After Qin Yi and Chu Jinyao left the emperor's bedroom, Concubine Lian did not dare to stay and also excused herself on the pretext of feeling unwell. Afterwards, Queen Xiao Qi dismissed everyone and cried to the emperor for a long time.

The subsequent development was just as Chu Jinyao expected. The emperor issued a gag order to everyone, not to mention today's events again. Afterwards, Concubine Lian received a large number of rewards, the meaning of which was self-evident. When

the news reached the East Palace, even Linglong and Jiegeng and several other maids were furious: "Crown Princess, this time the crown prince has prepared so much evidence, with both witnesses and physical evidence, but the emperor still doesn't pursue it?"

The three unfilial acts are not having an heir, the greatest of which shows how important offspring are in a family, not to mention the royal family with few offspring. Even if it was an ordinary noble family, if the mistress dared to harm her offspring, no matter how strong her family was, she would be punished. However, Empress Qi, as the queen

of a country, was once again let off lightly. From Concubine Lian to the maids in the Eastern Palace, everyone who knew about it was furious. Kikyo was furious, so she could only talk viciously to regain some balance: "The emperor must have been deceived by the treacherous person. There is a long time to come. She has already shown her flaws this time. After a little more time, the emperor will surely see through her true face."

The other maids all showed expressions of approval. They were all ordinary women who grew up under the imperial power. It was completely natural for the emperor to do so. Even after entering the palace and coming into close contact with injustice, they still firmly believed that the emperor was just deceived. In the future, they would be able to distinguish between the loyal and the treacherous, punish the wicked, and clear the name of the prince and their daughter. Chu Jinyao used to think so, but she went from a poor peasant girl to a noble lady, and later became the Crown Princess. Perhaps because of Qin Yi's great influence, Chu Jinyao could gradually think further.

For example, this time, the emperor clearly believed that all this was done by Empress Xiao Qi, but the emperor still did not reprimand Empress Xiao Qi. Was it just because the emperor could not bear to punish his beloved wife, or was it for checks and balances?

This thought made Chu Jinyao shudder.

Empress Xiao Qi was the empress, and she was also the biological mother of Prince Lu. Qin Yi's action this time was swift and deadly, and he saw thunder in silence. In just a few days, before Empress Xiao Qi's men found out that something was wrong, they had already been struck by thunder. Such activism is actually quite scary if it is not seen from the perspective of the Eastern Palace.

Even if it were the emperor, it would be difficult to achieve this without alarming anyone in just a few days.

The emperor has given up power for a long time, and he really doesn't care about state affairs, but he is still an emperor.

Jie Geng scolded for a long time, and was shocked to see that Chu Jinyao's expression did not improve, but became more and more solemn. She said, "Crown Princess, did I say something wrong?"

Chu Jinyao came to her senses and found that the maids were still chattering and criticizing the empress, hoping that the emperor would distinguish right from wrong. She smiled and shook her head without comment, and said, "The emperor doesn't want people to discuss these things, so don't talk about them anymore in the future. Not even in private."

Chu Jinyao had been the crown princess for a long time, and these maids gradually became afraid and dared not act rashly in front of Chu Jinyao like they did when they were girls. When they saw Chu Jinyao's serious expression, they immediately fell silent and bowed their heads: "Yes, I will remember that."

Chu Jinyao's worries must not be on the same level as these maids. After she finished scolding them, she sent them away. Although Qin Yi was very angry with Empress Xiao Qi and the emperor today, he was the crown prince, and his personal emotions were the most insignificant things. After sending Chu Jinyao back, he did not even sit down to drink a sip of water, and went out again. Qin Yi did not come back from outside until it was getting dark.

The taboos in the temporary palace were not as strict as those in the imperial city, and it was much easier to contact with foreign officials, so both Qin Yi and the two princes were busier in the temporary palace than in the capital. Qin Yi came back under the moonlight. As soon as he approached Qide Hall, he saw Chu Jinyao holding a lantern in her hand, waiting at the palace gate.

Qin Yi paused for a moment, then quickly quickened his pace: "Why did you come out?"

"Your Highness came back later than usual today. I was worried, so I waited for you outside."

Qin Yi didn't know what to say to her. In the temporary palace, there was no need to be restricted by the palace gate. His social engagements increased several times, so he often couldn't come back to have dinner with Chu Jinyao at night. Qin Yi seemed to sigh slightly: "How long have you been waiting?"

"Not long." Chu Jinyao would of course not tell the truth. The emperor's behavior today even chilled her, a bystander, let alone Qin Yi. She was really worried about Qin Yi's condition, and she couldn't sit still in the house, so she simply turned on the light and waited for him outside.

The summer night was refreshing, and Chu Jinyao stood outside for a long time, and her arms were all cold. Qin Yi touched Chu Jinyao's arm, and her heart was complicated: "If you wait for a long time, just send someone to find me, why stand outside and wait by yourself. If it really doesn't work, let the maids wait outside for you."

"How can that be the same, I am His Highness's wife." While talking, the two had already entered the house, and the maids came forward with plates in a well-trained manner, replaced them with fresh cakes and fruit plates, and then quietly withdrew. Chu Jinyao personally poured a cup of tea for Qin Yi, and after testing the temperature with his hand, he handed it to Qin Yi: "Your Highness, this is the tea I specially asked them to brew. It's just right to drink after drinking."

Qin Yi took the tea and gently skimmed the tea foam in the cup. Chu Jinyao looked at it for a long time and asked softly: "Your Highness, are you still angry about what happened during the day?"

Qin Yi realized that Chu Jinyao was worried about him, and she might have been thinking about it all day. He didn't know what to say to her: "You... I'm fine. I expected it. I'm not surprised."

Chu Jinyao sighed: "Your Highness, are we too impatient this time? In fact, I shouldn't have urged you a few days ago. Although the queen drugged me, I didn't wear those clothes. It was just a false alarm. I should have kept my temper and kept it to myself."

Chu Jinyao vaguely sensed the change in the emperor's attitude, and her hatred for Empress Xiao Qi immediately turned into hidden worries. Chu Jinyao even thought that Qin Yi intervened in this matter just to vent her anger, and quickly exposed the evidence of Empress Xiao Qi's crimes, but this made the emperor alert. Perhaps, she shouldn't be so ignorant.

"If I have to endure this kind of thing, I, the crown prince, have no role to play." Qin Yi's eyes were indifferent, as if he was talking about something that was very common. "You are the crown princess, you are the only one who can bully others, and no one can bully you. Not to mention the queen, even if it is someone who dares to touch you, I will make them spit double."

Qin Yi was really sharp, and he noticed Chu Jinyao's thoughts without much delay. In Qin Yi's view, her worry was completely unreasonable. Chu Jinyao was being plotted against by someone, which was the biggest thing. No matter who the person who did it was, Qin Yi must make this person pay double. If it weren't for the fact that the emperor was still alive, the little queen would definitely not have ended up like this today.

Moreover, Qin Yi looked at Chu Jinyao meaningfully, and said, "One will gain while the other will lose. It's only a matter of time."

Chu Jinyao understood immediately. Seeing her expression, Qin Yi was actually very pleased: "You react much faster. It seems that my teaching as a student was not in vain."

Chu Jinyao rolled her eyes at him unhappily: "What student? Which teacher would stay in the student's room so late?"

Qin Yi smiled meaningfully, immediately got up and walked to the other side, hugged Chu Jinyao in his arms: "That's not necessarily true. Otherwise, let me take you to the couch and tell you in detail?"

"You..." Chu Jinyao held it in for a long time, and said with a red face, "Nonsense! I'm talking to you seriously, don't be like this."

"What kind?" Qin Yi asked deliberately.

Chu Jinyao glared at him hard, and Qin Yi calmed down. Chu Jinyao was concerned about the serious palace affairs, and was determined to ignore this dishonest man who was thinking about something else, and tried to change the subject: "Your Highness, is that the case for today's matter?"

"Are you talking about the queen?" Qin Yi said with disdain, "I didn't expect much from that tyrant, and facts have proved that I really didn't let him down. Anyway, he has already believed that it was the queen who did it, and the actual punishment is superficial and not very important."

Such words should be extremely disrespectful, but Chu Jinyao couldn't refute it. Chu Jinyao thought about it and it made sense. The emperor already knew that the queen had been harming the royal heir and causing the concubine to have miscarriages for many years. The Empress Dowager has already lost the emperor's favor. Whether or not there is a specific punishment is just a formality. Moreover, this is just like when Chu Jinmiao lied and Old Madam Chu didn't want to punish her. The punishment she escaped now will be returned double in the future.

The emperor has feelings for the Empress Dowager now, so he can't bear to punish her. But once he knows that this woman has been doing evil for ten years, it will be like cutting meat with a slow knife. After a long time, will the emperor really not care?

Can he continue to treat the Empress Dowager ... Chu Jinyao felt that she might have really grown up. She no longer bothered that the empress did not get punished for her bad deeds. These were all superficial, and the gains and losses behind them were what really mattered. On the contrary, Chu Jinyao was more concerned about the emperor's failure to punish the empress, and the implications of this action.

The emperor used to trust Qin Yi completely and didn't care at all about his heir's full wings, but now, the young eagle is a little alert.

Qin Yi and Chu Jinyao tacitly stopped at that point and did not discuss the issue in depth. The emperor did not punish the empress, but it did not mean that Empress Qi really did not have to bear any crime. The harem was complicated, and even if it was the emperor's wish, it might not be implemented smoothly.

What would happen if the other concubines in the palace knew about what Empress Xiao Qi did? It didn’t matter that the emperor refused to punish Empress Xiao Qi. Concubine Shu, Concubine Lifei, and many other beauties who were not very prominent were much more powerful than the emperor.

Chu Jinyao was already thinking about how to "inadvertently" leak this matter to Concubine Shu. The emperor's gag order could not be violated, but if Concubine Shu found out about it herself, she could not blame anyone.

But to put it bluntly, Empress Xiao Qi and the emperor were just two outsiders with close blood ties. In fact, Chu Jinyao was more worried about Qin Yi's situation. Empress Xiao Qi mentioned Empress Da Qi today in a suicidal way, and even used her sister who died early as a weapon to consolidate her favor. Chu Jinyao was angry and disgusted when she saw this scene. What about Qin Yi?

"Your Highness." Chu Jinyao tried to say comforting words casually, "The Queen has always been shameless. She doesn't even let the children go, let alone care about human relations. And the Emperor is the Supreme Lord. There are some things that need to be said for him, but it does not mean that he is right."

"I know." Qin Yi hugged Chu Jinyao tightly and rested his chin on Chu Jinyao's hair. "In the past ten years, I have experienced this time and time again. I have long stopped having such unrealistic expectations of him."

The emperor favored his beloved wife without principles. Chu Jinyao only saw this time, but how many times had it happened before?

"Your Highness..."

"It's okay." Qin Yi knew what Chu Jinyao wanted to say, "It's all in the past. I don't care. I just feel sorry for my mother."

The Queen of Qi died of illness in the eighth year of Jianxing, when Qin Yi was only five years old. When a boy is five or six years old, he can kill someone. That should be the happiest and most memorable time in a man's life. But when Qin Yi was five years old, his willful childhood years stopped without warning.

The Queen of Qi has been in poor health since she gave birth to her eldest son. That spring, the weather was dry and she fell ill again. Originally, this was not a big deal. The Imperial Hospital, the Emperor, and the Queen of Qi herself all thought that it was just a change of seasons and that she would be fine after taking a few more pills.

No one dared to control the five-year-old eldest prince. He was overbearing and did mischief everywhere, turning the harem upside down. He could only behave himself in front of Queen Daqi. That day, he went to pay respects to his mother

as usual, but he saw the emperor and his aunt, who was disheveled and tearful, in his mother's palace. Queen Daqi was different from her sister. She was the eldest daughter in the family. She had been proud and strong for half her life, and she didn't even bother to act coquettishly to please others. She was like the first wife ridiculed by the world, dignified, beautiful, but boring.

Her sister was obviously at the other extreme. She was sweet-mouthed and good at talking. She grew up under the pampering habits of her mother and brothers. She wanted whatever she liked, even if it was someone else's. Although the Queen of Qi felt that it was inappropriate, she loved her only sister after all, so she could only go along with her as much as possible. But who could have known that her good sister actually fell in love with her brother-in-law, the king of Dayan. The Queen of

Qi was furious and asked the female officials around her to discipline her spoiled sister. At this time, the Queen of Qi still arranged the marriage without a matchmaker for the sake of her sister. If the news got out, she would be put in a pig cage! The Queen of Qi couldn't bear that her sister was bewitched and ruined her life. However, the Queen of Qi's mother, the wife of the Marquis of Zhenbei at that time, entered the palace overnight and stopped the Queen of Qi tightly. She burst into tears and said that her little daughter was already two months pregnant and she couldn't bear the Queen of Qi to vent her anger.

The Queen of Qi then realized that her own sister had aborted her husband's child for two months! Her mother, father, brother, husband, all these relatives knew about it! Only she was kept in the dark like a fool, worrying about her sister's life. The

Queen of Qi fainted immediately, and her condition deteriorated rapidly afterwards.

Qin Yi was there when this farce happened. In April, the Queen of Qi was already dying. Her family and the emperor often came to visit her, but the Queen of Qi knew that they were all waiting for her to die. Because her sister's belly was already showing, it was about to be hidden.

At the end of April, Qin Yi knelt in front of the sickbed and watched the Queen of Qi fall into a deep sleep with his own eyes and never wake up again. Three days later, the emperor named Empress Wenxiao after her contribution in raising the eldest son of the emperor. The posthumous title contains both "Wen" and "Xiao", which is indeed a supreme honor. All the ladies in the capital envy Empress Wenxiao's dignity. It can be said that she lived a glorious life and died in sorrow.

Yes, she lived a glorious life and died in sorrow. Empress Qi entered the palace in June because the emperor "missed the late empress too much". The Qi family of Zhenbei Marquis Mansion produced two empresses in a row, which is not the highest honor.

Since then, Qin Yi and his maternal grandfather's family have turned against each other, and he never called the emperor father again.

Parents are the microcosm of their children's future. Qin Yi was later named the crown prince. Even though he had no shortage of food and clothing, grew up to call the wind and rain, and thus formed a domineering character, he could not get rid of the influence of his childhood. Qin Yi knew betrayal long before he knew what marriage and responsibility were. Until now, Qin Yi could not accept the closeness of others calmly, and he could never speak his mind directly without fear of rejection. If he had not met Chu Jinyao, he would probably spend his life in such a proud and lonely way.

Every time he thought about what happened after the Great Unity, he would feel uncomfortable. Over time, Qin Yi did not allow others to mention his mother. But today, perhaps because he was holding someone in his arms, the pain in his heart was not as obvious as he imagined. Qin Yi suddenly became curious about one thing: "When the emperor questioned you, you could have just called her mother. People who accomplish great things do not care about trivial matters. A title cannot change anything. Why do you have to be stubborn?"

"No." Chu Jinyao's voice was a little dull, but with straightforward arrogance, "I don't want to stand on the side of the emperor and the empress. I may not like the people you like, but I definitely hate the people you hate."

"If you do this, she may make things more difficult for you in the future."

"It doesn't matter just this time. She would never treat me well anyway." Chu Jinyao paused for a moment, and when she found that Qin Yi didn't say anything, she gently touched him, "Your Highness?"

"It's okay." Qin Yi's eyes flickered, as if there was an endless undercurrent surging. Qin Yi suddenly thought that if the Queen of Qi was still alive, she would be very relieved to see Chu Jinyao.

Since the spring of the eighth year of Jianxing, from the age of five to seventeen, his life was blank for twelve years. Until a border invasion, he suffered the most serious external injury in his life. As soon as he opened his eyes, he met another important woman in his life.

From the moment he said "Don't cry", his destiny changed completely.