Chapter 160 Meeting Qi Wanyin

Su Jingyao looked at the letter her brother wrote to her, her eyes lingering on the familiar handwriting for a long time, and she fell into deep thought.

My brother wants to meet the Lord of Qingping County.

The reason for such a request is that Jun Zechen has already imprisoned the Lord of Qingping County in the Lord's Mansion, and has issued an order that he may commit suicide on a chosen day.

After Princess Qingping left the palace, Jun Zechen had been sending people to secretly monitor her.

No matter whether she had pretended to like Su Jingxuan before, or was later found to have brought poison into the palace.

Jun Zechen's impression of her plummeted.

In addition, Jun Zechen himself is a person with a strong desire for control. As long as he is determined to investigate something, he will be able to get to the bottom of it.

The secret guards under his command were all well-trained and capable, much stronger than the palace maids and eunuchs arranged by Su Jingyao in the harem.

Palace maids and eunuchs were either narrow-minded or poorly educated, so they were easily swayed and led astray by the words of others. It was also extremely difficult for them to remain loyal.

Even though Su Jingyao has been in control of the harem for so many years, she is well aware of the difficulties involved.

Once someone offers a large amount of silver as a bribe, even if some people know that it is risky money, they will inevitably be tempted.

Since the Qingping County Lord was being watched closely by Jun Zechen, no matter what she did, she would not be able to escape.

When she first left the palace, she knew how to conserve her energy and stayed in the county lord's mansion obediently, trying to lower Jun Zechen's vigilance.

However, after only three months, the fox's tail was exposed.

According to Jun Zechen's revelation, Qi Wanyin secretly contacted Canglang's people and tried to reveal Jun Zechen's whereabouts.

Because the Autumn Hunt will be around the corner, Jun Zechen will leave the palace at that time, and Qi Wanyin actually conspires with Canglang's men to assassinate Jun Zechen.

When Su Jingyao learned about this, she found it unbelievable.

Qi Wanyin's ending is already determined. Although Su Jingyao has many doubts about Qi Wanyin's various behaviors after her return, she can't even understand why she did these things.

But now, she didn't want to spend too much time on Qi Wanyin.

But today I received a letter from my brother, asking to see Qi Wanyin.

Could it be that my brother is really bewitched by Qi Wanyin?

Su Jingyao and her brother have always had a good relationship. Her brother has a noble character, a gentle temperament, and his talent is outstanding in this era.

Even though Qi Wanyin had already broken off her engagement with her brother, her brother still wanted to see Qi Wanyin again.

In order to prevent Qi Wanyin from saying anything to her brother, Su Jingyao decided to meet with Qi Wanyin in person.

She put away the letter in her hand and then ordered, "Miaoyun, prepare the carriage. I will go to the county lord's mansion today."

The county lord's mansion was heavily guarded by soldiers, but Jun Zechen did not take back the token he gave her last time.

After Su Jingyao arrived at the county mansion, she calmly took out the token, and the officers and soldiers immediately made way for her respectfully, and she entered easily.

Su Jingyao stepped into the county lord's mansion and looked around the mansion.

Pavilions and terraces are arranged in an orderly manner, water flows gently across the small bridges, and the rockery is covered with lush vegetation.

This county lord's mansion is exquisite and luxurious, and every detail is carefully designed. Jun Zechen, her cousin, is really good to her.

So what is Qi Wanyin still dissatisfied with?

When the servants of the county lord's mansion saw Su Jingyao, they were confused and had no idea who she was.

Miaoyun raised her voice when she saw this, and said sharply, "The Queen has arrived, why don't you let the Lord of Qingping County come out to greet her?"

When the servants heard that it was the Empress, they were immediately terrified and knelt down to pay their respects, not daring to raise their heads.

The steward of the county lord's mansion heard the noise, hurried over, and immediately ordered someone to call County Lord Qingping.

The housekeeper was full of doubts and had no idea why the Empress would come to the county lord's mansion.

Hasn't the county lord already been abandoned by Your Majesty and is about to be killed?

Now the county lord's mansion is run by him, the steward. In order to get more money before the county lord is sentenced to death, he secretly transferred almost all the valuables from the county lord's mansion.

Could it be that the Queen came here today to support the county lord?

Thinking of this, the butler couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat on his back.

The housekeeper pretended to be calm, put on a smile beside Su Jingyao, and bent over to take her to the lobby to sit down.

He also ordered the servants to bring up the best tea in the county mansion, "Your Majesty, please have some tea." His voice was flattering and fawning.

Su Jingyao didn't react at all, her face still gloomy.

Miaoyun saw this and said, "Put down the tea. Your Majesty doesn't want to drink it now."

"Yes, yes, yes."

The butler bent down and carefully placed the tea on the table, beads of sweat on his forehead sliding down his cheeks.

Soon, Qi Wanyin came over.

When Qi Wanyin saw the empress coming, she couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly with her pupils dilated, obviously she was a little surprised.

"Your Majesty, the Queen."

"Get up."

Su Jingyao said this in a cold voice, and then waved her hand nonchalantly.

Miaoyun immediately understood and took all the servants in the hall out.

In an instant, they were the only two people left in the lobby, and the atmosphere suddenly became quiet and depressing.

"Please take a seat, Lord County Master."

Qi Wanyin walked to the side and sat down. "Why did the Queen come here today?"

"I have some doubts in my mind, and I hope the county lord can explain them to me."

Su Jingyao stared at Qi Wanyin with a serious expression.

Qi Wanyin covered her mouth and chuckled, but her laughter was filled with endless sadness.

"Your Majesty, you want to ask why I had an engagement with Minister Su, but then canceled it?"

Her eyes became a little blurry.

"I just want to know what your purpose is."

Su Jingyao's eyes became more and more sharp. In her opinion, no matter what they did, they had a purpose, but Qi Wanyin was walking herself into a dead end.

Qi Wanyin herself was confused. She slowly raised her head and looked at the tall pillars of the county mansion with empty eyes.

"Purpose? There is no purpose. I just can't bear to give up."

"I colluded with Canglang and intended to assassinate Your Majesty. I am already a dying man, so it's okay for me to talk to you about it."

Qi Wanyin's voice became low, as if she was telling a story that had nothing to do with her.

"Do you know what kind of life I had in Canglang? Do you know how many insults I suffered in Canglang?"

"My mother is a noble princess of Canglang, but she got pregnant with a man from the monarchy before marriage. In the eyes of all the nobles in Canglang, she is worse than a prostitute. Tell me, what kind of life am I leading in Canglang?"

Qi Wanyin could already speak calmly about all her sufferings, but her eyes still revealed hatred for this world.

"When I learned that His Majesty was attacking Canglang, I was very happy and even lent His Majesty a helping hand, allowing him to defeat Canglang more easily. I thought I could finally escape from the sea of ​​suffering. His Majesty finally came to save me."

A trace of longing appeared on her face, but it quickly disappeared.

"On the way back, I didn't see His Majesty. Some soldiers were joking that His Majesty and the Queen were in love, and His Majesty was worried about the Queen, so he returned early."

Qi Wanyin's voice began to choke and tears welled up in her eyes.

"I was still impressed at the time. Your Majesty and the Queen had a deep love in their youth. After so many years, their love is still as deep as ever."

She couldn't hold back her tears anymore and they fell.

"But when I returned to the Imperial City, I found out that His Majesty had long since abandoned his first wife and had fallen completely in love with another person!"

Qi Wanyin's voice was trembling badly, and her body was shaking with excitement. Her hands were clenched into fists, and her knuckles were turning white.

"So you pretended to like my brother in order to get back at me?"

Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly, with scrutiny and a hint of coldness in her gaze.

Although Qi Wanyin's experience made her feel emotional, there were too many people living in this feudal world who were suffering for various reasons.

At least Su Jingyao believed that Qi Wanyin's suffering was not caused by her.

If Su Jingyao wanted to take revenge on her because of these things, she would certainly not be lenient towards Qi Wanyin.

When mentioning Su Jingxuan, Qi Wanyin's eyes were filled with tears, and her eyes became extremely gentle.

"On the way back, I had a very pleasant conversation with Minister Su, and I could sense that he seemed to like me a little."

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she was immersed in those beautiful memories.

"But...I don't deserve it!"

Qi Wanyin's tears burst out, she covered her face with her hands, and cried heartbreakingly.

She is too dirty, how can she be worthy of the handsome young man from the capital.

This time when she came back, she just wanted to live her life in peace and quiet.

Qi Wanyin put down her hands, her eyes filled with despair and inferiority.

"Someone like me doesn't deserve his love at all."

"So I never gave Minister Su a clear answer. After returning to the imperial city, I learned that the current empress was not Miss Ling, but Minister Su's sister."

"I don't hate you, and I have never thought of taking revenge on you. I hate Your Majesty!"

Qi Wanyin raised her head abruptly, and her voice became shrill.

"When he married Miss Ling, I asked him tactfully that I was willing to be his concubine as long as I could marry him, but he rejected me and vowed that he would only love Miss Ling in his life."

Qi Wanyin clenched her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.

"How could he be so cruel and do this to me!"

"I was disheartened. My father was gone in the Kingdom, and the Qi family never acknowledged me. There was no place for me in the Kingdom. In order to fulfill the wishes of His Majesty and Miss Ling, I went to Canglang alone to seek refuge with my mother."

Qi Wanyin's eyes were empty, as if her soul had been taken away.

"Since Your Majesty later married so many women, then my leaving at that time was meaningless."

"If he had never rejected me, everything I've experienced would not have happened. I hate him. How could he feel at ease falling in love with another person?"

Qi Wanyin became more and more broken-down as she spoke, her voice filled with tears, and she looked like a fallen leaf drifting in the wind, fragile and helpless.

She has already accepted that His Majesty is with Miss Ling, she has accepted that she has lived a miserable half-life, and she has also accepted that she will never marry after returning to her kingdom.

But why, why should she be let know that His Majesty has fallen in love with someone else? Since he can marry someone else, why couldn't she do that? Is she so unworthy of love?

Her birth was a mistake, and no one has ever liked her in her life.

Minister Su... probably also likes Qi Wanyin, the lady from a well-educated family who is well-mannered, talented in literature and art.

He never knew what the real Qi Wanyin looked like.

Su Jingyao sighed softly.

Jun Zechen was indeed arrogant when he was seventeen, and it was true that he would sternly reject a woman he didn't like.

Even when she married into the Eastern Palace, didn't she also hear many ruthless words from Jun Zechen?

It's just that Su Jingyao is determined in her goal. No matter what means she uses, she firmly believes that Jun Zechen will be tamed by her. In addition, Su Jingyao's desire to pursue Jun Zechen is just to achieve her goal of becoming the queen.

Su Jingyao wanted every future king of the kingdom to have her blood in their veins, so that her son could ascend the throne.

Moreover, Jun Zechen never caused any substantial harm to her from beginning to end, and even Jun Zechen had already given Su Jingyao what she asked for.

So Su Jingyao can accept Jun Zechen as he is now.

Thinking about it the other way around, did Jun Zechen do something wrong at the time?

He just rejected a woman he didn't like, and he didn't know what Qi Wanyin would encounter in Canglang.

Even though Jun Zechen knew that Qi Wanyin would not live better in Canglang than in Junguo, returning to Canglang was Qi Wanyin's own decision. Could it be that Jun Zechen rejected her and then tried to keep her in Junguo?

If Jun Zechen didn't care about Qi Wanyin in the first place, given his cold personality, it would be impossible for him to keep her, or even possible that he didn't care at all.