"thump--"
Almost the instant the Emperor finished speaking, Xie Lingqin knelt down heavily, her face pale.
"I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for any wrongdoing I may have committed."
The Emperor looked at Xie Lingqin's terrified appearance, his sharp eyes narrowing, and his voice grew even harsher, "What wrong have you done? You didn't kill anyone? The body of the maid at the General's Mansion gate wasn't your doing?"
A barrage of questions came crashing down on me.
Xie Lingqin's expression darkened, and she explained somewhat hastily, "Your Majesty, I did not kill anyone. As for the maid's body that Your Majesty mentioned, I also want to know who dared to be so bold in front of the General's Mansion." As Xie Lingqin spoke, her face became somewhat agitated, "I beg Your Majesty to investigate everything."
"Investigate thoroughly? You used to be inactive and afraid to speak out, but lately you've changed drastically. Do you still think you can fool me?"
Xie Lingqin's mind raced, her face filled with fear and unease. "Your Majesty, I... I'm afraid even if I told you this, you wouldn't believe me."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, the Emperor, who had just been slightly angry, turned a look of doubt in his eyes, then lowered his gaze and stared intently at Xie Lingqin. "Tell me."
"Your subject..." Xie Lingqin lowered her head further and further, "Since being divorced by the Prince Xian a while ago, I have been having nightmares and cannot sleep at night."
What dream?
"I dreamt of my mother, who said I was useless and always bullied. She kept scolding me. Then, I realized that I had indeed lived a pathetic life all these years. I thought I should improve myself and not continue living like before. I can't explain this feeling. It's like I suddenly realized a lot, but I would never dare to have any intention to harm others." Xie Lingqin finished speaking, her face showing some sorrow. "I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."
An open investigation?
At the head of the table, the Emperor frowned, his sharp gaze slowly falling on Xie Lingqin, as if trying to discern something.
He knew better than anyone how Xie Lingqin had lived in the General's Mansion all these years.
As for Yuwen Xian's annulment of the engagement, it was almost entirely due to his pressure that led to it.
Otherwise, whether it's Yuwen Xian or his other sons, or even noble ministers, who wouldn't want to win over the General's Mansion and Xie Lingqin?
Based on the rumors circulating these past few days, the girl in front of him was indeed different from before. However, his sharp shout had already made her tremble like this...
"Alright, get up. You little brat, I might believe you could beat someone, but killing someone doesn't seem quite right." The Emperor's anger was barely contained as he gently raised his hand.
Xie Lingqin looked at the Emperor with lingering fear before slowly rising, her face still showing utmost caution. "Your Majesty's words..."
"I was just joking with you. Look how scared you are. Your mother was much more formidable than you back in the day, hehehe..."
The Emperor smiled and nodded to Eunuch Ni beside him, "Take a seat."
"Yes." Eunuch Ni immediately had someone bring a stool for Xie Lingqin to sit down.
Xie Lingqin's complexion seemed to improve only after she sat down and held a teacup in her hand.
Upon seeing this, the emperor's eyes showed a hint of doubt before he slowly withdrew.
Xie Lingqin breathed a sigh of relief. She had been acting, deliberately putting on a show for the Emperor, but deep down she was still a little uneasy.
An emperor of his generation possessed an aura of majesty unmatched by ordinary people. Even she couldn't see through his deep, sharp eyes. Therefore, she truly had no idea what the emperor had discovered just now.
If it is discovered that she is the one supporting Tianxia Yiwei behind the scenes, and that she is the one behind everything in the General's Mansion, then the Emperor will probably try every means to eliminate this threat.
Fortunately, it seems that the Emperor is unaware of all that she has done behind the scenes.
But, are you kidding?
Would the Emperor joke with her?
"Alright, Eunuch Ni, take the imperial decree to Xie Lingqin." After a short while, the Emperor turned his gaze away from Xie Lingqin's face and instructed Eunuch Ni.
Only then did Eunuch Ni carefully step forward, take the imperial edict, and hand it to Xie Lingqin.
Xie Lingqin pulled her closer, her eyes filled with uncertainty. If this imperial edict wasn't meant to kill her, then what was it...?
...
At this very moment, in the Lanxie Palace, Xie Lingyu, having bid farewell to Consort Lan, was walking out with her maid.
Xie Lingyu was overjoyed when Xie Lingqin was taken away by Yu Qingyi, but the disappointment in Yuwen Xian's eyes deeply stung her.
Xie Lingqin, you shameless vixen!
Consort Lan treated her with extreme politeness, and Prince Xian was also gentle and kind to her, but she still felt that something was missing.
In particular, Consort Lan did not inquire about her mother's death, and everyone seemed to treat it as if it had never happened.
This feeling, however, made her uneasy.
However, Consort Lan also told her...
"Miss Xie, please wait a moment." A voice suddenly came from behind.
Xie Lingyu turned around and saw that it was the head maidservant beside Consort Lan. She immediately greeted her with a smile, her demeanor gentle and courteous. "Does Madam have anything else to say?"
"Here, this is a gift from Her Majesty. She was upset by Miss Xie earlier and forgot about it for a moment, so she asked me to give it to you."
Xie Lingyu looked at the bracelet that shimmered with an amber light in the sunlight, and her face lit up with joy.
This was clearly no ordinary item, so he smiled and accepted it. After exchanging a few words with the old woman, he continued walking forward.
...
In the imperial study, Xie Lingqin looked at the imperial edict in her hand with a surprised expression.
"Your Majesty..." Xie Lingqin could hardly believe it.
The Emperor's decree actually ordered her to thoroughly investigate the body of the maid at the entrance of the General's Mansion and the death of the Second Concubine, and all officials were required to cooperate.
However, this imperial decree was far from easy to receive; on the contrary, it felt unusually heavy in my hands.
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