Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 172 Clash of Undercurrents
Ping Le was stunned by the beating and stared blankly at her mother.

Consort Xiao ignored her, slightly fluttered her wide sleeves, gathered her robes, and bowed again to the Empress Dowager, speaking with deep sorrow and indignation.

“This wretched girl has acted improperly, and I will certainly admonish her severely. I implore Your Majesty to consider that she is young and inexperienced, suffering from a chronic illness and a change in her marriage, which may have caused her to lose her mind, and to forgive her this time.”

Empress Dowager Chengqing's face fell, and she remained noncommittal.

She knew, of course, that Lady Xiao wanted to downplay the seriousness of the matter and cover it up, so as not to let people connect Consort Xue's death with Ping Le's actions.

But with the evidence so conclusive and everyone watching, how can things end peacefully?

The Grand Princess naturally noticed something amiss.

Her temples were damp with a light sweat, and a smile etched on her wrinkled face appeared on her lips as she bowed to the Empress Dowager:

"In my humble opinion, this matter is fraught with doubts and should not be decided hastily. It would be better to wait for His Majesty's decree to thoroughly investigate before making a decision. Moreover, today is His Majesty's birthday, a day of universal celebration, and the entire palace should be at peace. We should not hastily conclude a matter based on one-sided accounts..."

That was a very tactful remark.

This preserved the Empress Dowager's dignity while also bringing the Emperor into the picture as a powerful patron. It also subtly reminded Consort Xiao that she needed to be willing to make drastic measures to save the overall situation and resolve the crisis.

Consort Xiao was greatly alarmed.

She also saw the situation clearly and noticed the murderous intent in Li Zhao's eyes. Although she didn't understand why the medical records that had been burned years ago had resurfaced and fallen into Li Zhao's hands, she understood what the Grand Princess's gaze meant...

Having been favored for many years, she developed an arrogant and spoiled personality. However, after navigating the complexities of palace life, she keenly realized that she had already fallen into a trap set by others, and if she did not stop in time, she would surely lose everything.

Consort Xiao bit her lower lip and forced herself to kneel down.

"Ping Le has failed the Holy Dynasty's teachings, entirely due to my negligence and ignorance. I have allowed my daughter to act recklessly and failed in her upbringing. I am willing to accept twenty strokes of the cane to uphold palace rules..."

She kowtowed heavily, her voice trembling.

"Grandmother! It's not my mother's fault. If you want to hit me, hit me. It has nothing to do with my mother..." Ping Le cried and tried to rush forward, but was held down by two palace servants who half-supported and half-carried her.

In an instant, chaos erupted in the hall.

At the behest of Consort Xiao, the palace servants tried to drag Ping Le away, but Ping Le was filled with injustice and struggled desperately to resist.

Empress Dowager Chengqing slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, her headdress of pearls and jade jingling.

"enough!"

A furious shout froze everyone instantly.

Empress Dowager Chengqing was usually kind and gentle, but when she got angry, she was still very dignified.

"Today is my birthday. I do not wish to see blood. I will record this as a punishment and will punish you another day."

After saying that, he closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress his anger.

"By the Empress Dowager's decree—Xiao has failed in her duty to educate her daughter; she is hereby confined to the Ruijin Hall to reflect on her mistakes and is to copy the 'Admonitions for Women' one hundred times daily and present it to the Cining Hall. As for Ping Le…"

She narrowed her eyes, looking at the emperor's beloved granddaughter with a mixture of pity and hesitation.

After a moment, her hand tightened slightly, and the hairpin adorned with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix flashed a cold, hard light under the palace lantern...

In the end, he could only wave his hand wearily and let out a sigh.

"Send them all to the Ruijin Hall and await His Majesty's judgment. I'm old and senile; I can't deal with your messy, dire affairs..."

Because of the incident involving Prince Wei, Li Yan, Emperor Chongzhao already harbored resentment towards her. The Empress Dowager also didn't want to clash with the Emperor over the long-deceased Consort Xue, lest it damage their mother-son relationship…

The ladies-in-waiting in the palace were all clever and shrewd.

As soon as the Empress Dowager spoke, the reason became clear.

One by one, they rose from their seats and bowed in unison.

"The Empress Dowager's divine judgment."

Grandma Cui's lips moved, but she ultimately swallowed her anger.

Today is not a good time to settle scores with the Xiao family. If things get too ugly, it will offend both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, which would be detrimental to the Xue family…

Everyone in the hall had their own thoughts.

Consort Xiao stopped arguing and pulled Ping Le aside to apologize.

Ping Le stared blankly at Xue Sui, as if looking at a vengeful ghost from hell. Her eyes were filled with fear, hatred, and disbelief. She didn't move an inch for a long time.

Finally, Consort Xiao signaled to two palace maids to support her as she left, one on each side...

As she left, she remained silent, staring at Xue Sui and Li Zhao without uttering a single argument, her gaze filled with coldness.

The chaos subsided.

The palace maids lowered their heads, held their breath, and knelt down again to serve at the table.

Not wanting to linger any longer, Li Zhao said to Empress Dowager Chengqing, "I shall take my leave now. A grand banquet is being held in the palace tonight, where all the civil and military officials and members of the imperial family are waiting to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. I will also go and make preparations to await my grandmother's arrival."

Empress Dowager Chengqing scrutinized him for a moment with her cloudy old eyes before nodding slightly.

"Go, go. You are the Crown Prince. The dignity of the royal family rests entirely on your shoulders. Think things through carefully before you act."

This was a reminder to him not to spread the news about the banquet and cause further complications; it was best to keep it to himself or let it go...

Li Zhaoying responded with a cupped-hand salute.

Turning around, his gaze suddenly met Xue Sui's. After a brief exchange of glances, he turned his head away expressionlessly and strode quickly away from the Cining Palace with a cold look on his face...

The banquet resumed.

The atmosphere in the hall relaxed, and the ladies of the court spoke in twos and threes in hushed tones, as if nothing had happened, raising their cups to each other and chatting and laughing.

Empress Dowager Chengqing's gaze slowly swept over everyone, finally landing on Empress Xie. For the first time in many years, she showed a hint of apology to this unfavored empress.

"The Empress has suffered."

Empress Xie's eyes instantly reddened, but she only smiled slightly.

"It is my duty to share the burdens of the royal family, and I do not find it difficult."

Having spent most of her life navigating the intrigues and power struggles within the palace, Empress Dowager Chengqing was well aware of them.

She sighed softly, her expression complex.

At this moment, Princess Ruihe, who had been silent for a long time, walked over gracefully, bowed to the Empress Dowager, and then knelt down beside her to serve her tea and dishes.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. Today is your auspicious day. Do not let these unpleasant things spoil your birthday celebration..."

"Good girl. You're the best of all." Empress Dowager Chengqing looked at her lovingly and said, "You've had a hard life, but now that you're finally back in the capital, you should socialize more with the ladies and noblewomen of various families. If you take a fancy to any talented young man, I will arrange for him to be your husband..."

She spoke seriously, yet with a joking tone.

Ruihe blushed instantly, lowered her head, and said coquettishly, "Your Majesty, please don't tease Ruihe anymore..."

"Alright, alright, you're easily teased. I'll tease you properly once the wedding feast is served." The Empress Dowager gently patted her hand, her smile kind and affectionate.

The Cixi Hall was brightly lit, and the atmosphere was peaceful and lively.

Ruihe served Empress Dowager Chengqing for a while before taking his leave, then rose and walked to Xue Yuechen's side with a cup to offer a toast.

"Greetings, Your Highness. We'll be staying in the capital from now on, so please continue to look after me..."

Having said that, he covered the cup with his wide sleeves, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.

Xue Yuechen was kind-hearted and valued her reputation above all else. Although she was displeased, she would never make an enemy of Ruihe in public.

She chuckled softly in response, "Your Highness is too kind. This humble woman will offer you a cup..."

Before she finished speaking, she reached for the wine that Ruihe had filled, but Xue Sui stopped her with his hand.

Xue Yuechen looked at her, puzzled.

Xue Sui remained calm, looking at Ruihe wiping the corner of his mouth with a half-smile.

"There is no one of suitable age in our household to be the Princess's ideal husband. Sister, please don't misunderstand..."

Xue Yuechen gave an awkward smile.

Ruihe's face instantly turned ugly.

"Does Madam Ping An have some misunderstanding about me?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly and said respectfully, "Your Highness is overthinking it. I would never dare to offend you; it was purely out of kindness. After all, Your Highness is newly widowed and returning to the capital. If you do not act prudently, it will inevitably attract criticism..."

Princess Ruihe's almond-shaped eyes widened as she forcefully suppressed her anger.

Xue Sui bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am naturally dull-witted and hope that you will forgive any inappropriate words I may have spoken..."

Ruihe couldn't detect any malice on her face, but she clearly harbored a lot of malice.

He harbored resentment but dared not lash out, so he exchanged a few polite but vague words and left awkwardly to talk to Lu Xi and Xiao Qing'er.

Xue Yuechen sighed and slowly glanced at Xue Sui.

"Did you feel good about showing off like this today?"

"What's so enjoyable about it?" Xue Sui's gaze followed Princess Ruihe's figure. She glanced at her with a serious expression and said in a very low voice, "Haven't you tasted the farce of today, sister?"

Xue Yuechen looked puzzled: "You mean..."

Xue Sui slowly pushed away the cup in front of him, saying, "One should always be wary of others."

Seeing her meaningful smile, Xue Yuechen shuddered.

Yes!

How could Consort Xue have imagined that such ruthless methods existed in the world?

If she were more cautious...

No.

The people in this palace are unpredictable and there are traps everywhere. How can one guard against them?

Thinking of her aunt who died tragically in Rouyi Palace, a chill ran down her spine, and she instinctively gripped Xue Sui's hand tightly.

"Sister, I understand..."

Xue Sui gently patted the back of her hand and smiled reassuringly.

"Sister, there's no need to worry too much. Princess Ruihe is frequently showing goodwill; I wonder what she's up to. Since she's eyeing the Prince Duan's residence, you should openly befriend her. Just be the good guy, and I'll play the bad guy..."

Xue Yuechen choked back a sob: "Sister..."

Xue Sui: "Only in this way can we see through her intentions."

Rather than letting others scheme in the shadows and live in constant fear, it's better to keep potential threats under your nose...

When the banquet was in full swing, Xue Sui found an excuse to take two maids outside to change his clothes.

As she came out, Li Zhao stopped her under the eaves.

He was tall, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, the hem of which fluttered slightly, obscuring the sliver of light falling from the eaves. Her gaze, the floor tiles beneath her feet, the fallen leaves in the corner of the wall—all were shrouded in his shadow, so much so that Xue Sui couldn't tell whether the unyielding chill in His Highness's eyes was just an illusion…

See you tomorrow, have a great holiday~ Mwah...