I'm not willing to be a cannon fodder for the female supporting role anymore

When Yueying heard this, she didn't understand at first, but then she realized that the Queen Mother was thinking long-term for her. When Li Qiyun heard this, it was like a bolt from the blue. He didn't expect that inviting the Queen Mother back to the palace would actually backfire?

"aunt!"

He frowned and wanted to say something, but the Queen Mother didn't give him a chance.

"Emperor, I just came back today and I am a little tired now. If you have anything to say, please come and talk to me tomorrow."

After seeing Li Qiyun off, the empress dowager looked tired, but she was more worried than before. After a while of sighing, the empress dowager finally spoke.

"poor child."

When the original mother, Li Wanxi, first met the Queen Mother, Shen Huanxi was only six years old. Although she was young, she showed extraordinary talent for poetry, calligraphy and painting at an early age. Another teacher in the girls' school who always ranked first in the exams was Li Wanxi. Their love for poetry, calligraphy and painting made them establish a friendship. The eldest sister of one of them was the Queen, and the other was the daughter of the former Grand Tutor. When they had nothing to do, they were surrounded by flowers and applause.

It was not until later that Shen Huanxi's elder sister, the queen at the time, was framed in the palace, and some people who flattered the powerful and looked down on the weak began to embarrass her everywhere.

Li Wanxi not only protected Shen Huanxi in the girls' school, but also defended her at various banquets hosted by prominent families and dignitaries. Because of this, Li Wanxi failed to marry into many so-called upright families in the two years before and after she came of age.

However, when Zhao Yueying's grandfather was looking for a wife for his son, he heard the rumors about Li Wanxi and admired her very much. Not only did he take the risk of offending the royal family, he also shamelessly chased the old tutor to marry his daughter.

The literati of this era looked down upon warriors, even though Mr. Zhao was an old general and Yueying's father had already made military achievements.

"It is my Shen family that has let down the Zhao family, and I am also letting down your mother."

Later, because the Zhao family rejected other princes, they were framed by villains and the entire family was executed, but the Shen family could not do anything. The emperor even sent the prince to search the Shen family's house in person in order to make the Shen family prove that they had no collusion with the Zhao family.

Yueying knew that although the original owner's father did not support anyone on the surface, he had actually sided with Li Qiyun. It just so happened that he was from a family of military generals and his achievements were so great that the emperor was afraid of him, so he just found a reason to get rid of him.

Who is really innocent in such a matter? The emperor was cruel, and although the Shen family and Li Qiyun were helpless, were they really innocent? In the feudal era, under the oppression of imperial power, who dared to say that the superiors were really clean and clear?

"Empress Dowager, the Zhao family is full of loyal and brave people. My father and grandfather are loyal to the emperor and love the people. I only hope that the emperor can make thousands of people live and work in peace and contentment in the future, so that their sacrifice will not be in vain."

Yueying was not so naive that she told the Queen Mother all her feelings. Sadness was inevitable, so she let her tears flow, but she also had to say the words to express her loyalty.

Seeing that the Queen Mother was very satisfied, Yueying knew that her conservatism was right. Even if the Queen Mother felt guilty towards her mother and the Zhao family, she would not like her to have any resentment towards the royal family.

"Right now, Xi'er is looking for evidence of General Zhao being framed. Your father should be cleared of all charges soon. How about I take you as my goddaughter on that day?"

Not paying much attention to the tentative look in the Queen Mother's eyes, Yueying was just thinking that if she became a princess, the Emperor would not be able to accept her into the harem. She always remembered that she was not taking on a love mission, so if she could avoid wasting time in the small world, she would naturally give priority to completing the mission in a way that could deviate from the main storyline.

So he happily shook Shen Huanxi's hand and thanked her in a very excited tone.

"I thank the Queen Mother for her kindness. The Queen Mother and the Emperor have shown kindness to the Zhao family, and I will never be able to repay them in my lifetime."

The empress dowager nodded and pulled Yueying to sit next to her. She was a sensible and considerate child, so she liked her even more. She rewarded her again and again and took out a lot of good things from her private storehouse for her in the afternoon.

After that, concubines came to the palace every day. It was inconvenient for Yueying to see people, so she could only wear a veil every day. Fortunately, she had the goal of completing the task in her heart, so she didn't feel suffocated staying like this.

"Mother, Ying'er hasn't returned to her own bedroom for a long time. She always stays here, and no one is taking care of the flower room."

Li Qiyun could have made any other excuse, but he came up with such a lame one. Yueying listened from the side and tried so hard to control her facial muscles that it was extremely difficult.

"Hasn't Han'er been taking care of the greenhouse?"

"But it is Ying'er's own greenhouse after all..."

"Let Prince Han take care of it first. Thanks to Ying'er's care for the flowers and plants in the Cining Palace these days, I see that they are in much better shape."

Li Qixuan's eyes were always on Yueying. He didn't give up. It had been many days since he had eaten, chatted or taken a walk with his little girl.

The empress dowager looked at the emperor's superficial thoughts with her eyes almost glued to him, then saw that Yueying still looked indifferent and dutiful, so she didn't say anything harsh and found an excuse to send the emperor away.

After that, this scene would be repeated every three to five days. Even if Yueying pretended to be slow, she should show that she had discovered something.

"Ying'er, I have seen the emperor's feelings for you. I wonder how you treat him?"

That day, Yueying was sitting beside the Queen Mother arranging flowers when she suddenly heard someone asking her this question. She knelt down quickly and her mind raced. The Queen Mother had mentioned three times that she wanted to adopt her as her adopted daughter in just over a month since she returned to the palace. She also repeatedly gave the Emperor the excuse not to let her return to the East Palace.

At first, the Queen Mother called her "Aunt", but later it became "Ai", which can be said to be that she made her growing dislike for her known.

"Empress Dowager, this subject and I have been engaged since childhood."

"I don't know if the Ouyang family will honor your engagement. After all, if the emperor really likes her..."

The Queen Mother paused here and looked at Yueying with a loving face.

"The Queen Mother should know that I am used to being casual at home since I was young, and I can't compare with the dignified and elegant manners of the concubines in the harem. Besides, Your Majesty is just more compassionate to me."

Yueying just wanted to distance herself from the matter. She could see that the old empress dowager didn't want her to have anything to do with the emperor anymore, and she couldn't turn such a good backer into an enemy.

"You don't like the emperor?"

Isn't this question a life-threatening one?

"Of course I like her, just like how I feel towards the Queen Mother, grateful and fond of her like a family member."

If you answer that you don’t like him, it may mean that you don’t want to live now. If you answer that you like him, it may mean that you don’t want to live in the future. So the only way you can love him is to love him as you would love your own brother.

"Forget it. You will be freer outside the palace at least. The boy from the Ouyang family is not bad either. Besides, you have me and the emperor to back you up. Even if he dares to make a mistake, I will help you correct it."

Yueying covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed out loud. Her laughter, like a silver bell, pierced like a sharp knife into the heart of Li Qiyun, who was standing on the corridor not far away.

"Your Majesty? Are you still coming?"

Manager He lit a stick of incense for Miss Zhao in his heart and asked his master tentatively.

Li Qiyun's face was full of gloom. He seemed to be deaf and didn't say anything. He just turned around and left.

Yueying counted the days on her fingers every day to complete the mission. She knew that the Zhao family would be rehabilitated in half a month. She was actually a little excited in her heart. In this world, she only needed to escape once more and she would be done.

At dinner time that day, Li Qiyun came again. In front of the empress dowager, he was still very polite. He did not speak while eating or sleeping.

After the meal, they began to talk about the Zhao family's rehabilitation.

"We have basically controlled the evidence and witnesses. Now we need to make some adjustments to the court."

"Finally, I can give Wanxi an explanation."

When the Queen Mother heard this, she sat on the couch, closed her eyes, and stroked her chest with one hand.

Yueying stood aside with her head down, biting her lower lip, and her tears fell to the ground.

The room was quiet for a while. Li Qiyun certainly didn't come here just to talk about this matter, so he couldn't help but speak.

"Ying'er hasn't had a good look around the palace in the past few months. Now there's nothing to worry about. Come with me for a walk later."

"That's right. Now that we have all the evidence, we don't have to worry about anything else. Let's summon the boy from the Ouyang family to the palace tomorrow to discuss the marriage contract with the General's Mansion."

The empress dowager did not beat around the bush and directly blocked the emperor's words. She was an orphan, and was secretly swapped out from the previous emperor. How could she enter the palace as a concubine? It would be criticized.

"Mother!"

"When the time comes, I will adopt Ying'er as my adopted daughter and let her marry out of the palace as a princess. The East Palace is indeed a good place for the princess to sleep."

The Empress Dowager smiled so kindly that it was hard to imagine how a thirty-year-old woman could portray the kindness of an old lady so vividly.

"Your servant thanks the Queen Mother for her mercy."

"Emperor, please remember to choose an auspicious word as a title for your adopted sister."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace."

Yueying and the Queen Mother sang the same tune, not giving Li Qiyun any chance to interrupt.

Li Qixuan narrowed his eyes and looked at Yueying who was kneeling on the ground to express his gratitude. He pursed his lips and said nothing. His face was extremely dark and veins bulged on his forehead. Although he had suppressed his temper, there was a flicker of anger in his eyes and the corners of his eyes twitched slightly, as if he wanted to hold all his anger between his teeth.

Yueying didn't dare to look up and pay attention to Li Qiyun in front of the Queen Mother, but she was also happy to stand on the Queen Mother's side. After all, if she completed the task early, she could save time to return to her own world.

What Yueying didn't expect was that this time the Queen Mother didn't try to stop him and let Li Qiyun take her away.

After leaving the Cining Palace, Li Qiyun picked up the person and carried him horizontally, and sat on the dragon chariot.

"emperor!"

Yueying is not stupid. She has watched so many historical and palace fighting dramas, and she knows that most women who can sit on the dragon chariot die miserably.

"If you don't want to make me angry, you'd better shut up now."

Feeling the anger emanating from Li Qixuan, her heart trembled slightly, and she sat quietly beside him, stealing glances at him from time to time, imagining the scene of returning to the East Court Hall.

Based on the contact she had with him during the first few days after she came here, she was not going to lose her virginity, was she? Startled, Yueying turned her head to look at Li Qiyun, and unexpectedly her eyes met his.

Li Qiyun's eyes were sharp at this moment, like a knife, as if he was going to cut her. Yueying felt her heartbeat quicken, and she regretted not staying in the Cining Palace just now.

She wanted to go back to Dongchao Palace. After all, all her valuables were there. She didn't put them into the space before because she was afraid that Haitang would find out something was wrong. But it was almost over, and she should get some things into the space first. Take more so that the puppet could live a rich and worry-free life after she left.

Yueying didn't dare to look up along the way, and sat obediently on the dragon chariot like a quail. Although it was late, she still met many palace people, especially because the East Court Hall was located close to the front court, she also met many guards.

If nothing unexpected happens, the entire palace will know tomorrow that the emperor rode in the dragon chariot with a woman. Yueying has a headache and hopes that the empress dowager will not blame herself for this crime.

"Has Xiaoying lived too comfortably in the past month? So comfortable that you forgot who your master is?"

Sure enough, when they arrived at the East Court Hall, Li Qiyun closed the door, ordered that no one should be disturbed, and then carried Yueying into the inner hall.

"Your Majesty... Ah Xuan, will you listen to my explanation?"

Yueying didn't just sit there on the road, she decided to appease the male lead first. So she didn't struggle, she just put her arms around Li Qixuan's neck, obediently, and nestled in his arms.

"quibble?"

"Yes, as long as it makes Ah Xuan unhappy, even if there is a reason, it is just a sophistry."

Yueying raised her face, her eyes were bright and clear, and she smiled sweetly. Li Qixuan saw that the anger that had been suppressed in his heart for a long time had dissipated for the most part.

"Don't worry about the Queen Mother. She's probably worried about affecting our reputation. I'll take care of this."

Seeing his little girl's reaction, he seemed to understand that in the Cining Palace, she probably spoke and acted that way just to protect herself.

"it is good."

Yueying agreed readily. No matter what, just coax her.

In fact, she could understand what the Queen Mother was thinking. She had more than one engagement, and the Zhao and Shen families had also lied about her life-saving grace. After all, wasn't this what she and the original owner were most worried about?

During this period, Yueying thought a lot. In theory, the Zhao family had to bite the bullet and accept the life-saving grace. People like the original owner's parents would definitely give more financial compensation to the heroine's family. However, the heroine later sold herself into the palace as a low-ranking maid. It is easy to imagine what the Shen family probably did to the heroine's family.

If that were the case, the heroine would have saved a family-destroying disaster in vain.

"What are you thinking about? You're daydreaming again."

Li Qixuan held her in his arms and played with her long black hair that fell in front of his chest.

"Nothing, I'm just wondering how I should face him if the Queen Mother wants to let Brother Ouyang enter the palace tomorrow."

"In my arms, thinking about other men, huh?"

The man pinched Yueying's slender waist and pressed her into his arms as if as a punishment.

"Ah Xuan, I treat him as my brother."

"Neither can my brother."

"Is it okay? You have to cancel my engagement with him, right?"

How can we cancel the engagement if we haven't even met? Wouldn't it be too much for the emperor to order the cancellation of the engagement?

"Xiaoying'er, I like you. I'll cancel the engagement and you'll be my queen and my wife, okay?"

Although there was only the yellow light of the candlelight in the room, Yueying saw a lot of bright light in Li Qiyun's eyes. Such beautiful eyes, as if bewitching, Yueying stretched out a hand and gently stroked his eyebrows.