Early in the morning, Madam Min sneezed violently. She asked Hu Mama, "Have the people guarding the palace gate come back to report?"
"Not yet, Madam. There's still plenty of time. Even if the eldest daughter is sentenced to death, it won't be that quick. Please wait patiently, Madam. This time, nothing unexpected will happen," Hu Mama comforted her.
To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, after Ye Qingxue was summoned to the palace, Madam Min arranged for people to guard outside the palace so that they could inform her in advance of any news about Ye Qingxue coming from inside.
"Tell them to keep a close eye on things and not to slack off. Report any suspicious activity immediately," Madam Min said.
Just then, the butler came over with a strange expression, holding a small newspaper in his hand, and seemed hesitant to speak!
Madam Min gave Hu Mama a wink, and Hu Mama quickly stepped forward to take the tabloid.
Madam Min initially thought the steward's expression was due to the news of the Wei family's property being confiscated appearing in the tabloids. However, when she saw the contents of the article, she was shocked. She quickly read through the article and gasped in astonishment.
"How is this possible!" Madam Min was so angry that she almost tore the tabloid in her hand to shreds.
Last night, in the middle of the night, she sent Ye Cunjin to summon her maternal uncle to the palace, all so that the emperor would rescind his order and withdraw all of Ye Qingxue's rewards...
Ye Cunjin's uncle had accomplished his task, but the emperor was furious. He summoned Ye Qingxue to the palace for the second time early in the morning. Almost everything was done before dawn. Why did the tabloids spread the news of Ye Qingxue being rewarded last night so quickly?
Who exactly is behind the tabloids?
How can it be so fast!
Madam Min took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, and asked the butler, "Has this matter already become a hot topic outside? What are people saying?"
The steward replied, "Everyone is praising our Marquis's eldest daughter for being brave and resourceful, possessing the same spirit as the Marquis when he went to battle! She is a true heroine!"
Seeing the steward's proud expression, Madam Min was furious, but she couldn't lash out.
"Besides praising the eldest daughter, what else is being said? What are people outside saying about His Highness Prince Ding and our second daughter?"
The steward's initial nervousness stemmed from this. Although the eldest daughter was praised, the second daughter and Prince Ding were thoroughly scolded. The second daughter was the mistress, and Prince Ding was even more untouchable.
The housekeeper was hesitant to tell the truth.
They then made some minor modifications to their statements to the outside world.
People outside say: "His Highness Prince Ding is utterly useless for breaking off the engagement without knowing the truth. He has let down the Emperor after all these years of nurturing!"
The steward then said to Madam Min, "They said that His Highness Prince Ding's decision to annul the engagement without knowing the truth was indeed impulsive, but it was also a display of his true character."
People outside say: It is likely that His Highness Prince Ding has long been engaged to the second daughter of the Marquis's family, and deliberately ruined the eldest daughter's reputation to take the opportunity to break off the engagement. He is really vicious!
The steward then said, "They said that although His Highness Prince Ding just broke off his engagement with the eldest daughter and then turned to propose to the second daughter, it was too fast and surprising. But they can understand His Highness Prince Ding's eagerness to repay Marquis Zhongyong. His Highness Prince Ding is just too kind!"
"Enough!" Madam Min snapped, her face icy. When did the people's discussions become as gentle as spring rain in March?
The butler immediately shut up, as he had run out of fabrications to make up anyway.
"Granny Hu, go out and find out for yourself what the people outside are saying," Madam Min said in a deep voice.
"Yes, this old servant will go right away."
After Hu Mama left, Madam Min sent someone to invite Ye Cunjin over. When Ye Cunjin learned about the contents of the tabloid, he was also shocked. He looked at the tabloid over and over again, hardly believing his eyes.
The matter caused quite a stir, and before Hu Mama had gone far, she heard the discussions. So, in no time, she brought the people's talk back to Madam Min and Ye Cunjin.
"We were actually a step too slow!" Ye Cunjin clenched his fist tightly. "How on earth did this tabloid find out about last night's events so quickly?"
Madam Min asked him, "Don't you know who the mastermind behind the tabloids is?"
Ye Cunjin shook his head. Not only did he not know, but his colleagues did not know either. Someone had tried to dig, but they had not uncovered the real master behind it.
There were rumors that the tabloids were actually controlled by the current emperor, so no one dared to investigate anymore, fearing they would lose their heads.
Now, Ye Cunjin is increasingly convinced that the rumor is likely true, and that the master behind the tabloids is the emperor. Otherwise, how could what happened last night have made it into the tabloids so quickly?
The article was not only written vividly, but the illustrations were also lifelike, as if the artist had witnessed the scene firsthand.
"Not only did we fail to handle the annulment of the engagement properly, but now we've also ruined His Highness Prince Ding's reputation..." Ye Cunjin said, but he couldn't continue. He felt like a huge stone was lodged in his chest, and he couldn't breathe properly. He felt like he was about to vomit blood.
Madam Min gently comforted him: "It's alright. Once that bitch Ye Qingxue dies, today's events will be completely forgotten. In three to five months, or even three to five years, no one will mention them again."
"When Prince Ding becomes the crown prince and ascends the throne, who will dare to mention his shame of today?"
Ye Cunjin nodded. Madam Min made a good point. Now all they needed to do was wait for Ye Qingxue's body to be brought back.
Ye Qingxue drove her birth mother to hang herself, cut off her second uncle's arm, and killed the old nanny who served her younger sister... Even though she had performed three great feats just two days ago, the emperor would not spare her.
Thinking of this, Ye Cunjin felt a little relieved and picked up the tea beside him, taking a big gulp.
"Second Madam, Young Master, the eldest young lady has left the palace." The servant who had been waiting for news outside the palace gates rushed back without stopping after receiving the message, and was still out of breath.
Ye Cunjin held a large mouthful of tea in his mouth, as if he was waiting for the servant to finish speaking before he could swallow it.
"How did the eldest daughter leave the palace?" Madam Min asked cautiously, as if worried that being too hasty or too loud would backfire.
The servant replied, "The young lady is perfectly fine and has not been punished at all. She left the palace with Miss Xia Lu. Judging from the timeline, she should be returning to the Marquis's residence soon."
Ye Cunjin couldn't swallow the mouthful of tea he had in his mouth. It felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat, and he spat it all out with a "pfft".
Even after all this, they still can't kill Ye Qingxue!
He stepped forward and grabbed the servant's shoulder: "Are you sure the young lady left the palace unharmed? Was no one with her?"
The servant, his face ashen, stammered, "Yes, she left the palace unharmed, and no one came with her!"
Ye Cunjin originally thought that even if Ye Qingxue was not sentenced to death, the emperor would at least take back all the rewards.
But now, Ye Qingxue has left the palace unharmed, which means the emperor has not punished her. The fact that no one from the palace returned with Ye Qingxue indicates that the emperor has no intention of revoking the rewards.
What methods did she use to escape the emperor's order to commit suicide?! It's truly bizarre!
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