Chapter 76 076 Identity in the Ming Dynasty
"It's been a long time since we've had any happy events in our palace. Now that the eldest princess and the second princess have married, it's time for the second prince and the fourth prince to choose their consorts."
"I'm sorry to trouble Your Majesty. The matter of the Second Prince must be decided by His Majesty."
Consort Liu immediately retorted and leaned back listlessly in her armchair.
Consort Mu remained aloof, and the Empress chuckled twice at the sight.
Consort Liu was troubled. After the Second Prince was ordered back to his residence by the Emperor, he was even guarded by the Imperial Guards, which was obviously a precaution. She had been refused an audience with the Emperor. At this critical moment, she had no one she could use. Consort Liu was anxious and irritable. Suddenly, she remembered that she had a trump card. Instantly, she calmed down. "When the noble ladies of the capital gather, we should choose carefully."
A moment of silence fell; no one could understand how quickly Consort Liu's mood had changed.
The empress scoffed and did not reply.
Consort Mu said, "That should be the case."
Now everyone was even more surprised. They pulled their gazes away from the young lady and, like cats smelling fish, crowded around, chattering and trying to make a good impression.
The eldest princess listened to what was said in her ear for a long time, and looked at Qingli standing at the end. The colorful flowers and willows in front of her did not diminish her beauty at all, but instead made her look exceptionally beautiful.
The eldest princess snorted inwardly. She was married off to a foreign land and would never be able to return to the capital in this lifetime. Naturally, she should take revenge for her grudges and settle her scores. Right now, there was only one thing left: Qing Li. It could be said that the eldest princess had never given up on causing trouble, but Meng Qingshan had blocked everything and had not been able to harm her in the slightest.
The eldest princess gave a signal with her eyes, and the two young ladies circled around behind Qingli. By the time she realized it, she was already surrounded.
Qingli coldly questioned, "Princess, what is the meaning of this!"
The eldest princess twirled the green bracelet on her wrist, glanced at it sideways, and said, "What does this have to do with me?"
The second princess tried to pull Qingli behind her, but the eldest princess intervened, turning the second princess aside and shoving her impatiently, "Go over there."
Before the second princess could resist, she was dragged to one side by the eldest princess and the other young ladies.
Qingli was behind a tree, and could only hear the Second Princess's scolding voice and a buzzing sound in the distance. She sized up the two people standing in front of her; they weren't exactly unfamiliar, but she didn't know whose young ladies they were. Her mind raced, trying to determine whether she was calling for attention or...
"Hiss!" Qingli couldn't help but cry out, instinctively pulling her arm back, but to her surprise, her arm was tightly gripped and she couldn't move it. Her fingers pinched and pulled at small pieces of flesh, and her forehead was instantly covered in sweat.
The two men reached out and touched her body. Qingli cursed the eldest princess for being insane and having no regard for dignity. Qingli instinctively cried out for help.
"What are you doing!" a sweet voice called from behind.
The two young women were not well-liked at home, but they had finally managed to climb up to the eldest princess's high branch. They had received many benefits these days. With the eldest princess's word, the humiliation they had suffered in the past was suppressed in their hearts and was instantly turned on others, which made them feel indescribably comfortable.
But a shout brought them back to reality in an instant. When they saw the person who came, their hands dropped abruptly, and they immediately knelt on the ground, trembling. They stammered a few times, only managing to touch their lower lip with their upper lip, unable to utter a sound.
A jade pendant rolled to Cheng Shuyuan's feet, cracking with a crisp sound. The maid picked it up, and Cheng Shuyuan took it, looking regretful. "It was such a fine piece of jade, and it's broken like this."
Cheng Shuyuan's face showed slight anger as she said unhappily, "Is this how a young lady raised in a prestigious family bullies people?"
The two women trembled, unable to answer. They exchanged a glance and stammered, "Your Majesty, spare us! We were just joking."
"No joking around, you can't pinch someone!"
Emperor Mingkang's irritability, which had just subsided, was stirred up again, and his displeasure was revealed. The two young ladies were already paralyzed with fear on the ground. Looking at the one in the middle, Emperor Mingkang had a strong impression of her because of her resemblance to an old friend. She was Commander Meng's cousin.
"You tell me!"
Emperor Mingkang pointed at Qingli. Qingli glanced at the jade pendant in Cheng Shuyuan's hand and sneered inwardly. The high and mighty monarch was used to playing the trick of asking questions he already knew the answer to. The eldest prince did it, the eldest princess did it, the grandfather did it, and this matter was the same. He was high and mighty, asking questions on the surface, but in reality, he was warning her not to cause trouble.
If it were someone else in this situation, they would definitely try to cover it up.
Dressed in green, Qingli stood straight and stated each word clearly, "The eldest princess instructed two people to surround and push each other, but as for the reason... I don't know."
The rustling footsteps behind them fell silent for a moment, followed by gasps. Everyone turned pale, and the courtyard was quiet. Some marveled at the woman's boldness, while others lamented her ignorance.
The eldest princess arrogantly replied, "What does this have to do with me? Don't spout nonsense!"
"Eldest sister didn't do it herself, but you gave the order!" The second princess said coldly, looking at the eldest princess. "We're both princesses, so whatever you say, I'll say too."
"She's quite cunning; she even fooled her younger sister."
"I know very well who is playing tricks."
"you..."
"Enough!" the Empress shouted. A princess, a dignified woman, had made such a fool of herself for someone of lowly status. As the head of the harem, it was only right for her to speak up and stop it.
When Consort Liu saw Emperor Mingkang, she wished she could rush up and cry her heart out. However, since the Empress wanted to quell the incident in front of everyone, Consort Liu decided to do the opposite and win over Qingli. She believed that Meng Qingshan would remember this favor. "Your Majesty, although this is a matter between young girls, such a vicious act must be judged!"
The Empress's face turned cold, and she cursed the fools in her heart. She then ordered the people behind her, "The time has come. You may all go."
Consort Liu was about to say more when the Empress interrupted her, saying, "Help Consort Liu to go and rest."
Two maids stepped forward and flanked Consort Liu, while Consort Liu's maids and nannies pushed and shoved, and the palace road, which had just calmed down, instantly became noisy again.
Emperor Mingkang glared at the Empress, who stared at Consort Liu, trying to suppress her. She didn't see Emperor Mingkang's displeasure. Emperor Mingkang was annoyed. He suddenly saw Consort Liu step forward to help Qingli up and pat her with heartache, saying, "Your jade is broken."
Liu Shuyuan held the jade in her palm, revealing it brightly; its appearance was unique and distinctive.
The air tightened instantly, and everyone's eyes were drawn to the jade. Even Consort Liu rushed forward, trembling as she pieced it together, her eyes scanning Qing Li with terror.
Qingli's heart pounded like a drum, her expression a mix of fear, curiosity, amazement, and indifference. Each person's expression was different and full of meaning. Qingli seemed like an outsider, calmly numb. The identity she had longed for, the identity of the Ming Dynasty, had finally come true. Along with the joy came the sharp pain of her parents' tragic deaths.
She suppressed her emotions, looking at Cheng Shuyuan with a puzzled expression, her eyes filled with shock and lingering fear from the earlier ordeal, appearing innocent and pitiful.
The child who had been missing for many years was right in front of me; it was truly a cruel twist of fate.
Her aunt was a concubine, her grandfather was a great Confucian scholar, and she was the direct granddaughter of the Huang family. She could do whatever she wanted in the capital, yet this noble lady mocked her for her lowly birth. It was simply laughable.
"Li'er." Consort Mu seemed to finally come to her senses. She stepped forward, took the jade in her hand, hugged Qingli tightly, looked up at Emperor Mingkang with tears streaming down her face, and sobbed, "Your Majesty... this is my brother and sister-in-law's child!"
Emperor Mingkang's gaze swept across the room, his eyes lowered, and his eyes held an inscrutable meaning. "This matter is of great importance. Do not make a fuss about it for now. Do not let Minister Huang experience extreme joy or sorrow. Empress, Consort Mu, you two handle this matter well."
Emperor Mingkang turned and left without even glancing at Consort Cheng.
The Empress scoffed, "What a clever scheme!"
The words swirled in everyone's ears and struck their hearts; since no names were mentioned, everyone had different thoughts.
The Empress walked past Consort Liu, staring intently at Qingli, and finally cursed, "Fool!"
A moment later, the Empress's head maidservant walked up to Qingli and said, "Miss Qingli, please come with me."
Although the second princess hadn't yet recovered from the joy of finding her cousin, she immediately stood in front of Qingli when she saw someone trying to take her away, asking, "What are you doing!"
The maidservant curtsied and said respectfully, "Your Highness, the Empress has been ordered by His Majesty to verify Miss Qingli's identity. I understand your feelings, but it is a good thing for Miss Qingli to have a legitimate identity. What do you think?"
The second princess didn't believe it.
Qingli squeezed the Second Princess's hand to reassure her, "Listen to Your Majesty."
Ling Shuyao pouted, reluctant to let go, her clothes being tugged. No wonder she liked her so much; it turned out they were cousins, a match made in heaven.
"Don't worry, I've laid out the whole story here. The truth can't be hidden, and the falsehood can't be made true. Rather than being vague, it's better to investigate thoroughly so I can feel at ease."
Her two soft and gentle words sent chills down everyone's spines, and their faces couldn't help but turn serious. Such composure was unlike that of a girl from the countryside.
The more everyone thought about it, the more shocked they became. How could a mere ignorant young lady be the cousin of Commander Meng, who was by his side? They were childhood sweethearts, and many people's eyes changed as they looked at her.
Unaware of the outsiders' probing, Qingli comforted the Second Princess and bowed before Consort Mu.
"Go, child."
The banquet, which was originally lively, is now in complete chaos due to a series of events. The eldest princess, who originally intended to take revenge, has instead become the catalyst for revealing her true identity. The eldest princess is furious but has nowhere to vent her anger, and she is barely suppressing it as she is on the verge of losing her mind.
Consort Liu also lost her mind, returning to Qichun Palace in a daze.
"Your Highness!" Granny Luo quickly caught Consort Liu, who was about to fall to the ground, and comforted her, "Your Highness, it's not a done deal yet."
Consort Liu felt an unprecedented panic, as if she were walking on water and about to drown in the abyss. Suddenly, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she tightly gripped Luo Mama's hand, "It's her, it's her."
"We clearly checked..."
"It's Meng Qingshan..."
Granny Luo's face paled, and she blurted out, "He knew all along?! They were..."
"impossible!"
Consort Liu's expression changed repeatedly. So many years have passed, who can really say for sure what happened back then!
Inside a room at the Dali Temple, all was silent except for the occasional suppressed, deep cough, heavy and disordered.
Although the Dali Temple did not resort to severe torture to extract a confession from him, the damp and stuffy prison caused Huang Pu to suffer from his old ailment, coughing more and turning his face bluish-purple.
After the sound of water, a cup was pushed in front of him. Huang Pu drank it down, his voice still hoarse after being moistened, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
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