Wei Huaixu stood in front of her, gesturing to Yu to cover her with the white cloth.
He embraced Qingying and gently comforted her: "I know Yuyue is your most valued maid, and you treat her like family. I will have someone give her a proper burial, and I will definitely find out the truth of the matter and give you an explanation."
Qingying closed her eyes, letting her tears soak the fabric of his shirt.
After a long silence, he spoke in a hoarse voice, "How...how did Yu Yue die?"
"The body was found in the Qingjiang River. Last night, heavy rain knocked down the willow trees on the bank, and the body was carried downstream and blocked by the fallen willow trees."
"If it is found out, no matter who it is, please tell us the truth."
Wei Huaixu gently patted her back and replied, "Okay."
"I want revenge, but please don't interfere."
"Fine, even if you want to kill someone, I'll cover for you."
...
Yu Yue was buried on Yunshan Mountain outside the city, where one can overlook lush green forests and see a cascading waterfall nearby. In spring, wildflowers bloom everywhere; in summer, verdant grass carpets the ground; in autumn, red maple leaves blanket the land; and in winter, the area is covered in a silver wonderland. It is an exceptionally auspicious place.
Qingying stood in front of the tomb dressed in plain clothes, with Tongxia dressed in white beside her.
Her status prevented her from wearing mourning clothes for Yu Yue, so she could only find the most ordinary clothes, remove her jewelry, and not even be able to wear a white flower.
Tong Xia said in a hoarse voice, "This place is very beautiful. Sister Yu Yue will like it."
Qingying nodded blankly, then suddenly said softly, "When I die, bury me here too, so I can keep Yuyue company."
"Pah, pah, pah!" Tongxia quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't say such unlucky things. Sister Yuyue will be unhappy if she hears them. Your Majesty is blessed with good fortune and will surely live to be a hundred years old."
"Is that so?" She gave a bitter smile. "I really shouldn't have said such things so casually..."
Someone once told her, "Jiaojiao, you will live to be a hundred years old," but that person seems to have broken their promise. She didn't have much in her life to begin with, and now she's losing it all, one by one, even though she's tried so hard to hold on to it all.
Qingying felt as if she were being pricked by countless needles, the pain so intense that every breath she took felt like being slowly tortured.
Yu Yue, oh Yu Yue, how could you leave me without a word? It caught me completely off guard...
Seeing her distraught appearance, Tongxia's tears, which had just dried, welled up again.
She lowered her head and secretly wiped away her tears, then took a cloak and draped it over Qingying's shoulders, saying softly, "Your Highness, the dew is heavy in the mountains, please take care of yourself."
"Hmm." Qingying looked away from Yu Yue's tombstone and slowly turned around.
"Let's go, it's time to return to the palace."
It was getting late, so she concealed her identity and left the palace. Wei Huaixu only gave her one day.
When Qingying came down from Yunshan Mountain, it was already completely dark. A heavy rain had just fallen, and everything was gloomy. Her shoes and socks were soaked through, and her clothes were damp and heavy.
As I approached the carriage, I saw a tall figure standing and waiting, leading a black horse.
She stepped forward to bow, but her hand was grasped.
“We don’t need to worry about these rules when we’re out. Why are your hands so cold?” Wei Huaixu took her hands in his, breathed warm air on them, and gently rubbed them in his palm.
"It just rained, and the wind was strong on the mountain, so I caught a chill," she explained.
"Then hurry up and get in the carriage to take shelter."
"Um."
Wei Huaixu lifted her into the carriage, but did not get off. Instead, he instructed the driver to return to the palace.
"Your cloak is soaked; take it off."
Qingying obediently did as she was told.
He had just taken off his cloak when he wrapped his outer robe around her. The warmth of his masculine scent enveloped her, effectively dispelling much of the bone-chilling cold.
Then he suddenly grabbed her ankle, and she instinctively pulled her foot back. "Your Majesty?"
"My shoes and socks were wet, so I took them off."
"There's no need..."
"how?"
Qingying met his eyes, which were so clear and open that she was speechless for a moment.
"It's nothing." She pursed her lips.
Wei Huaixu naturally helped her remove her shoes and socks, and took out a handkerchief to carefully wipe her fair and tender feet.
"Your feet are like ice blocks. If you go back soaking wet, you'll probably fall ill again tomorrow. Don't you know your own body condition?" His tone was clearly tinged with anger.
Qingying was too lazy to argue and silently wrapped her outer robe tighter.
Wei Huaixu knew she was upset and couldn't bear to scold her, so he silently tucked her feet into his arms.
"The men I sent out found something."
Qingying immediately perked up. "Is it about Yu Yue? What did you find out?"
"Yes. However, I'd like to know, did you send Yu Yue to Prince Yu's residence that day?"
"Yes, it was me. I sent her to deliver something to the young master." Her voice was hoarse. "If it weren't for me, she might not have suffered this misfortune and lost her life..."
Wei Huaixu sighed, ruffled her hair, and said helplessly, "I was going to be angry, but seeing how remorseful you are, I really can't bear it."
Why are you angry?
"You secretly sent messages to your ex-lover behind my back. Shouldn't I be angry as your husband?"
Qingying had no interest in talking to him about this, and frowned, "What exactly did your people find out?"
Wei Huaixu felt extremely frustrated, but he couldn't vent his anger, so he could only tell the truth: "My people found out that Yu Yue has been followed ever since she left the palace. Obviously, someone has been planning to harm her for a long time."
"Who?" Qingying's heart jumped into her throat instantly, and she nervously gripped his sleeve.
"Empress."
Her breath hitched for a moment, but she didn't feel too surprised.
She had a vague suspicion that she didn't have many enemies, but the one who hated her the most was Liu Shushu.
But Wei Huaixu's next words stunned her: "But the person who really killed Yu Yue shouldn't be her."
She stared at Wei Huaixu in disbelief: "You promised you wouldn't cover it up..."
“I am not covering it up. The person who followed Yu Yue has been captured by me. It was indeed sent by the Empress, but he did not have time to make a move before Yu Yue noticed, which is why Yu Yue and Xiao Fuzi were separated.”
"You mean, Yu Yue left the teahouse early to shake off the people following her?"
"Based on the current investigation, this is indeed the case."
"Then how can you be so sure it wasn't someone she sent to kill them?"
"Since the people she sent have failed, and she was in the palace at the time, theoretically she couldn't have taken action against Yu Yue a second time in a short period of time."
"But how do you know that this wasn't part of her original plan?"
"The last place Yu Yue went to was the music hall, where she met Li Niang."
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