"Selected Consort Yu has acted inappropriately and offended the Emperor. She is of poor moral character and is now demoted to the ninth rank, stripped of her title, and imprisoned in the Eternal Lane, forbidden to leave without summons!"
Wei Shuyi straightened his back, and after hearing the emperor's oral instructions, he slowly leaned forward to accept the order, with mixed feelings.
He said that she was morally deficient and denounced her, but he did not mention the witchcraft incident, which gave her a glimmer of hope.
The Queen sitting next to him naturally understood the key point: "Your Majesty, Yu Gengyi has clearly violated a major taboo in the palace! Why did you spare her life?! You know, that..."
"According to what you said, do I need to change my oral instructions?"
Xie Yanci's question silenced her instantly.
Who dares to ask for a change in the emperor's decision?
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the concubines all knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty, please calm down."
"In that case, let's move the palace today! This matter is of great importance, and I need to continue investigating."
That's enough.
Not being convicted immediately and not being sentenced to death is already the best outcome.
Wei Shuyi looked up at him one last time, suddenly wanting to ask a sincere question: Did he trust her? Was he being lenient because of the situation and insufficient evidence? Or was he familiar with her character and confident that she wasn't the real culprit?
However, it was too late.
When she returned to Lin'an Palace from Fengluan Palace, someone had already packed her belongings and sent her to Yongxiang.
Here gathered the concubines who were the last in line and out of favor, as well as the concubines who had committed mistakes and were punished.
Everyone's spirits became unstable in a state of high tension. For example, after she opened the door, she was frightened by the woman who ran towards her and smiled foolishly at her!
"My lady, be careful!" Jing An stood in front of her. "We live in the innermost room. I and my sister will go in and clean up first. You and Miss Wen Yu will wait outside!"
Originally, with Wei Shuyi's current position, she wouldn't need many people to serve her.
But the two girls were so loyal that they vowed to follow her to the Eternal Lane to suffer, even at death. Furthermore, Wen Yu pleaded so hard that she was allowed to enter this filthy place.
"What an unfortunate coincidence! The prince asked you to come here because he wanted you to enjoy yourself, but..."
"Miss, there's no need to say more. When I was little, I lived a worse life than the people here." Wen Yu looked around and didn't mind. "It's really unfair to you, Miss. After entering the palace, you were constantly framed and ended up in this situation!"
"I can only blame myself for being careless."
Before, when Wang Changzai tried to get close to Song Wanyi, she was wary and on guard. But then, Wang Changzai repeatedly provoked Song Wanyi, even engaging in a physical fight, and she gradually divided the two into opposing camps.
But I never thought that the enemy of my enemy could also become my friend.
Wang Chang changed his words in front of the emperor, pushing her into an abyss of no return. If it weren't for the emperor's suspicion, it would have been a doomed case of injustice!
Wei Shuyi looked at the women around him, some of whom were smiling foolishly, some were putting on makeup, and felt sad for a moment.
"As long as you are here, young lady, you will surely make a comeback in the future! The prince never sent me here with the intention of letting me enjoy a comfortable life. He sent me here just to share the hardship with you at this moment and prevent the villains from taking advantage of the chaos to step on me!"
Xie Yanqing was not concerned about her, but was concerned about the bargaining chips that he had cultivated with his own hands.
It’s a pity that Wen Yu has to suffer and go through this purgatory on earth!
"My lady, it's almost clean inside, come in quickly!"
"good."
Wei Shuyi walked into the abandoned palace, which was dark and damp. Apart from a small bed, there were only tables and chairs.
"Then where the three of you will live..."
"Young Master, please sleep on the bed. We'll take turns lying here and rest." Jing An pointed at the bedding on the ground. "Just be careful with the long candles, don't let the bedding catch fire!"
"It's not even summer yet, the ground is cold, and this blanket doesn't look very thick. You..."
Jing Ning interrupted her worries again: "My lady, we servants are all tough and sturdy! When we were still in Sangyuxuan, you were considerate of us and gave us beds to sleep in, so we didn't have to keep watch. But if you ask around in other palaces, you'll find that even the senior palace maids have to get used to sleeping on the floor. It's good enough to have a cushion under them!"
Wei Shuyi glanced at the bed sheet that was already covered in mold and said nothing more.
She slept very restlessly that night.
Tossing and turning, all I feel is regret and guilt.
She could bear to swallow the bitter fruit of failure herself, but she could not allow those close to her to suffer with her.
How to prove my innocence and how to get out of Eternal Lane kept turning over and over in my mind, but I couldn't find a clear answer.
"Are you all awake? Come and eat!"
Early in the morning, the maid kicked open the door, threw in a pile of dry and hard steamed buns, threw down a few pickles, and turned away.
Everyone who was awakened heard the creaking sound and stood up tacitly.
Jing An picked up the steamed bun, carefully peeled off the dusty skin, and handed it to Wei Shuyi: "My lady, please eat something. You can't go hungry."
"Eh... what's that smell? It stinks!" Jing Ning picked up a leaf with disdain and sniffed it, "My lady, this seems to be rotten, you can't eat it!"
Wei Shuyi divided the steamed buns into four portions: "Then we'll just eat these, don't worry about it."
"My dear, you eat first, we are fine."
She couldn't help but sigh, "You're all suffering because of me. If you even have to give up your food, then I'll immediately tell the guards outside the door to send you all back. Don't suffer here anymore!"
This threat, tinged with bitterness, actually worked.
A few people chewed the steamed buns silently, coughing violently, but on the table was an empty pot covered with dust, without a drop of water left.
Wen Yu walked to the well in the middle of the yard, rolled up his sleeves, and decided to draw water himself with a wooden bucket.
Wei Shuyi looked at her nimble figure from behind. Compared to the cheerful and talkative little girl in Prince Lian's mansion, she had indeed changed a lot.
"My lady, those people are always flattering the powerful and bullying the weak. In fact, you are still a ninth-rank master, and the food should not be so perfunctory!" Jing An complained, "But now, none of us can leave. I guess the guards have been bribed, and it's impossible to tell the emperor. Who knows what kind of trouble we will be subjected to next!"
"As long as there's food to eat and drink to drink, life isn't over yet."
She was comforting others, but also warning herself.
She persevered through the difficult years in the laundry department when she was young, relying on this sentence.
Since Xie Yanci didn't kill her, she shouldn't give up on herself at this moment.
Wen Yu returned with a full bucket of water. "Everyone, hurry up and wash up. If it's not enough, I'll get some more. I just checked, it's running water, so the situation isn't too bad."
"Then I will serve the young master..."
"No need." Wei Shuyi scooped out a bucket of water. "From today on, we are sisters who share hardships. There is no longer a distinction between master and servant. I am not yet in my seventies or eighties, so I don't need to be served."
However, before she could touch the well water in the ladle, Wen Yu pulled it away!
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