Xue Zhiyi lowered her brows and eyes. The sound of the door closing behind her made her back feel a little cold.
But the Queen Mother smiled inappropriately: "What are you afraid of?"
Xue Zhiyi replied: "Your Majesty, I am not afraid."
"You're harming someone right under my nose, aren't you afraid?"
After pondering for a moment, Xue Zhiyi said in a steady voice, "When an enemy comes, we will fight him; when water comes, we will block it with earth. I repay kindness with kindness and grievance with grievance. I do not feel I have done anything wrong, and I have a clear conscience."
The Queen Mother chuckled softly, her meaning unclear: "What a clear conscience."
Xue Zhiyi swallowed her words. Could it be that the Queen Mother was going to punish her for what happened today?
She thought for a moment, then answered bravely, "If Miss Ge and Lan Ying hadn't framed me, I wouldn't have been able to harm them today even if I wanted to. But today, it can be said that nothing happens without a coincidence."
"Oh?" The Queen Mother seemed interested in her words. "What do you mean?"
Xue Zhiyi said, "Since the Marquis of Lin'an is determined to take control of the Dali Temple, today's incident will help him in his plan in the future."
The Queen Mother remained silent. Xue Zhiyi wanted to continue explaining, but the Queen Mother changed the subject: "I've already told you, don't be afraid. I'm not going to hold you accountable."
Seeing that she still had her eyes lowered, the Queen Mother said, "Why are you so nervous? Look at me."
Taking a deep breath, Xue Zhiyi raised his gaze and met the empress dowager's eyes. There really seemed to be no intention of blaming her in those eyes.
The Queen Mother said earnestly and firmly, "Since this is related to the removal of Tu Yuxian, I don't need to know all the details. Just do it with confidence."
She chuckled: "I have already seen how well you can survive in the harem. Let me see what you are capable of in other areas."
Xue Zhiyi's heart finally settled down a little, and she knelt down and bowed: "Thank you for your trust, Queen Mother."
The Queen Mother simply said, "Don't employ those you doubt, and don't doubt those you employ. Since I've kept you by my side, I have no reason not to trust you. However, there are some things I can only feel at ease if I entrust them to capable people."
Xue Zhiyi also smiled slightly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Originally, I might only have an 80% chance of success, but after this incident, I will definitely be able to give you a satisfactory result."
The Queen Mother nodded, yawned, and said, "Alright, I'm really sleepy now, please leave."
Xue Zhiyi stood up: "Yes."
Then he slowly retreated.
As soon as he left the house, he ran into Lan Ying who came to question him: "Xue Zhiyi!"
But Xue Zhiyi said, "Be quiet, the Queen Mother has just fallen asleep."
Lan Ying only sneered: "You rely on the Queen Mother's favor and think you can do whatever you want. Do you think today's incident will not be traced back to you?"
"What happened today?" Xue Zhiyi asked back, "What happened?"
Xue Zhiyi's reaction made Lan Ying laugh: "You still dare to play dumb? You were the one who tampered with the palace flowers, weren't you? It was you who wanted to frame me and Ge Yuanhui! You're so bold, just wait to be held accountable!"
Xue Zhiyi smiled and said, "But the palace flowers were repaired by Miss Ge using the beeswax from your hairpin. What does it have to do with me?"
"It was clearly you! Why don't you admit it? Everyone was watching, so how could you deny it?"
Xue Zhiyi helplessly spread his hands: "So, you and Miss Ge deceived His Majesty? That is the crime of deceiving the emperor."
"you……"
Lan Ying's face flushed with anxiety: "The truth of this matter will definitely come out!"
Xue Zhiyi covered his mouth exaggeratedly: "Yes, the day the truth comes out will be the day when you two will be convicted of deceiving the emperor. Guess who will die first?"
After saying that, Xue Zhiyi no longer paid any attention to her entanglement and turned away.
Behind him, Lan Ying was furious, but she didn't dare to speak loudly. She could only shout, "Who do you think you are? My father is the Minister of Dali Temple!"
Xue Zhiyi didn't turn around, but just smiled and replied: "Fortunately, your father is the Minister of Dali Temple!"
…
Xue Zhiyi didn't have time to waste with this clown, she still had to go see Huo Wuyou.
In the second half of the Qionglin Banquet, the emperor allowed the guests to stroll around the Imperial Garden. At this time, the Imperial Garden was bustling with activity.
Her eyes searched for Huo Wuyou's figure, but she heard someone calling her: "Xue Zhiyi."
She turned around and saw someone she didn't want to see.
In a slightly secluded corner, Gu Shichong was gently waving a fan and looking at her with a smile on his face.
Xue Zhiyi's mouth sank in annoyance, but he still stepped forward respectfully and saluted, saying, "Greetings to His Royal Highness Prince Gong. May I know what your Highness has to say?"
Gu Shichong did not answer. Xue Zhiyi lowered his eyes and only saw his slowly approaching steps.
"Are you... okay?" Gu Shichong's voice was very soft, but it seemed to carry a strong sense of pity and concern.
Even without looking at the expression on his face, she knew that Gu Shichong's expression at this moment must be one of condescending pity and charity.
Her voice was as calm as the surface of a still water: "Your Highness, under the Queen Mother's grace and favor, everyone in Jianzhang Palace is living a wonderful life under her protection."
But Gu Shichong laughed helplessly: "Are you blaming me?"
Xue Zhiyi wondered: Is there something wrong with Gu Shichong? What on earth was he planning to do at this moment?
Then he said, "You were originally supposed to be my princess. In fact, I had already thought about it. If you were to marry me, I would at least treat you with respect and honor you as a princess."
Why else? Why did he say something so obvious, as if Xue Zhiyi had taken advantage of something so great?
Gu Shichong sighed: "Now that something like this has happened, how can you possibly live well?"
Sorry, she is living a happier life than when she was in the Xue family.
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