Chapter 289 Don't Leave Any Handle
The night deepens.
The autumn wind suddenly rises.
The cold autumn rain finally fell, a little heavier, hitting the banana leaves as densely as a curtain, giving people a sense of desolation and loneliness for no reason.
Xie Xiuyi sat in the corridor, drank a cup of warm tea, and after enjoying the scenery, she returned to the hall.
After dismissing the palace maids, she looked up at Lan Hui and asked, "How did the previous dynasty go?"
Lan Hui lowered her voice, unconsciously revealing joy. "Your Majesty, it's all done. The court officials are putting pressure on us. Once the news of the disaster and the Imperial College reaches Kyoto, it will incite the anger of students all over the country and stir up public opinion. Not to mention the position of Empress, it's hard to say whether Concubine Chen and her son will survive."
Xie Xiuyi's eyes, however, were not so relaxed. Her expression was cold. "For the sake of the throne and his subjects, the emperor may not enthrone Pei as empress, but he is reluctant to take Concubine Chen's life. He is the emperor and has been in power for so long, so he must have some tricks and methods. If he is pushed too far, it will not be good. What we need to do now is to clean up the mess and prevent anyone from knowing."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. This matter wasn't ours at all. Even if we conduct a thorough investigation, we can only trace it back to our relatives on the side branches. Without any evidence, we can't be convicted." Lan Hui first comforted Xie Xiuyi, then after a pause, she added, "The mistress shares the same concerns as Your Majesty. She's worried that this won't completely bring down Concubine Chen, so the family has sent something in."
Xie Xiuyi frowned slightly: "What?"
Lan Hui lowered her voice even more: "Spring Love Fragrance."
"What does this mean?"
A dark light flashed in Lan Hui's eyes. "Isn't the Third Master of the Pei family serving in the Imperial Guards now? Set a trap for him and accuse him of causing chaos in the harem. This will only make this mess even more chaotic and make it impossible for the Pei family and Concubine Chen to recover."
"No." Xie Xiuyi disagreed. She straightened her expression. "During the past few years since Noble Concubine Chen took power, she must have planted many spies in the palace. What happened today will surely alert Noble Concubine Chen. If we take action again at this time, I'm afraid it will backfire and play into her hands."
Lan Hui hesitated for a moment, "How about this? After this matter has settled down, after a few years, the Emperor can re-appoint Consort Chen. All our efforts now will be in vain..."
Xie Xiuyi raised her eyes slightly and sighed, "Lan Hui, we can't ask for too much. Noble Concubine Chen is favored and powerful, and it's not easy to kill her. We should be satisfied if we can prevent her from ascending to the throne in the next few years, stigmatize her, and implicate the Fourth Prince as well."
Lan Hui pondered this carefully, and finally replied, "Yes, there's still a lot of time to go, so let's just take it slow."
Xie Xiuyi nodded slightly.
She had clearly withdrawn from the matter, and in the end it was confirmed that it had nothing to do with her, but for some reason, she could not calm down and was extremely agitated.
She looked out into the thick night, comforting herself in her heart.
Maybe she was overthinking it.
*
That night, Pei Tingyue rested in Chengming Palace.
Before Xie Chen went to court, she carefully instructed him, "Resolve the matter slowly. Don't get too angry. It's not good for your health if you get angry."
Xie Chen agreed.
But I don’t know how much he really took it to heart.
After he went to court, Pei Tingyue originally wanted to wait here for him to come back and have breakfast together, but someone came from Chengning Palace to report, "Your Highness, the Madam has entered the palace."
Upon hearing that her mother had entered the palace, Pei Tingyue instructed the palace servants to ensure that the emperor had breakfast and hurried back.
"Mother, you are here."
As soon as she arrived at Chengning Palace and got off the sedan chair, Pei Tingyue saw her mother waiting at the palace gate, so she went to greet her.
Mother Pei's soft eyes were filled with deep worry, and she seemed to have a thousand things to say, but because this was the palace, she first bowed to Pei Tingyue, "Your Highness, your Highness..."
"Madam, please get up quickly." Before Pei Tingyue could say anything, Yun Shu beside her helped Pei's mother up.
Mother Pei smiled at Yun Shu, then carefully supported Pei Tingyue's arm and walked into the hall.
After they sat down and dismissed the palace maids, Mother Pei hesitated to speak, "Your Majesty, the previous court..."
Pei Tingyue raised her cold eyes and said, "Mother, I know everything."
Mother Pei was a little anxious: "You are about to give birth, your health is the most important thing, don't worry about these things..."
Pei Tingyue placed her hand on her mother's and smiled softly, "Don't worry, mother. I've been in the palace for many years and have experienced a lot. This little bit of trouble is nothing."
Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, Mother Pei felt a little relieved. "I stayed up all night at home last night. After your father told me about this, I wanted to come to the palace immediately, but unfortunately the palace gates were already locked, so I had to postpone my visit until this morning. Before entering the palace, your father asked me to tell you that this matter was clearly directed at you, but time was tight, and a cursory investigation came back empty-handed. However, if this was man-made, there will eventually be clues to investigate. Don't worry, just wait patiently for two days. The Pei family will do their utmost to investigate this matter for you and prove your innocence."
Pei Tingyue's heart warmed, and she spoke softly, "My daughter probably knows who did this, and she has a way to deal with it. I'll have someone go home quickly to pass on the news and comfort my father, brother, and the others."
Mother Pei's lips opened and closed as she asked cautiously, "Is it still a dispute within the palace?"
Pei Tingyue nodded: "Yes. Last night, my daughter discussed with the emperor how to deal with this culprit."
Hearing this, Mother Pei's face showed worry again: "You are nearly nine months pregnant, don't overwork yourself. If there is anything that can be done by family members or servants, please let them go."
"Mother, I know." Pei Tingyue stood up, sat next to her mother, and snuggled up to her. "Mother, please don't leave the palace this time. Stay with your daughter while she's expecting."
According to palace custom, when a concubine is six months pregnant, her biological mother can be summoned to the palace to accompany her.
When Zhaoyang was six months old, Pei's mother brought it up once, but Pei Tingyue didn't let her in.
It was hot then, and she didn't leave the palace, so it wasn't a big deal. If she wanted to see her family, she could just issue an imperial decree.
Now she is eight months pregnant. Not only is her body heavy, but this incident has also happened. Not allowing her mother to enter the palace has caused her family to worry.
Mother Pei was willing, and she responded gently: "Okay."
Pei Tingyue straightened up and said with a smile: "Mother came to the palace so early, she probably hasn't had breakfast yet. It just so happens that your daughter doesn't have breakfast either, so let's go have some breakfast together."
Mother Pei nodded, stood up, and helped her walk towards the dining table. "Just in time for entering the palace, I made a few plates of snacks and brought them over for you."
*
After the court session.
Chengming Palace.
Xie Chen still didn't eat.
The palace maids all had bitter expressions. Before the Imperial Concubine left, she had specifically instructed that the Emperor must have breakfast. But when the Emperor returned, he didn't even change his clothes before he followed the court officials to the Imperial Study to discuss matters. They had no chance to persuade him at all.
The leading palace maid found Liang Yao, explained her purpose, smiled bitterly, and bowed, "Please, General Manager, think of a solution."
Liang Yao was also anxious.
But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't go in and report at this time that breakfast was ready and the emperor was invited to eat.
He had no choice but to say, "Let's go take a look at it later. If we have time, we will definitely persuade the emperor. You can go back first."
The maid in charge left.
Liang Yao stood there for a while, then gradually moved closer to the door of the imperial study to eavesdrop.
As soon as he stood at the door, he heard the sound of court officials lifting their robes and kneeling on the ground, followed by loud and unanimous voices.
"Your Majesty, please revoke the imperial decree to appoint a new queen!"
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