Chapter 22 September Appointment
During the reign of Emperor Yinhua, there was an incident in which a concubine's daughter of the clan married into the palace in place of the legitimate daughter.
At that time, Emperor Yinhua was in his prime, but there were few people in his harem and few children. One year, when selecting concubines, the old empress dowager specifically asked the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Revenue to enter the palace.
That year's selection was held as usual. The legitimate daughter was surnamed Sun and was granted the title of noble lady upon entering the palace. After living peacefully in the palace for several years, a drunken woman blurted out that she was not the legitimate daughter of the Sun family, but was adopted by her legitimate mother.
The originally chosen legitimate daughter had a lover, so she let the concubine's daughter marry into the palace in her place.
It was originally a sure thing, but it failed because the concubine's daughter had not received much education and her behavior was a bit petty, which aroused suspicion over time.
Framed by someone with ulterior motives, Sun Shangshu was ultimately dismissed from his post. The legitimate daughter and the concubine's daughter who had been married off in place of him both died in a prison outside the capital.
Thinking of this, Xie Chengyan glanced sideways at Ye Lanzhou. She was holding the teacup in both hands, with her fingertips gripping the cup, looking a little strange.
Isn't she just like the concubine of the Sun family back then?
He rubbed his temples, extended his hand forward, and motioned for her to see: "Hold the cup like this, it won't burn your hands."
The second half of the sentence seemed to make the matter even more obvious. It was late at night and no one came to boil water. The tea was cold, so how could it be hot?
But Ye Lanzhou still adjusted himself according to his gestures, which was more decent than before.
He tapped his fingers on the table and spoke slowly, "How come Concubine Ye, a lady from a boudoir family, doesn't even know this? She's good at climbing over walls, though."
There was something else in his words, and Ye Lanzhou could tell that she was doubting her background.
Xie Chengyan had many spies in Beijing. If he was determined to investigate, he would definitely find out. Now that he asked, he was giving her the opportunity to seek refuge.
Ye Lanzhou was also unequivocal and said bluntly, "I am not a legitimate daughter, so I am not as decent as the ladies in the boudoir."
After getting the answer he wanted, Xie Chengyan sneered, "The woman written on the marriage certificate to the Ye family is the daughter of the Ye family. The Ye family is guilty of deceiving the emperor and committing treason, which is a capital crime. Since you care about the Ye family, why bother confessing?"
Ye Lanzhou rolled his eyes at him in the dark night. This man was really annoying. He liked to control everything and wanted to make everything clear. But how could anything in the world be explained so clearly?
She said, "As the prince said, I am now in the same boat with the prince. If I am punished, I will definitely take the prince with me before I die."
Her voice was soft, but to Xie Chengyan, it sounded like a provocation. He was instantly enraged. He was the only one threatening others, and this half-grown girl, Ye Lanzhou, had lost her mind because she had helped him create the antidote.
In his rage, he simply looked at her coldly, not clamping his fist around her neck like before. "Noble Lady Ye, find your place. One antidote isn't enough for me to protect you for long. According to the document from the Imperial Hospital, you have nine months left. After nine months, the fate of your life depends on you."
Ye Lanzhou lowered his eyes and listened to his words. In fact, he had expected this. A man like Xie Chengyan didn't seem like someone who would keep a useless person in his mansion. As he said, after nine months, it was still unknown where she would go.
The moonlight gradually dimmed, and the sun on the top of the mountain was about to rise, but the sky was still dark. A depressing atmosphere made Ye Lanzhou feel a little depressed.
Xie Chengyan just glanced out the window and then got up and left. He walked out of the same window when he came and when he left.
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