Three Years After Falling Off the Cliff

The juggler was controlled, and the peacock that attacked the Queen was taken out of the inner hall by the guards. The Queen held Fu Yi's hand, her eyes full of heartache.

The ladies of honor surrounded the queen and asked her about her well-being. They all looked loyal and as if they wished they could be frightened for her.
Seeing that the Queen was still holding Yun Fuyi's hand, everyone felt a little jealous. With so many people present, how could she get the credit for saving the emperor?

"Your Highness." The female official walked to the Queen's side, her expression solemn. "After investigation by the guards and the imperial physician, the two peacocks' claws were hooked with poison. This poison is colorless and tasteless, and it will take a few days to take effect. If a person's face is exposed to this poison, their complexion will decay and their skin and flesh will ulcerate."

Everyone looked at Fu Yi immediately, and the queen summoned the imperial physician immediately.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The trick to catching a chicken... a peacock is to avoid its sharp claws and control its neck and wings. I will be fine." Fu Yi cast a soothing look at Liu Qiongzhi and continued to say to the Queen, "The jugglers and peacocks must have gone through a lot of inspections before they can be presented to the palace. So even if the peacock claws are poisonous, they are hidden in a place that is not easy to detect or touch."
This method of destroying people's appearance is somewhat similar to the style of concubines in the palace secretly competing for favor.

The Queen sent someone to investigate thoroughly while having the imperial physician take Fu Yi's pulse. Soon the palace returned to peace, as if the assassination had never happened.

The ladies all sighed with emotion, saying that she was worthy of being the empress who had been well-read since childhood and had accompanied the emperor in seclusion for many years. How many people could match her bearing and demeanor?
After Fu Yi went to the back hall to change her clothes and the imperial physician checked her pulse to confirm that she was fine, the queen finally felt relieved: "You are at the age of being as bright as the moon, you must not damage your appearance."
After saying this, she turned to look at Liu Qiongzhi who was sitting below her: "I don't have a daughter. If I had a daughter, I think she would be as lovable as Fu Yi."

what did you say?
Who is likable?
The ladies looked at the queen in disbelief. Why don’t you listen to what you are saying? What does Yun Fuyi have to do with being likable?
They only knew that before His Majesty ascended the throne, the Queen lived in seclusion in the palace and rarely appeared in public, but they did not know that the Queen was so out of touch with the news that she was unaware of Yun Fuyi's notorious reputation in the capital.

Liu Qiongzhi stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, please show your love for me. This child is very naughty, but he is kind and considerate."

Princess Kangyang lowered her head to drink tea so as not to be noticed rolling her eyes.
That's just naughty?
I usually think Liu Qiongzhi is a smart person, but I didn't expect that she is so unclear about her own daughter.
Her big fat grandson is still the best, he looks so cute.

Liu Xiaopang, who lost the cockfight, was walking dejectedly on the street, with the servants behind him talking in a flurry of flattering words to please him.
The sound of horse hooves was heard, and Liu Xiaopang was choked by the dust. He shouted angrily: "Who is so blind that he doesn't know that I am..."

"Sir, it's the Jinwu Guards!" The servant quickly covered his mouth. "The Jinwu Guards are leaving the city right now. Something big must have happened."
Liu Xiaopang tried hard to open his squinting eyes wide, and finally he could see clearly that the person leading the group was His Royal Highness the Prince.

"Let's go, let's go home."
The prince is personally leading the Jinwu Guards out of the city gate, and something big is bound to happen.

A palace outside Beijing.
Fu Yi was wearing the Shu brocade floor-length palace gown given by the Queen, and a five-tailed phoenix-wing hairpin worn by the Queen herself on her head. She was surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs who asked about her well-being.

The ladies looked a little dazed as they looked at this familiar scene.
It is said that a new emperor appoints new ministers, so how come Yun Fuyi has all the good times?
"Your Highness, the Prince, the Supreme Court Justice, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and the head of the Imperial Guards request an audience."

"Xuan."

Soon, everyone saw the prince striding into the hall. He walked so quickly that he didn't even notice that his left sleeve was turned up.

"I have met His Royal Highness."

"waived!"

Sui Tingheng was relieved to see that his mother looked normal, not injured or frightened, and said, "I am relieved to see that my mother is fine. My father was worried about you and asked me to take you back to the palace."

"Don't worry, I'm fine." The Queen reached out to help Sui Tingheng straighten his sleeves. "Your father is making a fuss about nothing. Why mobilize so many troops?"

"You are the mother of the country, and all the people in the world are concerned about your safety. Moreover, His Majesty loves you, and His Royal Highness the Prince respects you, so why would you mobilize a large army?"
"Your Highness is so filial, I am envious of you."

The Queen held Sui Tingheng's hand and stood up, waving at Fu Yi: "Fu Yi, come to me."
Fu Yi trotted to the Queen's side and held her other hand: "My Queen, please be careful on the steps."

"Thanks to Fu Yi's presence today, I didn't get hurt." The Queen released her hand from Sui Tingheng's arm and patted Yun Fu Yi's arm affectionately: "She is my mother's benefactor."

"Your Highness." Fu Yi disagreed, "I earn your salary, I am loyal to your Highness, and I share your worries. As a subject, protecting your Highness is my duty. How can I call you a benefactor?"
"Today, it is only because I happen to have some skills in catching birds of prey that I am fortunate enough to help you. The loyalty of the others present is the same as yours."

"You are so considerate at such a young age, how can I not like you?" The queen glanced at everyone. If everyone was loyal, why was Fu Yi the first to stand in front of her, and not someone else?
When she was Princess Li in her early years, almost no one took her seriously. Since she became the queen, these reserved and noble nobles have become reasonable and nice, and they are all the right people around her.

On the contrary, Yun Fuyi, who had a reputation for being a playboy, never crossed the line when she was at her lowest point, and even when she was most embarrassed...

It is always easier to add icing on the cake than to help someone in need. Although she understands this truth, it does not mean that she has no grudges.
After all, she was just a queen, not a deity or Buddha on the shrine.

Seeing that the Queen looked at her with eyes full of closeness and affection, Fu Yi did not expect that she had only met the Queen a few times, but the Queen liked her so much.
Looking at the envious and jealous eyes in the crowd, Fu Yi sighed proudly in her heart. It was all her fault. She was too likable.

Everyone saw Fu Yi's slightly raised chin and took a deep breath.

Princess Kangyang finally couldn't help but muttered, "She must have drunk at least three pots of tea before she went out this morning, otherwise how could she say such hypocritical words?"
Princess Ning who was standing beside her remained silent. She looked at the smiling and talking queen. The Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice had already thoroughly investigated the matter. Although the inner palace seemed peaceful on the surface, who knew how many people were involved behind the scenes.

Everyone respectfully escorted the Queen to her phoenix carriage, and those who knew each other returned to their own carriages and began to discuss frantically.

"His Royal Highness should be crowned this year. The Queen is so close to Yun Fuyi. Is she planning to..."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible. Even if the Yun family is loyal and patriotic, and even if Yun Fuyi has the merit of saving the emperor, the Empress will never allow a playboy to become the prince's consort."
"That's true. Your Majesty and the Queen only have one child, so the future prince's consort must be carefully selected."

Fu Yi sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain and took a look, then quickly lowered it. After hesitating for a moment, she lifted it again and smiled at the people outside: "Please forgive me for not being able to salute in the carriage."

His Royal Highness the Prince on horseback was wearing a green robe with bamboo patterns, his hair fixed with a hairpin containing auspicious clouds and flying cranes, looking like an immortal banished from the mortal world.

Sui Tingheng glanced at her face and nodded slightly: "The mastermind behind this has not yet been identified, Miss Yun, please be more careful in the coming days."
"Thank you for your reminder, Your Highness. I understand." Fu Yi is playful by nature, but she always respects and does not provoke people like His Royal Highness who are outstanding in character and talent. Sui Tingheng sat upright on the horse, looking forward: "My father has been on the throne for only two years, and the rebels are hiding very well. Fortunately, Miss Yun saved my mother today and saved her from this disaster."

"Your Majesty is protected by eunuchs. Even if I did not take action today, those two peacocks would not necessarily be able to hurt Your Majesty." Fu Yi said casually, "I have seen this method of destroying people's appearance in the previous queen's palace."

The late emperor was stupid and lustful, and there were countless beauties in the palace. The concubines used various means to win the emperor's favor. Today you are disfigured, tomorrow she falls into the water, and the day after tomorrow someone else has a miscarriage. The late emperor's harem was more chaotic than the weeds on the roadside.

"When Concubine Zeng was alive, she was the favorite of the late emperor. She had seen countless tricks in the palace. Unfortunately, I heard that on the day of the late emperor's death, the palace where she lived caught fire and she unfortunately died in the fire. Otherwise, I could have asked her a few questions." Fu Yi smiled and said with regret: "I wonder if His Royal Highness Prince Ning has learned some of Concubine Zeng's skills."

Sui Tingheng looked at her deeply, and after a while, he said, "Life and death are determined by heaven and cannot be forced. Miss Yun, don't take it to heart."

"Your Highness is right." Fu Yi watched Sui Tingheng ride away on his horse and slowly lowered the curtain.

"Miss." Xia Yu came close to Fu Yi and said, "Are you just going to throw dirty water on King Ning?"

"How can you call it dirty water?" Fu Yi stretched out her finger and pressed against Xia Yu's forehead, pushing her head away: "As the daughter of a court official, I am open-hearted, loyal, and willing to share your worries."

Xia Yu covered her forehead and whispered, "I believe what you said, but I don't know whether His Royal Highness the Prince believes it or not."

Two hours later, Prince Ning was summoned to the palace. The emperor treated him with great kindness. Not only did he give him calligraphy, he also selected several servants from the palace for him to take away.

"Those eunuchs were left behind by Concubine Zeng. Father was kind enough to send them to Prince Ning's mansion. If the emperor's uncle is unwilling to use them, I can only express my deep regret." Sui Tingheng helped the emperor sort out the memorials on the imperial desk: "Today, I saw that Miss Kangyang has gained some weight, and I remembered an interesting thing."

"Oh?" The emperor was curious: "What is it?"

The emperor was not very close to Princess Kangyang, and he felt no guilt at all when he heard jokes about her family.

Sui Tingheng stepped aside and said, "Some time ago, her grandson met the daughter of Minister Yun. They had a quarrel. He said that he was the emperor's nephew, and even Minister Yun had to be polite when he met him."

"How can he compare with Lord Yun?" The emperor was unhappy: "Aunt Kangyang has spoiled her younger generation beyond recognition."

"But Miss Yun is very mischievous. She said that you, father, love the people like your own children, so she is your child. Children are closer to you than nephews. Cousin Liu should respectfully call her sister."

"She is right. All the people in the world are my subjects." The emperor laughed loudly and stuffed the memorial into Sui Tingheng's hand. Sui Tingheng wanted to put it back, but he stuffed it back again: "Is she the Miss Yun who bravely captured the evil bird today?"

"It's her." Sui Tingheng said helplessly: "Father, I am only a prince and do not have the authority to review memorials. If the ministers in the court knew about it, I'm afraid it would cause gossip."

"It is only natural for a son to help his father. Who can have any objection?" The emperor rolled up his sleeves and said dissatisfiedly: "If they hadn't insisted that it was not appropriate to appoint a crown prince because the previous emperor had passed away less than three years ago, Heng'er, you would have been the master of the Eastern Palace long ago."

"But……"

"You don't need to persuade me anymore. I know what's going on." The emperor pretended not to notice his son's embarrassment. "The daughter of Lord Yun saved your mother and did a great deed to save the emperor. What do you think should be the reward?"

"I remember that you awarded Minister Yun the honorary title of Marquis Wenyong?"

A honorary title has no fiefdom but is a representation of the emperor's trust.

"Then I will grant his daughter a nominal title?" The emperor rubbed his hands. A nominal title was good, and it didn't cost money. "Then grant her the title of a county lady..."

"Since there is no fief, why not give me the title of a county lord to show your grace to those who are loyal to the emperor."

The father and son spoke at the same time. The emperor opened his mouth for a long time before saying, "Heng'er, you are so generous today."

Sui Tingheng lowered his eyes: "She is different."

"That's true." The emperor nodded: "After all, she is the one who saved your mother, so she can be a princess. Our family can afford her."
After saying this, he picked up a pen and drafted the imperial edict to confer the title.

Sui Tingheng looked at the emperor's crooked handwriting and was silent for a moment: "Father, let me write for you."

"what?!"
Didn’t you just say that the prince has no right to act on these matters?
"After listening to what the emperor said," Sui Tingheng snatched the red pen from the emperor's hand, "I have let it go."

emperor:"……"
Son, you are quite fickle today.

(End of this chapter)