Consort Min naturally saw the disappointed look in Zhao Min's eyes before she left, but the matter was right in front of her, and Zhao Min herself had admitted it. Even if she wanted to excuse herself, she couldn't bring herself to do so.
However, since the other party had already left, the cleanup work still needed to be done, so she walked to the emperor's side and was about to kneel down.
Upon seeing this, the emperor quickly helped the other person up.
"It is all my fault for not disciplining her properly, which led to this incident. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
Xu Yuehuai just watched, speechless.
Unexpectedly, the next second they heard the Emperor's forgiving words: "I know you've worked hard managing the affairs of the harem for me. This matter is not your fault, don't take it to heart!"
After saying this, the emperor patted her hand to comfort her.
"Alright, now that the truth has come to light, there's no need to bring this up again." The Emperor suppressed his anger and stood up.
Seeing this, everyone had no choice but to stand up.
After the farce ended, the Emperor stormed off, and the guests at the banquet dispersed.
Zhou Wan and San Niang had never attended a palace banquet before, so they naturally didn't know how to conduct themselves. After thinking it over, they decided to stand still and wait for Xu Yuehuai.
They watched as Xu Yuehuai finished greeting his colleagues with the Duke and his wife before he had time to talk to them.
"Zhou Wan, Third Sister, I still have to go to the kitchen to pack up in a bit, so I'm afraid I won't be able to see you off when you leave the palace." Xu Yuehuai finished her work and immediately ran over to apologize to them, but she was still a little worried, afraid that the two of them might encounter some trouble when they left the palace.
Unfortunately, she still had to go to the kitchen to handle some cleanup tasks.
Since it was Xu Yuehuai who messed up the imperial kitchen, and she wasn't even considered part of the kitchen staff, the nannies had no reason to clean up for her.
Even though she was Princess Heyue, she couldn't stop Consort Min from eyeing her covetously.
She felt very wronged, but she also understood that people in the palace had no choice in their own lives. The only thing she could do now was to keep them out of the royal family's conflicts.
Zhou Wan and Xu Yuehuai had been through life and death together for so long, how could she not understand her suffering?
She immediately grabbed Xu Yuehuai's hand and chuckled, "Don't worry, we're doing just fine at Tianxiang Tower. On the contrary, Zhao Min has failed to harm you now, but she'll definitely come up with another way to harm you in the future. Then you won't be able to escape even if you want to."
"Okay, don't worry." Xu Yuehuai quickly chuckled.
Just as she was trying to figure out how to get the person out of the palace, she saw Qi Guze staring intently at her and walking towards her.
Xu Yuehuai knew that after such a big event, Qi Guze must have a lot to say to her, and even a lot of things he wanted to entrust to her. But the palace was not a place to talk. Now, it wasn't just Ningyuan Marquis and Aqi, but even Consort Min and the Prime Minister's Mansion were starting to have their eyes on her.
She has to be very careful.
To avoid giving others any reason to find fault with her, Xu Yuehuai could only greet them with a smile and curtsy: "This humble woman greets the Regent."
Her sudden action and appearance made Qi Guze frown.
Qi Guze was furious when he saw her sudden aloofness, but he knew that they were in the palace, so even if he was dissatisfied, he couldn't show it.
He had to ensure Xu Yuehuai's safety in the palace.
"Is Your Highness the Regent about to leave the palace?" Xu Yuehuai preemptively asked again.
However, she didn't forget to raise her eyebrows, revealing a charming and adorable look.
Seeing her adorable appearance, Qi Guze couldn't help but smile, but because they were in the palace, he could only say seriously, "Indeed, may I ask what advice Princess Heyue has for me?"
Although he was serious, he also deliberately imitated her and made a joke.
Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but pout, but she didn't let anyone notice anything unusual about her expression.
"Could you do me a small favor? Please escort Zhou Wan and San Niang out of the palace. After all, it was the Regent who brought them in. I hope Your Highness will agree to see this through to the end," Xu Yuehuai said slowly.
How shrewd of him to see things through! Qi Guze was already under Xu Yuehuai's thumb and had no choice but to agree.
However, even without the phrase "to see things through to the end," he would have agreed to any request Xu Yuehuai made.
Xu Yuehuai curtsied again: "Then I'll have to trouble Your Highness."
Seeing the two exchanging glances, Zhou Wan and San Niang couldn't help but laugh to themselves. If the Emperor really granted them a marriage today, then there would be hope for the future. However, they thought that no matter which new top scholar was selected, no one could be more worthy of Xu Yuehuai than Qi Guze.
However, when it came to sending them out of the palace, Zhou Wan and San Niang were unwilling.
Although the two women knew that life in the palace was not easy, they thought that with the princess's status, those people would be able to restrain themselves. But seeing Xu Yuehuai's precarious situation today, they suddenly felt reluctant to leave.
How could they dare leave Xu Yuehuai alone in the palace? What if she tried to assassinate him while they were away?
"I'm not leaving," they both said in unison.
Even if they can't help much, they hope to protect others from disaster.
Xu Yuehuai could see their concern for him, but he knew that while they were helping him, they should first save their own lives.
"Go back quickly, don't worry about me. The Duke and Duchess of Zhenguo are my godparents, and now that I have a title, no one can touch me." She shook her head and refused their request. "Besides, Tianxiang Tower is doing very well right now. If it weren't for your help, there would definitely be trouble over there. As long as Tianxiang Tower is safe and sound, I can have confidence."
"But..." Third Sister wanted to say something more.
"There are no 'buts'. Not everyone around me is the Crown Prince's man. I won't let them take advantage of me," Xu Yuehuai comforted her.
Zhou Wan and San Niang exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment before finally feeling at ease. Although they were reluctant, they still followed Qi Gu Ze.
Qi Guze was also slowly becoming worried, but he didn't say anything more.
"Take care." He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Xu Yuehuai and then left.
Xu Yuehuai only breathed a sigh of relief after watching the figures of the group disappear from her sight.
...
After she finished explaining things in the kitchen, the Duchess of Zhenguo had also finished all her work.
She rushed over to find Xu Yuehuai.
She saw Xu Yuehuai washing his hands, and thinking about what had happened that day, she felt terrible.
"My son, you've really worked hard, having to cook yourself in all that smoke and fire." The Duchess of Zhenguo truly loved Xu Yuehuai.
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