"Lady Yi, I know I was wrong! Please help me for the sake of our past friendship! Granny Jiang is the wet nurse who watched me grow up. I can't lose her!"
Wen Yu had not expected such a change. Seeing that Wei Shuyi's dress above her knees was stained with a layer of fat, she immediately stood in front of her.
"Young Master Zhang, if you continue like this, you'll be committing a crime knowingly! Just now, the Imperial Concubine was angry because of your impoliteness, and now you're suddenly begging for mercy from my young master, disregarding the Imperial Concubine's dignity. What's your intention?"
After saying that, he squatted down again and carefully wiped the stain for her with a handkerchief.
Zhang Da Ying took a step back, feeling bewildered. She still looked up at Wei Shuyi and said, "Noble Lady Yi, you are the smartest person in this palace, and you are also the mother of the eldest princess. No matter what, others will give you some respect. You just..."
"Sister, you're probably too impatient and said something wrong, aren't you?" Noble Lady Wen came over to fan the flames. "Although Sister Yi gave birth to Princess Zhaohua, her rank still doesn't surpass that of a Noble Consort. Oh! Sister, don't be angry. It's all my fault for not disciplining her and not helping her change her ways. How about we both compromise today? I'll spare the old nanny the punishment and let Sister Zhang reflect on her mistakes for a few days. How about that?"
What Concubine Jin cared about most was her weight in the emperor's heart.
At this moment, Zhang promised to speak and act outrageously, and every word he said pierced her heart. How could she not hate him?!
Then, she opened her red lips and ordered in a hateful voice, "Zhang, it seems...if I continue to indulge you, it will only teach you to be lawless! If you contradict the Emperor or the Empress Dowager in the future, it will be my unshirkable responsibility. Qian Dai! Make them, master and servant, kneel in the courtyard and slap each other ten times. They can only return to their inner rooms after midnight!"
"Yes." Qian Dai brought a few palace maids, picked them up on either side, and dragged them outside without explanation. "Don't struggle here. If you get hurt by your clumsy hands, it will be bad!"
After hearing this, Zhang agreed and did not dare to move. He cast an angry look at Wei Shuyi until he was completely dragged out of the main hall.
The people in Concubine Jin's palace are naturally very skilled.
After a while, a woman's crying and the sound of slapping could be heard clearly from the courtyard.
Concubine Xin quietly gave Wen Yu a thumbs-up: "Right! That's exactly what we should do! We can't be soft-hearted towards such an ungrateful person!"
Wei Shuyi didn't say a word the whole time, because he wanted to plead several times, but was shocked by Zhang Da Ying's reaction. In the end, in order to protect himself, he decided to remain silent.
If it were a good person who was suffering, he would never try to reduce his own punishment by dragging others into the water. Nor would he deliberately flatter others when he fell out of favor, and then deliberately distance himself from them after he regained favor.
After all, this woman was not the one she was supposed to protect.
Concubine Jin got what she wanted and showed off her power in the Yanxi Palace. Before leaving, she reminded her sister: "Concubine Wen, although there is no master seat here yet, you will take that position sooner or later. If you can't even manage one person well, how can you manage an entire palace?"
"The elder sister taught me a lesson, and the younger sister understands it."
Noble Lady Wen remained calm and watched them leave. Then she leaned against the door and looked at the master and servant kneeling in the courtyard as punishment, and sighed.
"Sister Yi, given that girl's temper, she's probably going to misunderstand you again. Don't worry, I'm here, and I can definitely convince her and clear up the grudge."
Wei Shuyi didn't believe that the other party could be so kind-hearted: "Then I'll have to trouble you, sister."
The farce was over. Staying here would only make people dislike him. After a few more pleasantries, Wei Shuyi led his men back to the palace.
Lady Wen was the last to leave.
She walked around to Zhang Da Ying and said sympathetically, "Sister, I've done my best today. You know my sister has always been hostile to me. I'm afraid if I keep begging her, she'll definitely go against me. If she then deliberately targets you and Madam, that would be disastrous!"
"I understand your sister's difficulties. Thank you for speaking up!" Zhang Da Ying's face was covered in red handprints. She wiped away her tears and said bitterly, "It's not convenient for you to speak, but it's convenient for some people! In Fengluan Palace, she dominates the debate with scholars, but she plays dumb in this little palace of mine!"
"Don't cry." Concubine Wen bent down to wipe her tears. "Mu Tao, get the ointment. Don't let my sister get hurt on her face."
"It's obvious that those people in Lin'an Palace came here just to laugh at my joke! It's fine that one of the two masters plays the bad guy, and the other plays the bad guy, but even that lowly maid Wen Yu dared to contradict me!"
Seeing that she was still complaining, Concubine Wen lowered her voice and reminded her in her ear: "Since you have read people's hearts carefully, you must remember this moment of humiliation. There are still many days to come!"
"Yes, my dear sister is right! One day, I will repay you a thousandfold!"
Dark clouds suddenly gathered in the sky, and a few loud thunders were heard in the distance.
This spring rain came at the wrong time, at least, it was indeed inappropriate for Zhang Da Ying who was kneeling in the yard in the rain late at night.
——Yonghe Palace.
The incessant thunder disturbs people's sweet dreams.
Zhen Changzai simply opened the window, reached out to catch the raindrops dripping from the eaves, and watched the ripples on his palm spread out in circles, his eyes gradually turning cold.
The music of stringed instruments never stops in the East Side Hall. Concubine Xu, who is known for her enchanting dancing skills and her expertise in boudoir romance, is preparing a new surprise for the emperor.
Being in the same palace, the warm room over there seemed to isolate her from the bitter wind and rain of the outside world, leaving her alone to bear it.
The maid heard the noise and quickly tied her cloak around her. "My lady, it's late at night. If you really can't sleep, you can read a book. Why do you have to stand here in the rain?"
"I just want to hear which is louder, the thunder or the lewd music."
"My lady, Concubine Xu has been seducing you for a long time. She comes from a humble family and is the daughter of a concubine, so she loves to use this method to attract men. You are a lady from a high-ranking family, so there is no need to compete with her in this matter."
"The Emperor is a wise ruler. I've personally experienced him from close range before, and he's not a lecher. I'm curious as to why he's lingering in her arms." Zhen Changzai retracted her gaze. "As long as she doesn't take the initiative to provoke me, I'll let her go. Right now, our most important matter remains unresolved."
The maid understood, carefully closed the window, blew out a candle, and helped her back to the bed.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to serve closely, the maid whispered, "My lady, I have followed the morning and evening visits to Fengluan Palace and have carefully observed. The woman the master mentioned is not in Yonghua Palace."
"Have you read carefully? The information Dad passed on cannot be wrong! Either that person is extremely good at disguise. Or, he is hiding in the palace of a certain concubine and is not qualified to serve in Fengluan Palace."
The maidservant seemed to be lost in thought. "Then I'll find a chance to go and investigate again...Forgive me for being presumptuous, but that family should all be dead. Why is the master still looking for her in the palace?"
Zhen Changzai shook her head, obviously confused.
She leaned against the head of the bed and unfolded the crumpled note in her hand. There were only three big words on it: Wei Shuyi.
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