"Long live the Empress!"
The Grand Princess and Xu Heming also bowed to the Empress.
"This humble woman greets the Grand Princess and Prince An!" Cheng Qingli hadn't expected to meet the Grand Princess.
He felt a bit of fear towards the Grand Princess, after all, she was known for her strictness.
My unconventional personality might not be appreciated by someone as strict as the Grand Princess.
"I didn't expect to see my elder sister here today. Now that she's entered the palace, may she visit my Kunning Palace later?" the Empress said to the Grand Princess with a smile.
"Yes!" The Grand Princess was very respectful to her sister-in-law and did not overstep her bounds in the slightest because she was the Grand Princess.
"I wonder if His Majesty has summoned me and Qingli here for some reason?"
After exchanging pleasantries with the Grand Princess, the Empress smiled and asked the Emperor, who was standing to the side.
"Qingli, did you encounter assassins when you entered the palace today?" Zhu Jingchen did not answer the Empress's question, but instead looked at Cheng Qingli beside him and asked.
"What? You encountered an assassin? Why didn't you tell your sister? Are you injured?" Upon hearing this, the Empress anxiously pulled Cheng Qingli aside and asked.
"Sister, I'm fine, I'm not hurt," Cheng Qingli said somewhat embarrassedly.
She then turned to Zhu Jingchen and bowed before saying, "Your Majesty, when I entered the palace, I did indeed encounter a group of assassins."
"Your Majesty, who on earth is so arrogant?" The Empress was furious. She never expected that someone would be so blind as to try to harm her own sister.
"Your Majesty, could this matter be related to that?" The Grand Princess frowned, thinking, could it be that someone has already discovered that they have found an iron ore mine?
“The person has been caught, and we’ll definitely be able to find out the truth soon. But, Qingli, have you offended anyone you shouldn’t have recently?” Zhu Jingchen thought for a moment and decided to ask Cheng Qingli. Otherwise, why would there be an assassination attempt on her?
"Your Majesty, recently, apart from harming Miss Li, I have not offended anyone else," Cheng Qingli said truthfully after thinking for a moment.
“Your Majesty, Miss Li and Lord Li cannot do such a thing. Besides, Lord Li is still recovering from his injuries.” Xu Heming pleaded for Li Zhiwei without hesitation.
"If it wasn't the Li family, have you had any dealings with anyone else recently?" Zhu Jingchen frowned. He also didn't want to believe that Li Tianyou had ordered it.
"Today, I also won five thousand taels of silver from the concubine of Prince Lan Huai, as well as two land deeds." Cheng Qingli cautiously glanced at the Empress beside her, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. How could her brother-in-law, the Emperor, be like this? He had clearly promised not to tell his sister, the Empress, about her trip to the gambling den, but now he was making her tell the truth.
"The Prince Lanhuai's Mansion?" Zhu Jingchen frowned.
"The Imperial Uncle is just a leisurely prince—" The Grand Princess wanted to say a few good words for Prince Lan Huai, but she stopped halfway through her sentence.
In the royal family, there is no such thing as kinship. That royal uncle, although he is a leisurely prince, it is hard to guarantee that he will not have ulterior motives.
"I have already sent Jin Yan to investigate. However, Qing Li, why did you make a bet with Consort Nalan Huaiwang today?" Zhu Jingchen asked, somewhat puzzled.
At this time, they had no idea that their precious little sister had gone to the gambling den.
"I don't know either. I heard from somewhere that the Prince of Lanhuai's mansion that Qinlou is owned by the Cheng family. Prince Lanhuai and his concubine came to the door saying they wanted to buy Qinlou. However, I have already given Qinlou to Sister Li. But Concubine Huo thinks that Qinlou is still in my hands. I was just being playful and told her that as long as she can beat me, I will give Qinlou to her."
As Cheng Qingli finished speaking, her voice grew softer and softer, worried that the Empress would hear her and reprimand her.
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