The Empress frowned, her gaze first turning to the Crown Prince, and then falling on Liu Wanting, waiting to hear what she had to say.
"Your Majesty," Liu Wanting said, her face full of grievance, "Eldest Miss Cui is clearly twisting the truth. I was not the only one who suffered at the restaurant that day; Miss Li Mengyu of the Li family was also there. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can summon Miss Li to testify."
Seeing Liu Wanting so confident and resolute, the Empress believed her a bit more.
She was just about to speak and summon Miss Li when an unhurried voice suddenly rang out.
Cui Yunchu said, "Miss Liu, you only dare to say this because you know full well that Miss Li does not have the qualifications to attend today's palace banquet."
The Empress's expression paused.
The Li family served in the Ministry of War. According to their official rank, they indeed had not come to attend the banquet today.
Liu Wanting was so angry she almost couldn't maintain her noble lady demeanor. How could there be such a shameless person in this world who inverted black and white?
"Even if Miss Li didn't come today, she can be summoned to the palace. As long as we want to verify the truth, there are a thousand ways," Liu Wanting said, her tone slightly sharp.
Cui Yunchu, however, remained unhurried. She lifted her eyes to glance at Liu Wanting, nodded, and let out an "Oh."
"Since Miss Liu is so certain and insists on Miss Li testifying, it seems you have long colluded with her. In that case, even if I jumped into the Yellow River, I couldn't wash myself clean. This crime must be pinned on my head."
"..."
Liu Wanting felt a breath stuck in her chest, a stifling pain that almost suffocated her.
Cui Yunchu, this despicable, wretched concubine-born daughter!!
The Empress: "."
She also found it quite speechless to listen to.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough." Cui Yunfeng covered her chest and began to cough, her face turning red. Old Madam Cui immediately rubbed her back.
Cui Yunchu and Tang Qingwan also stepped forward in concern. "Yunfeng, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just suddenly caught a draft of cold wind."
The Empress glanced around sideways, her eyelids twitching slightly. The palace doors were tightly shut; where did the cold wind come from?
Liu Wanting's lungs were about to explode from anger. She clutched her chest, struggling to catch her breath.
She wasn't faking it; it was real, but no one paid any attention to her.
The Empress ordered someone to serve Cui Yunfeng a cup of hot tea to warm her up.
Holding the hot tea, Cui Yunfeng caught Cui Yunchu's gaze, coughed lightly again, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "I have a few words I would like to ask Miss Liu, hoping for Your Majesty's permission."
The Empress frowned and nodded slightly.
"Miss Liu," Cui Yunfeng's gaze suddenly turned sharp. "Madam Liu said it was my eldest sister's deliberate revenge that led to Miss Liu being pushed into the slop bucket. Although this matter has nothing to do with my Cui family, I must ask, what did the Liu family do to make you think my Cui family would seek deliberate revenge?"
"Could it be that my falling into the water at the Chen family banquet that day had something to do with Miss Liu?"
This was what it meant to turn around and strike back using the opponent's own weapon. The Cui family was exactly like that. Liu Wanting's face turned green with anger.
"Second Miss Cui, the scene when you fell into the water that day was chaotic to begin with, and all the ladies present were suspects. On what grounds do you falsely accuse me?"
"Then why would the Liu family think my Cui family would seek deliberate revenge? If not out of a guilty conscience, then what?" Cui Yunchu asked.
"Nonsense, my mother couldn't have said that."
The Crown Prince frowned, a cold voice ringing out, "Miss Liu, do you think I am talking nonsense?"
"." The tears in Liu Wanting's eyes instantly fell, no longer able to be controlled.
She wanted to leave, to leave right now. Where was her mother? Why wasn't she coming to help her?
"Enough," the Empress said, seeing Liu Wanting pushed to such an extent, and could only step in to defuse the situation. "Since there is no evidence, let us not mention it anymore."
These words were mostly directed at the Cui family.
Cui Yunchu and Cui Yunfeng exchanged a glance and simultaneously curled their lips, revealing a sneer.
Liu Wanting's unwillingness was almost written on her face. "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince was also there that day. The eunuch by His Highness's side can also testify."
Liu Wanting originally didn't want to say this because just remembering her wretched state being witnessed by the Crown Prince that day made her want to die of shame.
But the Cui family was too thick-skinned and went too far in bullying her.
She looked pleadingly at the Crown Prince. She didn't believe the Crown Prince could favor Tang Qingwan to the point of confusing black and white and lying to the Empress.
Even so, the eunuch by his side wouldn't dare to speak falsely and deceive the Empress.
The Crown Prince's lowered eyes slightly lifted, glancing at Liu Wanting. A gleam seemed to flash across the bottom of his eyes.
"Crown Prince, did this happen?" the Empress asked in a deep voice.
Since he was present, why didn't he say so earlier?
After a long while, the Crown Prince finally spoke indifferently and acknowledged it.
"Mother, let us not pursue it anymore. The matter that day was truly complicated."
Hearing the Crown Prince admit it, Liu Wanting immediately felt a glimmer of hope.
The Empress asked, "How complicated could it be that you didn't care when your side consort was humiliated like this?"
The Crown Prince seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty. He hesitated for a long while but did not speak.
"Crown Prince, you saw with your own eyes what Cui Yunchu did to me at the restaurant that day," Liu Wanting said.
Seeing the Crown Prince's demeanor, the Empress believed ninety percent of what Liu Wanting said and shot a sharp look at Cui Yunchu.
Cui Yunchu's expression remained unchanged; she only slightly turned her head to glance at the Crown Prince, sneering inwardly. The Crown Prince was trying to kill two birds with one stone.
"Crown Prince,"
"Mother, please don't ask anymore. This matter is already in the past." The Crown Prince was clearly a bit irritated.
Just then, a eunuch's sharp call rang out at the palace door, "The Emperor arrives."
Before long, a middle-aged man dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe walked into the hall surrounded by people.
The Empress hurriedly stood up, leading everyone in the Fengluan Palace to bow and greet the Emperor.
"Rise." The Emperor's sharp eyes swept over the people in the room, pausing on the Cui family women for a few breaths before withdrawing his gaze and taking the seat of honor.
Accompanying him were Consort Liang, Prince An, Xiao Yi, and the new favorite, Shen Xiabai.
Xiao Yi and Cui Yunfeng were exchanging glances, while Cui Yunchu slightly lowered her head, her brows tightly knitted.
Shen Xiabai was actually favored to the point of being able to enter and exit the inner palace?
For a court official to enter the inner palace, unless they were concubines' relatives, was unprecedented.
But the Emperor brought him here.
Cui Yunchu always felt something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint it. Her heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton, giving her a sense that things were going out of control and deviating from their track.
Shen Xiabai was not wearing his official uniform today. He was dressed in a moon-white brocade robe, his figure tall and straight, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Coupled with his sharp brows and eyes, it added a bit of cold indifference to his whole person.
The Emperor first chatted with Old Madam Cui for a few sentences, asking about her health in recent years.
"I am perfectly well, thank Your Majesty for your concern."
"That is good." The Emperor sat upright, a faint smile on his majestic face. "Minister Cui is my right-hand man. With your good health, Old Madam, he can also serve me with peace of mind."
"Yes." Old Madam Cui was very taciturn. The Emperor's eyes darkened, and he withdrew his gaze.
"What were you all chatting about just now?" The Emperor's gaze fell on Liu Wanting, whose eyes were red.
Both the Cui family and the Liu family were the Crown Prince's in-laws, his future wife's families. The Empress naturally hoped to turn big problems into small ones and small ones into nothing.
She was just about to gloss over it when the Crown Prince spoke first, briefly explaining what had just happened to the Emperor.
Only, coming from the Crown Prince's mouth, the Cui family was completely cleared of involvement.
"Oh? Such a thing actually happened." The Emperor's gaze grew cold. "Lord Liu serves the state and the people, and relieves me of my burdens. Who would dare be so bold as to humiliate his beloved daughter like this?"
The Emperor's tone was heavy, clearly showing his anger.
"Your Majesty." With tears welling in her eyes, Liu Wanting fell to her knees with a thud.
"Crown Prince, you tell me. What exactly happened?"
"Imperial Father," the Crown Prince seemed terrified of the Emperor. Just like before, he hesitated several times, swallowing his words before he could speak.
It was only when the Emperor's piercing gaze shot toward him that he finally spoke in a panic, "That day... when your son arrived, the incident had already happened. Imperial Father... you should ask Second Brother."
"..." Consort Liang had been happily watching the drama unfold. Suddenly hearing this, the smile on her face froze for a moment.
What kind of nonsense was this? How did the drama she was watching suddenly involve her?
Consort Liang frowned her fair, elegant face and nudged Prince An, Xiao Yi, who was sitting beside her, with her elbow.
There was no reaction.
She turned her gaze and was instantly left speechless.
She saw Xiao Yi's dark eyes fixed intently on Cui Yunfeng. His expression was full of smiles, his gaze so tender that it practically dripped with affection.
