When the crown prince committed a crime, anyone associated with him was either killed or imprisoned, and would either die or be exiled in the future.
Changxi, a groom for the Crown Prince, impersonated Xiangsizi and was deliberately brought to the Guanju Courtyard of the Marquis's residence.
The meaning is already quite clear.
The people behind this want to create the illusion that Ye Qingxue is harboring a criminal from the Eastern Palace.
The fact that the Palace Guards arrived so quickly is proof of this.
Now anyone who dares to harbor a criminal in the Eastern Palace is considered a member of the Crown Prince's faction and will be executed immediately if caught.
Qiu Shen connected Chang Xi's identity with the speed at which the Palace Guards arrived, and realized that she had fallen into a trap.
Someone knew that she had gone to find the acacia seeds to cure Ye Qingxue's poison, so they deliberately set up this trap to make her kill her own young lady!
It turns out that Changxi's suggestion to eat and then to go to the outhouse was just a delaying tactic to wait for the Palace Guards to arrive!
Autumn deepened, filled with both sorrow and anger, and she bit her lip until it bled.
Spring, summer, and winter—he kept glancing at the deepening autumn leaves and the green snow leaves, his forehead beaded with sweat from anxiety.
When the person behind it all had Changxi impersonate Xiangsi Zi, they certainly didn't expect that the deposed crown prince was in Guanju Courtyard.
Now, once the people from the Palace Guard arrive at Guanju Courtyard, they will surely discover that the deposed crown prince is here, and no one will survive.
Although Changxi was being trampled underfoot by Ye Qingxue, he was no longer flustered. He laughed and said, "Originally, I was thinking that I would feel very guilty for framing Miss Ye for harboring a criminal from the Eastern Palace, but I had no choice in order to survive."
"Now it's all settled, Miss Ye, you really are harboring a criminal wanted by the imperial court, and the one the emperor has been trying to capture is the deposed crown prince! So it's not like I'm framing you, Miss Ye!"
He glared fiercely at Yun Zhuo, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression twisted with rage: "Your Highness, as the heir apparent, you have an affair with the emperor's favorite concubine; you have also colluded with bandits to plot a rebellion; and you have even disrespected your birth mother by splashing blood on the statue of the late empress..."
Yun Zhuo, clinging to the screen, gripped its edge so tightly that her fingers almost dug into the wood.
Changxi continued, "We are of lowly and humble status and have no right to speak ill of you, but do you know that your actions have killed everyone in the Eastern Palace, and yet you have simply walked away!"
"Today here, you will pay for your past actions and for all those you have killed!"
"And Miss Ye, you dared to harbor the deposed crown prince, you deserve to die too!" Changxi laughed loudly.
Yun Zhuo coughed up a mouthful of blood, his hand holding the screen lost all strength, and his body fell straight to the ground.
Xiao Bao had been paying attention to his situation for a long time. He patted Qi Zai's head, and Qi Zai rushed out like an arrow. Yun Zhuo fell directly on its body, and the blood that spurted from its mouth stained its white fur red.
Xiao Bao said anxiously, "Mother, Father's life force is very low. We must get a doctor to treat him as soon as possible, otherwise he will die!"
Changxi replied, "It's no use trying to save you. The Palace Guards are already at the door. None of you can escape!"
Ye Qingxue pricked up her ears and heard the sound of orderly footsteps approaching. There were many people, and the ground trembled slightly.
Changxi sneered, "You can't kill me either. If you kill me, no one will save Xiangsi Zi, and you will kill her too!"
Ye Qingxue grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him off the ground: "Where is the Acacia Seed? Tell me, and I'll spare your life!"
Changxi sneered, "Even if I don't tell you, do you dare to kill me now, Miss Ye?"
Ye Qingxue said expressionlessly, "For everyone here to survive, I have no choice but to kill you."
Before Changxi could react, Ye Qingxue's hand was already gripping his throat. Her fingers were long and slender, but her strength was immense, making it impossible for him to breathe in an instant.
Changxi struggled desperately, slapping Ye Qingxue's wrist, but Ye Qingxue's wrist was like an iron clamp, and he couldn't break free at all.
The surroundings were quiet. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter stared intently at Ye Qingxue, wondering for a moment why she had killed Changxi.
Even Ye Cunsi, who was nestled in his chair, was dumbfounded.
In the utter silence, Changxi's struggles grew weaker and weaker, his breathing grew fainter and fainter, until finally his head lolled to the side, and he died completely at Ye Qingxue's hands.
“Killing someone this way is a bit slow, but at least there’s no blood.” After Ye Qingxue finished speaking, she released her grip, and Changxi’s body slumped to the ground. The man who had been so arrogant just moments before was now completely silent.
“Spring is light and summer is green, you all go outside the courtyard and stop the people from the Palace Guard from coming in,” Ye Qingxue said.
Chunxia and the other girl exchanged a glance. Although they didn't understand the meaning of doing this, they didn't ask and left in response.
Ye Qingxue then looked at Qiu Shen: "What are you still kneeling for? Get up and go find Xiang Si Zi. Focus your search on the place where you met Chang Xi!"
"If Changxi wanted to replace Xiangsi Zi, he would have to deal with Xiangsi Zi first. But Xiangsi Zi was a living person, and Changxi didn't have much time at the time. He certainly didn't have time to hide Xiangsi Zi well!"
"Yes!" Qiu Shen immediately stood up. Thinking of the situation outside, the corpses, and the unconscious deposed crown prince, Qiu Shen was still worried: "What will happen to Miss if I leave?"
Ye Qingxue said, "As long as my enemy is alive, I won't die. You can go in peace!"
Outside the backyard, the palace guards were everywhere, making it difficult for Qiu Shen to get out. Ye Qingxue asked Qi Zai to help her break through the gap and distract some of the guards, allowing Qiu Shen to finally escape successfully.
In the front courtyard, Cui Shao, the commander of the Palace Guard, had already arrived with several hundred guards, and Ye Cunjin was leading the way for them.
Chunxia and Xia Lu blocked the entrance to the courtyard. Xia Lu said, "This is the inner courtyard. May I ask what brings you here, sir? My young lady is resting and it is inconvenient for her to receive guests!"
Cui Shao said, "According to reliable sources, the criminals from the Eastern Palace are hiding in the Guanju Courtyard of the Marquis's residence. I am here on the Emperor's orders to arrest them. Make way!"
Xia Lu said, "My young lady is just a maidservant in the inner quarters. How could she dare to harbor a criminal from the Eastern Palace? This crime is too serious; it's punishable by death. I hope you will investigate thoroughly before coming here, otherwise my young lady will not be able to live."
Cui Shao: "I will go in and search, and then I will know whether your young lady is innocent!"
He nodded slightly to the guards on either side, who then rushed into the courtyard despite Chunxia and the other person's attempts to stop them.
Chunxia and Ye Cunjin bravely stood in front of them, but Ye Cunjin stepped forward and said, "If Lord Cui doesn't investigate this thoroughly, your young lady will forever bear the stigma of harboring a criminal from the Eastern Palace. Do you want to kill her? Get out of the way!"
Spring and summer continued to block them regardless of their own lives. Seeing this, Ye Cunjin knew that Changxi's plan had succeeded. He smiled to himself, thinking that this time, he should be able to put Ye Qingxue to death.
"Take them down! Don't let them interfere with Lord Cui's capture of the criminals!" Ye Cunjin ordered in a deep voice.
Immediately, guards stepped forward and seized Chun and Xia. Ye Cunjin strode forward, leading Cui Shao and the guards, and rushed into Ye Qingxue's room. Their swift steps revealed their impatience!
Inside the room, Ye Qingxue sat upright in a chair, as if she had been waiting for them there.
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