"Be careful, sister!"
Wei Shuyi knocked Concubine Wen, who was praying, to the ground in time, and barely avoided the fatal attack.
The nearby guards noticed something was wrong and quickly escorted them to the inn, while leaving a group of people to search for the assassin at the scene.
This year's ploughing ceremony still allowed thieves to take advantage of the situation, and the group rushed back in a panic, all of them still in shock.
"My lady, how are you feeling now?" Wen Yu took the initiative to show concern for Concubine Wen. "If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, please tell me immediately."
"No, no."
The other party shook his head in panic, then looked at Wei Shuyi with gratitude: "Sister Yi, it's all thanks to you! Otherwise, I would have become a ghost!"
"Thank goodness I turned around in time, otherwise I wouldn't have made it. I'm glad my sister isn't having any trouble with her pregnancy. As for the rest, I'll leave it to the Emperor to investigate."
Concubine Wen patted her chest lightly, then tightly grasped Wei Shuyi's hands: "She must be coming for me! She's the only one who sees my unborn child as a thorn in her side!"
Without being specifically stated, one knows that the person being mentioned is Concubine Jin.
She looked around and saw the other concubines leaning on their chairs in groups of three or four, still feeling uneasy about what had happened before, with sad expressions on their faces. No one noticed this at all, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sister, although she is your eldest sister, she is also the imperial concubine of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You must not wrongly accuse her without any evidence!"
"Others might be jealous, but she's the only one who could have done such a blatant act!" Noble Lady Wen carefully protected her abdomen. "Luckily, the emperor was able to perform well and escape this disaster! Sister, I owe you a favor this time, and I'll repay you sooner or later!"
Wei Shuyi half-seriously agreed, "Sister, if you're saying you're repaying a favor, then you're still treating me like an outsider. Back then, I was also ambushed while on an incognito tour. I fell from my carriage and hit a boulder, and was unconscious for several days before I woke up. I feel your concern. Just think of it as me doing good deeds for Zhaohua!"
When she mentioned Sang Yuxuan's daughter who was still sick, her tone was unconsciously mixed with sadness.
Noblewoman Wen recalled what they had talked about before and moved closer. "My dear sister, although I don't believe in ghosts and gods, I will not have any bad intentions towards a child! My eldest sister is very jealous and actually made such a mistake towards the little princess. I..."
"I won't say any more. Anyway, I have no evidence whatsoever. I want to find someone to help me find out what happened, but I can't bring myself to do that!"
"Without any evidence?" Noble Lady Wen pondered these words, her brows furrowed slightly. "That really sounds like my eldest sister's style! In the mansion, she often did similar things to bully me and gain sympathy. If it weren't for mother's protection, I would have been trampled on by this little white flower sooner or later, and I would never have been able to stand up again!"
With the past grudges and the crisis she had just experienced piling up, Concubine Wen felt resentful. After thinking it over again and again, she took the initiative to hold Wei Shuyi's arm and took her to her temporary guest room.
"Mu Tao, Wen Yu, you two stay outside and guard."
She pretended to be confused: "What does my sister want to say? Why do you want to avoid the sisters outside?"
"I was injured a little while ago, and the Emperor specially allocated this room for me to rest. It just so happens that there are some things I want to explain to my sister."
"What is it?"
"Remember what I said before, that the Imperial Preceptor once visited the Qu family?" Concubine Wen thought back to the past, a look of confusion on her face. "I remember clearly, it was about ten years ago. He must have been a cultivator with some real skills. His appearance back then is exactly the same as now!"
Wei Shuyi suppressed his excitement and asked, "And then?"
"The first time she came, she was just discussing something important with my father. I was young and didn't understand, so I just saw him from afar and remembered this handsome man. Later, as she grew older, her family considered finding another young man for her, so the Imperial Master came again. Perhaps that was the time when the two of them fell in love..."
"What?!"
"Maybe I misunderstood, or maybe I just don't understand how they get along." Noble Lady Wen observed the astonishment on her face with satisfaction and continued to recall, "Anyway, I hid behind the door and saw with my own eyes the Imperial Preceptor touching my eldest sister's face. She's not a child anymore, so doesn't this action speak volumes?"
Yu Huai actually has feelings for Concubine Jin? !
I had thought that the relationship between the Imperial Master and Qu Wenhe was merely one of mutual exploitation, each pursuing their own interests. Unexpectedly, there was also an inexplicable affection mixed in!
Wei Shuyi found it difficult to delve into the past, and even speaking became difficult: "Then, then why did he allow the imperial concubine to enter the palace? If... if they really loved each other, they shouldn't..."
"No matter how powerful Yu Huai is, he is only the Imperial Preceptor second only to the Emperor. In front of the Emperor, he is just a kowtower! My eldest sister is proud and arrogant, and she must choose someone better. So, she betrayed his affection and turned into a favorite concubine. So, our Imperial Preceptor is still a sentimental man! Even though my eldest sister is married to someone else, he still spends all his energy planning for her affairs."
Wen Yu suddenly knocked on the door, two short knocks and one long knock. This was their usual code, indicating that someone was coming.
Wei Shuyi immediately stopped talking: "Sister, you were frightened today, you need to take good care of yourself. When we return to Yanxi Palace later, I will ask Mu Tao to prepare a nourishing soup for you. I won't bother you anymore, I'll leave first."
"Take care, sister."
She pushed open the door and came to the corridor of the inn.
Wen Yu pointed to a corner with some embarrassment: "The people from the General's Mansion are here to help. They said they want to check every guest in the inn one by one. Miss, the young general is over there..."
"Noble Lady Yi!"
As she was speaking, Nangong Heng came over in two steps, and only breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that she was unharmed.
"Have your men captured the assassin?"
"Not yet." He ignored what was happening outside and asked, "I heard that someone threw a poison dart at the goddess statue while we were enshrining it. Are you okay?!"
"Their target is the pregnant Lady Wen, not me. Your Excellency, did you come all the way to search the inn just to ask me this?"
"Um."
Nangong Heng lowered his head, and the tips of his ears turned red.
The follower standing behind him was still Feng Mian in disguise.
"It's my fault. I heard that the Emperor bullied my sister, and then there was an assassin at the plowing ceremony. I was so anxious that I begged the young general to bring me here..."
"Don't worry, I will protect myself." Wei Shuyi couldn't bear to blame him, so he could only leave a reminder, "The situation is special now. Even for my sake, Major General, you must learn to avoid suspicion. Thank you!"
Nangong Heng looked at her back as she walked away quickly, then looked at the chaos downstairs and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Wei Fengmian lowered his head even lower and reminded in a muffled voice, "Sister is right. You have to leave before the Emperor arrives. Otherwise, he will start to have wild thoughts again."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
