Chapter 177: Previous Life (Part 9)
After Pei Yu was able to get out of bed, he was ordered to come and apologize to his mother.
He and Jiang Wanqing cried bitterly and admitted their mistakes to each other, and Jiang Shuyi soon softened her heart.
Jiang Wanqing complained to her sister in private: "Your Majesty's punishment is too severe. Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, but you can beat your own son like this just because of a few careless childish words. The imperial family is truly the most ruthless."
Jiang Shuyi felt sorry for her son, but she didn't think Pei Yan had done anything wrong. He was just venting his anger for herself, and no one could blame him for being cruel.
Jiang Wanqing failed to sow discord again, so she could only smile and start a new conversation: "Yu'er is still young and naive, and sometimes he speaks carelessly. Sister, please don't take it to heart. When Yu'er grows up and becomes the crown prince, and looks back from a high position, he will understand your painstaking efforts."
Jiang Shuyi was attracted by the possible scene of a loving mother and a filial son.
She began to wipe away her tears, hold back her sadness, and focus all her energy on winning the throne for her son.
*
Because Pei Yu was punished by Pei Yan, he dared not be disrespectful to Jiang Shuyi again. He even pretended to be filial, paying his respects to his mother every morning and evening, and would pick some flowers for his mother when he saw them blooming in the imperial garden.
Jiang Shuyi was deeply moved, and while serving Pei Yan in the bedroom, she praised her son for growing up and becoming sensible.
Pei Yan said "hmm" perfunctorily, and she began to hint at him again, saying that Pei Yu had a good temper, was friendly to his brother, and was filial to his father and mother. Although he was a little naughty in the past, naughty children are smart, and he will definitely be of great use when he becomes calm in the future.
She kept chattering, and even when she was looking at him, her eyes were only on the son who almost killed her.
Pei Yan realized that only by letting her suffer setbacks from her so-called closest relatives would she come to rely on him obediently.
He didn't say anything, neither giving Jiang Shuyi hope nor despair, as if he still had many concerns about opposing the prince.
So Jiang Shuyi put her attention back on him.
She tried every possible way to flirt with Pei Yan and then whispered in his ear: "I heard that the eldest prince has a bad character. The palace servants who serve him often cry secretly. It seems that they are being bullied."
Pei Yan made a cold expression: "Is this true?"
Jiang Shuyi became interested and started to make up more stories.
He bullied his younger brother, humiliated palace maids, expressed his resentment towards his father, and even talked in his sleep about wanting to rebel.
After all, according to what she said, Pei Yan should have beaten Pei Yi, the rebellious son, to death directly, otherwise he would have rebelled tomorrow.
He looked like he had listened to it and was in a bad mood.
Jiang Shuyi hugged him again and rubbed him gently: "Your Majesty, please don't get angry and hurt yourself. I feel bad..."
Pei Yan felt that she didn't feel sorry for him at all, and it was she who made him angry.
Jiang Wanqing has already started to organize and collect evidence of Jiang Shuyi's crimes over the years.
Pei Yan knew everything clearly, and even added fuel to the fire by secretly sending witnesses to her.
In the blink of an eye, Pei Yu was eight years old.
In the past two years, Jiang Shuyi has been paving the way for Pei Yu to succeed the throne like crazy. Fighting openly and secretly with the eldest prince has become commonplace. She is also paranoid about everything about the concubines in the harem.
Just because a maid felt that she was too old and had no future in the deep palace, she became interested in Pei Yan. When she performed a dance at a palace banquet, she made seductive moves. She became angry and afraid, and when she returned to the palace, she took poison and put the blame on the maid to eliminate the trouble forever.
Pei Yan didn't have that many drugs to cure diseases and fake her death for her to take. After instructing the Imperial Hospital not to give her any drugs, he summoned her to his palace for several days in a row, making it clear that she would never favor anyone else. Only then did Jiang Shuyi give up the plan.
Jiang Wanqing was finally ready to take action, and Pei Yan was getting impatient.
She felt that the existing evidence was not enough, and was afraid that her sister would have a chance to turn the tables, so she simply let her sister commit a serious crime that no official in the court would sit idly by - murdering the royal heir.
Jiang Wanqing encouraged Jiang Shuyi, saying that His Majesty only had two sons, and the delay in appointing a crown prince must be due to his hesitation in choosing. As long as the eldest prince was poisoned, His Majesty would only have one son left. What choice would he have?
Jiang Shuyi was anxious because she saw hope in winning the throne but had not yet gotten a definite answer from Pei Yan.
She understood that there was no way out now. It was not just a matter of the throne. She had been hostile to the eldest prince for so long. As long as the day came when he ascended to the throne, she, her sister, and Yu'er would all be dead without a burial place.
After another unsuccessful attempt to test Pei Yan, Jiang Shuyi decided to take action.
That day was the Queen's birthday banquet, and several consorts and princesses, as well as high-ranking ladies of honor, all entered the palace.
The two royal heirs were naturally there as well.
Jiang Shuyi looked at Pei Yi nervously.
The plate of cakes in front of him contained a deadly poison, and anyone who ate it would die instantly.
She poisoned openly and was not afraid of being discovered. If Pei Yan wanted to kill her afterwards, then let him do it.
Jiang Shuyi has been living in fear and anxiety in recent years, as if she was walking on thin ice. She doesn't know when it started, but she suddenly felt that death would be a relief.
As long as Sister Pei Yan and her son are safe...
When Pei Yi picked up the cake, Jiang Wanqing suddenly pounced over and knocked the white jade cake away.
Under the stunned gaze of Jiang Shuyi and the others, Jiang Wanqing knelt down in the center of the hall, looked at her sister with tears in her eyes, and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please understand. I really can't stand the torment of my conscience. I can't watch my sister persist in her wrongdoings and continue to harm the eldest prince!"
The whole hall was filled with shock and silence.
The Queen tried to suppress the matter, but Jiang Wanqing was prepared. She cried and told everyone that Jiang Shuyi had murdered concubines, caused chaos in the harem, and intended to kill the eldest prince. She also said that there were witnesses and evidence, and asked the Queen to deal with it impartially. As a younger sister, she did not persuade her sister and was willing to share the crime.
At that moment, Jiang Shuyi was not angry, but confused.
Is this...is this her sister?
Her head felt groggy, as if she was drunk or seriously ill, and she was not very clear-headed.
Until Pei Yu also stood up, walked to Jiang Wanqing's side, and knelt down facing the queen: "Mother, everything my aunt said is true, and I can testify to it."
Jiang Shuyi felt that everything around her was quiet.
She looked at her righteous son, and remembered the dried flowers he had sent last month in the hall, and laughed ridiculously.
Pei Yu looked at her because of this laugh, there was no guilt in his eyes, only disgust.
He said righteously that his royal brother had always been good to him, and it was she who always intended to alienate them. It was not enough that she had caused chaos in the harem for so many years, and now she wanted to interfere in the previous dynasty. She was not worthy of the position of imperial concubine.
Jiang Shuyi felt her hands and feet trembling, and she could no longer care about anything. She brushed off the cups on the table and shouted in despair: "Isn't mother doing all this for you?"
Once these words were spoken, it was considered an admission in front of all the clan members present at the banquet, and there was no room for maneuver.
When she saw Jiang Wanqing wiping her tears with her sleeves, a sneer of triumph appeared on the corner of her mouth.
Pei Yu was still confronting her, saying that what she gave him was not what he wanted at all.
Jiang Shuyi felt her blood flowing backwards, her vision went dark, and she fainted amid Yuzhu's screams.
*
Pei Yan watched all this outside the palace gate.
Only when he saw Jiang Shuyi fainted did he stride in, past the crowd who were kneeling tremblingly to pay their respects, walk to Jiang Shuyi, and pick her up sideways.
Jiang Shuyi looked very unhappy.
Even though he was unconscious, his furrowed eyes and brows were still filled with sorrow and sadness.
Pei Yan didn't know what she was suffering from.
He had given her everything and indulged her in everything, but she insisted on making things difficult for herself.
But it doesn't matter, from now on, he is the only one she has.
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