Wu Qing said: "My lady, this is the smell of dry fragrance."

She pulled out another five hundred taels of silver from the envelope.

"If you still have doubts, here is a silver note stained with pollen. I can sprinkle two more drops of water to test it. It should smell the same."

After saying that, Wu Qing took two drops of water and released a new round of durian-flavored gas.

"Don't--" This was the panicked voice of Concubine Shu.

"Noble Lady Ji, the smell is already obvious enough, there is no need to dip it in water." This was Concubine Yue saying while covering her nose.

The Queen rubbed her temple.

The complex emotions in her heart caused by cherishing Wen were all driven away by Wu Qing's actions.

"...I know this is your banknote, please keep it safely." said the Queen.

Wu Qing said "Oh" and withdrew his hand angrily.

Xing'er and Xiao Xiangzi looked at the Queen with gratitude.

The clues are clear.

Xiwen fell into Ji Guiren's trap and accepted the silver note stained with "dry fragrant" pollen, accidentally exposing himself as the mastermind behind everything.

In other words, it was Xiwen who stole Concubine Ji's selection list, causing Concubine Ji to lose the power to manage palace affairs.

It was she who instigated Xing'er and Xiao Xiangzi to sell the information of the beautiful girls in Jingyixuan and ruin the reputation of Concubine Ji.

The queen looked at Xiwen, her eyes filled with regret.

She asked: "Xiwen, why do you do this?"

Why would this woman, whom she once regarded as her confidant, betray her, frame Concubine Ji, and take such a risk for money?

Could it be that she wasn't nice enough to Xiwen on a normal day?

When Xiwen was old enough to leave the palace, the Queen promised her a generous dowry, the value of which was far more than 1,700 taels, but Xiwen herself refused.

The Queen believed that she had done nothing wrong to Xiwen.

Xiwen's face gradually returned to calm, as if the struggle and excuses just now were just a passing cloud.

Seeing that the truth could no longer be concealed, Xiwen changed her previous grievance and said calmly: "My lady, everything I did was for the Liu family. You will understand one day."

The queen was so angry that she laughed: "Am I not a member of the Liu family? If you act like this, where do you put me?!"

Xiwen lowered her head and said in a deep voice: "My lady, I am only loyal to the Liu family."

She still did not give up and said: "Your Majesty should think about how Concubine Ji got these clues?"

"She must have violated curfew and broke into Jingyixuan at night to get to the bottom of this matter."

"Did Lady Ji report this to you before doing this? If not, how could Your Majesty easily employ someone who disregards the rules?"

This defense made the queen extremely disappointed.

The Queen shook her head slightly: "Noble Lady Ji has been living in Kunning Palace for nearly half a month, and this is all you have seen?"

Xiwen: "I only saw a concubine who acted foolishly."

Concubine Lin was no longer willing to listen to Xiwen's nonsense.

She asked with a slightly cold expression: "Empress, how do you plan to deal with Xiwen?"

The words "grant death" lingered on the queen's lips, but she could never utter them.

She closed her eyes.

No matter how hard-hearted a person is, he or she will develop feelings for someone after spending twenty years with that person.

What's more, the queen has always been known for her kindness.

Concubine Lin kept her eyes fixed on the Queen, as if she wanted her to give an explanation.

The atmosphere was a little solemn.

Concubine Lin obviously wants justice for Wu Qing, while the Queen is trapped in the past by her memories.

When the situation became tense, Wu Qing spoke weakly, "Empress, can you first lock Xiwen up in the Ministry of Punishment? As for the subsequent arrangements for her, I have an idea in my mind, but I don't know..."

There was a hint of uneasiness in Wu Qing's words.

[The system said that I originally had two main tasks. ]

[One is to stand at the pinnacle of power in the original book. ]

【The second is to calm the turmoil in the harem and restore harmony.】

[If I have to walk through a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood like Sister Fei before I can reach the top... I don't want to do that. So, even though the second mission is difficult, I want to try my best.]

After the voodoo doll incident, in addition to secretly preparing for his escape, Wu Qing was also thinking:

Is there a way to reduce the fighting in the harem?

The queen came back to her senses from her thoughts.

She smiled at Wu Qing soothingly: "You are the one who experienced this whole thing firsthand, so I naturally want to hear your thoughts. What are your specific plans?"

Wu Qing lowered his eyelids and spoke a few words in a soft voice.

After Concubine Lin leaned over to listen, she revealed a faint smile.

Concubine Lin nodded and said, "I like your idea. If you don't have enough money, I can help you."

Wu Qing quickly waved her hand to refuse, "Madam, they are going there to undergo labor reform... No, to repent, and they don't need comfortable living conditions."

The queen weighed the pros and cons and said, "I agree."

The eunuchs took action immediately and arrested Xiwen and took him to the Ministry of Punishment.

Before Wu Qing could shout excitedly, the Queen said, "But your idea involves things outside the palace, and I alone have no say."

She paused for a moment, then said to Wu Qing: "... Noble Lady Ji, you haven't seen the emperor for a long time since the last time you slept with him, right?"

Wu Qing's eyes widened instantly, and his voice became a little dry: "Madam? You don't mean...?"

"Go and see the Emperor."

The queen smiled faintly, and that smile contained both a test for Wu Qing and her expectations for the future:

"Whether this will succeed or not depends on your ability. If you can convince the emperor, then this matter will be entirely in your hands, and I will no longer interfere."

This also includes the follow-up handling of Xiwen.

…

In front of the Yangxin Palace, Wu Qing took a deep breath.

It's so stressful.

After all the calculations, this was actually Wu Qing's second time meeting the emperor.

The eunuch standing in front of the door had sharp eyes and had already noticed this rare visitor.

He rolled his eyes, and although he was confused about the purpose of Wu Qing's visit, he quickly put on a smile and walked forward quickly.

"Your servant greets Lady Ji. Lady Ji, what wind has blown you to the Yangxin Palace today?"

Wu Qing stood on tiptoe to look inside and asked softly, "Eunuch, is the emperor busy?"

The eunuch showed a bit of embarrassment on his face and said, "Mr. Ji, you came at a very bad time. The emperor has been busy today and has just rested. According to the emperor's work and rest habits, you may have to wait for another half an hour."

Wu Qing responded with regret, "Then I will stand at the door and wait for the emperor to wake up."

Seeing this, the chief eunuch bowed and said, "Your Excellency is wrong. How can I let you wait here? It's windy outside. If you catch a cold, I can't bear it."

"Please sit down and wait. I will bring you a chair and a pot of hot tea."

Wu Qing was frightened by his enthusiasm: "Ah? Isn't this too much trouble for the father-in-law?"

If someone else came, they would certainly not receive this treatment.

Although the eunuch thought so in his heart, he smiled and replied, "Mr. Ji, you are too kind. This is what I should do. When the emperor wakes up, if he knows that I asked you to stand outside, he will definitely punish me."

Wu Qing sat down reluctantly to have afternoon tea.

The eunuch was very thoughtful and prepared hand warmers, cushions, hot tea, pastries, etc. for Wu Qing.

After enjoying it for a while, Wu Qing felt sleepy and accidentally fell asleep leaning on the back of the chair.

[The dream co-appearance ability has now been fully charged. 】

[Detecting the existence of dreams in the surrounding area, and starting to synchronize with the frequency. 】