Wei Huaixu was coming to Baoyi Palace for a meal, and Qingying had already ordered people to start preparing early.
She is pruning the flower branches right now.
It was a fresh red plum blossom that Tongxia had specially picked from the Imperial Garden. She brought it back early in the morning, still covered with a little white frost, looking delicate and beautiful. She carefully trimmed each branch and placed them in the white porcelain vase she had prepared.
Suddenly, Yu Yue rushed over, her face filled with barely suppressed joy, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something has happened!"
"What's wrong?!" Tong Xia quickly went to greet her.
Qingying had a vague premonition, so she put down the scissors, looked over, and asked, "What happened?"
"Madam...it's Madam Pan, something's happened!"
"Oh? What happened?" She couldn't help but smile.
"I heard this from Eunuch Yu. He said that early yesterday morning, some people beat the Dengwen Drum to file a petition with the Emperor. They were accusing that Pan family!"
"What complaint were you filed?"
"I heard that Pan sold innocent people, causing one of the girls to commit suicide by jumping into a well! Then it even brought up the matter of Madam Ye from back then, and the evidence is conclusive that she killed Madam Ye!"
"What did the Emperor say?"
"Pan has been imprisoned and is awaiting trial."
Tong Xia pouted and said with dissatisfaction, "I'm afraid this little bit of guilt is not enough to convict her."
Qingying nodded. "After all, she is the Empress's biological mother and the dignified Lady of the State. How could the death of an ordinary commoner be enough to convict her? At most, her title will be stripped, and she will be sent to the family temple for a period of ascetic practice. After a month or two, when the storm has passed, she can continue to be the glamorous Lady of the State."
As for my mother, needless to say, she was a concubine and the descendant of a disgraced official. Even if she were killed, it would be seen as understandable by outsiders.
Yu Yue's joy was instantly extinguished. "So, does that mean the Emperor will have to release her soon after he imprisoned her?"
"That's not necessarily true." Qingying smiled and said, "Now that I've waited until she's in prison, why would I release her?"
Yu Yue and Tong Xia exchanged a glance and smiled.
...
That night, Wei Huaixu stayed overnight at Baoyi Palace as usual.
Qingying nestled in his arms and drew circles on his chest with the ends of her long hair.
"Ah Xu, what are you going to do about the matter of your stepmother?" Her voice was so soft and charming that it seemed like you could squeeze water out of it.
Wei Huaixu was in a good mood. He pinched her cheek and asked with a smile, "What do you want me to do with her?"
What do you think?
"I promised you before that I would clear the Ye family's name, vindicate your mother, and kick the Pan family out of the house. A gentleman's word is as good as gold, so I certainly wouldn't lie to you."
"This is not enough..." Qingying murmured to herself.
When Ye Ning died, she was pregnant...
“Ah Xu, I have evidence of the Pan family’s involvement in a rebellion back then.”
Wei Huaixu's expression shifted subtly, almost imperceptibly.
"How...did you find out?"
"I have my own way." Qingying propped herself up, looked into his eyes, her gaze slightly misty, and said softly, "A-Xu, do you think I went too far?"
"She killed your mother..."
"But she raised me for many years."
Wei Huaixu shook his head. "My hesitation isn't because of that. You still need the Liu family's help to establish yourself in the harem."
Qingying took his hand and let his fingertips trace across her wrist. "Didn't you once ask me how I got this scar? I didn't tell you then. Actually, it was left by someone from the Pan family who severed my tendons... Ah Xu, I can never play the zither again."
Wei Huaixu held his breath, carefully taking her hand in his. A raised scar was particularly noticeable on her slender, fair wrist. His brows furrowed deeply. "How could she do that?"
"How could she not do it? Do you know where my lung disease, which I've suffered from since childhood, came from? It's all thanks to her!" At this point, Qingying could barely contain the hatred deep within her heart.
“They told me that this was a problem I had since birth, but that’s not true. I was born healthy, but when I was three years old, Pan stabbed me in the lung. Luckily, I survived. Since I didn’t die, she changed her way of tormenting me. She kept me by her side and took good care of me, while ordering people to tamper with my food to worsen my condition, which is why I have been bedridden with relapses all these years.”
"She has my body bound to her, and yet she makes me grateful to her. She has won everyone's approval, and I have no room to resist. If I do not comply, I will be unfilial. How can I let such a venomous woman go?"
Wei Huaixu hugged her trembling body with heartache, gently patted her back with his large hands, and coaxed her softly, "Jiaojiao, with me here, I won't let anyone bully you anymore."
He had seen Qingying's serene gentleness when she played the zither, and he had also seen her smiling radiantly as she rode on horseback. He knew that she longed for freedom, but was helpless because her frail body prevented her from traveling far.
No one understood the pain of being imprisoned better than him.
His hesitation vanished at that moment—he was determined to make the Pan family pay the price.
Qingying nestled in his arms, gently wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and smiled slightly.
She used to disdain such methods, but now she suddenly realized that nothing was more convenient and quicker than taking advantage of a man's affection, especially since this man was the ruler of a country.
No wonder some people in the common folk have started calling her a demon concubine.
...
Compared to the undercurrents on Qingying's side, Liu Shushu's side was completely silent.
Upon learning of Pan's accident, she felt no sadness or grief whatsoever, only fear of being implicated. However, she still had to feign a heartbroken appearance when facing the Liu family.
Her eyes were red from crying, and she held her forehead, saying sorrowfully, "The only reason I can still hold onto my position as Empress is because of the Liu family. Mother, with this happening to you, I am truly..."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.
The two people sitting opposite, Liu Yu and Wang Shi, both had ashen faces.
Wang said, "We are all very saddened and distressed by this matter, but the most urgent task is to protect the Liu family so that we can protect Your Majesty's support."
Liu Yu nodded in agreement, saying, "I entered the palace today to inquire about this matter from Your Majesty. I wonder what His Majesty's attitude is towards the Liu family?"
Liu Shushu shook her head helplessly, "After the incident, I didn't even get to see the Emperor. I'm really useless... But now that my sister is favored, Father and Grandmother might as well go and look for her. After all... she was raised by Mother."
Wang and Liu Yu exchanged a glance, both somewhat hesitant.
Liu Shushu continued, "You must have heard about this outside the palace. The Emperor is now spoiling her rotten. If she were to ask for anything, he would give her the moon. Besides, the Liu family is her maternal family, so she naturally wouldn't ignore it."
The two of them immediately began to waver.
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