growing up
Queen Dowager Xuan boasted that she had been in the harem for many years and was used to seeing life and death, and there was nothing in the world to fear. But when she looked at Jing Yao's eyes that showed no concealment of murderous intent, she was still frightened and felt a dull pain in her heart, and almost fainted again.
"You vicious woman! You poisoned the prince and yet you dare to challenge me like this! Someone come and take her down!"
It was a long time after Queen Dowager Xuan finished speaking, and none of the guards and palace maids dared to move.
"Is everyone dead? I'm still alive, and the Crown Prince has never stripped me of my title of Empress Dowager. How dare you all disobey the current Empress Dowager of Xijing just to protect this woman? Are you all crazy and tired of living?!"
The Queen Dowager Xuan became more and more excited as she spoke, and in the end she was cursing at the top of her lungs, but the people around her remained unmoved, and instead her hysteria made her look more like a lunatic.
Realizing she had been tricked, the Queen Mother angrily pushed away the female official who was supporting her and said, "You! Go and get some people to capture that bitch! Kill her for me!"
Lady Su was suddenly pushed out by the Empress Dowager. She had been frightened by the assassin just now, and her legs were still a little weak. She took two shaky steps forward, but before she could reach Jing Yao, she was stopped by Xing Feng and Baili Wenfu, one on each side.
"You two, are you planning a rebellion?"
Queen Dowager Xuan gnashed her teeth and said, "You are all officials of the capital. You are supposed to protect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. How dare you turn around and defend the murderer!"
Baili Wenfu said with a cold expression: "Empress Dowager, there is no evidence to prove that Madam Jing is the murderer. Please calm down first."
"Is this how you talk to me?" Queen Dowager Xuan was so angry that she could barely breathe. She paused for breath before continuing, "I don't have any evidence. The Crown Prince was poisoned because she stabbed him with a dagger, and the poison has been lingering until now, causing a relapse! Do I need to remind you of this?"
Xing Feng knew that Queen Dowager Xuan was difficult to deal with and had been holding a grudge against her since the last time. He reluctantly explained, "That dagger wasn't Madam Jing's. It had always been in the possession of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. That was the first time Madam Jing had ever touched a dagger. The poison was carried out by someone else, likely a spy from the Western Regions."
"But she planted this poison too! How do you know this vicious woman isn't colluding with the Western Region assassin?"
Xing Feng was too lazy to explain to her. Should he tell her in detail that Jing Yao had been imprisoned in Yilan Palace by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and was under strict supervision, cutting off all contact with the outside world, so it was impossible for him to collude with foreign countries?
The Empress Dowager's power had long been completely eliminated by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but she still failed to recognize reality.
Jing Yao, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly stood up. Her hair and clothes were a little messy. It was late at night, and her expression seemed particularly gloomy under the cover of her messy hair.
"How do you know for sure his poison was left over from before?"
Jing Yao stared at Queen Dowager Xuan with his eyes fixed, and the latter was so frightened that she stood still, not daring to move.
The imperial physician didn't dare to say that the poison was exactly the same as the last time, so how could Queen Dowager Xuan come up and insist that it was she who implanted it last time?
She was indeed right. If she insisted on guessing, she might have guessed it. After all, Queen Dowager Xuan hated her to begin with, and her intention to pin a crime on her was obvious. But Jing Yao's intuition made him doubt that Queen Dowager Xuan was right, and it wasn't because of these reasons.
"Do you know something?!"
Jing Yao grabbed Queen Dowager Xuan out of control. At this moment, she no longer cared about the person in front of her, that is, Queen Dowager De Shou Palace, nor was she afraid of her like she was when she was a child. Instead, she questioned her in an overbearing manner.
She's almost like a madman right now, don't even think about calming her down easily.
"Let me go! You bitch! She's crazy! She's crazy! Someone... someone come and help! Help!"
The old queen mother was grabbed by Jing Yao's clothes and hair, sobbing and screaming, unable to speak. Anyone who saw it would not believe that this was the noble, arrogant and proud Queen Mother Xuan.
Seeing that she really couldn't say anything, Jing Yao was also tired. Xing Feng stepped forward in time to separate the two.
"You... all of you are rebelling... I will kill your entire clan!"
Queen Dowager Xuan looked a little unwell after being severely humiliated. Jing Yao saw that she was so old and might have suffered a stroke and dementia, so he clapped his hands and called two secret guards.
"The Queen Mother was frightened by today's assassination attempt and could not bear it. She has become mentally ill and is feared to be suffering from a heart disease. Therefore, she has been sent back to the Western Suburbs Palace for recuperation."
Jing Yao, whose mental state might not have been better than Queen Dowager Xuan's just now, now looked clear-headed and not at all crazy. His words were even full of concern and pity for Queen Dowager Xuan.
"yes."
The secret guards were left behind by Si Pei. They not only loyally guarded Jing Yao but also could hand over authority to other Si Pei forces when necessary. The Western Suburbs Palace was Si Pei's territory. After sending people there, there would be special people to "look after" the Queen Mother.
"You...you're all crazy!" Queen Dowager Xuan couldn't accept this reality. As the Queen Dowager of a dynasty, she couldn't even order a single person around. Even in the past, she was still the respected Queen Dowager...
Could it be that it was all an illusion that Si Pei put on for her when he was still around?
Queen Dowager Xuan finally realized her own stupidity and naiveté. She never expected that Si Pei really didn't care about the power and pressure of her title as Queen Dowager at all.
"Go ahead and stir up trouble! Stir up trouble! Even if I can't do anything about it, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow... when the court officials ask about it, how can you, Jing Yao, the daughter of a guilty minister, bear all these charges!"
"Take her away."
Jing Yao didn't want to listen anymore, so he turned to look at Si Pei, who was as quiet as sleeping. "Don't disturb His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The Queen Mother Xuan's abusive voice, which disregarded her etiquette and dignity, was getting farther and farther away, and the hall fell silent after a long absence.
After a long while, Baili Wenfu finally spoke, "The Queen Mother is right. The situation is completely out of control. The Crown Prince is on the verge of death, and Prince Lin's days are numbered. The Queen Mother has sent him to the suburbs, and there's no one left at court to manage the situation. The court will be in chaos. Not to mention the officials being held accountable, the clan members will definitely unite to attack you first..."
Xijing must not fall into the hands of a woman who is a disaster in their eyes.
"Most of the Si clan members are dead now. The few old men and women left are insignificant and have no real power. I won't be afraid of them just because they scold me a few times."
But we do need to find a way to handle the government affairs in the court.
"The capital city doesn't support so many officials just for free. There are also important officials in the court. You are the eldest son of the Baili family. I think you should understand how to deal with this kind of thing better than I do."
Since when, Jing Yao no longer had the shyness of a little girl when facing Baili Wenfu. She spoke to him rationally and soberly, and even made him feel a little oppressed by her words.
"I understand." Baili Wenfu nodded, "I will write to my father now."
"Please convey to the Left Prime Minister that he contact the Right Prime Minister, Duke Dingguo, Prince Heng, and the Grand Marshal. The first priority is to stabilize the situation at court."
"yes."
Baili Wenfu accepted the order, and couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for Jing Yao. After going through so much, even nearly experiencing mental collapse several times, he could still adjust and face the next problem more calmly. He couldn't imagine it at all.
"Madam Jing, General Zuo Yuanwu requests an audience outside the palace."
Eunuch Ming quickly stepped forward to report, and Jing Yao quickly stood up: "Let him in quickly."
"yes."
Zuo Yuanwu finally waited until he was able to enter the main hall. As soon as the door opened, he ran towards Jing Yao without stopping.
"Miss!"
"Yuanwu."
The moment he saw his relatives, Jing Yao's heartstrings, which had been relaxed for a long time, finally softened along with his body as if he had found support.
Zuo Yuanwu caught his young lady steadily and looked at her red eyes, feeling extremely distressed.
"Ayao...you've worked hard. Everything will be fine. The prince will be safe."
Jing Yao thought that her tears had dried up long ago, but she didn't expect that when she heard Zuo Yuanwu's comforting words, she couldn't stop shedding tears.
”
It will definitely...it will get better.
Si Pei said he would never abandon her again, how dare he die like this!
Jing Yao bit her lower lip in anger. Zuo Yuanwu stretched out his hand and said, "Miss, if you want to bite me, bite me. I have thick skin and am not afraid of pain. Don't hurt yourself."
Seeing the silly and worried expression on his face, Jing Yao suddenly felt less distressed. Or perhaps it was because she realized that she still had a lot of things to do and didn't have the energy left to feel sad and complain.
"They are still outside the temple, right?"
Zuo Yuanwu knew who she was talking about, so he explained kindly, "The people from the Dali Temple have finished their questioning, but they said they still need to see the testimony from the Fifth Princess. They are all very worried about you, young lady, so they wanted to stay. Eunuch Ming has arranged accommodations for them, young lady, you can wait until tomorrow to meet them during the day."
Jing Yao nodded, his eyes fixed on the man: "I'll stay here with him tonight."
"No, Miss!"
"This old servant also thinks it's inappropriate." Eunuch Ming stepped forward and advised, "Madam Jing, you are already too tired today. You will not be able to rest well if you stay here with His Highness. You should return to Yilan Palace and rest for a night."
"Yes, my lady..."
Bo Yue felt a little bit reluctant, but he still had to put his wife's health first.
"If you collapse too, we really don't know what to do."
Eunuch Ming bowed and said, "Madam Jing, you can go back without any worries. The Crown Prince is under the care of this old servant."
After everyone persuaded him several times, Jing Yao finally gave in: "Okay, I'll go back first, and I'll come over early tomorrow morning."
Eunuch Ming replied with satisfaction, "Okay." Jing Yao was reluctant to leave, and finally leaned over and kissed Si Pei on the forehead.
Zuo Yuanwu carefully put his arm around Jing Yao's shoulders and said, "Miss, let me take you home."
It was already late at night. Bo Yue and Zhi Yue were walking one in front and one behind, holding lanterns. Fortunately, because there were many things happening tonight, the lights on the road were still on, so it was not too dark.
"Has Si Pei told you about tonight's plan?"
If we were to name the other people most likely to know about this plan, besides Xing Feng, it would be Zuo Yuanwu.
She couldn't ask Xing Feng for the time being, but Zuo Yuanwu was by her side at this moment, which was a perfect opportunity.
"It was just mentioned, which is equivalent to informing."
Zuo Yuanwu added: "Xing Feng doesn't necessarily know more than me. To avoid complications, we haven't handled any of the orders the Crown Prince gave directly to the assassins."
Jing Yao thought that maybe she should contact the secret guards to see if there was any other information. What they could see in the dark might be details that they couldn't notice.
"Did he tell me what to do if something fails and something goes wrong?"
Zuo Yuanwu was silent for a moment and looked away from Jing Yao's gentle yet sad eyes.
After seeming to hesitate for a long time, he nodded: "Yes, but I don't think you want to hear it."
"You're right."
Jing Yao also turned his head away, glanced into the distance, and tried his best to calm his emotions that were about to burst again.
She took a deep breath and forced a smile. "He'd better pray that I don't have the energy to beat him when he wakes up."
It seemed like a joke, but Jing Yao couldn't laugh anymore.
The bitterness in my heart continued to spread until it covered my entire body.
The warmth on her body still couldn't melt Jing Yao's completely frozen heart the moment she entered the bathtub. She stayed in it for a long time, waiting until Bo Yue and Zhi Yue were worried that her body couldn't withstand the soak for too long. Only then did she break free from the water as if waking up from a dream.
At one point, she even felt that the hot water around her was like a dense cage.
Sleepiness and fatigue invaded Jing Yao, whose mind was extremely tense. If she had been asked to imagine such a day a day ago, she would definitely curse it as impossible and reject this assumption.
I really hope that when I wake up, everything is just a dream.
She was still in Si Pei's arms, nothing had changed.
——
The entire palace fell silent in the second half of the night. No matter what chaos had occurred before, everything returned to peace in this short night.
Most of the palace maids in the Xijing Palace wore pink and green skirts. An ordinary-looking maid, carrying a copper basin, walked towards the gate. Eunuch Ming stopped her with a yawn, "What are you doing?"
"Replying to Eunuch Ming, His Royal Highness Prince Lin's body needs to be wiped every two hours, otherwise the sweat from the pain will soak into the wound bandages."
Eunuch Ming asked the head palace maid to search her body and nodded only after confirming that there was nothing wrong.
"Okay, go through this door into the side hall. Move quickly and remember to be gentle."
"yes."
The maid bowed slightly and, at the signal of Eunuch Ming, quickly entered the side hall where Prince Lin Si Jue was.
Si Jue's attendant, unable to accompany him at the banquet, now sat by the couch, feeling extremely regretful. Seeing someone approach, he immediately stood up alertly and whispered, "Who is it?"
The maid placed the copper plate on the iron rack beside her and approached the bed without saying a word.
The flickering yellow candlelight illuminated the girl's profile. As soon as he saw her face clearly, he immediately bowed his head respectfully: "Madam Yue."
The girl waved her hand for him to move aside, and glanced speechlessly at Si Jue, who was lying on the bed with a pale face due to excessive blood loss.
Without the obstruction of her servants, her face was clearly illuminated by the candlelight and moonlight. It was Yue Ningning who should have been in the coffin long ago.
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