Chapter 751 Can She Choose to Keep a Low Profile?
The Empress descended the steps and helped Cheng Wanwan, who was kneeling, to her feet.
Cheng Wanwan's legs were already numb. She supported herself with the Empress's arm and managed to stand up straight. She sincerely said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
It wasn't just Empress Xie who helped her up; we also thank the Empress for investigating so many things.
If it weren't for the Empress's intervention, she would never have been able to bring Rongqing down in one fell swoop.
For the Empress, a princess who lived deep within Renshou Palace posed no threat to her position or the Eastern Palace, so there was absolutely no need to join forces with her.
But the Empress did it anyway; she genuinely wanted to befriend her.
"You've been frightened tonight." The Empress patted her arm. "I still have some things to take care of, so I won't see you out. Jingyu, be careful."
Before attending the Lantern Festival banquet, Cheng Wanwan and the Empress had agreed that Cheng Wanwan would leave the palace after the banquet and would not stay in Kunning Palace for long.
Furthermore, with some trouble brewing in the palace, the Empress naturally wouldn't keep her any longer to avoid further complications.
"It's Your Majesty." Zhao Sanniu quickly came over to help Cheng Wanwan. "Mother, this way."
"This humble woman takes her leave."
Cheng Wanwan bowed to the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager, and then let her two sons help her out.
The Emperor's gaze then fell sharply on the Imperial Advisor, who was still kneeling on the ground: "Speaking of which, I have never met the Imperial Advisor's son..."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" The Imperial Advisor prostrated himself on the ground. "My son has nothing to do with this matter. I beg Your Majesty not to involve him. Whatever Your Majesty asks, I will tell you everything..."
While the interrogation was still taking place inside the palace, Cheng Wanwan had already reached the gates of the imperial city.
Because there were so many people attending the banquet, people were still queuing orderly to leave at the palace gate, and a large group of ladies were gathered together, discussing the events of the night.
"I never imagined that Princess Rongqing would be such a person. She is so vicious."
"Princess Duanmin was only four or five years old back then, and she was used as a shield. How heartbroken the Empress Dowager must have been."
"She killed Princess Duanmin, and she still has the nerve to stay by the Empress Dowager's side. Tsk tsk, how can there be such a shameless person in the world?"
"She even killed her own closest relatives, let alone a princess who is not related to her by blood. I just can't understand why she would attack Lady Sui?"
"Madam Sui is a woman of great talent. She must be jealous that Madam Sui has gotten to where she is today through her own efforts, while she has to kill people to get the title of princess."
"Just now, Madam Zhou said that it's no wonder Madam Sui became a second-rank noblewoman. Judging from her tone, it seems there was also a hint of jealousy?"
“No, I didn’t,” Madam Zhou immediately interjected. “I’m just an ordinary woman, easily swayed, and I had no intention of targeting Madam Sui…”
Before she could finish speaking, Cheng Wanwan and her two sons walked out of the palace gate.
She immediately went over and hurriedly said, "Madam Sui, please wait. At the banquet just now, I was bewitched by the Imperial Advisor and actually thought that Madam Sui was a jinx. I even said some unpleasant things. Please don't hold a grudge against a woman like me who has no knowledge."
Several other women nearby also came over to apologize.
Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "We are just ordinary people. It's normal for us to be misled by the words of the current imperial advisor and have our judgment affected. I won't take it to heart. It's really late now, everyone should go back and rest."
Her appearance seemed genuine, and the women finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone knew she was indeed tired tonight, so they made way for her carriage to go first.
Exhausted, Cheng Wanwan didn't stand on ceremony with everyone. Her two sons helped her into the carriage, and as soon as she got in, she slumped onto the cushions without any regard for appearances.
She closed her eyes, recalling the events of the night.
If Rongqing didn't have that dark history, she would never have been able to bring him down in one fell swoop.
She could offend one Rongqing, and she could offend another.
If every day is spent calculating, such a life would be too tiring.
She was willing to be burdened by farming, willing to scheme for business, and willing to plan for her children's future... but she was unwilling to fight with other women.
If you lose the fight, you will be utterly disgraced.
Even if you win, there's no benefit to it.
All that hard work, and I don't even know what I've accomplished.
Of course, she can choose to keep a low profile and avoid offending anyone.
But now she is a second-rank imperial consort, and there are no more than ten women in the entire capital with a higher status than her. Can she choose to keep a low profile?
It's fair to say that no matter what she does, countless eyes are watching.
Jealousy is like a spark that can easily ignite into hatred, and can offend narrow-minded people at any time.
Dahe Village is still the best. No matter what she does, no one will be jealous. That's where she truly belongs.
Cheng Wanwan was lost in thought the whole way and fell asleep halfway through the journey.
She slept very restlessly that night, tossing and turning until dawn before finally falling asleep. No one came to wake her, so she simply slept until noon.
After she woke up, she went to the flower hall for a meal, and Zhao Sidan immediately came over: "Mother, are you feeling better?"
"Mother is fine," Cheng Wanwan said softly with a smile. "The test will be held soon. Instead of worrying about me, you should spend more time reading. Mother is waiting for you to bring honor to the family."
"I'll go to the study after I finish speaking the last thing," Zhao Sidan said. "This morning, while Mother was sleeping, the Dali Temple held a trial. In the end, it was found that Princess Rongqing had indeed killed eight of her closest relatives with her own hands. She was sentenced to immediate execution, and will be executed in three days."
"This is absolutely gratifying!" Lu Yingxue couldn't help but clap her hands. "She didn't want to be a proper princess, so she had to jump out and cause trouble. She brought this on herself!"
At this moment, Granny Qi came in to report: "Madam, General He has arrived."
Since the palace coup on New Year's Eve, Cheng Wanwan has not seen He Xiao. She doesn't know how He Xiao plans to handle the He family's affairs. She got up and went to the reception room.
"Is my cousin alright?" He Xiao pointed to the two guards he had brought with him. "The capital is not like Dahe Town. There are dangers everywhere. You can be ambushed if you're not careful. So I specially selected two people to protect my cousin. Please accept them."
The two men stepped forward, their movements perfectly synchronized: "Gu Bing and Gu Leng greet their master!"
Cheng Wanwan looked at the two people. They were dressed in men's clothing, but spoke in women's voices. Moreover, their facial features were extremely similar, so they must be twin sisters.
“I saved their mothers, but they only lived for a year after I saved them. After their mothers passed away, they followed me into the army,” He Xiao said. “They are absolutely loyal, and you can rest assured that they will stay by your side, cousin.”
Cheng Wanwan immediately said, "Of course I trust the people you sent. Gu Bing and Gu Leng, you two go down with Granny Qi to familiarize yourselves with the accommodations."
Although Cheng Yi and the others were also guards, they were ultimately men and often could not accompany her in and out of the palace. With these twin sisters, the safety factor would increase dramatically wherever she went. He Xiao truly deserved to be her adopted cousin.
She paused, then continued, "I heard that the entire He family, numbering over a hundred, is still imprisoned in the dungeon. What do you plan to do with them?"
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