Chapter 403 Pleading for Mercy
"From now on, you will serve Her Majesty for a long time, and she will be a trusted and reliable elder. As long as you perform your duties well and remain loyal, you will have plenty of opportunities to rise to the top. Her Majesty is known for her gentleness and kindness, and she cannot tolerate any fighting or killing. If you find a good place to go and wish to pursue a brighter future, you can do as Miss Yinling did—"
"She used to serve in the Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager couldn't bear to see the good master and loyal servant separated, so she granted her permission to return to the Cining Palace to continue serving the Empress Dowager."
"Since Her Majesty the Empress is in a good mood today, shall we all follow the example of Miss Silver Bell and return to serve our former mistress?"
After Bihui finished speaking, the huge front yard fell into a deathly silence.
The silver bell they were just wondering about had actually been sent to the Cining Palace by the Empress!
Those who served in the palace, especially those who went to great lengths to squeeze into Chang Le Palace to serve the emperor and empress, were all shrewd and perceptive. These few words were enough for them to understand the whole story.
The reason for not being able to bear seeing the good master and loyal servant separated is probably because the Empress had already figured out the relationship between Yinling and Cining Palace on her second day of service. That's why she sent Yinling there as a warning and to deter the palace servants on duty.
Bi Sui and the others coldly observed the complex expressions on the faces of the dozens of people below, waiting to see if any more audacious individuals would reveal any clues. Fortunately, among those who remained, everyone looked fearful but not guilty or uneasy.
Qi Yuxuan took a sip of tea and spoke softly: "I do not like to force things. If you have all decided to stay in Chang Le Palace, you will not be able to change your minds after today. From now on, you will all work together with me and be of one mind so that we can manage the palace in an orderly manner."
The Empress herself spoke, and everyone kowtowed again, saying in unison, "This servant will humbly obey Your Majesty's teachings—"
After Qi Yuxuan finished speaking, she was led to the back hall by Lanxin and Chunyue, leaving Bihui to give the palace servants money for their meeting.
Five taels of silver per person may not seem like much, but it's far more useful than any golden peanuts or golden peas!
Those imperial gifts made to be given as rewards were not easy to sell. If you took them out, others would immediately know which palace gave them to you. If you were short of money and had to pawn them, you might be punished. The best way was to treat them like relics and enshrine them.
But giving people pure silver directly is a different story. They can spend it however they want, and no one will mind. It seems that this Empress is truly an honest person!
Qi Yuxuan was unaware of this; she hadn't even considered this possibility. She had only prepared a spur-of-the-moment gift, and because time was short, she hadn't bothered to look for anything auspicious among the dowry items in the storeroom. She simply gave out some loose silver coins to make the palace servants feel that she was being practical and honest.
Hearing the palace servants outside leave with profuse thanks, Qi Yuxuan finally relaxed a little.
Yinling has already been taken to Cining Palace by Bihui, and it seems that the Empress Dowager will send someone over soon.
Whether she apologizes or takes a tough stance, she is once again bracing herself to deal with the situation.
But before Bihui returned, she was greeted by another unexpected person.
“Wei Qingqing?” She frowned and repeated the name. “How did she get into the palace?”
Logically speaking, all female relatives should report to her before entering the palace. How come she only found out now that they were already outside Chang Le Palace?
Second-class palace maid Fuwei immediately said, "Miss Wei was brought in by the Seventh Prince early this morning. Because they went to the front court, they just went to Hanyuan Hall, which is why no palace maids came to report to Your Highness. So, it was the Seventh Prince who brought Miss Wei here, and we servants dared not stop him."
Did the Seventh Prince Qi You personally deliver it?
Qi Yuxuan remained silent for a moment before nodding in agreement to let the person in.
Wei Qingqing had been waiting outside Chang Le Palace for a long time. She was terrified in Han Yuan Hall, thinking that the emperor was going to kill her in a fit of anger. Unexpectedly, he only vented his anger on the Yue people, and she followed Qi You out safely.
Waiting outside Chang Le Palace, the palace servants said they were going in to report, but it took a full quarter of an hour! Her cold sweat had dried completely.
Finally, the palace maid who had gone to announce their arrival returned. She bowed respectfully to Qi You and Wei Qingqing before saying, "Her Majesty the Empress has summoned the Seventh Prince and Miss Wei. Please come with me."
As she passed through the front hall and the main hall, seeing all sorts of palace buildings and respectful palace servants along the way, Wei Qingqing was startled. It must be so great to be the empress; she only had to meet her once to be treated with such grandeur.
Upon seeing the Empress, Wei Qingqing followed behind Qi You, bowed, and then secretly looked up to sized up Qi Yuxuan.
She was stunned by just that one glance.
I had only ever seen Qi Yuxuan dressed as Princess Chang Le before. Although she was beautiful and radiant, she was far less noble than the Empress she is now. Indeed, clothes make the man, and Wei Qingqing was almost afraid to speak to the Empress.
Qi Yuxuan looked at Qi You, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, and smiled as she invited him to sit down and have some tea. "Seventh Brother, what important matter brings you here today?"
Qi You could only offer his congratulations to his brother and sister-in-law on their wedding first, and then, steeling himself, he looked at Wei Qingqing and said that he had been entrusted by her to bring the person here.
Qi Yuxuan then turned her gaze to Wei Qingqing: "Miss Wei, we meet again."
Wei Qingqing looked around at the dozen or so people scattered throughout the hall and suddenly didn't know how to start the conversation.
She couldn't very well say in front of so many people that she wanted to mediate between the Xiao family and the Empress, could she? Even if she dared to say it, no one else would dare to listen!
She swallowed hard, first offering a few polite words of congratulations on the wedding, before saying, "I have some matters concerning Kuncheng that I would like to discuss with Your Majesty in detail. May I ask if you may dismiss the servants?"
Qi Yuxuan was curious to see what she was up to, so she nodded and said, "You can go down first."
Lan Xin glanced at Wei Qingqing warily, feeling that this girl was a bit strange. She remembered her from when she was in the Wei family, but later, for some reason, the entire Wei family was wiped out, yet she was still able to jump around and swagger around here.
However, since the Empress had already spoken, they would not disobey and soon left.
Once only Qi Yuxuan and Qi You remained in the room, Wei Qingqing finally got straight to the point, explaining her purpose: "Your Majesty, I'm sorry! I lied to you. Actually, I didn't come here to discuss the Kuncheng matter, but rather, to plead for the Xiao family..."
Qi Yuxuan remained expressionless, a faint smile playing on her lips: "Oh? What has the Xiao family done that you have to plead for them? Miss Wei, why don't you tell me?"
Wei Qingqing gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, it is true that the Xiao family wronged you in the past, but they have all reformed, especially the eldest son Xiao Jue and the third son Xiao Jin. They do not expect Your Majesty to be recognized as a member of the family. They only hope to see Your Majesty carefree year after year and to be able to inquire about you from time to time."
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