scheming
Jiang Yan woke up again after one night.
This time, the oriole didn't leave her; it was wiping her cheeks.
I noticed her eyelids flutter slightly, and she was so excited that her whole body trembled.
"My lord, you've finally woken up! I was so worried about you."
Jiang Yan was bewildered, staring blankly at Huang Ying for a long while before his eyes lit up a little.
"Huang Ying, thank you." Her voice was still so faint that it was almost inaudible if you didn't listen carefully.
"My lady, this is what I should do. I failed in my duty and did not protect you well." Huang Ying's eyes were red, and she cried again.
Jiang Yan forced a smile and said, "Stop crying, I'm not dead, your crying is annoying me."
Huang Ying quickly wiped the tears off her face with her sleeve.
"My lady, don't cry! I'll laugh! I love to laugh the most."
But Jiang Yan couldn't help but want to cry.
She was afraid that the oriole would see and worry, so she quickly closed her eyes.
Huang Ying thought she was tired and said, "Master, the doctor said you are weak and need to take good care of yourself. I won't disturb you any longer."
"It's nothing," Jiang Yan said hastily, afraid that she would hear her sobbing.
Huang Ying was silent for a moment: "Master, may I speak, please listen?"
"Um."
Huang Ying said, "Let's talk about Princess Xiao first. She had an affair with another man and was confined by the prince. She deserved it; someone as vicious as her should have been kicked out of the palace!"
"And then there's Madam Shen. She lost her child, and the Prince has been visiting her more often, showering her with gifts. She's become increasingly arrogant, like a proud rooster, which is particularly annoying."
"As for Madam Wang and Madam Wu, they haven't made any moves these past few days. I heard they've been staying in their own courtyards and haven't been moving around the mansion much."
Jiang Yan listened to every word, but didn't think much of it.
She's now someone who's just escaped death, and she sees favor and men with far less detachment than before.
All she cares about now is her life!
I care about the life of the oriole!
I care about the lives of those connected to her!!
"Oh, right, mistress, I heard—and I only heard it, I don't know if it's true or not, but it seems to be related... that the culprit who caused Madam Shen's miscarriage was actually Princess Xiao. Some people say that Princess Xiao's affair with another man was a scheme set up by the prince to punish her."
Jiang Yan couldn't help but gasp inwardly.
If this is true, then Shangguan Zeyu is too terrifying!
Could it be that he actually knew all along that she was framed by Xiao Yiqing and the others, but just didn't want to get involved?
Jiang Yan wanted to ask Shangguan Zeyu what she had done after she fainted, but she was too weak and could only stay awake for a short while before she became dizzy and disoriented.
But then she thought again and decided not to rush to ask, since the fact that she had been beaten to death had already happened.
He didn't intervene to save her when she was being flogged, so anything he did afterward wouldn't have made much difference.
"I'm tired, you go ahead and do your work."
"I'll be right here in the courtyard. Just call me if you need anything, Master."
Jiang Yan was so delirious that she couldn't hear anything.
After finishing his work in the past few days, Shangguan Zeyu went to Peach Blossom Village one day at noon.
Although Xiao Yiqing was placed in solitary confinement, her food, drink, and daily necessities remained the same as before.
No wonder, considering her father is the current prime minister.
As soon as Shangguan Zeyu stepped into Peach Blossom Village, Xiao Yiqing's sharp voice scolding the servants rang out.
"Are you trying to scald me to death, you idiot! Get out!!"
A maid with swollen, red cheeks came stumbling out. She almost tumbled down the steps after missing one.
Shangguan Zeyu's face instantly darkened to the point of being completely obscured by dark clouds.
"Your Highness," the maidservant bowed to Shangguan Zeyu.
"No need, you can leave."
Upon hearing his voice, Xiao Yiqing excitedly ran out in the blink of an eye.
"Your Highness? Your Highness, you've finally come to visit me!!" Overjoyed, she was helped down the steps by Chunhua and ran towards him.
Xiao Yiqing was only sixteen or seventeen, a flower-like age. No matter how dignified and authoritative she usually appeared, she was a lively girl at heart.
Shangguan Zeyu smiled slightly.
"Your Highness, have you found evidence that I am innocent?"
Xiao Yiqing's eyes were like those of a fawn that had just landed on the grass—clean and pure.
However, Shangguan Zeyu, who knew her well, knew that she was pretending to arouse his affection.
"My beloved concubine, let's talk inside." Shangguan Zeyu entered the room first.
Xiao Yiqing paused for a moment, then followed closely behind.
"My beloved concubine is truly broad-minded; she can still eat."
The tables inside the house were laden with delicious food, including all sorts of exquisite pastries, fresh red and green fruits and melons, and all kinds of strange and unusual nuts.
Xiao Yiqing was a little embarrassed, but she didn't take Shangguan Zeyu's teasing to heart and continued to ask.
"Your Highness, where is that scoundrel? He's a bastard, he's slandering me!! How could I possibly fall for him? I only love you, Your Highness." She finished speaking with a shy, blushing voice, like a young girl in the throes of first love.
Shangguan Zeyu found a chair and sat down.
“My beloved concubine! To tell you the truth, that man recounted to me in detail when you first met and when you poured out your hearts to each other. At first, I didn’t believe him, but his story was just too convincing.”
Xiao Yiqing's face turned deathly pale, as if someone had pounded a drum in her ear, and she froze on the spot.
"My beloved concubine, I have thought this over and over again, but I still don't understand what I have done wrong to you! My beloved concubine, if you were not in love with me, I could have simply let you go, but... why bother?"
Xiao Yiqing was both excited and nervous. She rushed to him, bent down, and held his hands tightly.
"No, Your Highness!! I have never loved anyone else!! From the very first moment I saw you, Your Highness, I have only ever loved you! Your Highness! My heart for you is as clear as day!!"
Shangguan Zeyu was heartbroken and refused to believe it.
Xiao Yiqing was so anxious that she cried.
"Your Highness, why don't you believe me? I swear to Heaven, my heart is devoted to you! I only wish to grow old with you in this life!"
"My beloved concubine, do you know there is another matter that is also troubling me?"
Xiao Yiqing was very frank, shaking her head blankly.
"Oh! Did you have someone poison the child in Madam Shen's womb?"
Xiao Yiqing froze, as if she hadn't expected anyone to bring this up in front of her.
Shangguan Zeyu noticed her panic and nervousness, and said again.
"My beloved concubine, how am I supposed to explain this to the others? Even if I wanted to protect you, I couldn't!"
Xiao Yiqing seemed to understand the hidden meaning in his words, and immediately panicked and didn't know what to do.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, you must help me! Everything I did was not for personal gain! I didn't intend to harm anyone! I had no idea what happened, Your Highness!!"
Shangguan Zeyu pretended to be at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"Your Highness, the child in Madam Shen's womb is Consort Liu! It was her poison that harmed Madam Shen! It wasn't me!! I have already punished Consort Liu with a cane and taught her a lesson!!"
Shangguan Zeyu's expression instantly turned displeased.
But Xiao Yiqing was completely immersed in her imagined fears and the world she was afraid of, and even when she saw it, she was unmoved.
"My beloved consort, considering your deep affection for me and the fact that we are husband and wife, I am truly unwilling to punish you! However, there is already a precedent for punishing Consort Liu. If I were to make an exception for you, how would I manage this palace in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiqing's face turned deathly pale, her eyes filled with terror, and she trembled with fear.
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, please help me! I can't bear the beating! Your Highness? Your Highness!" She cried pitifully and miserably.
Shangguan Zeyu glanced coldly at her, her face streaked with tears, and after a long while, he finally revealed the solution he had already come up with.
“My beloved concubine, according to the rules of etiquette, Lady Shen should have gained status because of her son. But after what happened, even if I reward Lady Shen repeatedly, it cannot heal her wounded heart. Moreover, she can no longer have children.”
Xiao Yiqing had no idea what to do; she just lowered her eyes and cried.
Shangguan Zeyu continued, "After much deliberation, I believe this is the best way to heal Lady Shen's wounds, give others an explanation, and help my beloved consort."
Xiao Yiqing immediately stopped crying and looked at him with expectant eyes.
Shangguan Zeyu looked straight into her deep eyes: "Promote Lady Chen to the rank of Consort."
"What?" Xiao Yiqing was incredulous, her pupils widening in shock.
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