"What?" Lady Li was taken aback. She felt like she couldn't keep up with Ulanara's words. While she was still trying to think, she subconsciously blurted out, "I never..."
"The person is already gone, and you still won't admit it!" Ulanara scolded in a low voice, "Even if Dong Eshi can lie, can the bruises on her body lie?"
Before Lady Li could react, Lady Ulanara had already concluded: "Lady Dong'e couldn't help but tell me. I even advised her, saying that Consort Qi is a kind-hearted person, to be patient. But I never expected that this patience would lead to..."
Ulanara wiped her eyes, her voice filled with sorrow: "During this time, the image of Consort Dong'e has been constantly swirling in my mind. I've thought more than once, if I hadn't advised her to be tolerant, would she... would she not have suddenly passed away so soon..."
"You're talking nonsense! I didn't! Your Majesty, I didn't, I didn't!" Lady Li finally realized what was happening and shouted in her defense, "She's my only daughter-in-law, why would I torment her?"
“She told me that you were not satisfied with her background…”
"You're talking nonsense..."
"Consort Qi!" Yinzhen slammed his teacup heavily on the table, his tone displeased. "Is this how you treat the Empress?"
"Your Majesty..." Li cried out, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty is innocent..."
Lady Li never expected that today wasn't someone coming to see Consort Hua make a fool of herself. What business is it of hers?
And Qian Shengyan...
Even if Qian Shengyan wanted to help Ulanara, she couldn't find a suitable opportunity. Ulanara could blame everything on a dead person, but she couldn't go against her conscience and say, "Yes, yes," could she?
This is truly distressing.
"The Third Prince's wife, not yet twenty, suddenly passed away from illness," Yinzhen said slowly. "I also found this matter suspicious and ordered someone to investigate..."
His gaze fell on Lady Li, then on Lady Ulanara, and finally he said, "Since the Empress has identified Consort Qi, then Consort Qi shall be confined to her quarters for a month."
Lady Li sobbed, "Your Majesty..."
Qian Shengyan, who had wanted to give Li another push, shut her mouth after Yinzhen gave Li a clear punishment.
This lightness clearly indicates that Yinzhen does not trust Ulanara, or rather, he knows the truth.
"Your Majesty!" Ulanara cried out in disbelief, only to hear Yinzhen angrily say, "What else does the Empress want? Do you want me to register Hongshi under your name as the legitimate son, or directly make him the Crown Prince?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not," Ulanara said, startled, immediately kneeling down. She tried to argue, "But Dong'e..."
"I told you, I investigated." Seeing that she still refused to repent, Yinzhen became truly angry. "Do you think I'm a fool with such crude clues?"
It was because he investigated for a long time and found that the clues pointed to the Li family, but the person who made the clues seemed to be from the Ulanara family, that he lost interest and stopped investigating.
"Your Majesty..." Ulanara was shocked that her tricks had been discovered. A cold sweat broke out on her back. She lowered her head and dared not speak again.
"Although the death of the Third Prince's wife was unexpected, it was indeed due to illness, and there is no doubt about it." Yinzhen waved his hand and said, "That's all for now, you can go back first."
Ulanara and Li knew that "you" probably referred to themselves, so they reluctantly bowed and left. Consort Yu, Geng, who had been playing a background role, also quickly came over and bowed to Yinzhen. Just as she was about to leave, she was stopped.
"You should pay more attention to the Fifth Prince's upbringing; that child is a bit too quiet," Yinzhen said.
"Your Majesty, I obey your command," Lady Geng quickly replied.
Yinzhen waved his hand, letting her leave, and then glanced at Su Peisheng.
Su Peisheng understood the Emperor's meaning perfectly well. Ever since learning of Consort Hua's miscarriage, the Emperor had probably been seething with anger, and then the Empress and Consort Qi were caught in the middle of their rivalry. Normally, the Emperor might have listened and tried to intervene, but now…
Not to mention the Emperor, even he couldn't wait to know whose child Consort Hua had miscarried!
After everyone in the hall was cleared out, Su Peisheng arranged for his trusted confidants to stand guard at a distance in the corridor, ensuring that they could neither hear what was being said inside nor allow anyone else to enter.
Then he went into the hall, closed the door, and personally stood guard by the door.
While Su Peisheng was busy with the men, Qian Shengyan grabbed Yinzhen's hand and tried her best to help Ulanara and Hongshi in the future: "I've heard the Empress and Consort Qi are at odds these past few times, it seems to be because of the Third Prince?"
"The Ulanara family has become too ambitious," Yinzhen sneered.
Qian Shengyan thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "I've been hearing about the Third Prince a lot lately, and it reminds me of when I first entered the Prince's Mansion. I was invited by Consort Qi to visit the Fuluyuan, and that was the first time I saw the Third Prince." She gestured with her hand to indicate a height, "Back then, the Third Prince was about this tall, and he was still playing games like riding horses and fighting."
As she spoke of these things, Yinzhen's expression softened: "Hongshi was mischievous from a young age."
He thought for a moment and said, "You entered the household after giving birth to Hongli, which was in the fifty-first year of Kangxi's reign, right? At that time, Hongshi was only seven or eight years old."
But soon, Yinzhen thought of something unpleasant. He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said to Su Peisheng, "Go and convey my decree later, instructing Consort Qi to see Hongshi less often, so as not to spoil my prince."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Su Peisheng had no idea how things had progressed to this point, but listening to the Emperor was always the right thing to do.
Qian Shengyan smiled with satisfaction, then heard Yinzhen continue, "Consort Qi has always been good at spoiling children. I remember that when Hongshi was young, he was very unruly for a period of time. Even the Empress Mother couldn't stand it and personally handed him over to the Empress to teach him."
"Now that Your Majesty mentions it, I remember. The Empress's teaching of the Third Prince was very effective. During that time, the Third Prince lived in the main courtyard and studied very diligently," Qian Shengyan praised with a smile.
Yinzhen nodded, then fell into deep thought. After a moment, he sighed and said, "Well, the child is grown up now, and his wife is gone. He should have a mother who can persuade him."
Knowing that her goal had been achieved, Qian Shengyan said no more, but looked into the bedchamber and changed the subject: "Your Majesty, there is something I did not say earlier, please forgive me."
"What?"
"Your Majesty... I found a little eunuch's shoe under Shan Xiu's bed," Qian Shengyan sighed. "I was afraid someone would see it, so I kicked the shoe in..."
"Su Peisheng!" Yinzhen called out, and Su Peisheng immediately bowed and replied, "Yes, sir!"
He strode into the bedchamber, and soon came out carrying a set of eunuch's clothes and three shoes.
At the same time, Wanxia had already dragged Shanxiu, who had just finished dressing, out of the room without any mercy, by pulling the blanket over her.
Dan Xiu screamed all the way, kicking her legs wildly, but the moment she saw Yinzhen, she was like a chicken with its neck choked, unable to utter a sound.
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