In an instant, as if lifted by an invisible force, the person quickly climbed to her feet, then knelt on the ground in a very standard and upright posture, bowing deeply to Qingyao. She lowered her head, her voice trembling and anxious, saying, "I beg the Empress to speak in our favor to the Emperor! We now fully understand that we have made a grave mistake. We hope that the Empress will consider my family background in the Prime Minister's Mansion and lend us a helping hand!" As soon as she finished speaking, she lowered her head again, her posture becoming even more humble and submissive, as if she wished to bury herself in the dust.
Qingyao, however, appeared remarkably calm and composed. She gently blew away the tea leaves floating on the surface of the teacup, then elegantly took a sip of the tea. Seeing this, the palace maid standing by hurried forward, carefully took the teacup, and placed it steadily aside. Qingyao lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze fell on her slender fingers, and she spoke seemingly nonchalantly: "If I hadn't pleaded for mercy in front of the emperor, based on the crimes committed by your Prime Minister's Mansion, it would be more than just a reduction of two levels in rank. I'm afraid you would have faced the misfortune of being executed. So, you should be content. At least I saved the lives of everyone in the Prime Minister's Mansion, so don't take advantage of yourself. After you go back, remember to talk to our Prime Minister and tell him not to make any more mistakes. Otherwise, if you make any mistakes again, don't blame me for not showing mercy. If the emperor gets angry and imposes severe punishment, it will be multiple crimes and the consequences will be unimaginable. Well, now that I have said this, you should go back early!" After speaking, Qingyao raised her head slowly and glanced casually at the Prime Minister's wife who was kneeling below.
Upon hearing these words, the Prime Minister's wife trembled as if struck by lightning, then her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground. Her face was as pale as paper, completely bloodless. Her eyes stared at Qingyao above in horror, her lips trembling for a long time, but she couldn't utter a complete sentence.
The other person moved his lips and wanted to say something, but seeing Qingyao's cold face, he could only stiffly get up, bow to Qingyao, and then tremblingly left the palace with the palace maid.
"How is it? What did Qingyao say?" As soon as the prime minister saw his wife coming back, he couldn't wait to greet her, holding her hands tightly, and asked anxiously with a look on his face.
The Prime Minister's wife's face was as pale as paper, her lips trembling slightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and said slowly, "It's useless... Master, everything is in vain. She hates us and won't help us no matter what!" After saying this, the wife could no longer suppress her grief and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Master, you don't know what a strange and indifferent look it was when I faced Qingyao! It was as if the person standing in front of me was not my biological daughter at all, but a passerby who had nothing to do with me. That feeling is really heartbreaking. Master, did we really do something wrong? This is the child we raised with so much trouble!" The Prime Minister's wife sobbed and spoke incoherently about the grievances and pain in her heart.
Hearing this, the Prime Minister was immediately furious. His eyes widened and he shouted loudly: "Why does she hate us? Why don't you help? She is simply an ungrateful and rebellious girl! Think about it, from her childhood to adulthood, have we ever treated her badly in the slightest? We provided her with good food and drink, and let her choose silks and satins. Which one was not the best for her? Now, she has grown up and dares to disobey her parents. This is outrageous! I must find her and ask her clearly to see if she has a conscience!" After that, the Prime Minister was so angry that he trembled all over and turned to walk out.
Seeing the Prime Minister furious and anxiously about to go out to find Qingyao, the Prime Minister's wife was horrified and rushed forward, grabbing the Prime Minister's sleeve tightly and refusing to let go. Her eyes were red and tears were swirling in them. She pleaded with a trembling voice, "Master, you must not go! Qingyao is no longer our biological daughter now. She is the most noble Empress in the world! Just this morning, I saw with my own eyes that her eyes were full of indifference and disregard when she looked at me. It was like a sharp knife piercing straight into my heart, which was more painful than lingchi! With her current power and ruthless means, she might really order your life to be taken without mercy! So please, Master, don't seek trouble for yourself anymore. Let's just accept our fate and live our own lives steadily from now on."
After hearing his wife's heartfelt words, the Prime Minister's raging anger was instantly extinguished, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. However, a lingering anger remained. His body softened, and he slowly collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball. He clenched his fists and pounded them hard, roaring indignantly, "This heaven is so unfair! How could I end up like this?" Yet, at this moment, he seemed to have completely forgotten the cruelty and ruthlessness with which he and his wife had treated the poor child Qingyao.
As time went by, the situation in the Prime Minister's residence deteriorated. Those who had once flattered and curryed favor with the emperor began to distance themselves from the residence and gradually distanced themselves from it. The various businesses run by the family also encountered difficulties one after another, and business became increasingly bleak, eventually leading to decline and fall.
On the other hand, Qingyao was thriving in the palace, her status becoming increasingly stable. The Emperor doted on her and protected her with all his might, showering her with countless favors. She was truly in the limelight.
One day, urgent news of war came from the border. The court was in urgent need of a large amount of military pay and soldiers. The prime minister was demoted to the Minister of Guanglu Temple and was specifically ordered by the emperor to go to the border to defend against the enemy. In desperation, he thought that perhaps only Qingyao could save the whole family from the dire straits, so he shamelessly went to the palace to ask for an audience.
Qingyao didn't want to see them again, but thinking of the trace of family affection left in the past, she met them anyway. The prime minister knelt on the ground and cried about the miserable situation at home, begging Qingyao for help.
Qingyao just looked at him indifferently and said, "You treated me as a chess piece in the beginning. You tried to please me when I was useful, and discarded me when I was useless. Now you still want me to help you. This world is a cycle of cause and effect, and retribution is inevitable." The prime minister collapsed to the ground after hearing this. Only then did he truly understand that he would have to taste the consequences of the evil he had sown in the past.
At this point, the Prime Minister's family, who were defending the border against the enemy, were outnumbered and died on the battlefield within two months. Upon hearing the news, Qingyao said lightly: "It's just karma."
However, in this turbulent situation, Qingyao received good news of her own.
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