Chapter 45 045 The fact that she could still deceive him was a kind of exception...
Whether it's An Shulan or Miss Fang, their fates are probably not good for them in this life.
The world is too harsh on women. The emperor and the eldest prince are still living well, and none of this has caused any ripples in their lives.
After the rollercoaster of emotions, Qingli was already drowsy and murmured, "What is this surprise you mentioned?"
"We'll know tomorrow." Ling Shuyao chuckled, the thrill of revenge keeping her awake almost all night.
But she's not the only one destined to be sleepless tonight.
In the Phoenix Palace, the Empress sat upright on her chair, coldly silent, the room deathly still, save for the rustling sound of someone adjusting their clothes.
The eldest prince didn't think this was a big deal; it was just that someone had discovered it. He was the eldest son of the Empress, holding both the positions of legitimate heir and legitimate heir. His only flaw was his moral character, which didn't affect the overall situation.
"Mother, why do you look at your son like that?"
"It's because you've ruined the smooth road ahead of you."
The eldest prince scoffed, "Mother, you're exaggerating. A romantic affair is nothing more than a few words after a hundred years. Why make such a big deal out of it?"
The Empress sneered twice, it was hard to tell whether he was too arrogant or had a well-thought-out plan.
"The number of beauties in the harem—including the principal wife, secondary wives, concubines, and favored concubines—is countless, even more than in the palace. No matter what you think, you should restrain yourself now. Being attacked by the censor will become a handle against you."
The eldest prince did not respond, but instead rubbed the teacup lid between his fingers, making a sizzling sound that made the empress frown even more, and she shouted angrily, "That's enough!"
The shrill sound stopped, and the eldest prince patted his brocade robe and stood up, saying, "Mother, why are you so cautious? As long as I don't offend Father, everything will fall into place naturally."
The Empress sighed and remained silent, then told him to go and rest.
The maid Wangyue comforted her, "Your Highness, please take care of yourself."
The Empress waved her hand. Having been so scathingly rebuked by the Emperor in front of everyone, her subordinates were practically treating her like a fool. What use was her body then? "Has the matter been thoroughly investigated?"
Thinking of the bloody scene just now, and the cries for justice still seemed to echo in her ears, Wangyue lowered her voice and replied word by word, "It was a servant below who acted rashly. Bei Shun in the Cold Palace wanted to climb the social ladder. He happened to hear that Consort De had arranged a banquet, so he set his sights on it."
"idiot!"
I don't know who they were cursing.
"Bei Shunpan got involved with Xiao Anzi over there, but the banknotes are on him, and there's no proof or evidence, so it's hard to say."
"Tomorrow, send that person from the An family back to their residence."
"Consort De and the eldest princess were outside apologizing, and I let them go back."
As Wangyue reported, she noticed the impatience on the Empress's face and immediately got to the point, "This servant inspected the artificial hill; it's excessively clean inside. Da... and... have already..."
Wang Yue's words were difficult, and the Empress understood them. She couldn't help but sneer. As the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. She knew her son well; he was arrogant and thought the world was as easy as taking something out of a bag. She couldn't immediately guess whether there was any hidden story behind this.
If someone really was behind this, she would admire their shrewd methods.
"Give the order to cancel all banquets, and for the entire palace to remain closed and introspect. Anyone who wanders around without permission will be executed."
Wang Yue tensed up and bent down in response.
The next day, a blanket of snow fell, and as far as the eye could see, everything was covered in white.
The palace seemed to fall silent all at once, the hustle and bustle of the past few days vanishing like bubbles. However, rumors were secretly circulating in the palace that a palace maid had seen guards flying out of Manyue Palace at night.
The calmer and more austere the surface, the more excited and active the interior.
The news spread like wildfire, even reaching outside the palace.
The eldest princess refused to accept such filthy water and pushed Feng Yuchan out directly. She even had the palace maid examine her body and confirmed that she had indeed lost her virginity. Feng Yuchan seemed to be in a daze and was manipulated at will. It wasn't until she returned to the mansion that she burst into tears, cursing the eldest princess for being ruthless and poisoning people.
Feng Wuxiu only gave Feng Yuchan sleeping pills every day, and she seemed to have aged ten years overnight, sitting in the study pondering.
Having heard these rumors over the past few days, Qing Li knew what Lu Yunye and Ling Shuyao were up to. She was secretly alarmed by Lu Yunye's audacity. Of course, Ling Shuyao was no coward either. If the two of them met again, they might really cause a major incident.
But how did these rumors, as swift as the wind, spread so quickly?
On the third night after Qingli stayed at Yingcui Palace, Yujue sent her back to Jingsi Palace. Huaying Mama and Jiang Yue both breathed a long sigh of relief and exclaimed in unison, "Oh God!"
Before Qingli could even smile, she saw Meng Qingshan, bathed in the orange-yellow light of the hall, remove his cold armor and reveal a moon-white brocade robe. A book lay beside him. Was he not on duty? Was he so free, or was he going to settle old scores?
Meng Qingshan felt a pang of anger at her docile appearance. After thinking for a moment, he found himself speechless and could only manage a bitter smile.
She's really capable.
Well, Meng Qingshan comforted himself, thinking that the fact that she could still deceive him was a kind of alternative.
How have you been these past few days?
"Everything is fine."
Seeing the light pink hue beneath her fair skin, like delicate peach blossoms exuding a gentle fragrance, Meng Qingshan's worries of the past few days subsided. "Was there anything amiss at Yingcui Palace?"
Qingli was about to say that nothing was wrong, but seeing his gaze fixed on her, she stood there and turned around, saying, "Yingcui Palace is not a place of fire and water, and Consort Mu is very kind."
Having learned from past mistakes, Meng Qingshan dared not speculate about others in front of her, lest he invite her ridicule. It was good that she was alright; he would be more careful in the future, but he still needed to leave this place as soon as possible.
Meng Qingshan gave her another long and detailed lecture, his words swirling around her ears before disappearing into the air. On the surface, she seemed to be listening attentively, but Meng Qingshan knew her too well, and she twitched her nose three times, showing extreme impatience.
"If anything happens, have Granny Huaying go to the duty room to look for the person."
"Okay." Qingli readily agreed and was about to see him out when he stopped her, saying, "It's cold outside."
Jiang Yue hadn't seen her mistress for several days and, fearing Meng Qingshan's imposing presence, dared not approach her. At this moment, she hovered around Qing Li like a little bee.
A hesitant voice came from outside the door, "Miss Qingli, my young lady requests an audience."
Both Hua Ying and Jiang Yue looked at her. Since moving into Jing Si Palace, they had kept to themselves and Miss An. Besides, Miss An usually mocked them, and now that she had done such a thing, it was unlikely that her request to see them now would bring any good news.
Qingli paused for a moment, then ordered Jiang Yue to open the door.
Xuezhi, dressed in a thin dress, kept shifting her feet from side to side. Under the hexagonal palace lanterns hanging from the eaves, symbolizing good fortune and longevity, was an exceptionally thin figure with strikingly prominent eyes that revealed an undisguised gloom.
"Miss An, you've come to the wrong place seeking revenge."
Qingli and An Shulan had no past grudges or recent animosity, and she had no patience to endure An Shulan's unwarranted anger.
Xuezhi glanced at the young lady behind her, then bent down apologetically and said, "Miss Qingli, you are joking. It is because the young lady is leaving the palace tomorrow that she came to talk to you."
An Shulan's eyes lit up when she saw Xuezhi bowing and scraping. She stepped straight in, and Xuezhi smiled shyly and followed her into the room. They chose a spot near the brazier, and the two of them sat and stood.
After a moment, the abnormal blush on her face slowly faded. An Shulan looked around the room. The candlelight flickered, the gauze curtains hung lightly, the brocade quilts were piled up, and the incense burner and porcelain vase were all exquisite and perfectly arranged.
Who could have imagined that such drastically different circumstances would exist within the same hall?
An Shulan's occasional sneers made her already sharp face appear even more cruel. Finally, her gaze settled on An Shulan's face. Her bright eyes were kind and her face was calm and composed, making people want to get closer. However, the jealousy that surged up almost drove her crazy.
"I have a deal to make. I wonder if Miss Qingli would be interested?"
“Miss An, just say what you want to say. I’m sure you don’t have time to beat around the bush.”
"you..."
"Jiang Yue, see the guest out."
Despite her current predicament, An Shulan remains arrogant. She chose her own path, and I have no desire to be a know-it-all. I have no interest in dealing with her.
“Well done... Qingli…” An Shulan looked at her with a rather imposing scrutiny and lowered her arrogance. “I have some information that can save my brother’s life.”
"Heh... Miss An, you overestimate me."
“You don’t have it, but Meng Qingshan does.”
"You can go directly to find Meng Qingshan."
An Shulan was rendered speechless by her rebuttals. She couldn't say that she had been instructed by someone to harm her, but each attempt ended in failure. She later realized that Meng Qingshan had simply dealt with it. Given Meng Qingshan's ruthless nature, she probably wished that the siblings were dead. Therefore, she was the only one who could be blamed for this.
A soft cough came from behind her. An Shulan suppressed her anger and said, "I have fallen to this state simply because I made a wrong move. I did it all to save my brother's life. If we hadn't been in dire straits, I would never have let you know about this. My brother's crimes are unforgivable, but I only ask that you spare his life."
“Those people are ruthless and heartless; I don’t trust them.”
Qingli was speechless after hearing these words, and asked in return, "Then how can I be trusted?"
An Shulan did not answer, but said only, "Meng Qingshan was seriously injured in the camp outside the capital. I know why."
Tonight was the first time Qingli had looked at him properly. Back then, Meng Qingshan was seriously injured, and the matter was left unresolved. The palace even used this as an excuse to summon her to the palace, the intention of appeasement was too obvious. Meng Qingshan, who was usually ruthless, actually kept quiet. She guessed that there must be something more to it.
"Okay," she replied immediately.
"Don't we need to ask Meng Qingshan?" An Shulan asked in surprise, then suddenly realized what she meant and continued, "Back then, the Imperial Guards searched the mansion under the pretext that my brother was involved in selling official positions, but the real purpose was to investigate this."
An Shulan took out a letter from her sleeve, which was covered with densely packed amounts of silver coins and stamped with a seal. Qingli was shocked when she glanced at it.
An Shulan seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden, greedily absorbing the warmth in the room. Looking at her even more beautiful face under the lamplight, her heart ached unbearably. She hurriedly walked to the door as if fleeing, put her hand on the door frame, and threw down the words, "Qingli, I can't compare to you. The only difference is that you have Meng Qingshan. If you were to fall into a situation like mine, all alone and helpless, you might not be any better off than me."
The door was pulled open, and a cold wind howled into the room. Seeing that her young mistress's expression was indifferent and the joy on her face slowly faded, Granny Hua Ying couldn't help but scold, "Still so arrogant at a time like this."
Qingli came to her senses. She wasn't provoked by those words, because she had chosen her own path. She was willing to deliberately get close to the Emperor, and if she succeeded, she would surely look like a smug villain.
She cannot erase her past, but why engage in internal strife and doubt? She always saved herself when she was in trouble, so why would she think she was inferior to anyone else?
She had accepted a difficult task. She was filled with resentment because of his injury, and now that she knew who was behind it all, she couldn't hold back anymore. But how could she tell him?
Was it a momentary impulse to avenge him?
After calming down, she realized it was a hot potato. Oh well, everyone assumed she had Meng Qingshan, so she decided to just throw him to him. At worst, she'd still have Meng Qingshan behind her.
I'd better write a letter to my grandfather and then have my aunt keep an eye on things so I can feel more at ease.
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