A wicked mother swaps her son and sucks his blood? The true legitimate daughter is reborn and goes o

There was still residual warmth in the spot next to me.

"Don't disturb the princess."

Xie Xuanjin's voice came from outside, very low, almost inaudible amidst the thunder and rain.

The noise outside gradually subsided.

Wan Liang outside the door was reporting something to Xie Xuanjin. Song Qingning vaguely heard words like "Prince Rui's Mansion," "cracked," and "on fire." Although she couldn't hear them clearly, Song Qingning could still guess what had happened by connecting the dots.

Xie Xuanjin gave Wan Liang some more instructions before returning to his room.

The footsteps were very light, without making a sound.

He carefully lay back down on the bed and saw that Song Qingning had her eyes open.

"I still woke you up."

"It wasn't the prince who woke me up."

Song Qingning's mind was still on her earlier guess, and she was eager to confirm, "Was it the Prince who did it?"

In the dim light, Xie Xuanjin paused for a moment, then a hint of appreciation mixed with doting appeared in his eyes.

Wan Liang's voice was very soft and was drowned out by the thunder and rain, so she probably couldn't hear him clearly, but she still guessed what had happened.

"Springtime is a time of frequent thunderstorms. I had someone sabotage the Prince Rui's residence. I heard that lightning struck the main courtyard, which happened to be Xie Yuqi's room."

"The room caught fire and burned down. He escaped quickly and was spared, but I heard he was still injured and lost his hair."

As Xie Xuanjin spoke, he buried his face in Song Qingning's hair scattered on the pillow, his fingertips tracing her hair, unable to put it down.

Song Qingning could easily picture Xie Yuqi's disheveled appearance from that scene in her mind.

She knew even better the intentions behind Xie Xuanjin's scheme.

That strange phenomenon that happened not long ago also occurred in my previous life.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau had long predicted the "solar eclipse," and Emperor Yuan intended to use this unusual phenomenon to make the world believe that she had caused the "auspicious omen" to die prematurely.

He wanted to manipulate public opinion and make her bear the blame for "bringing disaster to Dajing".

She conspired with the Liang family to make Xie Yuqi a scapegoat.

Despite numerous petitions from the court demanding the punishment of Xie Xuanjin, Emperor Yuan suppressed them all and delayed making a decision.

Xie Yuqi was struck by lightning tonight, thanks to Xie Xuanjin adding fuel to the fire.

Song Qingning could foresee that the imperial court and the capital would be very lively tomorrow.

really.

The following day, almost the entire city was talking about the Prince Rui's mansion being struck by lightning.

Last night's thunderstorm miraculously stopped after lightning struck Prince Rui's mansion, and rumors spread that the lightning was divine punishment.

"Prince Rui harmed the auspicious omen, preventing its birth. Today it was struck by lightning, who knows what tomorrow will bring? He is the Prince of Da Jing, of royal blood. What if Heaven takes its wrath upon the entire Da Jing..."

In the teahouses and alleys, the people were filled with fear and unease.

Countless people even gathered outside the Vermilion Bird Gate of the Imperial Palace, kneeling on the ground, begging Emperor Yuan to punish Prince Rui in order to avert divine retribution.

This news reached the Qian Yuan Hall.

Emperor Yuan's face was contorted with rage, and he smashed many things in the palace.

He wasn't trying to protect Xie Yuqi, but rather he was unwilling to accept his own miscalculation and being led by the nose by Xie Xuanjin and the Meng family again.

Emperor Yuan knew perfectly well who was behind the public opinion, the voices in the court, the so-called lightning strike on Prince Rui's mansion, and even the people's kneeling petition.

"Well done, well done, Meng family! Well done, Xie Xuanjin!"

And Song Qingning...

He had previously thought that the failure of this matter was due to Xie Yuqi's stupidity and incompetence.

After careful consideration, I became certain that Song Qingning had played a significant role in the matter.

He underestimated her!

But now, this situation...

Emperor Yuan's face was gloomy. Finally, three days later, he ordered the removal of Xie Yuqi's title of Prince Rui, demoting him to a commoner, and sending him to the imperial mausoleum for confinement, thus calming the matter down.

The capital city returned to tranquility, spring returned to the earth, and everything flourished.

Spring outings are all the rage, and banquets and gatherings among aristocratic families are becoming increasingly frequent.

When Song Qingning entered the palace to pay her respects, she had already shed her heavy winter clothes.

As they walked into the Imperial Garden, a kite landed at Song Qingning's feet.

The kite was exquisitely made. Song Qingning squatted down, picked up the kite, and stood up to see the Sixth Prince running towards them.

He ran very fast, panting heavily.

When she saw Song Qingning, her eyes brightened even more. "Fourth Sister-in-law."

The sixth prince called out to Song Qingning and strode closer.

After some time had passed, his complexion had improved even more, which must be due to the effectiveness of Consort Hui's method.

"Is this yours?" Song Qingning waved the kite in her hand.

The sixth prince nodded and took the kite from Song Qingning. He had made the kite himself, but it wasn't perfect. Once it was in the sky, it couldn't fly very high and soon fell down.

Everything he did was like that.

There's still room for improvement. He has one month left, and he believes he can make three kites that can fly very high in that month.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, my birthday is in a month. May I invite you to go on a spring outing that day?" Xie Lian was a little nervous, but his eyes were full of anticipation.

The words "birth date" made Song Qingning pause slightly.

Perhaps it was the thought of the assertion that she was "twenty-two years old" that made her heart clench inexplicably, and she felt a tightness in her chest.

But the sixth prince looked much better and was in much better health; he was no longer the sickly boy he had been before.

Song Qingning eased the dull pain in her heart and smiled, "Of course."

Having received the agreement, Xie Lian was thrilled, his eyes brimming with undisguised joy. "Then Fourth Sister-in-law, you must remember that day."

Fearing that Song Qingning might forget, he added, "I'll send an invitation to Fourth Sister-in-law later," before taking the kite and leaving.

Song Qingning watched the figure gradually become more energetic until it disappeared from sight before turning her gaze away and heading to Fengqi Palace to pay her respects.

After having tea and snacks at Fengqi Palace, we left the palace after staying for half an hour.

As soon as she arrived at the Vermilion Bird Gate, a figure suddenly rushed out. The figure was so fast that it fell to the ground, its hand tightly gripping her ankle.

Song Qingning frowned and looked down to see a gaunt face.

"Song Qingning, it's me!"

His voice was hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been crushed.

If it weren't for those eyes, Song Qingning would hardly have recognized the person in front of her.

It's her, Xie Yuzhen!

At this moment, Xie Yuzhen's hair was disheveled, her cheeks were sunken, and she was completely bloodless, making it hard to believe that the person in front of her was the once arrogant Princess Yuzhen.

At this moment, she was like a madwoman in a cold palace.

Seeing that Song Qingning recognized her, Xie Yuzhen's eyes flashed with a sharp edge, mixed with resentment, "Why didn't you come to see me?"

"Why should I come to see you?" Song Qingning shook off the hand that was gripping her ankle and took a step back.

Xie Yuzhen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sneered.

After a long pause, he said again, "Song Qingning, I know I am your defeated opponent. I want to see you not to ask you for anything, but to tell you a secret."

When Xie Yuzhen spoke of the word "secret," there was a hint of pride in her eyes, as well as a touch of madness.

"Is it related to Consort Hui?" Song Qingning asked.

Xie Yuzhen was surprised that she had guessed so easily that it was related to Consort Hui.

but……

"It's related to Consort Hui, and not only Consort Hui, but also to another person. Do you want to know who it is? I can tell you."

Seeing Song Qingning frown, he seemed to have become interested in the secret she was talking about.

Xie Yuzhen's gaunt face grew even more manic with a hint of madness in his smile. "Song Qingning, I'm only telling you this, but you have to agree to one condition."