Concubine Jin looked at Xie Yanci awkwardly, hesitated for a moment, then walked forward and pried open his fingers one by one.
"Your Majesty, I am here! You are drunk and you have mistaken me for someone else!"
"Yao'er, I don't mean to blame you. I'm not partial... I feel sorry for Zhaohua."
Having said that, Concubine Jin could no longer pretend to be ignorant.
She stared at Wei Shuyi in surprise: "Noble Lady Yi, does the Emperor also call you that in private?"
"That's right. I was born in a humble family and have no name. It was the Emperor who bestowed upon me my surname and given name. Privately, I am indeed called Yao'er."
"What?!"
Concubine Jin couldn't believe it, but she couldn't get angry in Changsheng Palace.
Seeing the emperor reaching out to hold Wei Shuyi's wrist again, he pleaded in a coquettish tone: "I don't want to quarrel with you, we must be fine..."
"Noble Lady Yi, you must take good care of the Emperor tonight! I have something else to do, so I'll leave first!"
In order to preserve her last bit of dignity, Concubine Jin decisively withdrew.
Wei Shuyi sighed softly, slowly squatting beside the dragon throne, carefully observing his features. "Your Majesty, I was wrong too. I shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me. You're Zhaohua's father, and you must be feeling bad too. I was only concerned about myself and hurt you."
"Yao'er..."
"Your Majesty, I have made something to sober you up. Please drink it while it's hot!" She took out the hangover soup from the food box and helped the emperor to his feet with great effort. "Your Majesty, I have made something to sober you up. Please drink it while it's hot!"
Xie Yanci did not refuse, but leaned on her shoulder and muttered something in a low voice.
After being fed spoonful after spoonful of hangover soup, he finally opened his eyes, still hazy from drunkenness. But the words he spoke were no longer as illogical as before.
"Yao'er, you're here."
"Yes, I regret my words and actions today. After much thought, I have decided that I must explain everything to His Majesty."
He didn't care about the so-called contradiction, but instead lamented something else: "I used to think you would never set foot in the Hall of Eternal Life. Unless I summoned you, no matter what difficulties you encountered, you chose to avoid me, completely forgetting that I had your back in Yonghua Palace."
"The harem is full of complicated matters, and I don't want the emperor to be distracted by trivial matters."
Xie Yanci coughed twice, seeming a little anxious. "No! How can Zhaohua's matter be considered a trivial matter? I have a secret that I cannot tell you, and in your eyes, it seems like I am protecting her. However, since it involves the royal secrets, I cannot tell you the whole story. I just want to say that Zhaohua is my favorite and most caring daughter. Even if someone as high-ranking as my mother dares to harm her, I will punish them severely!"
Wei Shuyi looked away and filled his bowl with sobering soup again: "Your Majesty can say so, I am already satisfied."
"Do you really think that I'm so blind that even though I know who the real murderer is, I'd still drag someone else to take the blame, completely ignoring the rumors?" The emperor refused to take the jade bowl. "Yao'er, sometimes, seeing isn't believing!"
He rarely expressed his true feelings like this, and it was only under the influence of alcohol that he was willing to say a few more words.
Wei Shuyi understood his feelings for Zhaohua and did not continue to indulge in the misunderstanding in his heart. Instead, he leaned obediently on his knees.
"I understand. It was all my fault for being so ignorant that I misunderstood His Majesty. By the way, when I met the Young General of the Nangong Family on the palace road, he asked me about someone. I wonder if His Majesty knows him?"
"Who?"
"As for the name, I have forgotten it. He only mentioned it once. I vaguely heard it was from the Wei family, but I didn't understand what it meant."
She saw with her own eyes that the emperor's left hand, which was lying on his knees, suddenly clenched!
Then, he belatedly relaxed, and even the words he said had a hint of concealment: "Traitor, is he still thinking about you?"
"Who is the emperor talking about? I entered the palace relatively late, so I can hear it every day. Apart from the maid from the next courtyard eating a few more bites of meat, I was only given miscellaneous tasks."
Xie Yanci did not respond, as if he was considering how to explain.
A long time passed and there was no further news.
Wei Shuyi was about to change the subject when he heard him say, "They are just traitors who collaborated with the enemy. When the incident happened, the Nangong family was still dealing with Dashuo."
"Is this really true?" She suppressed her grief and feigned surprise. "The Young General's family was on good terms with him, so they must have been deceived."
"Yes, that's right."
The night was as cold as water. The old case and the princess's poisoning were lingering in the emperor's mind, and he could not sleep that night.
——Eastern wing of the Yanxi Palace.
Noblewoman Wen held her waist as she strolled through the courtyard. "Mu Tao, you used to envy the palace maids around my eldest sister. They have a noble and respectable status, and they get a lot of money every month. Do you still feel that way now?"
"I'm such a fool! I only saw the benefits of Chengqian Palace, but didn't realize that Concubine Jin is such a cruel person!" Mu Tao was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat. "Aunt Qiandai has been with her for a long time. Even if she hasn't made any contributions, she has worked hard. In order to get rid of the crime, she actually plotted against Aunt Qiandai!"
"Tsk, originally we all lived in the same house, don't you understand?"
On the surface, the woman was a pitiful concubine's daughter, living and eating like a servant. But for some reason, Qu Wenhe suddenly changed his attitude. Although he still showed her little affection, he gave her the dignity of a young lady.
If you trace the root of the problem, it was all because of that uninvited guest.
Yu Huai. The current Imperial Preceptor.
"My lady, the noble lady Yi is here."
"Oh? A rare guest! Quick, invite Sister Yi to the main hall!"
Concubine Wen did not delay and turned around to lead the palace maids back.
Wei Shuyi was waiting for her at the palace gate, and he bowed to her from a distance.
"Sister, what are you doing? There's no need to be polite between you and me!"
"I came here today to discuss something personal with my sister. If possible, please ask my sister to dismiss everyone." Wei Shuyi spoke in a very soft voice, but his expression was undisguisedly heavy. "This is a serious matter, and I don't want others to hear it for the time being."
"Everyone, step back!"
Concubine Wen did not refuse and enthusiastically took her arm and walked in.
"Sister, it's a rare opportunity for you to come to the Yanxi Palace. What is it that you want to discuss with me?"
"I suspect your eldest sister is involved in Zhaohua's poisoning." Wei Shuyi stated his purpose straight to the point. "I also know that you want to take over and no longer be suppressed by Qu's concubine's daughter. If you can help me find out the truth..."
"Sister! For any woman in the Qu family, it's a great honor for anyone to take the position of Imperial Concubine! Why would I play the game of sisterly rivalry and make a fool of myself?"
You're actually unwilling?
Wei Shuyi didn't believe this was true.
Then, she took out another object from her sleeve and said, "What if I use this in exchange?"
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