Unexpectedly, Wan'er smiled, leaving Yu Yan completely bewildered.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean? Does Qi Lan have committed such a grave mistake, yet you still intend to forgive her?" Yu Yan asked, her already ferocious face appearing even more sinister and terrifying with her furrowed brows, like a demon descended from hell to claim a life.
Wan'er blinked her big eyes and whispered, "Of course we can't let her off the hook, but Qi Lan was born into the Eight Banners after all, so how to deal with her is up to the Imperial Household Department. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to rashly kill her, so..." Wan'er pretended to think.
She originally wanted to take advantage of her current strength to teach Yu Yan a lesson, but then she thought that Yu Yan was just a palace maid, and it was obvious that she was a very shrewd person. She couldn't have done something so meticulous on her own.
In order to expose the mastermind, she could not break off relations for the time being. She could only continue to trust Yu Yan, just like the original owner, in order to lure the snake out of its hole.
Seeing that Wan'er had returned to her usual gentle demeanor, Yu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Wan'er had believed her words. She gently took Wan'er's hand and said, "What is Your Highness afraid of? You are Consort Xian, the Emperor's most favored concubine. What does it matter if you beat a servant to death? Besides, this lowly servant was in the wrong first. The Emperor will not blame you."
These words imply that Qi Lan is determined to be killed.
Wan'er lowered her eyes slightly, concealing the disgust in them, but it quickly disappeared.
She gently stroked Yu Yan's hand, which was even whiter and more delicate than her own. "I have only been in the palace for a short time. The Emperor may not care if I do this, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress are still here. If they find out, they may accuse me of abusing palace servants."
"What are they compared to the Emperor..."
Wan'er didn't want to hear words that would lead her astray, so she interrupted, "Besides, those are just your guesses. If it's just a coincidence, it would be too harsh to kill someone just for spilling a bowl of medicine."
But Yu Yan was not willing to accept this. "How could there be such a coincidence? Your Majesty, don't think too highly of people."
Upon hearing this, Wan'er almost burst out laughing. Indeed, only a person with a black heart would think so badly of others.
Wan'er wouldn't fall for it. She glanced at Qi Lan, who was shivering in pain on the ground, and said with a pang of heartache, "Then let the Imperial Household Department investigate thoroughly. They are fair and just. If Qi Lan really has ulterior motives towards me, they will naturally not let him go. If it's just a coincidence, then the palace will be spared another wronged soul."
"The... Imperial Household Department?" Yu Yan was so surprised that she stammered.
"This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department. Whether to kill or punish is up to them. Besides, I am physically weak and it is really not good for me to investigate these matters," Wan'er said softly.
"No, you can't!"
These words immediately met with strong opposition from Yu Yan, who was afraid that someone would follow the clues and find out that she wanted to harm Wan'er.
You should know that it was she who tricked Qi Lan into putting honey in the medicine bowl.
Seeing her so agitated, Wan'er sneered inwardly, but still pretended to be worried.
“But you think this isn’t a coincidence, so we can’t just let her off the hook!” Wan’er stared straight at Yu Yan’s face.
Yu Yan bit her lip, looking pained and conflicted. "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. Maybe... Your Majesty, you should give her another chance, considering she's served you alongside me since she was little."
Wan'er chuckled inwardly: You were the one who killed her, and now you're the one who wants to give her another chance. You really think you're the master.
She looked troubled. "But didn't you just want to kill her?"
Yu Yan shook her head. "It was because I cared too much about Your Highness that I lost my mind for a moment. Now that I think about it, I was really stupid. Qi Lan is so honest and kind, how could he possibly harm you?"
"Is that so?" Wan'er raised an eyebrow and asked.
"Yes." Yu Yan nodded vigorously. "This servant guarantees it with my personal integrity."
"Character? Can your character guarantee this?" Wan'er sneered inwardly, but on the surface she still said, "Since you've pleaded for her, I'll give her a chance!"
Wan'er's original goal was to save Qi Lan, and now that she has achieved her goal, there is no need to continue dealing with Yu Yan.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Yu Yan said, curtsying.
The matter should have ended there, but her next actions angered Wan'er.
She grabbed Qi Lan's clothes and said fiercely, "You lowly servant, why don't you thank me?"
They were both palace maids, equals, yet she called others "lowly maids." Wan'er bit her lower lip in anger.
Qi Lan was already seriously injured and had no strength to speak. He could only express his gratitude to Wan'er with his eyes.
Wan'er desperately suppressed her anger and said to Yu Yan, "Yu Yan, shouldn't you also apologize to Qi Lan?"
"Apologize? What do I need to apologize for?" Yu Yan asked, feigning ignorance.
Wan'er forced a smile. "She was innocent, yet you beat her like this. Aren't you wrong?"
“This…” Yu Yan was unwilling at all.
"What? Is it not allowed?" Wan'er asked.
Yu Yan gritted her teeth, feeling utterly helpless, and could only kneel down and kowtow to Qi Lan, saying, "I was wrong, I hope you can forgive me, Qi Lan."
However, Wan'er was not satisfied. Beating someone like this was not something that could be resolved by simply kneeling down and apologizing.
So she continued, "An apology alone might not be sincere enough."
Yu Yan turned indignantly to Wan'er, "Your Majesty, what do you think is the best course of action?"
Wan'er smiled slightly and said, "Qi Lan is so badly injured. It will definitely take a lot of money to recover his health and mental state. I have calculated that it will take about ten taels of gold."
"Ten taels of gold!" Yu Yan exclaimed in surprise. "It only costs five taels of gold to buy a palace maid. Isn't ten taels too much?"
Wan'er shook her head. "Not much. If the Empress finds out that you beat people at will, you'll be punished according to palace rules and may end up in the Department of Cautious Punishment."
"There are only the three of us in the hall. As long as we don't say anything, no one will know." Yu Yan clutched the purse on her body tightly, afraid that it would be taken away.
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