Time travel is risky, and love requires caution

The queen sneered and waved to the eunuch, signaling him to release Yu'er.

Yu'er was temporarily relieved of her troubles. Although her body felt relaxed, her heart was more nervous. She didn't know what Ling Qiqi was going to say. She knelt back beside Ling Qiqi worriedly, but her body subconsciously leaned towards Ling Qiqi, obviously wanting to protect Ling Qiqi.

Ling Qiqi saw this and was secretly moved. She originally wanted Yu'er to go back to Deshou Palace to report the news, so that the Queen would not repeat her old tricks. If Yu'er was not implicated, she would not have any worries and would not be restrained by the Queen. But seeing Yu'er's expression, she would definitely not agree, so Ling Qiqi simply gave up.

Seeing that Ling Qiqi hadn't spoken for a long time, the Queen urged:

"Why don't you tell the truth?"

"Empress, Qi'er is thirsty. Can someone give me a glass of water first?"

The Queen was very impatient, but because Concubine De and Jiang Shuyi were also there, she couldn't appear too harsh to the Seventh Princess, so she signaled the servants to bring water to the Seventh Princess.

A maid brought Ling Qiqi a cup of tea. Ling Qiqi took it carefully, blew on it and found it was not very hot. She drank a sip slowly, blew on it again and drank another sip slowly, blew on it again and drank another sip slowly...

Ling Qiqi finally finished the cup of tea in front of everyone in the yard. At the end, she carefully wiped her mouth with a handkerchief.

The Queen held back her anger and said:

"Can we talk now?"

"Ah? Queen, what did you want Qi'er to say?"

"Forgot so quickly?"

"Well, Qi'er forgot. Qi'er was a little frightened just now and can't remember it for a while. Please wait, I will think about it carefully."

Ling Qiqi pretended to be thinking deeply while frowning, mumbling: What was it? ...

The queen was so angry that her teeth were itching.

"Tell me, who taught you the art of witchcraft?"

"Oh, yes, Qi'er remembered it. This is what the Queen asked just now. Great, I finally remembered it."

The queen cursed in her heart: Is that what you remembered? That’s what I told you.

The Seventh Princess asked innocently:

"Empress, what is witchcraft? Is it the black bones? Qi'er has never seen any bones, but meat can be seen and eaten at three meals a day. Qi'er loves to eat meat, especially beef, shrimp, and fish is also good, but it cannot have too many bones, and..."

"That's enough!" The Queen was furious. "How long are you going to keep talking nonsense to me?"

"The Queen has seen through it, so Qi'er will speak directly. Qi'er will speak in front of the emperor. If the Queen does not want to listen to Qi'er's nonsense anymore, please ask the Queen to send someone to invite the emperor."

"you......"

"I'm here." The emperor said as he walked in.

Suddenly hearing that the emperor had arrived, a group of people in the courtyard hurriedly greeted him and paid their respects.

Ling Qiqi thanked God in her heart: You finally came, if you didn’t come, I would have no choice but to pretend to faint.

After the Emperor sat down, he first asked the Empress about Ning Wanrong's condition. Then he called the Seventh Princess to him and asked:

"What do you want to say to my face?"

Ling Qiqi glanced at the Queen and replied: "That depends on what the Queen wants to ask Qi'er."

The Queen had calmed down from the panic caused by the Emperor's sudden arrival, and said to the Emperor calmly:

"Your Majesty, Ning Wanrong was supposed to give birth in a month, but she went into labor suddenly last night and is now in a very dangerous situation. I didn't expect that the eunuch who was in charge of sweeping the floor today would accidentally pick this up from the wall of Jingyixuan."

Having said that, she asked the maid to present Barbie to the emperor.

The emperor glanced at her from a distance, said nothing, and motioned for the queen to continue.

"I ordered someone to check the doll, but I didn't expect that the doll had Ning Wanrong's name written on it, as if it was intended to perform witchcraft. This matter is very serious. I asked a few servants, and some said that they saw the Seventh Princess with this doll. I just asked the Seventh Princess, and she admitted that it was hers. I thought that the Seventh Princess was still young, and someone must have instigated her, so I asked her who taught her witchcraft, but the Seventh Princess refused to say."

The emperor's expression became serious. He picked up Barbie and looked at it again and again, then asked Ling Qiqi:

"what do you say?"

"Father, Queen, this doll is indeed Qi'er's, but Qi'er doesn't know anything about witchcraft."

The queen said sternly, "Someone has seen you sticking needles into this doll, and you still say you are not practicing witchcraft?"

"Father, Empress, I'm sure you've all heard about Qi'er learning acupuncture from Doctor Du of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Many people in the palace also know about it. It's not a secret. Qi'er did stick needles into the doll. That was for Qi'er to practice acupuncture, but it wasn't for witchcraft. Father, can you take a look and see if there are many acupuncture points marked on the doll?"

Ling Qiqi continued, "Father, Empress, although Qi'er is still young, she knows that witchcraft is a taboo in the palace. Since Qi'er knows it is a taboo, if she wanted to use it, how could she be easily seen? If someone instigated it, why did the instigator look for Qi'er? Aren't they worried that Qi'er would tell father and the Empress Dowager?"

"Hmph, you just said you didn't know what witchcraft is, and now you say you know it's a taboo in the palace. That's contradicting yourself." The queen said aggressively.

Ling Qiqi’s patience is gone. Okay, you really treat me as a weakling, don’t you?

"Empress, Qi'er knows that thunder and lightning are dangerous, but Qi'er doesn't know what thunder and lightning are, let alone how to make thunder and lightning. So what Qi'er said just now is not contradictory."

The queen was choked and speechless. Ling Qiqi thought: I know more about thunder and lightning than witchcraft, there is no way you can put the blame on me. Ling Qiqi seemed to suddenly remember something, staring at the doll in the emperor's hand and asked:

"Empress, you just said that this doll has a name on it?"

"Yes," replied the Queen.

"Father, can you show Barbie to Qi'er?" Ling Qiqi said, pointing at the rag doll in the emperor's hand.

The emperor looked at the doll Ling Qiqi was pointing at and asked in surprise:

"Eighth Brother, this doll is called Eighth Brother. Did you give it a name?"

Ling Qiqi nodded, not daring to correct the emperor's pronunciation, and said, "Just call it whatever you say."

The emperor handed the "Eighth Brother" to Ling Qiqi. Ling Qiqi found the name written on the back of the doll and was secretly delighted. However, she deliberately asked with a confused look on her face:

"Father, Empress, how do you pronounce these words? Qi'er doesn't recognize them."

The emperor and the empress were both stunned.

Ling Qiqi continued:

"Father, Empress, Qi'er has not been in the Imperial College for long, and the Imperial Tutor has not taught me these words yet. If you don't believe me, you can ask the Imperial Tutor."