Upon returning to Changchun Palace, Putao immediately came forward to meet her.
"My Lady, His Majesty is here."
At this hour? Qi Daiyu looked at the sky. After the chaos of last night, why wasn't the Emperor resting at the Palace of Heavenly Purity? Why had he come to her Changchun Palace?
She entered the room slowly and saw the Emperor lying on a low daybed. His eyes were closed, and she couldn't tell if he was asleep or just resting. Siyu sat quietly beside him, playing with building blocks. When the child heard Qi Daiyu enter, she grinned, showing a few tiny baby teeth.
As Siyu moved, Jiang Yuan opened his eyes. When he looked over, Qi Daiyu hurriedly lowered her gaze. She remembered how he had coldly and ruthlessly uttered the word "Kill," and she almost seemed to smell the metallic scent of blood again.
Qi Daiyu bowed. "Your servant greets Your Majesty."
"Mm. Come here." Jiang Yuan reached out his hand toward her.
Qi Daiyu suppressed her unease and gave him her hand, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Why has Your Majesty come?"
Jiang Yuan shifted his body and rested his head on her lap. "Mm."
Having ridden dozens of kilometers back to the palace overnight, then dealing with the turmoil of the night and visiting the Palace of Earthly Tranquility this morning, Jiang Yuan's body was not made of iron. He was supposed to return to the Palace of Heavenly Purity to rest, but for some reason, he had wandered to Changchun Palace.
Entering the hall and seeing the uniquely styled decor and the pile of strange cloth dolls on the bed no longer felt odd to him. Instead, it brought a strange sense of peace.
Putao had already cleverly carried Siyu away, leaving only the two of them in the room.
"Massage my head."
Hearing his command, Qi Daiyu raised her hands, but she hesitated to let them fall.
Sensing something was wrong, Jiang Yuan opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow. "Are you afraid of me?"
"...No."
Jiang Yuan grabbed her hand and pulled it down. Qi Daiyu was forced to lean over, her face inches from his. Her heart pounded—not out of romance, but out of fear.
The man before her was handsome and capable, and his temperament wasn't strictly good or bad. In her past life, he would have been considered a brilliant young talent. But no matter how good such a man might be, she could have pursued him if she liked him or rejected him if she didn't.
But with this man, she had no choice. She had to "like" him.
If she showed even a hint of dislike and angered him, her fate would be no different from the palace servants who were treated like livestock the day before.
Jiang Yuan caressed her face and chuckled. "Were you frightened last night? Ayu, don't be afraid. You are different from them. I would never treat you like that."
They are different from you, too, he thought. They each had their secrets and ugliness. But she was exactly as she appeared—lazy and pleasure-seeking, without any grand talents, yet simple and kind.
Therefore, he naturally wouldn't treat her that way.
When Jiang Yuan spoke, his expression was so gentle it gave Qi Daiyu the illusion that she was no longer just a favored pet, but someone truly cherished.
She didn't understand why his attitude had changed. She only wondered: when Consort Shu was in favor, did the Emperor look at her this way? And before that, when the Empress first entered the Eastern Palace, did he look at her like this?
She slowly sat up straight and placed her hands on his temples, rubbing them gently. She spoke softly: "Your Majesty, I have just returned from the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. The Empress told me she was the one who invited the Empress Dowager. I didn't understand why, so I asked her. She said it's because she is Your Majesty's wife, and as husband and wife, they are one. She must think of what you haven't and worry about what you haven't."
Jiang Yuan sat up and looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.
Qi Daiyu's heart tightened. "The Empress is so good. You must not let the murderer who poisoned her go!"
"Only that?" Jiang Yuan laughed.
Qi Daiyu breathed a secret sigh of relief. "Yes!"
After the Emperor left, Qi Daiyu sat alone for a long time. Jiang Yuan had told her that although he had spared the servants for now, the poisoning case would continue to be investigated, albeit through more moderate means. However, once the culprit was caught, he would show no mercy.
According to the Empress's analysis, if they didn't intervene, the blame for the poisoning would likely fall on Concubine An.
The Empress's strategy was to plan before acting. Since they had already identified Consort Ning as the suspect, they would wait for a future opportunity to strike back.
But Qi Daiyu had probably watched too many TV shows and read too many novels; she didn't dare give her enemy a chance to counterattack. The thought that Consort Ning might have killed Qin Sezhu and was now cunningly trying to frame her for poisoning the Empress made her blood boil.
Did they really think she was a pushover?
Early the next morning, Qi Daiyu went out, this time to Qixiang Palace.
Since Qin Sezhu's passing, she had never returned there. Only Ye Qiong would visit her at Changchun Palace.
Ye Qiong lived in the western side hall of Qixiang Palace. When the palace servants saw Qi Daiyu, they greeted her warmly. "Concubine Hui, you've come at an awkward time. Lady Ye was a bit shaken yesterday and is still sleeping. Please wait a moment, and I will go inform her."
"Mm."
She didn't wait long. Ye Qiong appeared in casual clothes, her hair tied in a simple bun. Her face was pale and appeared small, yet she radiated the unique softness of a pregnant woman.
Ye Qiong said, "Sister, please don't mind my appearance. I was truly frightened yesterday and had no heart for dressing up. Since you aren't a stranger, I didn't bother to fix myself up."
She smiled, but seeing Qi Daiyu just staring at her without a word or a smile, she became awkward. "Sister Qi, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Qi Daiyu still didn't speak. She simply took an object from her sleeve and placed it on the table. It was a seemingly ordinary pearl with a tiny hole in it.
At the sight of the pearl, Ye Qiong froze. Her hand, which was supporting her lower back, tightened. After a long silence, she forced a smile. "What... is this?"
Qi Daiyu said coldly, "This pearl was found among Sister Sezhu's belongings. It contains rosin. If I remember correctly, you have a dress embroidered with pearls."
"I do have one, but I haven't worn it in a long time. Sister Qi, what are you trying to say?" Ye Qiong avoided her gaze. "I'm really not feeling well. If you have something to say, let's talk another day. Chun Zhi..."
"What did you and Consort Ning do to Sister Sezhu?"
Qi Daiyu's words struck like a bolt of lightning in Ye Qiong's ears. She looked up in disbelief. Her connection with Consort Ning had always been secretive. How could Qi Daiyu know? But Qi Daiyu spoke with such confidence that Ye Qiong couldn't help but wonder if she had left a trail somewhere. Still, she tried to deny it.
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Ye Qiong, Sister Sezhu treated you well, didn't she? From the moment you entered the palace, you were assigned to Qixiang Palace. You didn't have to pay respects to a high-ranking mistress like the others or suffer under her thumb. She took you under her wing, introduced you to the other concubines, and helped you gain a foothold. Why did you betray her?" Qi Daiyu could hardly hide her agitation, her voice laced with a fury she hadn't even realized she possessed.
Admittedly, within the imperial harem, she had few true confidantes. Qin Suzhu was one. Later, the Noble Consort Li, whose values aligned with hers, could also be counted as one.
Nie Zhiyu and Ye Qiong were not at the level of confidantes, but they could still laugh and converse together. She asked herself, she had never done anything to wrong Ye Qiong.
She had never imagined that Ye Qiong's longstanding friendliness was all a facade!
Ye Qiong had cloaked herself in a guise of kindness to befriend them, yet in secret, she relied on Consort Ning, and had even targeted Qin Suzhu!
"I didn't do it!" Qi Daiyu's overly certain expression made Ye Qiong think she already possessed concrete evidence. Panicked and guilty, Ye Qiong cried, "I didn't harm Sister Qin!"
"Yes, I admit I almost strayed down the wrong path, but I didn't take that final step." Tears streamed down Ye Qiong's face. "I wanted to fight for a higher position, I wanted favor and glory. Is that wrong? Sister Qin couldn't help me, so I could only choose to rely on Consort Ning. I never expected Consort Ning's condition would be for me to harm Sister Qin. I hesitated, but I truly didn't do it."
"Even if you report this to the Empress or His Majesty, I haven't actually hurt Sister Qin."
Ye Qiong's expression was too sincere. If this was still an act at this point, then her acting skills were truly exceptional.
Yet, even if Ye Qiong hadn't harmed Sister Qin, the fact that she was truly Consort Ning's person chilled Qi Daiyu's heart. Suppressing the turmoil of emotions within her with great effort, she took a deep breath. "So, when did you connect with Consort Ning?"
At this point, Ye Qiong seemed somewhat resigned. "It was during the New Year's banquet a few years ago. I accidentally overheard Consort Ning talking with her sister..."
Qi Daiyu hadn't expected to gain such an unexpected lead. Her original purpose in confronting Ye Qiong directly was precisely to see if she could obtain some leverage over Consort Ning from her. After all, someone like Ye Qiong, who acted one way to your face and another behind your back, surely wouldn't submit to being controlled by Consort Ning without a backup plan.
Now, hearing Ye Qiong's account, Qi Daiyu fell into thought. So, did Consort Ning know from the very beginning about Yang Luoniang being abused by Zeng Qiming? Moreover, Yang Luoniang was married off to Zeng Qiming on Consort Ning's orders...
Feeling another wave of contempt for Consort Ning in her heart, she noticed Ye Qiong had suddenly stopped speaking.
Only now did Ye Qiong realize something was amiss. "You... were you tricking me into talking?"
Discovered, Qi Daiyu remained unflustered. "Whether you harmed Sister Qin or not, you know the truth in your own heart." She glanced at Ye Qiong's prominent belly. "You say you sided with Consort Ning for wealth, for status. I don't think that's wrong in itself, and I won't condemn you for it. However, whether your friendship with Sister Qin, with me, with Zhiyu was genuine or had ulterior motives, I now hold serious doubts."
"Let's have less contact in the future," she said, standing up. "At the very least, you've already gotten what you wanted, haven't you?"
Qi Daiyu couldn't be certain Ye Qiong had truly not harmed Qin Suzhu, but neither could she be certain she had. This knot would forever remain in her heart, making it impossible for her to interact with Ye Qiong as she had before.
Watching Qi Daiyu's retreating figure, Ye Qiong opened her mouth but no words came out. She admitted, her initial motives had indeed been calculated. She had even truly contemplated harming Qin Suzhu to curry favor with Consort Ning. Yet, these years of sisterly affection had not left her heart entirely untouched...
Tears slowly fell as Ye Qiong pressed a hand against her faintly aching stomach.
Qi Daiyu did not dwell on the matter of Ye Qiong. Upon returning to Changchun Palace, she poured all her energy into another matter.
She had been pondering how to deal with Consort Ning. After meeting Ye Qiong, Qi Daiyu had an idea.
It was hard to imagine what could possibly break a woman who even dared to commit suicide. But according to Xiangchun, Consort Ning harbored intense hatred for Zeng Qiming, who had killed Yang Luoniang. Clearly, Yang Luoniang's tragedy was of Consort Ning's own making, yet she sought revenge for her. Did this mean Yang Luoniang held a special place in Consort Ning's heart?
Qi Daiyu searched for a long time and finally found footage of Yang Luoniang from the New Year's banquet several years prior.
Looking at the girl who resembled a fairy, Qi Daiyu sighed inwardly. Silently offering an apology to Yang Luoniang in her heart, Qi Daiyu opened her video editing software.
She also opened a shopping app and ordered a bird-shaped drone, the kind with a projection function.
