When she heard it was Qinfang, Liu Zhaoyi's face turned pale in an instant.
The Queen rolled her eyes and immediately understood what was going on. She said calmly, "Liu Zhaoyi, Qinfang is your servant. Do you know why she would go to Taiye Lake at this time?"
Liu Zhaoyi swallowed and said helplessly, "To answer the Empress, Qinfang caught a cold a few days ago, so I told her to rest inside. As for why she appeared in Taiye Lake, I, I really don't know."
The Queen nodded and asked Xiang De'an, "Have you found out the cause of death?"
"Reporting to the Queen, it has been raining a lot these past few days, and a lot of moss has grown on the banks of Taiye Lake. The people from the Shanggong Bureau have already come and said that Miss Qinfang accidentally stepped on the moss and slipped, hitting the back of her head on a rock, which led to her drowning in Taiye Lake."
"It rains a lot in spring, so we should be careful. De'an, tell the palace servants in the imperial garden to be extra careful, especially cleaning up the newly grown moss."
"Yes, I obey your order."
The Queen nodded and instructed Liu Zhaoyi, "Qinfang was your maid and served you wholeheartedly in the past. I will leave her funeral arrangements to you. In addition, I will give her an extra fifty taels of silver to her mother's family to fulfill the master-servant relationship between you and her."
"Yes, I thank you for your grace on behalf of Qinfang."
After leaving Fengqi Palace, Peirong watched as Liu Zhaoyi boarded the warm sedan chair and departed. Then she sighed, "Your Majesty, I saw Qinfang at the Shanggong Bureau a few days ago. How could she have died in Taiye Lake today?"
Fu Qianyu raised her hand to adjust the jade beads hanging on her temples and said slowly, "Who in the world do you think has the ability to end a person's life so quietly?"
Peirong shuddered when she heard this and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty?"
Just as the Queen said, Zhao Yuancheng knew who had harmed the Imperial Concubine, but due to the current situation, he couldn't take action.
Killing Qinfang was just a warning to Liu Zhaoyi.
Another reason is that Qinfang was Liu Zhaoyi's personal dowry. Without her, Liu Zhaoyi would always feel a little inconvenienced.
The weather was good today, so Fu Qianyu abandoned the warm sedan chair and walked all the way back to Huayang Palace.
Just as they passed the Bifang Pavilion, a palace maid suddenly jumped out from behind the rockery. They were both startled. Peirong quickly protected Fu Qianyu and scolded, "Who dares to block the way of the Concubine Zhaoyi?"
"My lady, it's me! Don't you recognize me?"
The palace maid kneeling in front of her was thin and pale, but her face looked vaguely familiar to Fu Qianyu.
Peirong recognized her almost immediately and whispered into Fu Qianyu's ear, "My Lady, this is Cui'er who served you in the past."
After being reminded, Fu Qianyu finally remembered who this maid was. She walked to the pavilion and sat down. Then she asked her with a smile, "Who did I think it was? It's you. Where do you work now?"
Cui Er drooped her face and rubbed her sleeves awkwardly, "To answer your Majesty, this servant is now working in the flower room."
"The flower house, although a bit tiring, is not a bad place to be. However, seeing how you look now, I know that your life is not going well."
Cui Er knelt and crawled to Fu Qianyu, "Please, Madam, save this servant."
Peirong frowned, subconsciously standing in front of her master, and said unhappily, "You were the one who begged to leave in the beginning, and now you're begging the queen? Cui'er, what do you think your master is?"
"Cui'er, I told you before that as long as you left Yunyan Pavilion, your future glory and wealth would have nothing to do with me. Now you are no longer my slave, so I can no longer be your master."
"My Lady, I was blinded by greed that day and made a terrible mistake. Now I am being treated harshly by Madam Zhao every day in the Flower Room. I am living a life worse than death."
Cui'er cried and kowtowed to Fu Qianyu continuously, and even rolled up her sleeves. Her skinny arms were covered with scars of all sizes, without a single piece of good skin, and it was a horrible sight.
But Fu Qianyu didn't even look at Cui'er's pity until she accidentally saw Xia Shi walking with the eldest princess in her arms not far away.
Yes, she and Xia’s accounts are still clear.
"I can help you leave the greenhouse."
Peirong became anxious when she heard this. Just as she was about to speak, Fu Qianyu raised her hand to stop her. "But you have to help me complete a task. After that, you can't stay in the palace either. Are you willing?"
Cui Er was eager to leave this cannibalistic place as soon as possible and nodded repeatedly: "As long as I can escape from this sea of suffering, I am willing to do anything."
Fu Qianyu smiled and said, "You can go back first. I will notify you when I need you."
"Yes, thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
After Cui'er left, Peirong said anxiously, "My Lady, Cui'er is a treacherous person. How dare you still use her?"
"So, I didn't agree to her right away. During this time, you should ask Xiao Guizi to keep a close eye on her. After you're sure she's okay, I'll consider whether to help her or not."
Peirong heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this, "It's good that your Majesty understands."
In the evening, the Shangqin Bureau came to deliver the message that the emperor had turned over the sign of Huayang Palace tonight.
Fu Qianyu asked someone to review the rewards and then prepare to welcome the emperor.
At half past the hour of Xu, the imperial sedan chair came to a steady stop outside Huayang Palace. When Zhao Yuancheng was helped down from the sedan chair, Fu Qianyu was already smiling and greeted him, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the emperor."
"No need to be polite."
Zhao Yuancheng held Fu Qianyu's slightly cool fingertips and frowned, "Why are your hands so cold? Have you been waiting for too long? It's all my fault. I forgot the time after reviewing a few memorials."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com