The next morning, while Fu Qianyu was still having breakfast, Xiao Guizi brought in the news that Liu had died suddenly the previous night.
Along with her came people from the Zichen Palace, who came to pass on a message, asking her to go there immediately.
Fu Qianyu knew why the emperor was looking for her, but she still pretended to know nothing. After changing her clothes, she headed towards the Zichen Palace.
When I arrived at the palace gate, I happened to meet the imperial concubine.
Since raising the third princess, the imperial concubine rarely goes out and is in better spirits than before.
The two men didn't say much. After greeting each other, they walked towards the main hall one after the other.
As soon as I entered the door, I saw a man covered in wounds and blood kneeling on the ground. Zhao Yuancheng sat at the head with a serious look in his eyes.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
"Sit down."
The two sat separately. Fu Qianyu was helped to sit down when she heard Zhao Yuancheng say, "Noble Concubine, you have become much calmer since you raised Duanshu. But I also know that you have always resented Concubine Yi for taking away your right to be a mother. I called you today because I want to explain everything clearly."
Hearing this, the imperial concubine stiffened and her eyes gradually darkened. "Your Majesty, are you saying that there is someone else who harmed me?"
Zhao Yuancheng hummed solemnly and pointed at the maidservant in the hall. "This is Liu's maidservant, named Yun'er. According to her confession, it was Concubine Yue who ordered the maidservant beside you to drug your pregnancy medicine and put the blame on Concubine Yi."
"Why? I have no grudge against her, why does she want to harm me?" The imperial concubine stood up suddenly, her whole body trembling, with overwhelming hatred in her eyes.
Shu Qing stepped forward to support the imperial concubine's shaky body and advised: "Your Majesty, please be careful and take care of yourself."
Zhao Yuancheng smiled faintly, as if he could penetrate people's hearts: "Anyone who harms others is simply because of greed. Please sit down first."
As he spoke, Zhao Yuancheng's cold gaze fell on Yun'er again, "Besides plotting to murder the Imperial Concubine and framing Concubine Yi, what else has Liu done?"
Yun'er's frail body trembled slightly with each breath, and cold sweat dripped down her temples. "And, and there's more, it's about the death of Crown Prince Dechen."
The air was filled with dead silence.
Even Fu Qianyu was a little stunned. The veins on Zhao Yuancheng's forehead bulged as he spoke word by word, "Tell me clearly, what exactly is going on?"
Yun'er took a deep breath and narrated, "After entering the palace, Concubine Yue always wanted the Liu family to leave the merchant clan and even more so, she wanted her son to ascend to the throne of Crown Prince. So she had Master buy a piece of clothing stained with smallpox pus from a family surnamed Zhou in the five counties outside the city at a high price. She then mixed it with the underwear of Crown Prince Dechen's wet nurse, which caused Crown Prince Dechen to contract the smallpox."
"Later, Concubine Yi became pregnant. The Queen was afraid that if Concubine Yi gave birth to a prince, it would threaten the Second Prince's position. So she deliberately instigated the eldest princess, saying that Concubine Yi was responsible for Xia's death. In this way, she hoped to use the eldest princess to get rid of the prince fetus in Concubine Yi's belly!"
"Your Majesty!" The Imperial Concubine's eyes widened in anger as she cried, "Liu is so cruel! If you don't punish her severely, I will never be able to appease my anger."
Zhu Yu responded at the right moment, "Your Majesty, you may not know. Someone from Qiulan Palace came early this morning to report that Concubine Yue died suddenly last night."
The imperial concubine's eyes were filled with bloody hatred. "She did so many evil things, but she still managed to keep her body intact. It's really a bargain for her."
Zhao Yuancheng let out a long sigh: "Anything else?"
Yun'er knelt down and said, "This is all I know."
Zhao Yuancheng smiled lightly and said coldly, "That's all you know. I'm afraid there's more you don't know. Come, drag her away and execute her immediately! Liu is guilty of a heinous crime, plotting to murder the crown prince. She must be executed and sent to the Liu family! The head of the Liu family is an accomplice to the tyrant and must be executed by slow slicing and hung in the streets. He must not be taken down for ten years!"
The emperor was angry and blood flowed thousands of miles.
At the command, eunuchs rushed in from the door and dragged Yun'er away.
Zhu Yu asked about Dong'er again. Zhao Yuancheng thought for a moment and said quietly, "Kill him with a stick immediately. Remember, don't make any noise."
"Yes, I obey your command," Zhu Yu replied, and then asked, "Your Majesty, have you informed the Empress about the matter concerning Crown Prince Dechen?"
Zhao Yuancheng took a deep breath and said slowly, "No need. The Queen is not in good health. If I tell her, it will only make her sad."
Zhu Yu retreated. Fu Qianyu understood that Zhao Yuancheng was still afraid that this matter would be made public and bring disgrace to the royal family.
"My Lady, please go back first. I will come back to see you and Duanshu in two days."
The imperial concubine knew that Zhao Yuancheng and Concubine Yi had something to say, so after paying her respects, she tactfully withdrew.
The main hall door was closed. Fu Qianyu stood up, brought the teacup and placed it in front of Zhao Yuancheng, saying softly, "After saying all this, Your Majesty, please have some tea to moisten your throat."
Zhao Yuancheng rubbed the ring on his thumb and said in a muffled voice, "Yu'er, what do you think about Pei Xuan's matter?"
Fu Qianyu pondered and smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, Pei Xuan is the newly crowned number one scholar, and now he has been chosen as the current imperial consort. If this were to be made public now, I'm afraid it would damage the royal family's reputation."
"What's more, just because Liu has feelings for Pei Xuan doesn't mean Pei Xuan will necessarily love Liu. If we punish Pei Xuan now, not only will we fail to silence the outside world, I'm afraid Concubine Zhao and Princess Yuxian will also ask about it."
Zhao Yuancheng nodded, quite agreeing with Fu Qianyu's words, and sighed, "Pei Xuan's literary talent is truly outstanding."
——
Coming out of Zichen Palace, Fu Qianyu ran into the Imperial Concubine head-on: "Your Majesty, you've worked so hard taking care of the princess, why don't you go back and rest?"
The imperial concubine looked at Fu Qianyu calmly and said gently, "I was wrong to blame you for what happened before."
Fu Qianyu was slightly stunned.
It's such a rare sight to hear an apology from the arrogant concubine.
"Even though your majesty has always held a grudge against me for plotting to murder you, ultimately, you never actually harmed me. What happened back then was an act of insubordination on my part. It's only right that you punish me. What's wrong with that?"
The long street is very quiet.
A gentle spring breeze blew across the imperial concubine's hairpins. She smiled and looked at Fu Qianyu quietly for a long time before smiling at her softly: "In the past, I always resented you for seducing the emperor, but now I think about it, how can I manipulate the emperor's heart?"
"The fact that the Emperor has raised the Third Princess under your wing is proof enough that he has never forgotten you."
The imperial concubine lowered her eyes and thought for a long time. When she raised her eyes again, a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, as elegant as a pale pear blossom. "Thank you."
After saying thank you, the imperial concubine turned and left.
She took only two steps before stopping again, turning to look at Fu Qianyu with a soft gaze. "Although I have invited Consort Hui to live with me, Yongfu Palace is spacious. If you have time, you might as well come and sit down. I don't have anything else good to treat you, but I do have a cup of tea."
Fu Qianyu's brows relaxed. "Good tea must be paired with good fruit. Lingyun's Rouge Hibiscus Pastry is a masterpiece. I'll bring it to the Empress' palace for us to taste together."
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