The noisy room fell silent again. Zhao Yuancheng hugged Fu Qianyu and sighed, "It's a good thing we had Concubine Wan to help us today. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous."
Fu Qianyu remained silent, leaning quietly against Zhao Yuancheng's chest. After a long while, she spoke, "Your Majesty, what are your plans for Concubine Xi's matter?"
Seeing that Zhao Yuancheng remained silent, Fu Qianyu roughly guessed what he was thinking.
General Yun had just won a victory, and the border seemed stable, but there was still some finishing work left, regardless of whether it was done by Concubine Xi or not.
Zhao Yuancheng could not punish Concubine Xi because too many people handled the flowers in the greenhouse, and the house arrest was just an excuse. After a long time, the matter would be left unresolved.
Fu Qianyu sat up straight and looked at Zhao Yuancheng gently, "Your Majesty, may I ask for your mercy?"
"Just what you say."
"I wasn't hurt at all. The Yun family has returned victorious. Punishing Concubine Xi at this time would only discourage the soldiers on the front lines."
Zhao Yuancheng's face showed a slight relief. He reached out again and hugged the person close to his arms, saying softly, "It's amazing that you are so sensible."
"I have served you for many years. Even if I say something disrespectful, I know your feelings and am well aware of your difficulties."
Zhao Yuancheng's voice became gentler. "Don't worry, I will send people to carefully check the food, clothing and other expenses of Huayang Palace from now on. What happened today will never happen again."
"With my husband by my side, I am not afraid of anything."
After sitting for a while, De'an came in and reported that the Grand Councilor wanted to see him on important matters. Only then did Zhao Yuancheng leave Huayang Palace.
Not long after, Haining came in, kneeling on the ground and apologizing, "Today's matter is all due to my negligence. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
"Since you are indeed guilty, I will fine you one month's salary as punishment."
Haining breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to the physical pain, being punished with one month's salary was nothing. He kowtowed again before slowly standing up.
Peirong recalled the unclear words Fu Qianyu had said earlier and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, you just said that Concubine Wan's arrival was a coincidence. I really don't understand what you meant by that."
Fu Qianyu slowly sipped her honey tea before speaking slowly, "I think Wan Jieyu's arrival today was too coincidental. Haining understands medicine and is so cautious, but she didn't notice the chrysanthemum was unusual. How come she discovered it so timely?"
Peirong thought about it and said fearfully, "You mean, maybe Concubine Wan did this?"
Fu Qianyu didn't answer. She just raised her hand and slowly stroked the intricate embroidery on her lapel, then asked Haining, "Is there any news from Fang'er?"
Haining replied, "I just went to see Fang'er. Fang'er said that last night, Yun'er and Yuzhui, who were with Consort Liu, also went to the flower room. They said that the emperor had been suffering from a fever these past few days, so Consort Liu asked Aunt Cai in the flower room for some fine green chrysanthemums to make tea for the emperor."
Ling Yun exclaimed, "That's strange. If someone from Qiulan Palace had been to the greenhouse, why didn't Aunt Zhang tell her just now?"
Fu Xiyu thought for a moment and sneered, "Someone must have made advance arrangements."
"What does the Queen mean?"
Fu Qianyu tapped the tabletop slowly with her fingers and said slowly, "If my guess is correct, the person who poisoned me was naturally Liu Zhaoyi. As for why Nanny Zhang deliberately concealed this matter, it was because that person didn't expect it to be exposed so quickly. He had no choice but to change his mind at the last minute."
Ling Yun felt a chill on her back. "You mean, besides Liu Zhaoyi, there's someone else manipulating all this behind the scenes?"
Fu Qianyu closed her eyes and thought for a while, and suddenly someone came to her mind, "The Queen!"
Hearing these two words, everyone in the room was stunned.
"The Queen is the mistress of the six palaces. Every move of everyone in the harem is under her watch. Although Aunt Cai is a bit greedy, she is definitely not such a careless person. To be able to put such dirty things in there under her nose, she must have been instructed by someone to turn a blind eye."
Fu Qianyu stroked the gleaming white jade bracelet on her wrist and sneered, "Perhaps the Queen already knows about my pregnancy. Concubine Liu has given birth to the Second Prince. Both me and Concubine Liu are mortal threats to her. She's doing this simply to see me and Concubine Liu kill each other. She just didn't expect Concubine Wan to suddenly show up and act like a ruthless villain."
Peirong frowned, "But I still don't understand. If the Queen deliberately allowed Concubine Liu to poison you, why didn't she let Nanny Zhang tell everything? If she can't kill two birds with one stone, it would be better to get rid of one of them."
Fu Qianyu sneered slightly, "If Aunt Zhang had confessed Liu Zhaoyi's crimes back then, given the Imperial Concubine's past, the Emperor would have ordered a thorough investigation, and by following the clues, he would have found the Empress as well."
Lingyun nodded, as if she understood the complexities involved. "The Yun family has made great military achievements, and the Empress is certain that the Emperor won't punish Concubine Xi severely, so she's simply putting the blame on Concubine Xi."
"In this way, she can not only clear herself of all charges, but also win over Xibin."
The long armor jingled against the lotus-shaped blue and white teacup. Fu Qianyu snorted softly, "Just now, when Concubine Xi was being questioned, the Empress spoke up for her. Wasn't she filled with gratitude?"
Peirong said angrily, "Your Majesty, Concubine Liu has already harmed you once. Although she failed this time, it shows that she has a vicious mind. Are we still going to continue to endure it?"
Fu Qianyu had a faint smile on her lips: "Haining, how is the investigation going on with the matter I asked you to investigate?"
"I was just about to reply."
Hai Ning bowed and explained in detail, "I have thoroughly investigated Consort Liu's family. I heard that before she entered the palace, she had a childhood sweetheart named Pei Xuan. They were even discussing marriage, but who would have thought that Consort Liu would cut ties and resolutely choose to enter the palace as a concubine? Most importantly, Pei Xuan is not only talented and handsome, but also very ambitious. He passed the imperial examination three years ago and is currently preparing for next year's major exam."
Peirong sneered, "To abandon her childhood sweetheart for fame and fortune, Concubine Liu is truly hard-hearted."
"That's interesting."
Fu Qianyu's eyes narrowed slightly as she smiled softly, "Don't act rashly about this matter for now. Just pretend you know nothing. Just quietly let Concubine Xi know that someone from Qiulan Palace had been to the greenhouse. As for Concubine Wan, no matter what her intentions are, she's clearly helping me. Peirong, go to the warehouse and pick out some goodies to send to Lanyue Pavilion. Say you'll come in person to thank me when I'm better."
"Yes, I've made note of it."
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