"Is there anything else, Lady Xu?"
"I just want to kindly warn you. Right now, you're not the emperor's favorite concubine, nor are you the princess's biological mother. You're just a woman despised by everyone in Sangyuxuan! It's best not to be sarcastic when you speak or act in the future. Otherwise, if you encounter a high-ranking concubine, you might receive a punishment even more severe than kneeling!"
Wei Shuyi pursed his lips and chuckled, then responded solemnly: "Yes, I thank Lady Xu for her teachings."
After the group turned around and left, Zhen Changzai brought them back to the main hall.
"Miss Yu, I was worried just now..."
"No, I've figured it out." She knew the other person's concerns very well, "Then I won't bother my sister for now."
"No! Wait a minute!"
Zhen Changzai glanced at the palace maids around her, signaled them with her eyes to retreat outside and guard, then she carefully chose her words and planned to say something to her.
"Sister, if you have anything to say, you can tell me directly. There is no need to hesitate."
"Well, Miss Yu, could you please describe in detail everything you saw at Yiqing Terrace? Specifically, what exactly was written on the wall?"
Wei Shuyi didn't expect that the pure-hearted Zhen Changzai would also care about this matter. He hesitated for a moment and didn't say anything.
What if the Bai family wants to harm the Wei family...
However, the entire Wei family was destroyed. No matter how bad it was, how bad could it get?
"Miss Yu? I, your concubine, have caused you any trouble?"
"No, I was just reminiscing." Wei Shuyi shook his head and told her softly, "I accidentally dropped the firewood piled on the ground, and then I saw the obscured inscription. It was written in three large characters: Wei Qingyan."
"Duke Wei?"
"How did my sister know about this person? I only heard the old news about the traitor when I heard the emperor mention him in the Changsheng Palace."
What hurts her most is that she goes against her conscience and belittles her own family.
In order not to arouse suspicion from others, she had to do this to distance herself from the matter.
However, Zhen Changzai's reaction shocked her!
"No, no, no, the Duke of Wei couldn't possibly be a traitor who collaborated with the enemy! The situation was extremely chaotic at the time, and the court was also in turmoil. The late emperor might have found a scapegoat just to maintain balance!"
"younger sister?!"
This was the first time she had heard such words from someone else, telling her: The entire Wei family was wrongly accused! They were all innocent, they had not colluded with foreign tribes, nor had they caused the soldiers to die on the battlefield!
Zhen Changzai also realized her loss of composure later and quickly explained, "Well, well, at home, I love reading storybooks about people. The Duke of Wei as portrayed by the common people is indeed very different from that treacherous villain... What I just said was based on the storybooks, so Miss Yu, please pretend you didn't hear anything."
"Okay, I didn't hear anything."
——
In the Hall of Eternal Life, Xie Yanci glanced at the melting ice more than once.
"Your Majesty, are you feeling hot?"
"fine."
"Then, Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?"
He frowned and asked, "Yang Mingrui, have you become so powerful now? Instead of grinding ink beside me, you're trying to figure out my thoughts?"
"I dare not!"
"Alright, I just said it casually, don't be afraid." Xie Yanci took a small piece of ice and watched it melt quickly in his palm. "The share sent to Lin'an Palace is not too little, right?"
Eunuch Yang shook his head like a rattle: "No, no more! I've already beaten those people!"
"She's afraid of the heat, so you need to send her more ice. It's best to chisel it and distribute it properly to avoid wasting the energy on the palace maids at Sangyuxuan. There aren't many young eunuchs there, and they don't seem very smart. Don't waste your time chiseling the ice."
Eunuch Yang nodded and agreed, but in his heart he was amazed at the emperor's attentiveness.
In the past, even the most favored Concubine Jin did not receive such treatment. The emperor would only give orders and let his subordinates do the work, without paying attention to many details.
This Miss Yu is another exception.
"Your Majesty, since you are still thinking about her, why don't you go to Sangyuxuan to take a look? The storm has passed. If you go now, you should..."
"She has that temper! Forget it, I won't bother to upset her." Xie Yanci thought of something else, "Where's Concubine Xu? Did she follow my instructions?"
"She went! I sent someone to secretly watch her. She went there at noon to collect dew, and she did it herself. As for how much she has collected so far..."
"This is not something I should worry about."
Meanwhile, Concubine Xu guzzled two cups of cold tea, then stared at the nearly full cups. "Great! Today, I'll have to endure some suffering once more, and I should be able to collect the full amount. Huayan, remember to go to the Changsheng Palace and call the Emperor in time!"
"Yes, congratulations, my lady! You have fulfilled the emperor's greatest wish. Promotion and rewards are just around the corner!"
With such a beautiful dream, Concubine Xu set out from Yonghe Palace under the scorching sun and walked towards the Imperial Garden.
Today, a new palace maid rowed her boat, and she was already accustomed to it. After all, not every servant had the leisure to spend an hour or two with her in the lotus pond.
"My lady, please be careful." Huayan helped her walk up and then stepped aside obediently. "As long as you can get through today, you won't have to suffer anymore!"
"I know."
The boat gradually moved away from the shore and headed towards the center of the lotus pond.
The palace maid hunched her back and paddled vigorously: "My lord, please take a look, where is the most suitable place to go?"
"Keep your eyes open. If you see any lotus leaves overlapping, call me over." Lady Xu took out a handkerchief, draped it over her face, and lazily leaned against the stern. "Oh, and get closer to see if there's any dew on the lotus leaves. If there's not a drop, then move to another spot."
"Yes, I understand."
The boat passed through one lotus leaf after another and finally stopped somewhere.
The palace maid asked again, "My dear, how does the dew look here?"
"Um."
Lady Xu stood up with difficulty, raised her hand to shield the sunlight from her head with her sleeve, staggered to the side of the boat, and bent down to check the dew on the lotus leaves.
The fish in the lotus pond suddenly jumped out of the water, startling her so much that she took a step back, lost her balance for a moment, and fell backwards!
"My lord, be careful!"
The palace maid dropped the oars and caught her in time.
Concubine Xu stood firm in shock, then waved the man's hand away in disgust: "Get your dirty hoof away! Who am I to dare touch me?!"
"If I don't come over, the young master will fall into the water."
"How dare you talk back?!" "I know I was wrong."
In order not to waste time, she did not continue to scold, but collected dew with a sullen face and sat back at the stern.
The palace maid rowing the boat said nothing more and returned along the same route.
"Okay, we're almost at the shore, come and give me a hand!"
"yes."
The man stretched out his left arm for her to hold onto, then suddenly looked up and gave her a sinister smile.
"My lord, you owe me something."
"What?" A plop!
A figure appeared in the lotus pond, causing ripples.
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