Chapter 309
She looked at Ziyu and Zifei, forcibly suppressing the fear in her heart, and then said, "You two wretches, don't think you can fool me. It was clearly you who persuaded me to go to the Ice Palace a few days ago. I even gave you money to bribe people!"
Those two vile maids are trying to harm her!
Zi Fei covered her face and knelt down, her face filled with terror. She kept shaking her head and said, "Agree? What are you talking about? What do you mean by persuading you to go to the Ice Palace? What about money? I don't know anything about it."
Ziyu also knelt down: "You must be mistaken, we've never accepted any money from you..."
Seeing the terrified looks in their eyes, Shen Man could no longer bear it. She stumbled off the bed and ran straight to the dressing mirror. With trembling hands, she opened the makeup box next to the bronze mirror. Inside, the silver coins she had brought into the palace were clearly visible, and judging by their thickness, they were not missing.
She haphazardly took out the small stack of silver notes and began to count them carefully. After counting them again and again, she finally grabbed her hair and screamed in despair.
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Inside the Golden Hall, the fragrance of osmanthus mixed with jasmine rose and swayed in the air.
Shen Qingnian was looking down at unofficial history when little Shen Xi sat opposite her eating osmanthus cake. The cake had just been sent by Song Xuan's messenger and was still steaming.
At this moment, Xiaoju walked in from outside the hall.
She approached Shen Qingnian, bowed, and then lowered her voice to say, "Your Highness, news just came from Consort Shen's palace that she has gone mad."
In just a few days, Consort Shen has been tortured to this extent. Her mistress is truly formidable!
Shen Qingnian looked up from her book, her gaze falling on the plate of steaming osmanthus cake on the table. Little Shen Xi was watching her and Xiao Ju with a curious expression.
“It’s normal for Shen to be a little scared after being stimulated,” she said in a light tone.
Xiaoju nodded and then asked, "Given Shen's current state, will the Empress still allow her to go on the autumn hunt in half a month?"
Shen Qingnian raised her hand to wipe the pastry crumbs from the corner of the little girl's mouth before speaking: "Of course we will go. We will also send some tonics to Consort Shen's palace, saying that I am showing her compassion."
Shen Man was trained by Shen Zheng. If she is not allowed to go on the autumn hunt, how will she complete the mission?
Xiaoju nodded in agreement.
Shen Qingnian then asked, "How is Xia Qianjun doing?"
"Your Majesty, the Goddess remains in the palace every day, and apart from occasionally visiting the hostage, she makes no other moves," Xiaoju replied softly.
Shen Qingnian instructed, "Send some food to the Goddess as well. I obtained some ginseng a few days ago. Pick one and stew it into chicken soup, then send it to the Goddess's Palace."
The man said that Zhou Shiyu at the border had already begun to make his move, and Xia Qianjun would probably hear the news soon.
Xia Qianjun, being confined to the inner palace, naturally couldn't know news from the front lines, but he could glean information from others...
Xiao Ju accepted the order and withdrew, leaving only Shen Qingnian and Xiao Shenxi in the hall.
"Mother, why don't we ask Father to kick the Goddess and Consort Shen out of the palace?" the little girl said bluntly.
These words were incredibly audacious, causing Shen Qingnian to facepalm.
It seems we must quickly settle the matter of Chen Zheng and get the little girl into the Imperial Academy.
She said to the little maid, "Although I don't like it, you can't do it. There are rules in the harem, and there are rules in Da Xuan. Xiao Xi, you must not say these things again."
Although it wouldn't be a problem to say such things given the girl's status in Song Xuan's heart, such words were really inappropriate. She and Song Xuan couldn't protect the girl forever.
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