As she spoke, her tears fell like rain. “My royal mother died so tragically, Auntie—do you really still want to argue with the dead?!”
Lai Chenglong watched with his own eyes as Qi Yuan silently made a kicking gesture toward Liu Wangfei.
He quietly turned his gaze away.
Liu Wangfei promptly kicked Princess Baorong away with one solid strike.
That kick had been held back for a long time.
This mother and daughter pair were absolutely infuriating.
From the moment she returned, they hadn’t stopped crying, playing weak, admitting fault.
They admitted fault, sure—but they were still determined to carry out their schemes.
They weren’t the least bit innocent.
Princess Baorong fell to the ground, clutching her lower abdomen and crying out in pain, “Royal Father!”
Emperor Yongchang was starting to get angry.
Yes, the honors he had granted had been excessive—but that was something that could be discussed! If it wasn’t appropriate, then talk it over with the Ministry of Rites, refer to precedent from past dynasties, and draft a new arrangement!
Why did Liu Wangfei have to lay hands on a child?!
He immediately stepped forward to help Princess Baorong up.
Who would have thought Liu Wangfei would suddenly laugh with a sharp snort.
That laughter made Emperor Yongchang feel extremely uncomfortable. He frowned and asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“Xiao Xianjiao, you’re still the same soft-eared fool you were back in the fief, huh? You’ve been emperor for so many years, and still haven’t grown a bit?” Her tone sank coldly. “Your daughter—she’s the one who put aconitine in the medicine! She killed your beloved consort with her own hands! And here you are, playing the doting father and filial daughter act?! Aren’t you afraid your precious Little Consort will crawl out of her grave and strangle you?!”
That kind of talk—only Liu Wangfei would dare say such a thing to Emperor Yongchang.
Everyone else just pretended to be deaf, eyes on nose, nose on heart—as if they hadn’t heard a word.
But Emperor Yongchang couldn’t pretend he didn’t hear it. Still, he did let go of Princess Baorong’s hand and turned with a stormy glare toward Lai Chenglong. “What are you still standing here for? Get moving!”
Qi Zhen, who had just barely stuffed his heart back into his chest, felt it leap back up again. He wore a pained expression.
Qi Yuan, on the other hand, calmly spoke in a clear voice: “Your Majesty, are you trying to silence me? If you’re going to kill to cover up the truth and shield your precious princess, then killing just me won’t be enough. There are over three hundred people in Baiyun Temple. There’s Her Highness the Princess and the Princess Consort, Her Ladyship the Wangfei, the Wangye who’s still ill, Commander Lai and the Embroidered Guards, and all those physicians…”
She smiled as she finished counting: “To kill so many people, Your Majesty might as well call in a troop from the Capital Garrison to burn down the whole mountain. We can all die together.”
…..
Lai Chenglong: “…what grudge does she have against me?”
Qi Zhen mentally replayed Qi Yuan’s words and confirmed she hadn’t included him or their father. What a filial daughter!
Emperor Yongchang laughed in fury: “Who gave you the audacity to speak to me like this?! What do you think you are?! Courting death!”
Qi Yuan suddenly dropped to her knees with a thud.
…
?
Everyone was stunned.
Just moments ago, you were practically pointing at the emperor’s nose, accusing him of favoritism and trying to silence people—and now you’re kneeling so smoothly?
What exactly is your angle?!
Emperor Yongchang’s gaze had grown somewhat complicated.
Qi Yuan spoke in a steady voice: “Your Majesty asked who gave me the courage—then allow this humble girl to tell Your Majesty: it was Your Majesty who gave me this courage! When Your Majesty ascended the throne young, you turned the tide, rallied the troops who chose death over retreat, and defeated the Oirats who were already at the gates of Beijing! You are a wise and enlightened sovereign, the true dragon who ushered in a time of peace and prosperity for the Great Zhou! Surely, you also possess Emperor Taizong’s tolerance for those who dare to speak the truth!”
…
Princess Consort Lu clenched his fists tightly to suppress his urge to laugh.
A genius! Truly a genius!
With such eloquence, even the censors would have to yield. With flattery this refined, even the most devious officials would leap to their feet in applause.
Qi Yuan—what a remarkable flower among weeds.
He cast an admiring glance toward Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen.
To raise such an extraordinary young woman, the Qi family was truly something special!
As for Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen, under all this attention, what else could they do? They wore solemn and righteous expressions as they knelt beside Qi Yuan and echoed loudly: “Long live His Majesty’s divine wisdom!”
Heavens! They seriously needed a dose of calming pills right now.
Emperor Yongchang cleared his throat.
Everyone loves to hear praise—what, emperors don’t count as people?
He spent all day listening to those censors rant about this and that. And when they ran into someone like Censor Tie, he would even try to meddle in the emperor’s private life in the harem.
All things can be criticized, but flattery never fails.
He gave a cold snort. “That’s all in the past. What’s the point of bringing it up? It’s rare enough for someone your age to even know about those old events.”
“I certainly know!” the young woman replied firmly. “That battle concerned the very fate of Great Zhou. It was Your Majesty who personally took the lead, who turned the tide in a moment of crisis!”
Qi Yuan’s expression was solemn. “My grandfather and father were both commanders on the battlefield. They always told me that the best generals, when leading their troops, shout ‘Follow me!’ — not ‘Charge!’ And Your Majesty, you were the kind who shouted ‘Follow me!’”
The Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen exchanged a glance.
What a clever granddaughter—piling glory on their heads like that. They never said any of that cr*p!
Lai Chenglong: …Looks like Eunuch Pu and Eunuch Xia might be out of a job soon.
Princess Baorong was already stunned.
What nonsense is Qi Yuan spouting?!
They were clearly talking about the poisoning of Consort Xiao Liu—what the h*ll was she going on about?!
But Qi Yuan had already bowed deeply, face composed. “Your Majesty, short-handled monkshood is extremely toxic—it kills with a single strike. It grows only in the dense forests of the southwest, and ordinary people cannot possibly obtain it. As for me, Your Majesty knows my status well—I wouldn’t even be able to touch such a thing. A poison like that could only appear in the palace…”
Princess Baorong was truly about to explode with rage. “You vile wretch! Twisting black into white! Go die—go die!!”
With a single look from the Yongchang Emperor, Eunuch Xia immediately stepped in to block Princess Baorong.
She was crying so hard she was on the verge of breaking down. She had never encountered someone as vicious as Qi Yuan before. In desperation, she could only cry out: “Royal Father! My Royal mother loved me most! She was your most favored consort! Why would I kill my own Royal mother?! Why would I ever kill my own Royal mother?!”
Before the emperor could respond, Qi Yuan suddenly said: “Exactly—so you didn’t intend to kill Consort Xiao Liu. You were trying to kill the Wangye. You were trying to kill the only child of Liu Wangfei! Otherwise, how do you explain instructing that nun in your courtyard to fake a faint and draw me away, just so you could slip the poison in secretly? But something in your plan must have gone wrong. The medicine that was supposed to be delivered to the Wangye was brought to Consort Xiao Liu instead.”
Her voice was calm and soft: “Your Highness, driven by your selfishness and cruelty… you personally killed your own mother.”
Lai Chenglong could only think of the words: Kill the body, destroy the heart*!
*It’s used to describe a cruel and devastating action, where not only is someone physically harmed (or metaphorically “killed”), but their reputation, dignity, or inner spirit is also crushed
D*mn… was this girl trained by the Embroidered Uniform Guard?!
