Su Peisheng, who was guarding the door, had been eagerly watching Qian Shengyan. When she came up, he immediately bowed sincerely, his face full of the expression of "Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort is truly a benevolent and virtuous living bodhisattva".
He gave her a grateful look, then deftly pushed the door open a crack. As if he possessed the ability to shrink his bones, Qian Shengyan watched as he "whooshed" through the crack in the door. With the door open, the angry shouts from inside became even clearer.
It was so clear that even Qingxue, who was holding her arm, tightened her grip.
Qian Shengyan listened quietly as Yinzhen finished his tirade before asking Su Peisheng, "What is it?"
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort requests an audience, it seems she has something important to discuss..." Su Peisheng said in a low voice.
There was a moment of silence in the hall. After a while, Yinzhen said something, and the next moment, Qian Shengyan saw the door open and two people walk out.
She happened to recognize them both: one was the Thirteenth Prince, Prince Yi, and the other was Lord Zhang Tingyu.
The three approached, and Qian Shengyan slightly turned aside to avoid their greetings. She didn't say anything, just lowered her eyes, nodded, and headed towards the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Upon entering, one sees Yinzhen sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, clearly furious, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
Qian Shengyan turned around and saw that Su Peisheng hadn't followed her in; in fact, he had even cunningly blocked Qingxue at the door. She nodded helplessly, and Su Peisheng quietly put his hands together in a gesture of pleading before closing the door to the Qin Zheng Hall.
She lowered her eyes, walked forward without saying a word, and only touched the temperature of the teacup. Seeing that it was a little cold, she replaced it with a fresh cup of tea. Then she stood behind him, raised her hand and pressed it gently on his shoulder.
Yinzhen let out a long breath, raised his hand to press Qian Shengyan's hand, and pulled her into his arms. After a few moments of heavy breathing, Yinzhen muttered, "They deserve to die!"
"Yes, he deserves to die." Qian Shengyan stroked his long braid to soothe his hair. "Criticizing the emperor is naturally a death sentence!"
"I did not succeed to the throne improperly!"
“Of course not. The late emperor’s will is clear, and with all the princes and ministers present, how could it be improper?” Qian Shengyan continued.
Yinzhen gave a soft "hmm," and after a moment said with some frustration, "But they don't know."
Yes, that's the problem.
Rumors are the most deadly thing, and even if Yinzhen were to die of anger right here, the rumors outside would not subside in the slightest.
I'm afraid people will spread rumors that he was guilty and committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Qian Shengyan couldn't help but recall the scene in a movie she had seen in her later years where someone had to disembowel themselves to prove they only ate one bowl of noodles. She sighed, hugged Yinzhen's waist, and understood how Yongzheng had acted in history.
If you want to set the record straight and speak the truth, it seems that you can't think of any other way to prove yourself except by arguing with them.
Qian Shengyan sighed, not in a hurry to persuade Yinzhen, but gently stroking his back and silently accompanying him. When Yinzhen finally recovered from his defeat, his anger rose again.
"I have already ordered people to investigate and bring the instigator to the capital! Interrogate him thoroughly! Investigate him thoroughly!" Yinzhen sat there with a cold and stern expression. Qian Shengyan had already gotten up and was standing beside him tidying up the mess on the imperial desk.
After waiting a moment, Yinzhen noticed that Qian Shengyan still didn't speak, so he asked, "What do you think?"
Qian Shengyan: "...The harem must not interfere in politics..."
"This is not a matter of politics! This is my matter!" Yinzhen's chest heaved violently. "They spoke ill of me like that, about my late father... my late mother... I have never done anything so shameless!" He slammed his hand on the table and looked at Qian Shengyan. "You speak!"
Qian Shengyan: ...
What did she say?!
She crouched down and carefully picked up the broken pieces of porcelain from the ground, intending to set them aside to prevent them from accidentally injuring anyone. At the same time, she said, "Your Majesty, I am not knowledgeable enough to think of any good solution."
Yinzhen gave a deep "Hmm?" with a rising tone at the end, seemingly quite dissatisfied with her refusal.
Qian Shengyan chuckled, handed the broken porcelain shards to Su Peisheng who slipped in through the crack in the door, and turned back to say, "What I can do is some petty retaliation."
"I want to know some petty counterattacks now," Yinzhen repeated.
Qian Shengyan: ...
Okay, okay.
She said, "Then Your Majesty, please answer my question first. Since Yinzhi and other disloyal people have been imprisoned, who could be spreading such vicious rumors?"
“There are so many people in the world, and it’s not just the Aisin Gioro family who are envious of this position,” Yinzhen said coldly.
Qian Shengyan feigned sudden realization, as if she had just understood who the instigator was, but she did not reveal it. She only said, "After the Eight Banners entered the pass, they also followed local customs and learned a lot of Han culture. They should know that in the hearts of the Han people, the eldest son is naturally respected."
"Exactly." Yinzhen's eyes flickered, which was also why those people believed that Kangxi would not pass the throne to him.
“But in terms of legitimate heirs, apart from the deceased Prince Li, there are no other sons of the Empress.” She emphasized the word “sons of the Empress” and added, “In terms of seniority, apart from Prince Cheng, there is no one else.”
Yinzhen's dark eyes were deep: "They say that the person the late Emperor favored was actually... the Fourteenth..."
He spoke through gritted teeth, but Qian Shengyan detected a different emotion in his voice. She chuckled, "Your Majesty, though I am shallow, I do understand one principle: the Crown Prince should not command troops. Firstly, the Crown Prince is in danger, and secondly, the Emperor is in danger. If the late Emperor truly favored the Fourteenth Prince, he would have kept him by his side to properly instruct him. Would he have ordered him to leave the capital and go to the battlefield?"
A glint flashed in Yinzhen's eyes, but he frowned again: "They don't understand..."
“It’s not that I don’t understand, but this is the only way to confirm the discord between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager,” Qian Shengyan said gently. “But everyone knows how much the Emperor respects and cares for the Empress Dowager.”
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