Consort Chu Yun's words turned Emperor Kangxi's face ashen, and he felt no more pity for her.
One hour later.
Zhi Shu bowed and entered the west wing hall, whispering to Xu Lejin, "Your Highness, the Emperor has already left Consort Chu Yun's east wing hall. From afar, I saw that the Emperor's face was gloomy and very unpleasant."
"Okay, I understand."
Xu Lejin responded lightly, and then said, "When His Majesty returns to the Qianqing Palace, Yingchun will present His Majesty with the letter of apology I wrote for my father and elder brother."
"I hope Your Majesty will consider my sincere repentance and apology for the mistakes my father and elder brother made, and show leniency in this matter."
Zhi Shu and Ru Hua exchanged a silent glance, then lowered their heads and remained silent.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Lejin sighed deeply.
"Today, Consort Chu Yun went mad and caused such a commotion that the entire palace knew about it within half a day. After this incident, Consort Chu Yun probably doesn't have much time left."
Zhi Shu lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment before looking up at Xu Lejin. "Your Highness, will Consort Chu Yun's actions today affect you?"
"Probably not."
Xu Lejin frowned and said softly, "After all, the Xu Muer family behind me is also a victim. Moreover, before Consort Chuyun went crazy, I wrote a letter of apology, asking the Emperor to punish my father and elder brother to go to the Shengjing Mulan Hunting Ground to herd horses."
Zhi Shu was taken aback upon hearing this.
He then spoke respectfully, "Your Highness is thoughtful and farsighted."
Xu Lejin responded faintly and remained silent.
Outside the palace.
Xu Muer's family
After quickly reading the letter in his hand, Xie felt a slight sense of relief.
Although things are not yet settled.
However, there is still room for maneuver.
If we don't succeed, we die trying!
"Mother, what did Consort Xu say in her letter? What about the mistakes Father and my younger brother made, and Father's attempt to use our marriage as a bargaining chip? Does Consort Xu have any solutions?"
Xu Chujin, the eldest daughter of the Xie family, looked at Xie family with a solemn expression and asked.
The rest of the group, apart from the second sister Xu Chaojin, the ninth sister Xu Yujin, the fourteen-year-old Xu Fujin, and the twelve-year-old Xu Lijin, all looked at Xie Shi.
Madam Xie took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Consort Xu mentioned in her letter that she has written a letter of apology to the Emperor on behalf of your father and An'er, and asked the Emperor to punish them by sending them to the Mulan Hunting Ground in Shengjing to graze horses."
"Regarding your marriages, Consort Xu said that I have the final say and your father cannot interfere. If your father insists on using the marriages of the girls in the family as a bargaining chip, Aunt Liu and Aunt Tao have plenty of daughters to choose from."
With this reassurance, Xu Chujin and her sisters all breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Xie paused, looked at her eldest daughter Xu Chujin and fourth daughter Xu Yujin, and said softly, "I can't make the decision about Chaojin's marriage, but I can make the decision about Chujin and Yujin's."
"Chu Jin is twenty-two this year. If she hadn't been selected to enter the palace, she would have already married and become a mother. Yu Jin is also sixteen, which is the best age for marriage."
"Your mother is thinking of arranging your marriages as soon as possible. What are your requirements for your future husbands? Consort Xu mentioned in her letter that she hopes to follow your own wishes and that you will both marry your ideal husbands."
Xu Chujin and Xu Yujin exchanged a glance.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Chujin said with a gentle smile, "Daughter, it's all up to Mother to decide."
Xu Yujin also chimed in.
Xie nodded, and after thinking for a moment, spoke.
"A few days ago, the Tatara family, the Shumulu family, the Suocholo family of the Plain White Banner, the Antu Guarjia family, the Hadanara family, the Shajifucha family, the Keliyete family, and the Yilali family all expressed their desire to form a marriage alliance with our family. However..."
After hesitating for a moment, Madam Xie continued, "However, those who wish to marry into our family are either legitimate sons from collateral branches or illegitimate sons from the main branch, and none of them are highly regarded within the family."
"Maintaining the status quo is acceptable, but if one wants to achieve great things and bring glory to the family, that is absolutely not possible."
Xu Chujin and the others remained indifferent upon hearing this.
As expected!
Although their family was elevated to the Manchu Bordered Yellow Banner and bestowed the surname Xumur by the Emperor, their ancestors were still bondservants of the Imperial Household Department, so their range of marriage options was very limited.
Xu Chaojin, who was standing to the side, pondered for a moment and looked at Madam Xie and said, "Mother, I heard that Aunt Chun and Aunt Qin are trying to curry favor with you. Of the families you just mentioned, besides the future husbands of my eldest sister and ninth sister, you can also consider the half-sisters of Aunt Chun and Aunt Qin."
"Consort Xu mentioned that she hopes all the girls in our family will find good husbands. Consort Chun and Consort Qin have been quite well-behaved these days, and their half-sisters are all sensible."
"If it is appropriate, Mother may wish to bestow some favors upon them."
After pondering for a long time, Xie nodded with a smile.
Early the next morning
Xu Lejin slept until the sun was high in the sky, then slowly woke up and, with the help of Yingchun and Zhishu, washed and changed her clothes.
At this moment, a flustered figure entered from outside the palace and respectfully reported, "Your Highness, Yun Cui, who was in charge of taking care of the sixth princess in Cining Palace, was found drowned in the well this morning."
"Our Consort Chuyun, residing in the east wing of Yikun Palace, was given poisoned wine by the Empress Dowager. The Emperor has decreed that the entire Erde family, Consort Chuyun's maternal family, be exiled to Ningguta to perform hard labor..."
Xu Lejin remained calm.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Lejin spoke softly, "It was expected. For the sake of peace in the harem, it was only a matter of time before the Empress Dowager ordered the death of Consort Chuyun. Yun Cui's death is somewhat suspicious, however..."
"Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense."
Yingchun and Zhishu lowered their eyes and remained silent.
Xu Lejin murmured softly, "The palace is full of spies from all families. Whether Yun Cui's death was an accident or a deliberate act, it was the best thing for the deceased Empress, the Hesheli family outside the palace, and the sixth princess raised by the Empress Dowager Cining Palace."
After a pause, Xu Lejin looked out of the hall, towards the direction of Kunning Palace.
With a slight upturn of her lips, Xu Lejin revealed a cryptic smile and said, "I suspect that Yun Cui's death was the work of the Hesheli family outside the palace. After all, Yun Cui was the Empress's dowry maid and knew too many of the Empress's secrets."
"Sacrificing the pawn to save the king is a common tactic used by large families."
Yingchun looked up at Xu Lejin, then lowered her head again and whispered, "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. These are things you cannot say. The Empress is the mother of the nation. She was carefully selected and appointed by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. She is virtuous, generous, kind and benevolent, and has the reputation of being a 'perfect woman'."
"Um."
Xu Lejin nodded and responded, her thoughts drifting away.
Indeed, as Yingchun said, the late Empress Hesheli was chosen by Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager after weighing the pros and cons. If she were to be smeared with a vicious reputation now, it would be a slap in the face to Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.
Therefore, the best approach is to whitewash the situation and cover up the truth.
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