The palace where Meng Qingzhi lived was very remote, and it was quite a distance away from the Palace of Longevity.
Eunuch Yang was busy directing his servants to clean the Lin'an Palace, so he asked his apprentice Xiao Zhuozi to take her there.
Upon learning that Wei Shuyi was a newly minted noble, the other party's attitude naturally continued to be flattering: "My Lady Min, your status is different now. Shall I have someone carry you over?"
"No, I want to walk around on my own."
She deliberately chose a small path that passed by the laundry bureau. After the entire Wei family suffered persecution and her parents were beheaded in public, she was sent here as a young child.
She endured the wind and rain, no less than her relatives in exile. Even at such a young age, her hands were always chapped and bleeding, and soaked in soapnut water, her original skin color was almost unrecognizable.
Fortunately, she managed to survive, pretending to be the most honest and stupid palace maid, and finding the right opportunity to use her monthly allowance to honor the nanny in charge there. This led to her joining the Imperial Food Bureau.
"Miss Min, you've gone the wrong way. We should go to the right," Xiao Zhuozi reminded. "That's where the Sixth Bureau is located. It's where the female officials live. The concubines' bedrooms are on the other side."
"Thank you. I'll take a look."
Wei Shuyi paused, gazed into the distance, bowed her head, knelt, and smiled apologetically, a microcosm of her days and nights at the Pharmacy Department. As an ordinary female historian, she undertook most of the rough work, and for a time she was so exhausted that she could not stand upright.
Fortunately, her beloved sister pushed her out of the cage and into the abyss. Now she has become a ghost under the imperial power, and she is going to seek revenge on that person!
Standing in front of the dilapidated side hall, Wei Shuyi glanced at the plaque that had been taken down. "Has Miss Huiyu's residence always been so desolate?"
"She, she offended the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. Even the concubines above her would be treated coldly, let alone a mere imperial concubine!" Little Zhuozi walked in front, kicked open the main door, and shouted inside, "Everyone who is not involved, get out! Miss Min is here to question us!"
Then the injured palace maids came out one after another, holding on to the wall.
Everyone who passed by her would look frightened and walk forward with their heads down in even greater anxiety.
When Meng Qingzhi was the only one left in the hall, Xiao Zhuozi gestured for her to go in: "Master Min, everything is ready. If you need anything, you can call me at any time."
"good."
Just as she was about to step over the threshold, Xiao Zhuozi approached again, holding a tray. "Miss Min, would you like to bring a sharp weapon for self-defense? It was originally prepared for her. I'm afraid she might suddenly go crazy and hurt you!"
Poisoned wine, poison, white silk, dagger.
The emperor clearly did not give Meng Qingzhi any chance to survive, but wanted to take the opportunity to see how she would perform?
Wei Shuyi took the white silk and went straight into the hall.
"Who is it? What is this Miss Min? I've never heard of her. Is she another newcomer promoted by His Majesty?"
"Sister Aqing is overstepping your bounds. You are not qualified to call yourself this palace."
Hearing the familiar voice, the woman who was originally leaning on the couch suddenly became alert!
Meng Qingzhi swiftly got down from the bed and looked at her in disbelief: "It's you?! Did the emperor confer a title on you? What's your rank? Is it higher than mine? Did you tell him the truth?"
"She is only an eighth-rank concubine, a low-ranking concubine."
Wei Shuyi, as usual at the Pharmacy Department, picked up the teacup, filled a cup for himself and Meng Qingzhi, and shook it: "Sister Qing, your lips are chapped. Would you like some to moisten them?"
"Have you told the Emperor? Is he going to kill me? I'm going to die for deceiving the Emperor, right?"
The woman, her hair disheveled, pushed aside the cup of tea and began to ramble on, asking questions without seeking answers. Over and over, she was filled with complaints and fear.
Wei Shuyi sat there, asking gently, "Back then, you and I entered the Imperial Kitchen together and were assigned to the same place. Spending time together, coupled with our similar personalities, we quickly became sworn brothers. I'm truly curious: since I've given you all my wealth and glory, why don't you trust me and insist on my death?"
"Heh...yes, you gave it to me. So you knew it too!"
Meng Qingzhi smiled foolishly, his eyes were bloodshot and his voice was shrill.
"Sister Ah Shu, you are always the one with good fortune! There are so many lowly maids in the laundry department, but you are the only one who can escape from that devil's den! You and I are both low-ranking maids, but you were chosen and transformed into a female historian! Everyone praises Sister Ah Shu for her beautiful appearance and humble manners. She doesn't look like a vulgar servant, but has some of the qualities of a lady from a noble family! Even the emperor's summons was an accident! As long as you are by my side, I will never be able to make a name for myself!"
"Ah Qing, I just want to ask one thing, have I ever treated you unfairly?"
Honestly, she felt sorry for Meng Qingzhi, who was reckless and forgetful. Because of the age difference, she had always treated her like her own sister who had been missing.
So, usually when Meng Qingzhi made mistakes, she would take the blame. When she offended someone, she would mediate. Even the majority of her monthly allowance was spent on this "sister."
"You did it all on your own accord! I never begged you!" Meng Qingzhi sneered in response, "Actually, you just wanted to attract the attention of the female official above you! You're deliberately giving me alms and pretending to be nice. Do I need that little something from you?!"
This is probably what the so-called ungrateful person is like, right?
Wei Shuyi's remaining hope was shattered, and she sat down again. "So, you've been dissatisfied with me for a long time, pretending to be kind and cunning to steal that honor. After failing to find evidence, you decided to kill me and put an end to it all?"
"Evidence... When did you find out about the earrings?"
"I used to be completely defenseless against you. I answered whatever you asked. But until I returned from the mass grave, I reflected on your behavior and realized it simply didn't stand up to scrutiny." She gently stroked her smooth earlobe. "If I'm not mistaken, the emperor picked up my earring, and you earned his trust by passing it off as real, right?"
Meng Qingzhi didn't deny it: "Heh...it's all because of my sister's kindness that she specially gave me the exact same earrings, which brought me unexpected good fortune! The audience with the emperor that night went smoothly, thanks to you!"
There were three soft knocks outside the door.
This was Xiao Zhuozi's secret signal, indicating that death was approaching and there was no room for further delay.
Wei Shuyi took out the white silk and approached step by step.
Meng Qingzhi panicked and crawled under the table, shouting in fear: "How dare you touch me!"
"Your Majesty, I am only doing your bidding."
"Impossible... Impossible! With the Empress here, I can't die! It must be you, a bitch, who forged the imperial edict!"
Queen?
Her hands paused slightly, and she thought of the ruthless woman at the palace banquet.
Why is the master of the harem connected with Meng Qingzhi?
"Ah Qing, didn't the Queen promise you that she would protect you?" Wei Shuyi squatted down, looking her in the eye, and said gently, "You must know that this world belongs to the Emperor. Your life and death are controlled by the King, not the Queen. If you know anything else, you can tell me, or Your Majesty, and if your merits are used to atone for your sins, you won't have to endure this torture..."
"Why should I tell you! Hahaha... I know! Are you still being kept in the dark?!"
Meng Qingzhi laughed crazily, even happily, and the content he said intermittently made her shudder—
"I'll never be able to compare to you in this life! But being able to see you like this, being deceived and played with, is enough for me, hahahaha... I just want to keep the secret so that you can't guess... ah!"
She strangled the man's neck with a white silk scarf, and with strength from nowhere, she dragged him all the way to the center of the bedroom!
Considering the grudges over the years, and her "sister" still cursing herself when she was about to die, it would be too hypocritical to say that she didn't hate him!
Since the emperor gave her the power to take revenge, she must do it cleanly and efficiently!
"It doesn't matter. I still have a long life ahead of me, and I can discover secrets on my own. But you are different!" The white silk wrapped around the pillar in circles, tightening its grip. "You can only watch from afar in purgatory, watching me triumphantly!"
Meng Qingzhi's face first turned red, then purple, and his pupils were drooping, which was very scary!
It was not until the last moment that Wei Shuyi let go of his hand and sat on the ground gasping for breath.
There was no blood on the white silk, but her hands were covered in mud and could never be washed clean.
"Ms. Hui Yu was depressed and died suddenly in the palace. She is no longer alive."
Pushing open the door, she calmly announced the death to everyone, but her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were shaking violently.
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