"Have you heard from him yet?" Qingying asked anxiously.
Jin Heng, sitting opposite him, shook his head and sighed helplessly.
"It's been twenty-two days, and there's still no news."
Twenty-two days ago, news of Wei Dongchen's disappearance reached the capital from the western border.
It turns out that Liu Yu never actually went to the Western Territory.
He and Wei Dongchen left the capital with 80,000 troops, but received a letter from Wei Huaixu en route, and the two parted ways. Wei Dongchen continued westward alone with 50,000 troops, while Liu Yu returned to Quzhou with 30,000 troops.
Three days before the wedding, Wei Huaixu had already secretly left the palace through a secret passage and met with Liu Yu in Quzhou. After careful planning, they devised a meticulous and thorough plan.
With over 10,000 troops from the Han family and 3,000 imperial guards, plus the 30,000 men brought back by Liu Yu, Wei Huaixu had a total of 50,000 elite soldiers, making it incredibly easy for him to surround the palace.
After Wei Huaixu ascended the throne, his first task was to deal with those traitors and rebels.
On the third day of his imprisonment, Wei Huaichong strangled himself to death with the iron chains binding his hands and feet, knowing that he would not have a good end in Wei Huaixu's hands.
The day after Prince An's defeat, the Empress Dowager requested to be sent to the Cold Palace, while Consort Yan ended her life with a cup of poison.
After the incident in the western border, Yan Xiuji was accused of treason and collusion with the enemy. Evidence proved that he had planted someone to deliver a message to the enemy, causing Wei Dongchen to fall into their trap. Yan Xiuji was executed by extreme torture, and his head was displayed on the city gate for seven days and seven nights. The rest of the Yan family were all beheaded and their heads displayed publicly. Not only the Song family, but everyone associated with Wei Huaichong was either put to death or exiled without exception.
After the reorganization, many official positions in the court became vacant. As a result, the imperial examination system was put on the agenda.
The Liu family is now at its peak.
Liu Yu was not only a Grand General of the State but also granted the title of Duke of Zhenguo. Liu Chengfeng, for his meritorious service in the rebellion, was promoted to Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate (a first-rank official position). Liu Shushu successfully became Empress. Liu Chenglin even received a token from the Imperial Medical Academy, holding only a nominal position, but was granted special permission to practice medicine in the palace and also to manage private clinics. Even Lady Wang was granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady.
For a time, the Liu family enjoyed immense prestige in the Eastern Lin Kingdom.
Qingying was even more insignificant in this situation, and everyone almost forgot that there was such a person in the Liu family.
But she couldn't care less about any of that at the moment. As long as there was no news from Wei Dongchen, she lived in worry every day.
"Miss, the Prince Yu's residence just sent an invitation; the Princess Yu invites you to a chat."
"Ever since the Empress Dowager's incident, the Prince Yu's mansion has been keeping a low profile. If it weren't for Wei Dongchen, they probably would have been implicated as well." Qingying held the invitation in her hand without looking at it.
Yu Yue said, "Back then, Princess Yu was arrogant and looked down on you in every way. Now it's time for her to humble herself."
Tong Xia said, "The Liu family is now very powerful. The number of people who want to marry you could stretch from the gate of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to the city gate. And now that the heir's life is still uncertain, it's no wonder she's anxious."
Qingying glanced at her and said, "You must not say such things, lest you give others something to say. No matter what, I am still Wei Dongchen's fiancée... Moreover, I don't want anything to happen to him."
Although she wasn't head over heels for Wei Dongchen, she remembered all the kindness he had shown her. However, their relationship hadn't been smooth sailing from before their engagement until after.
"It seems that fate had destined us to be apart."
...
Qingying arrived at Prince Yu's residence on time for the appointment.
Princess Yu, seeing that she had a rare good expression, greeted her with a smile, "How is Miss Liu feeling?"
"Thanks to the Princess's care, my daughter is well."
"I invited you here today because I have something important to discuss. Would you like to come inside and we can talk about it slowly?"
Qingying's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Princess Yu suspiciously, then gestured for Yu Yue and the other woman to wait outside before she and the princess went inside.
As soon as they sat down, a maid closed the door, leaving only the two of them in the room. The princess gently poured tea for her.
Ever since she got engaged to Wei Dongchen, she had always been met with a cold face whenever she saw Princess Yu, let alone being personally served tea by her now.
Things seem to be more complicated than they appear...
Qingying thought this to herself, but maintained her usual gentle demeanor and smiled as she accepted the tea.
However, to her surprise, before she could even take a sip of her tea, the princess suddenly knelt down at her feet.
"??!!" She put down her teacup in alarm and quickly reached out to steady it.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?"
Princess Yu refused to get up and burst into tears, saying, "Miss Liu, it was my fault before. If you want to blame someone, blame me. Don't involve my son. Chen'er truly loves you."
"But what happened? Why is the Princess acting this way?"
"Chen'er is in the Emperor's hands right now. He said he would release Chen'er if you agreed to enter the palace, otherwise he would be punished for treason! Miss Liu, I beg you to save him. He is my only son. I beg you."
“Treason and collusion with the enemy…” Qingying sat back heavily in her chair, many images replaying and overlapping in her mind.
So that's what his plan was...
Perhaps there was never any sudden invasion from the Western Regions; it was all just a tactic used by Wei Huaixu to seize power. He sent Wei Dongchen to the western border for two reasons: first, to move a large number of troops out of the capital to prevent them from being used by others; and second, to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and, incidentally, to quietly capture Wei Dongchen as leverage against her.
Jin Heng guessed correctly; from the very beginning, he had intended to possess her…
But Wei Huaixu was the one who abandoned her first, so why is he going to such lengths to win her back now?
With the sound of Princess Yu's repeated sobs and pleas still ringing in her ears, Qingying closed her eyes in sorrow.
"You may get up now. I will go to see His Majesty in person."
She should have known long ago that she couldn't escape it.
A person like Wei Huaixu will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Even without Wei Dongchen, he could use someone else to force her to compromise.
He is now the king of a country, possessing supreme power. She is just a lowly concubine's daughter who can't even be included in her own family's genealogy. What room is there for her to resist?
Jin Heng once said that she had been caught up in the game from the very beginning, and now if she wanted to get out, she would only face certain death.
She didn't want to die.
She didn't want anyone to die because of her.
...
After leaving the Prince Yu's residence, Qingying headed straight for the palace.
When she saw Yu Ze standing at the palace gate from afar, she knew that Wei Huaixu had been waiting for a long time.
"Miss Liu has arrived." Upon seeing her, Yu Ze bowed respectfully.
Qingying, supported by Yu Yue, walked down the steps with a calm expression. "Eunuch Yu, you've kept me waiting."
"Not long, but His Majesty has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. As soon as he received the news, he sent this old servant to wait for you."
"Thank you for leading the way, Father-in-law."
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