Meanwhile, Xu Yuehuai had already arrived at Fukang Palace with the Duchess of Zhenguo, which was their main purpose for coming today.
When Consort Min heard that the two had come to pay their respects, she couldn't help but frown: "What are they doing here?"
"Your Highness, please don't worry. In my opinion, they've come because of Xu Mingzhi's matter." Qi Qi quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "You've done such a good deed for the Xu family, so she should come to thank you."
Upon hearing this, Consort Min's expression softened, and she even showed a hint of smugness in her eyes.
"Then please invite them in. I want to see how this mother and daughter plan to thank me." After saying that, she leaned back lazily on the soft pillow behind her.
When Xu Yuehuai saw Qiqi come out, she quickly took a deep breath, afraid that she would cause a scene in front of Consort Min.
Fortunately, the Duchess of Zhenguo had already made plans.
May the Imperial Concubine enjoy good health and longevity.
After she and Xu Yuehuai had exchanged greetings, she sat down on a stool to the side, completely ignoring Consort Min's expression.
Seeing their expressions, Consort Min didn't believe that these two people had come to thank her.
She frowned and asked, "Madam, this is the inner palace, not your Duke's mansion. Your behavior is far too rude. Do you not take me seriously?"
"Your Majesty is too kind. You are a Noble Consort personally appointed by the Emperor, so naturally I take you seriously." Although the Duchess of Zhenguo said this, she did not make any move. Instead, she spoke again, "It's just that the Prime Minister came to our road a few days ago, seeking our protection. If I were to be polite to Noble Consort Min, wouldn't that make the Prime Minister feel uneasy?"
"What do you mean by that?" Consort Min immediately became serious and even sat up straight.
She had never known anything about the Prime Minister's residence.
"Oh? Your Highness doesn't know?" the Duchess of Zhenguo asked in return. "A few days ago, the Prime Minister came to our residence and said that the Marquis of Ningyuan wanted to take his life and asked my husband to help him out."
Xu Yuehuai was naturally unaware of this, and couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise.
Ignoring the expressions of the two men, the Duchess of Zhenguo spoke again: "However, Marquis Ningyuan now holds absolute power and even dares to interfere in the imperial examinations. I'm afraid our Duke's Mansion is no match for him."
"He interfered in the imperial examinations?" Consort Min asked, stunned.
She also interfered in the imperial examination, so if even the Marquis of Ningyuan's actions are exposed, she will naturally not be able to escape punishment either.
“Of course, my Yue has a good-for-nothing younger brother. If it weren’t for Ning Yuanhao’s help, how could he have become the second-place scholar?” The Duchess of Zhenguo said, not forgetting to look at her expression.
Upon hearing this, Consort Min's tense expression immediately relaxed.
In this light, not only was her behavior not exposed, but the blame was also shifted onto Marquis Ningyuan. In this way, she could clear herself of suspicion without lifting a finger.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai immediately understood what the Duchess of Zhenguo meant.
Before Consort Min could speak, she directly echoed, "Your Highness, you saw it in your palace last time. I have absolutely no feelings for this younger brother. Now that he is under the protection of Marquis Ningyuan, he will naturally become Marquis Ningyuan's henchman when he becomes an official. I'm afraid he might target the Prime Minister because of this."
"He dares!? If it weren't for us siblings, how could he have become the second-place scholar?" Consort Min blurted out in her haste.
Xu Yuehuai and the Duchess of Zhenguo exchanged a glance; it seemed their guess was correct.
Consort Min knew she had let something slip, and there was no way to hide it now.
She sighed and decided to speak: "I originally thought that I could help him win first place. Your Xu family would naturally be grateful to me, and with this help, I would naturally be stronger than the Empress. I just didn't expect that the credit would be stolen by Marquis Ningyuan."
Hearing this, Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but find it laughable.
"Why does Your Highness think that if you help him, he will be at your service? He's a heartless scoundrel." She sneered, her words full of dissatisfaction with Xu Mingzhi.
Now that she had found out what she wanted, there was no need for her to stay any longer. She stood up and said, "Since the Imperial Concubine is abusing her power, then we can't be blamed."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Xu Yuehuai, what do you want to do?!" Consort Min immediately panicked.
Xu Yuehuai said calmly, "If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Since Your Highness has done it, I suppose you're not afraid of being exposed."
"No! I beg you... you absolutely must not tell His Majesty about this." Even Consort Min had her fears.
She had finally secured her position as a Noble Consort; if anything were to happen to her, she would be doomed.
Xu Yuehuai did not continue speaking, but followed the others and left Fukang Palace.
...
The mother and daughter were no longer as relaxed as when they first entered the palace; instead, they looked somber.
They initially just wanted to find out the truth of the matter, but now that the truth has come to light, they don't know where to go from here.
Seeing Xu Yuehuai's heavy expression, the Duchess of Zhenguo couldn't help but sigh. She stepped forward and took her hand, saying, "Ayue, you don't need to think about how to make a decision right now. The affairs of the previous dynasty naturally have their own laws and regulations. As women, it's not appropriate for us to interfere in these matters."
“Godmother, I understand what you mean, but Xu Mingzhi is a scoundrel who is greedy and unethical, and he is also ignorant. If he really acts as a bystander, he will only become a corrupt official who harms the local area.” Xu Yuehua sighed.
She didn't want to interfere in the Xu family's affairs, but she didn't want Xu Mingzhi to succeed as a petty person, and she didn't want the people to be harmed.
The mother and daughter arrived at Consort Jia's Warm Fragrance Pavilion while they were talking.
Now, ever since Consort Jia suffered a miscarriage a few days ago, her temperament has changed drastically, and she has simply stopped leaving the house altogether.
The Emperor was worried that she might fall ill from being so bored, so he ordered someone to invite the Lady of the Duke of Zhenguo to the palace.
When Consort Jia heard who had come, she managed to muster some spirits, but the moment she saw the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, tears streamed down her face.
"Cousin...life in the palace is just too hard..." she said, and then threw herself into someone's arms and cried bitterly.
Xu Yuehuai sized her up and frowned.
She hadn't intended to argue, but then she thought about how this person was her aunt, so she couldn't help but ask, "Has Consort Jia been having a poor appetite lately? What have you been eating? Why are you so thin?"
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