A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

Now, it's time to make a move on this piece.

She turned and walked into the crowd.

……

In a secluded corner by the moat, Chunying stood with her hands hanging down, her face somewhat pale.

Wax apple walked up to her and lowered her voice:

"Chunying, Her Majesty has given instructions."

Chunying immediately knelt down.

"This servant will obey Your Majesty's orders."

The wax apple looked at her and said, slowly and deliberately:

"Her Majesty wants you to go back and tell Consort Su... Doesn't she want to leave the Yongxiang Palace? Her Majesty will show her a way."

Spring Oriole raised her head.

Wax apple continued:

"The ninth day of the sixth lunar month is the Crown Princess's birthday."

"The Crown Princess is going to hold a banquet at the Eastern Palace, and all the concubines will be there. If Consort Su can present the Crown Princess with a 'grand gift' in public on that day, Her Majesty will guarantee her release."

Chunying was stunned.

"A big gift? What big gift?"

The wax apple bent down and whispered a few words in her ear.

Chunying's eyes widened, and she finally gasped.

"This...this..."

The wax apple straightened up and looked at her.

"What? You're afraid?"

Chunying gritted her teeth.

She recalled the beatings she had suffered at Su Jinse's hands over the years, that perpetually gloomy face, and Su Jinse's stern expression when she threatened her with her parents and brother.

What is there that she wouldn't dare to do?

It's not like she has to go and die... But then again, even if Su Jinse came up with some risky method, she would most likely be made to carry it out...

But for the sake of her parents and younger brother, Chunying gritted her teeth.

It's done!

"This servant...this servant obeys."

Wax apples nodded.

"Go. Remember, you can't say a single wrong word. And you can't mess it up!"

Chunying kowtowed, then turned and disappeared into the crowd.

……

Yongxiang Side Hall.

Su Jinse was sitting by the window in a daze when she heard the door open and she turned around abruptly.

"How is it? What did Consort Zhen say?"

Chunying lowered her head, walked up to her, and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhen... has given her word."

Su Jinse's eyes lit up instantly, and she was so excited that she immediately grabbed Chunying's hand.

"Really? She's willing to help me get out?"

"She really is willing to help!"

When her wish came true, Su Jinse couldn't believe it.

Chunying nodded, then shook her head.

Su Jinse became anxious.

"Tell me! What exactly happened?"

Chunying raised her head and looked at her.

"Consort Zhen said she wanted the Empress to do something for her."

"After the deed was done, she protected the Empress and helped her escape from the Yongxiang Palace."

Su Jinse narrowed her eyes.

"What is it?"

Chunying lowered her voice and relayed everything Lianwu had said.

Su Jinse's expression changed repeatedly after hearing this.

"You want me... to frame the Crown Princess?"

Chunying quickly said, "Your Majesty, it's not a frame-up. Consort Zhen said that the Crown Princess had an affair with a guard of the Eastern Palace, and this is absolutely true. Your Majesty only needs to expose this in public on the Crown Princess's birthday, so that everyone knows... that the Crown Princess is unfaithful and the Eastern Palace is disgraced."

Su Jinse's mind raced.

Is the Crown Princess having an affair with a guard?

If this is true...

She suddenly stood up and paced back and forth in the room.

Crown Princess Xiao Weirou is the Crown Prince's legal wife and the legitimate daughter of the Xiao family.

If she falls, how will the Crown Prince look good? How will the Xiao family look good?

And Su Jinse, by personally exposing this matter, is the one who has done a good job.

Even if His Majesty doesn't reward her, he will still remember her merit.

At that time, will she still worry about not being able to leave Yongxiang?

Su Jinse's lips curved into a smile.

"Very well! I agree!"

Chunying lowered her head, concealing the fleeting light in her eyes.

……

June 9th.

For Crown Princess Xiao Weirou's birthday banquet, the Empress Dowager bestowed a banquet at Cining Palace, inviting the Crown Princess and the concubines of the various palaces, making it an exceptionally grand affair.

The concubines from various palaces arrived one after another, and the Empress Dowager personally presided over the ceremony, giving Xiao Weirou ample face.

Although Emperor Qianwu did not come in person, he still bestowed upon the emperor a pair of jade ruyi scepters.

Now that Consort Zhen is pregnant, the Crown Prince's position is awkward, but as the heir apparent, it is not only a matter of the imperial family, but also a matter of great importance to the nation.

Once a crown prince is established, he cannot be deposed so easily.

Even if Emperor Qianwu was just putting on an act, he still had to pin a crime on him.

Now that he is still the Crown Prince and Xiao Weirou is still the Crown Princess, everyone has to give him face.

Therefore, during this period, everyone in the Eastern Palace, and even Qingliu, kept a low profile.

She hadn't been in touch with Zhou Mingyi for a while.

Shiliu was still wondering if Qingliu had betrayed them.

However, Zhou Mingyi was not worried about this at all, nor did she care.

Aoyagi entered the Eastern Palace to avenge her father.

And she helped her once.

If she were to give up revenge for the sake of so-called love, then she would be nothing more than a pawn to Zhou Mingyi.

……

Xiao Weirou, dressed in a bright red palace gown, sat gracefully at the head of the table, her smile gentle and poised.

At the lower end of the table, the concubines took their seats in order.

Liu Shuang'er and Zheng Yanran sat on one side, while Chen Wanning and Zhou Nian'er sat on the other side.

Consort Lan did not come, saying she was unwell. Consort Chen also did not come, saying she had to accompany Chaoyang.

In a corner, in an inconspicuous spot, sat a person.

Su Jinse.

She was wearing a worn-out palace dress, her hair was simply tied in a bun, and she looked ashen and dusty as a rat that had sneaked in.

But her eyes were surprisingly bright.

Chunying stood behind her, her palms sweaty.

Halfway through the banquet, Xiao Weirou stood up to offer a toast.

Just then, Su Jinse suddenly stood up.

She walked into the hall and gave Xiao Weirou a deep bow.

"Your Highness, there is something I wish to say, but I am not sure if I should."

The atmosphere inside the hall instantly quieted down.

All eyes were on Su Jinse.

Xiao Weirou looked at her, her brows furrowing slightly.

"Lady Su? Weren't you under house arrest? Why are you out here?"

Su Jinse smiled.

"I am under house arrest, but it is Your Highness's birthday, and I felt I should come to offer my congratulations. After all... there is something I have been keeping to myself for a long time, and it would be truly unfair to Your Highness not to say it today."

Xiao Weirou's gaze darkened.

"What is it?"

Su Jinse raised her head, looked at her, and said, word by word:

"I've heard that there's a guard in the Eastern Palace named Shen, who is quite handsome. It seems that Your Highness the Crown Princess is very close to him?"

The hall erupted in chaos.

Xiao Weirou's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"What...what nonsense are you talking about?"

Su Jinse is a ruthless person, but also simple-minded.

Anyway, the evidence has already been delivered to her.

She also knew that the process was not important; what mattered was the result.

As long as she has the ability to get this done, Consort Zhen only cares about the result.

So she simply went straight to the point, immediately attracting the attention of all the guests.

Xiao Weirou was so angry that her face turned pale and then red, and she wished she could drag her away and beat her to death!

But then she slowly took a letter from her sleeve and held it high.

"I have evidence! It's a letter from the Crown Princess to that guard! I dare not say what it says, but the handwriting is definitely the Crown Princess's, right?"

Xiao Weirou's hands began to tremble.

"You...you're framing me!"

Su Jinse felt extremely smug looking at her.

"A frame-up? Then Your Highness, dare you have the imperial physician examine the letter to see if the handwriting is yours?"

The hall was in complete chaos.

The concubines whispered among themselves, while the palace maids and eunuchs exchanged bewildered glances.

Liu Shuang'er frowned, and Zheng Yanran turned pale with fright.

Chen Wanning's hand trembled slightly as she held the prayer beads, while Zhou Nian'er lowered her head, but the corners of her lips curved into a smile.

Xiao Weirou stood there, trembling all over.

Looking at the letter and Su Jinse's smug face, she suddenly understood something.

This is a trap.

Someone is trying to harm her.

But she didn't know who it was.

……

When the news reached the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Qianwu was reviewing memorials.

After hearing Fuquan's report, he paused for a moment, his pen still in his hand.

"Is the Crown Princess having an affair with a guard?"

Fuquan lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Emperor Qianwu remained silent for a long time.

Then he gave a cold laugh.

"Excellent. The Crown Prince's Palace, truly wonderful."

He stood up and strode outside.

……

Cining Palace.

When Emperor Qianwu arrived, the hall was already filled with people kneeling on the ground.

Xiao Weirou knelt at the front, her face deathly pale and her whole body trembling. The letter was presented to her, and she glanced at it, then glanced at it again.

The handwriting is indeed Xiao Weirou's.

But the content was very ambiguous, yet it didn't say anything directly.

Emperor Qianwu's gaze fell on Su Jinse.

"Where did you get this letter?"

Su Jinse met his gaze without flinching.

"Your Majesty, it was my servant who picked it up. The messenger was in such a hurry that he dropped the letter and ran away. My servant picked it up and was shocked when she saw it."

Su Jinse's statement was full of holes.

How could a concubine in the deep palace, after leaving the palace, still be able to enter the East Palace?

You can even find things like this...

But for Emperor Qianwu, this was a good opportunity.

So he arrived very quickly.

Emperor Qianwu stared at Su Jinse for a while.

Su Jinse felt a little nervous under the gaze and subconsciously lowered her head, but soon stubbornly raised her chin again.

"I haven't lied. Your Majesty can verify whether this is the Crown Princess's handwriting!"

Emperor Qianwu stopped looking at her and turned to Xiao Weirou.

"Crown Princess, what do you have to say?"

Xiao Weirou's tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I don't know any guards at all! This letter is fake! Someone is trying to frame me!"

Emperor Qianwu then looked at Crown Prince Xie Jing, who was kneeling to the side.

Xie Jing kept his head down, so his expression was not visible.

A subtle balance suddenly formed in Emperor Qianwu's mind.

Their fates as a fake father and son are strikingly similar.

Emperor Qianwu withdrew his gaze.

"Guards, find that guard for me. Once you find him, we'll know the truth in one interrogation."

……

Three days later, the guard was found.

In the first trial, he confessed to everything.

He said that he did have an affair with the Crown Princess.

Those letters were sent out by the Crown Princess.

He still has a few letters that can serve as evidence.

When the guards were dragged away, Xiao Weirou completely broke down.

She knelt in the Qianqing Palace, weeping bitterly.

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent! I truly don't know him! Someone is trying to harm me!"

Emperor Qianwu looked at her with a cold expression.

"Innocent? He has your letter, the handwriting is yours, and you still dare to say you're innocent?"

Xiao Weirou raised her head and met his gaze.

She suddenly understood.

No matter how she explains, no one will believe her.

The guard confessed, and the letters were genuine, so she couldn't clear her name.

Xiao Weirou collapsed to the ground, unable to utter a single word.

……

Emperor Qianwu quickly took action.

The Crown Princess Xiao is guilty of moral failings. Her title is hereby revoked, and she is to be imprisoned in a separate palace courtyard, never to be released.

Shen, a guard of the Eastern Palace, was executed by slow slicing.

As for Su Jinse, she was pardoned for her meritorious service in exposing wrongdoing, and was released from the Yongxiang Palace. She was restored to the rank of Cairen and moved to a side hall of Yonghe Palace.

……

Side hall of Yonghe Palace.

Su Jinse sat by the window, a smug smile on her face.

Out.

It's finally out.

Moreover, she had rendered meritorious service, and His Majesty personally pardoned her. From now on, who would dare to underestimate her?

Chunying stood to the side, head down, without saying a word.

Su Jinse glanced at her.

"Chunying, tell me, didn't I do a great job this time?"

Chunying nodded quickly.

"Your Majesty is wise."

Su Jinse smiled.

She didn't know that the letter was fake.

That guard was arranged by Lianwu.

All that so-called evidence was fabricated.

But so what?

In this palace, they don't care about evidence or whether it's true or false.

Zhou Mingyi had a clear idea of ​​what Emperor Qianwu was thinking.

With this child in her womb, Emperor Qianwu probably wouldn't be able to sleep every night if he saw Xie Jing.

If Emperor Qianwu were to be presented with such a convenient handle, he would have accepted it if he wasn't a fool.

So what if Xiao Weirou is innocent?

She was merely a pawn, helping Consort Zhen eliminate the Crown Princess.

But she didn't think so.

She felt like she had finally turned her life around.

……

Weiyang Palace.

Zhou Mingyi leaned back on the soft couch, her hand gently resting on her lower abdomen.

Wax apple whispered from the side:

"Your Majesty, the Crown Princess has been banished to the Cold Palace. Consort Su has also been released and moved to a side hall of Yonghe Palace."

Zhou Mingyi nodded.

"Where is that guard?"

Lianwu said, "He was subjected to slow slicing. He didn't say anything before he died."

Zhou Mingyi smiled.

"it is good."

She looked out the window at the bright moon.

Xiao Weirou is ruined.

But she always felt it was a bit too easy on her...

Fortunately, Emperor Qianwu did not kill her.

After all, men can forgive others unless they are the ones being cheated on.

Dealing with the Xiao family is simply a matter of clipping the Crown Prince's wings and depriving him of the Xiao family's full support.

Therefore, Xiao must be dealt with, but cannot die.

For the rest of her life, the imprisoned Xiao will suffer torment, which is far more interesting than death.

The pain of being beaten to death by Xiao Weirou's people in my past life seems to have faded away.

I can't even remember how painful it was back then.

"Go tell Aoyagi that she can move now."

The wax apple responded and respectfully withdrew.

If you want to torment Xiao Weirou, Qingliu in the Eastern Palace has it much easier than she does.

Regardless of whether Qingliu betrayed her or not, she would definitely be more than happy to let Qingliu torment Xiao Weirou.