When she arrived at the Eastern Palace, Wan Qingling did not rush to find someone a place to stay, but went directly to the bedroom of Crown Prince Ningtai.
Looking at the thick cotton cloth wrapped around Ning Tai's chest with a few bloodstains seeping through it, Wan Qingling shed tears of heartache.
Thinking that crying was taboo in the palace and considered unlucky, she quickly took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears, then sat on a small stool beside the bed, quietly watching over Ning Tai.
Ning Tai's condition was not stable. He had a high fever and his face was red. Wan Qingling had to follow the doctor's instructions and wipe his body with warm water over and over again.
Because of Empress Pei's decree and knowing Ning Tai's love for her, the people in the Eastern Palace did not stop it, nor did they interfere too much, they just assisted from the side.
Feeding Ning Tai the medicine was a chore. He vomited it right after he finished. Even though it landed all over Wan Qingling, she didn't care. After cleaning Ning Tai clean, she changed into clean clothes and continued to care for him.
Even though he took little medicine and vomited more, Wan Qingling patiently fed him the medicine over and over again. Fortunately, her efforts paid off. Late in the night, Ning Tai's fever subsided and he slowly woke up. Wan Qingling, who had been feeling a little sleepy, brightened up the moment he opened his eyes.
"Your Highness, you are finally awake?" She was so happy that she almost burst into tears on the spot.
"Qingling, am I dreaming?" Seeing his sweetheart right in front of him, Ning Tai blinked in disbelief.
"Your Highness, you are not dreaming." Seeing Ning Tai was about to get up, Wan Qingling hurried forward and helped him sit up together with Ning Tai's personal eunuch, and carefully placed a pillow behind his back. "I am already your concubine, and from now on, I need your love and care." She was still a little shy when she said this, but he was the only one she could rely on in the future.
"Concubine?" Ning Tai was confused. "You are the Crown Princess whom I finally asked my father to grant me. How could you become a concubine?" He didn't think he had a brain injury.
"This is a long story. Let's wait until His Highness is better." Wan Qingling was actually very anxious. She wanted Ning Tai to help the Bo Mansion sooner so that her family would suffer less. However, she knew that haste makes waste. She was afraid that the Emperor and Empress would think that she was causing trouble for Ning Tai by saying this at this time and that she was not caring about his health, and would therefore increase the punishment for everyone in the Bo Mansion.
"I've been lying down for a long time. Tell me what's going on, just as if you were talking to me. Otherwise, I'll be uneasy and won't be able to rest well."
"This..." At this moment, Wan Qingling felt like there were two villains fighting in her heart, one asking her to speak quickly, and the other asking her to speak later.
It was Ning Tai's personal eunuch who knew his master well. After apologizing, he told Ning Tai what had happened.
"Your third brother seems intelligent, but how could he have done such a foolish thing!" Knowing from the start that Wan Qingling wasn't the Earl of Dingyang's biological daughter, Ning Tai simply skipped over the details and scolded Wan Huqing. If it weren't for him, Wan Qingling would have been his Crown Princess, and wouldn't have been reduced to a concubine without rank, subject to the oppression of many other women in the future. Wan Qingling was the woman he loved, and he couldn't bear to see her suffer any injustice.
"Your Highness," Wan Qingling quickly took the opportunity to explain, "Don't you understand my third brother? How could he, with his guts, deliberately harbor spies from an enemy nation? He must have been deceived by that woman to do such a wrong thing."
"I understand what you said, but now we have witnesses and evidence, and the other party insists that he is theirs. It will be very difficult to exonerate him and the Bo family. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Wan Qingling looked at her anxiously.
Ning Tai didn't rush to answer, but instead signaled with his eyes for the eunuch to stand guard outside. After the eunuch confirmed that no one was eavesdropping, he slowly said, "Unless your third brother reveals who ordered him to do so."
Do you mean putting the blame on others?
She understood the principle, and it was understandable that she followed the principle of "a friend's death is better than my own." But after hearing Ning Tai's suggestion of who would take the blame, Wan Qingling returned to her temporary residence and tossed and turned all night without a wink of sleep.
The next day, after reporting to the emperor, Ning Tai, the victim, endured the pain and went to the Ming Prison in person to inquire about the assassination in Lingnan Kingdom.
He wanted to interrogate the prisoner alone in the name of the emperor, so Pei Xuanqing led him to the prisoner's interrogation room and then left tactfully.
After interrogating several people, Ning Tai ordered someone to take Wan Huqing to the interrogation room to meet his third uncle.
Even though Wan Huqing confessed everything he knew before being tortured, he would inevitably suffer some physical pain once he entered the prison.
Seeing the large patches of skin on his hands and feet rubbed raw from the shackles, and his back ripped open from the barbed whip, Wan Qingling, who was disguised as a eunuch and accompanying Ning Tai, felt heartbroken. She fought back tears and, when no one was around, stepped forward and softly called out, "Third Brother."
Wan Huqing was so excited when he saw her that he almost cried. When he realized that this was Ming Prison, he hurriedly said, "What are you doing here? Go back quickly!"
"Go back?" Wan Qingling's expression was miserable. "Back to where?" If possible, she didn't want to come to Mingyu. On the way here, she had seen many bloody scenes. The air here was filthy, and everything was filthy and messy, making her feel sick. God knew how much she had endured in order not to lose her composure in front of the Crown Prince. Besides, she came here with the Crown Prince. The things the Crown Prince had instructed her to do were not yet completed. Where could she go back?
Wan Huqing was also stunned. Yes! Where to go back? The Bo Mansion had been confiscated because of him. They no longer had a home.
"That..." Ning Tai coughed lightly after seeing both sides were silent for a long time, "You two brothers and sisters must have a lot to talk about, so I will take my men to leave for now." After saying that, he gave Wan Qingling a meaningful look and left with his men.
"Qingling, have you asked the prince for help? Does the prince have a way to save me and our uncle's mansion?" After Ning Taicai left with his men, Wan Huqing asked anxiously.
"Yes, yes, it is..." Although she had promised Ning Tai earlier, Wan Qingling still hesitated when it came to putting the blame on that person.
"Hurry up and tell me!" Wan Huqing almost roared, "This is really not a place for people to stay. If I stay here any longer, I will go crazy! I will die!" He then said, "I don't know how father and mother are doing? My eldest brother is so weak, I don't know if he can hold on?" He did not take into account Wan Hesu, the strongest person in the family.
Wan Qingling was more worried about his parents and brothers than he was. She hardened her heart and told Wan Huqing the method Ning Tai had given her.
Wan Huqing also became hesitant after hearing this. He murmured, "Is this okay? Will it harm many innocent people?"
"I don't know either." Wan Qingling shook her head. If possible, she didn't want to ask her third brother to do that.
Wan Huqing thought for a long time, and finally nodded heavily, "I know what to do, so please don't get involved in this anymore."
"Okay, I'll listen to Third Brother."
"By the way, how's your case going?" Thinking that she was implicated by him, Wan Huqing felt a little embarrassed to ask.
"I'm fine, third brother, don't worry about me anymore." After learning that the prince had woken up, Empress Pei fulfilled her previous promise and asked the emperor for grace to confer her the title of Fengyi. Although she was the lowest-ranking concubine in the Eastern Palace, fortunately she had a rank, a salary, could have two palace maids to serve her, and could be included in the royal jade book.
But this is far from enough for her, she must take back everything that belongs to her.
Having completed the tasks assigned by the Crown Prince, Wan Qingling withdrew. As for how they had conspired, she knew nothing. But even if she hadn't asked Ning Tai, she would have known the outcome three days later.
The author has something to say:
Please help discuss how the heroine dealt with her family.
Viewpoint 1: The heroine was born with a transmigration, and everyone in the Bo Mansion is her blood relative. She cannot be truly heartless and unrighteous, otherwise she would be cold-blooded.
Viewpoint 2: The people in the Bo Mansion repeatedly hurt the heroine, and at the critical moment, they took out the adopted daughter and dragged the heroine into the water. They should completely break off the relationship, otherwise they would be saints.
I would like to discuss the above with you all. If you have any ideas, you can leave a message in the comment area. I will also consider everyone's opinions and then decide on the development of the subsequent story.
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