at Concubine Ning in confusion. "If you want to resolve this matter, the best way would be to have the Minister of Personnel report my mother's actions to the Emperor. This way, you can both impeach my father and highlight the integrity of the Ministry of Personnel. Why did you ask me to come here and tell me about this?"
Concubine Ning gazed at the vibrant flowers and plants that filled the courtyard, and said quietly, "I have been in the palace for seven years and have never wished to be involved in disputes. I only wish to guard this piece of Xinlan Palace and live a peaceful life with Yuan'er."
"Your Majesty's mother is certainly guilty, but my father is also confused. Moreover, I see that the purpose of the person behind this is probably not only to target Your Majesty and my mother's family, but also to take advantage of the opportunity to disrupt the harem."
"Although I have little acquaintance with Your Majesty, I feel very close to you, so I have called you to discuss this matter and come up with a foolproof plan."
All her words came from the bottom of her heart.
She wanted to help her mother's family, but did not want to get involved in the harem disputes, thus offending Liu Yuetang.
The fact that she was able to rise from the position of imperial concubine to consort in just two years meant that she was not someone he could afford to offend.
Besides, she wanted to help her, this woman whose eyes and eyebrows looked very much like her sister.
Seeing her sincerity, Liu Yuetang's expression was somewhat moved: "Fortunately, I met Sister Ning, otherwise the Liu family would have suffered a great disaster."
As she spoke, she slowly stood up and bowed to Concubine Ning.
Ningpin quickly held her down and said, "Your Majesty, you are a concubine. How can you do this?"
"Please sit down."
After Liu Yuetang sat down, she sighed and said, "My father may not know about this yet. I'm afraid it was my stepmother who did this foolish thing without telling my father."
Ningpin was shocked: "How could your Majesty's mother be so bold?"
Liu Yuetang nodded slightly. "That's right. To be honest, Sister Ningpin, my stepmother has done many evil things in the Liu family. On the day I returned home, my father found out that she had tampered with my birth date and horoscope, and she was punished with twenty sticks. If my father knew about this, I'm afraid he would be furious."
"Then how do you plan to deal with this matter, sister?" asked Concubine Ning.
Liu Yuetang pondered for a long time: "Sister, can you wait for me to find out what father has to say?"
Seeing that Ningpin was hesitant, she quickly said, "Don't worry, sister. I will tell you my decision tomorrow. I will never put the Minister of Personnel in danger."
Seeing Liu Yuetang say this, Concubine Ning had no choice but to say, "That's fine."
The two chatted for a few more sentences before Liu Yuetang stood up.
Ningpin escorted Liu Yuetang to the palace eaves. After some hesitation, she finally spoke out, "I dare to say something. Although Madam Liu is your legitimate mother, she has not shown any kindness in raising you. Instead, she has repeatedly done things that harm your Majesty."
She paused briefly, stealing a glance at Liu Yuetang's expression, and her voice trailed off, "If this matter requires sacrificing one person, why don't you...sacrifice the army to save the commander?"
Liu Yuetang's eyelashes trembled slightly. "I will consider what Sister Ningpin said, but this matter... I still need to discuss it with my father. Even if my stepmother is not a good person, she is still my mother."
"Okay, then I will wait for your news, Your Majesty."
Concubine Ning knelt down and bowed respectfully to see her off.
It was not until Liu Yuetang's sedan chair drove away that Concubine Ning put away the smile on her face, which turned into a trace of worry.
"Your Majesty... can we trust Concubine Xi? If we continue to wait like this, will the person behind this plot actually report the Master's crimes?"
Ningpin's eyes gradually became hazy, and the figures and light before her intertwined into a phantom. She shook her mind and said, "I will trust her just once. A person as smart as her should know how to weigh the pros and cons."
"Besides... the real purpose of the person behind this is definitely not just to suppress Concubine Xi. I am afraid there is a deeper conspiracy. I dare not act rashly."
In fact, the note came too suddenly.
Moreover, the note also had the scent of a woman's incense.
Because Yuan'er has been in poor health since childhood and cannot touch flowers or smell their fragrance, her sense of smell is very sensitive to fragrance.
The first sniff is of agarwood and cloves, with a hint of musk.
Although musk is a commonly used spice, it is extremely expensive, which is obviously due to the fact that it is only used by concubines with certain status in the harem.
So is she the Empress? Consort Zhao? Or Consort Ming?
The matter was complicated and Concubine Ning was confused. She rubbed her sore temples.
Yaohua Palace.
Concubine Zhao was half leaning on the vermilion lacquered beauty's chair, reading a book.
Xia Ying walked in from outside, approached Concubine Zhao and whispered, "Your Majesty, Concubine Xi is indeed having an affair with Fu Xiuzhuan from the Hanlin Academy."
Concubine Zhao's drooping eyelashes trembled suddenly, and she straightened up: "But what did Concubine Xi discover when she returned to the Liu Mansion this time?"
Before, she had noticed that the way that Fu Xiuzhuan looked at Concubine Xi was not as simple as a brother-in-law looking at his aunt.
So he sent someone to investigate.
Who would have thought that they would discover a big secret: Fu Xiuzhuan had been engaged to Concubine Xi!
The one who has been preparing to enter the palace for the selection is Concubine Xi's elder sister.
Later, somehow, it was Concubine Xi who entered the palace.
However, Concubine Xi's elder sister married into the Fu family.
The exact reason for this could not be found out.
What's even more troublesome is that during the period when Concubine Xi and Fu Xiuzhuan were engaged, there was no trace of any inappropriate behavior in their interactions.
Without evidence, even if Xiao Heng knew about this, he would only feel a little uncomfortable.
Concubine Xi is good at sweet talk, and now that she is pregnant, she will soon completely dispel Xiao Heng's dissatisfaction and annoyance.
Therefore, she did not report this matter to Xiao Heng.
Instead, she had been investigating everything that had happened between the two of them in the past. She didn't believe that Concubine Xi had ever done anything inappropriate with that man.
Otherwise, Fu Xiuzhuan's eyes when looking at Concubine Xi would not be so affectionate and complicated.
Xia Ying replied, "I went to ask the imperial guards, and finally one of them spoke up. He said he saw Fu Xiuzhuan waiting for Concubine Xi outside her courtyard. They stood at the door and talked for a long time. I think... Concubine Xi and Fu Xiuzhuan must still have feelings for each other. Otherwise, why would Fu Xiuzhuan take such a big risk to go look for Concubine Xi?"
Concubine Zhao's eyebrows suddenly gathered together: "Think about it, what I want is evidence, not what you think."
"Without conclusive evidence, I will not act rashly. Otherwise, it will be futile."
Xia Ying lowered her head and said, "Yes, I understand. I'll have someone outside the palace investigate further."
Madam Kong's brows knitted together, "Ever since Concubine Xi became pregnant, we've been extremely cautious. Even a fly that wants to fly in has to pass twelve levels of inspection first."
She paused, a sinister look in the fine lines at the corners of her eyes: "Your Majesty, are we just going to let her give birth to the royal heir?"
"Mammy!" Concubine Zhao raised her eyes and stared at her.
"This time, you must not act on your own again. After all, he is the Emperor's child, and I am afraid that you will fall into danger again."
Seeing that Concubine Zhao was still so kind and benevolent, Madam Kong nodded with heartache: "Okay! If this servant wants to do anything, I will definitely tell you in advance."
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