Chapter 33 This is a serious sin
"My Lady Concubine, Empress Xiuyi is under house arrest. No one is allowed to enter or leave unless they are busy with palace duties or His Majesty's permission. I beg your forgiveness."
The guards at the gate of Qixiang Palace stopped Jiang Yingli.
The afternoon is usually quiet, but today the Qixiang Palace is unusually quiet.
Jiang Yingli looked back, Qiuxia stepped forward and calmly stuffed a whole silver ingot into each of the two guards' hands.
Jiang Yingli said, "I'm not looking for Empress Xiuyi, but I want to have a few words with Zheng Baolin from Xiyan Pavilion. I'll be leaving right after that, in less than a cup of tea."
The two guards looked at each other and stuffed the silver back into Qiuxia's hands intact.
"I am here to guard the place under the order of Your Majesty. Please do not embarrass us, my Lord."
Seeing the guards refused to budge, Lian Qiao stepped forward and argued, "It's Su Xiuyi who's under house arrest, but you're refusing to talk to others. Doesn't that mean Zheng Baolin is under house arrest too? Your Majesty has never issued such an order."
The two guards' expressions relaxed for a moment, but then they said firmly, "Then please ask His Majesty for instructions. We have received orders that no unrelated people are allowed to enter Qixiang Palace and disturb Empress Xiuyi's self-reflection."
His Majesty is busy now, and it will take a long time to ask for instructions. If Zheng Baolin really can't get over it, it will be too late.
Lian Qiao was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves and was about to step forward, as if to say, "Don't force me to slap you."
Qiuxia quickly grabbed her and whispered, "Behave yourself and don't cause trouble for the young master."
Jiang Yingli glanced into the deep palace gate, her heart hardened, she cleared her throat, and pretended to be domineering:
"Your Majesty favors me. I can even enter Changqing Palace, let alone a mere Qixiang Palace. Why would I need to ask for permission? Please give me some convenience. If there are any problems, I will naturally take responsibility. If you delay my conversation, be careful, I will report you to His Majesty!"
The two guards were stunned for a moment.
They also knew the news that had been brought into Qixiang Palace that day. The Concubine Jia in front of them had served them in bed several times and could not be offended easily.
It's Su Xiuyi who's under house arrest, not Zheng Baolin...
"In that case, please go and come back quickly."
When Jiang Yingli heard this, one foot had already stepped into Qixiang Palace.
"Our young master knows what's going on, so you two can rest assured."
Jiang Yingli brought Qiuxia, Lianqiao and Xiao Xiazi and rushed into Qixiang Palace.
Xiyan Pavilion is located in the west wing hall. As soon as Jiang Yingli walked to the front of Xiyan Pavilion, she saw the door tightly closed.
Xiao Xiazi understood and went to open the door, but she didn't expect that the door was locked from the inside.
Seeing this, Lian Qiao and Qiu Xia also went forward to help push the door.
Xiao Xiazi stood up and said, "Move aside, I'll knock on the door."
Qiuxia and Lianqiao moved to the sides a little, and Xiao Xiazi hit the door panel with all her strength.
After a loud bang, the door panel collapsed, and the scene inside the house made people's hair stand on end.
"Ah——" Lian Qiao let out a short scream.
Qiuxia quickly covered Jiang Yingli's eyes, "My lady, don't look! Xiaoxia, block it!"
The door was broken open so suddenly that Jiang Yingli saw the scattered embroidered shoes on the ground, the dangling feet, and the skirt floating in the air.
She shivered, but fortunately Qiuxia supported her so she didn't fall down.
On the other side, the main hall of Qixiang Palace.
Su Xiuyi was awakened by the sound of the door being broken. She suddenly sat up from the small couch. Lan Xiang saw this and shouted coldly:
"Which idiot made that noise? Don't you know the queen is taking a nap?"
The palace maids in the hall lowered their heads again and again.
"My Lady, there seems to be some movement from Xiyan Pavilion."
Su Xiuyi's brows were filled with anger when she heard this.
"Xiyan Pavilion? Okay, it's already noon, and His Majesty hasn't come to see me yet. I didn't go to settle the score with that bitch, but she disturbed my nap first!"
Su Xiuyi put on her shoes and hurried out of the hall. When she was in a place where she could see Xiyan Pavilion, she looked up and her face turned pale with fright.
She sat down on the ground and kept backing away.
"She...she hanged herself...she's dead?!"
Su Xiuyi fell to her knees and shook her head repeatedly, "So this is what she meant when she said His Majesty would come! She wanted to lure His Majesty here by dying. She wanted to harm me!"
"If she dies, then will His Majesty know about her injuries? How will His Majesty view me?"
Su Xiuyi was so frightened that she was mumbling incoherently.
Lan Xiang quickly stepped forward to support her: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, calm down. It's still unknown whether Zheng Baolin is dead or not. Besides, what does it matter if she is dead? She committed suicide."
As soon as the word "suicide" came out, Su Xiuyi's trembling words finally stopped. She suddenly looked at Lan Xiang, as if she had grabbed a life-saving straw.
Lan Xiang continued, "If His Majesty knew she committed suicide, he would be furious and wouldn't care whether she was injured or not. Your Majesty, please don't panic."
The fear on Su Xiuyi's pale face slowly disappeared, and she repeated it.
"Yes... She committed suicide! She committed suicide!"
Su Xiuyi quickly stood up from the ground and looked at Xiyan Pavilion fiercely.
Humph, trying to drag her down with this method is too childish.
Zheng Baolin, you'd better die.
In front of Xiyan Pavilion, Jiang Yingli ordered with a pale face: "Xiao Xiazi, quickly carry her down!"
Xiao Xiazi moved a stool and stood on it, loosened the rope, and rescued Zheng Baolin.
Jiang Yingli took a deep breath, pushed Qiuxia's hands away, and walked forward tremblingly.
The circle of bruises on Zheng Baolin's neck was shocking, and the skin above the bruises had turned a deathly purple.
"Is she...still salvageable?"
Xiao Xiazi half-knelt on the ground and checked Zheng Baolin's breath, then looked up at Jiang Yingli with a sense of relief.
"There's still a breath left."
Jiang Yingli's extremely tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and she half fell down with her legs weak as if she could not hold on any longer.
Fortunately, she was not late.
Xiao Xiazi pressed the acupoints on Zheng Baolin's forehead and philtrum, and Zheng Baolin's eyelids trembled.
Jiang Yingli called her, "Zheng Baolin, Zheng Baolin."
Zheng Baolin moved his eyelids weakly and slowly opened his eyes.
Her vision was filled with white, and Jiang Yingli was the most conspicuous among them.
Zheng Baolin moved his fingers, as if trying to lift them up, but he couldn't do it. He could only call out weakly:
"elder sister...."
Shouldn't she go to hell after her death? How could she still see Jiang Yingli?
"How could you be so confused!"
She heard Jiang Yingli scolding her, and although it was a scolding, her voice was still very gentle.
Zheng Baolin forced a weak smile, "My concubine... there is no other way... I am so tired... so painful..."
Jiang Yingli grabbed Zheng Baolin's arm and lifted up her sleeve. Her arm was covered with burns from the charcoal fire.
Rao guessed that Su Xiuyi was abusing her, but she didn't expect Su Xiuyi to be so arrogant.
Even the arms, the most easily visible part, showed no signs of restraint. Not to mention the hard-to-see areas, which must have been covered in scars.
Looking at these scars, Jiang Yingli's brows sank.
A black bird flew past under the eaves outside, and Jiang Yingli looked back as if she had noticed something.
At the end of the cobblestone path outside the door, Su Xiuyi stood there calmly.
She watched everything that was happening in Xiyan Pavilion as if she was watching something that had nothing to do with her.
The corners of her lips even curled up slightly. Her eyes were filled with the disdain of a superior looking at a mere tree-shaking ant.
Jiang Yingli's eyes met hers, and the two looked at each other silently.
At first, Su Xiuyi's eyes were filled with the smugness and arrogance of "What can you do to me?" However, after seeing Jiang Yingli's sharp eyes, which were different from her usual sharp eyes, her heart, which had just calmed down, suddenly became panicked for no reason.
Su Xiuyi subconsciously clenched her sleeves.
Jiang Yingli...actually had that same expression, it felt like déjà vu.
Jiang Yingli retracted her gaze and looked at Qiuxia and Lianqiao, signaling them to help Zheng Baolin up.
"Hold on, I'll take you out of Qixiang Palace." Jiang Yingli said to Zheng Baolin.
After hearing this, Zheng Baolin slowly shook his head, tears of helplessness flowing from the corners of his eyes.
"Sister...just let me die...I'm not worthy..."
"What's so good about being alive?"
Jiang Yingli was a little angry that he didn't fight back.
"Death is indeed the end of everything, but have you forgotten that a concubine committing suicide is a serious crime? If His Majesty were to discover this, your father and mother would be implicated."
Jiang Yingli paused, then continued, "Don't you want to witness Su Xiuyi's end with your own eyes? She will never have a good ending."
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