Ping Zhao Lu

Xu Zhouye lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes hiding the expression in his eyes, but he kept telling himself in his heart to stay calm.

He quickly recalled in his mind what Concubine Li had just said, and after thinking about it carefully, he soon realized that something was wrong.

Yesterday she had repeatedly persuaded me to accept the dress, and this move was completely intentional.

This woman knows how to advance and retreat just right, and she is particularly good at winning people's hearts and minds.

She must have seen that I was suspicious and wary of her, so she pretended to be eager to get me to accept the dress.

However, when he refused again and again, she pretended to be angry and left.

And the dress he was wearing at this moment, which was the same style as that of Prince Huai, must have something to do with her.

I think she first ordered the people in the clothing bureau to make him a spare suit that suited his taste, and then made another suit that was in good condition and gave it to him as a gift. She repeatedly led him to refuse to accept it, and finally arranged for someone to deliberately spill hot soup on his original suit, causing the suit to be damaged.

In this way, he would be able to wear the spare set of clothes that he liked.

He went to such great lengths just to spread rumors that he and Prince Huai still had feelings for each other.

……

Thinking of this, Xu Zhouye blamed himself.

He still underestimated Concubine Li.

Perhaps it was because without Rong Yu'an, that stupid guy, fanning the flames, that Concubine Li began to perform stably.

In this way... I would be underestimating the enemy. If I were on a battlefield, it would be unimaginable.

Qinghe, who was standing aside, was extremely anxious. She didn't know what to do and couldn't say a word to defend her master for a while.

Su Ming was calmer. He stepped forward, bowed, and explained slowly, "Your Highnesses, you may not know that the formal dress Your Highness tried on this morning was personally custom-made by the people in the Clothing Bureau. It was damaged by the palace servants shortly after it was delivered. The one Your Highness is wearing now is a spare piece sent by the Clothing Bureau."

"So, all this was done by the Shangfu Bureau..." Someone suddenly realized.

"It's hard to say. Eunuch Su is the Queen's man, so he naturally speaks on the Queen's side. He can't just say what he says without any evidence." Someone objected.

Su Ming: "If you don't believe me, I'll just go get the original dress and have a look at it."

Queen Mother Jiang nodded. "That's fine. But for the sake of fairness, let's have the palace attendants here follow Eunuch Su to get it."

Su Ming accepted the order and withdrew.

The building fell into silence for a moment.

After a long time, the palace maid who was sent over hurried over to report.

Su Ming followed behind with a look of panic and confusion.

The maid knelt and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, I followed Eunuch Su and have been searching for the damaged dress for a long time but have not found it."

When these words were spoken, everyone sighed.

Xu Zhouye's pupils suddenly shrank, his eyes turned, and he immediately understood.

What a perfect move.

"Queen, what's going on?" Queen Mother Jiang asked in confusion.

Before Xu Zhouye could say anything, Su Ming knelt down first to apologize, "Your Majesty the Queen, it was my fault for being confused. The clothes that were damaged this morning were casual clothes, not formal clothes. I am sorry for causing this misunderstanding. Please punish me, Your Majesty the Queen!" He knew that the matter was irreversible, so he had to make the best of it and save the Queen some trouble.

Qinghe widened his eyes, his face full of worry.

Xu Zhouye's heart tightened, and he was about to speak, but Su Ming gave him a reassuring look.

"Eunuch Su is so confused in his work, he should be punished." Luo Siyan spoke at the right time.

This statement undoubtedly met Su Ming's wishes and also helped Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye and Chu Yunxiao looked at him in tacit understanding.

Luo Siyan just smiled slightly and said no more.

"Eunuch Su was careless and almost caused a disaster, so I punish you to serve in the cold palace. Do you have any objection?" said Queen Mother Jiang.

Su Ming knelt in thanks: "I deeply thank the Queen Mother for the lenient punishment!"

Queen Mother Jiang said indifferently, "Well, go down."

"Yes." Su Ming responded and retreated.

The scene fell silent again.

Xu Zhouye's face was terribly gloomy. He secretly vowed in his heart: when this round was over, he would kill all those who had framed him.

Xian Fei, who had been silent for a long time, saw Xu Zhouye's face becoming increasingly worse, and she couldn't help but show worry. She said to comfort him, "Don't worry, Your Highness. This dress must be a coincidence. Besides, those are all old stories, a farce from our youth, don't take it seriously."

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye's fists hardened. On the surface, Concubine Xian seemed to care about him sincerely, but in reality, every word she said seemed to be pushing him into the abyss.

Xu Zhouye felt a panic in his heart and couldn't help but glance at Chu Yunxiao beside him.

Chu Yunxiao's face remained sullen, and there was no trace of emotion on his stern face. He remained silent, as if he was thinking about something.

At the same time, Wei Fu, who was sitting in the female seat at the lower right rear, had a very happy expression on her face and was in an extremely good mood.

Ever since she recovered and was able to get out of bed, she had been looking forward to this birthday party. Today, her wish finally came true, and she was naturally overjoyed.

Especially seeing Xu Zhouye being humiliated.

If she had not been the niece of the Queen Mother and had not been able to sit at the same table with her, she would not have had the chance to witness this scene!

More importantly, her visit to today's banquet was definitely not in vain.

She already knew.

The Queen was the one who was behind the arranged marriage between her and Wu Chi, the fourth son of the Wu family.

If it weren't for Xu Zhouye, how could she have married such a hypocritical and philandering man.

Ever since she married into the Wu family, there has been unrest.

Every day she was either arguing with Wu Chi or taking care of his many concubines.

Wu Chi is still a disappointing person. He only wants to live a life of luxury and debauchery. When people try to persuade him to achieve fame and success, they refute him.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Wei family, the niece of the Empress Dowager, and her brother would soon return to court to be rewarded. The Wei family was bound to prosper in the future. Yet, such a distinguished family had to endure such injustice!

Thinking of this, a gloomy look appeared in her eyes.

She would never let Xu Zhouye go.

All the humiliations suffered in the past must be repaid today.

Thinking of this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and a subtle sly and complacent look flashed in her eyes. She adjusted her sitting posture, leaning back gracefully, waiting for the wonderful performance she had prepared for Xu Zhouye.

At this moment, the virtuous concubine who had been observing Xu Zhouye from time to time finally couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what's wrong with you? Why do you look so grim? Is there something bothering you?"

However, Xu Zhouye remained silent, as if he had not heard Concubine Xian's question.

Seeing this, the virtuous concubine's eyes flickered with a faint smile, and she continued with concern, "The birthday banquet hasn't officially begun yet. If Your Highness feels unwell, why not ask the Empress Dowager for permission to return to the palace and rest? After all, you'll be here all morning, and what if you tire yourself out?"

Empress Dowager Jiang, who was sitting nearby, echoed Concubine Xian's words with concern, "Concubine Xian is absolutely right. Your health is of utmost importance. It's just one banquet, don't let it damage you. Queen, you should hurry back to the palace and recuperate."

Just when everyone turned their eyes to Xu Zhouye, Chu Yunxiao, who had been staying out of the matter and watching everything coldly, finally spoke slowly: "Since the Queen is unwell, go back and rest." His voice was as cold as the wind in the cold winter, without a trace of emotion.

These words reached Xu Zhouye's ears, instantly igniting the long-suppressed anger deep within him. His tightly clenched fists trembled with anger, and a faint white tinge even appeared at the joints.

Chu Yunzheng, who had just recovered from his shock, happened to hear what his royal brother said to Xu Zhouye, and his face suddenly became gloomy.

He looked at Xu Zhouye, his eyes full of worry and sympathy.

In this huge palace, no one is willing to stand up and say a word for Xu Zhouye at this moment. How uncomfortable must it be to feel isolated and helpless!

Chu Yunzheng felt that his thoughts were as messy as a tangled mess. Just when he was about to open his mouth to refute those malicious remarks on behalf of Xu Zhouye, he saw Xu Zhouye quickly stand up.

He first bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and then walked slowly towards the center of the pavilion.

Everyone present hadn't recovered from this sudden change, and had no idea what he was going to do. However, at this moment, something unexpected happened - Xu Zhouye suddenly exerted force with both arms, and with a violent tug, he actually ripped his wide sleeves off!

"Rumors are the root of evil, and their harm is immeasurable! Today, I must solemnly declare in front of you all: everything between Xu Jin, Prince Huai, and me is aboveboard, and there is absolutely no ambiguity in this life! Now, I will take off this pair of sleeves to prove this!" Xu Zhouye said in a deep voice, his words sincere.

As soon as he finished speaking, he loosened his hands without hesitation, letting the two sleeves fall lightly to the ground.

At this moment, Xu Zhouye stood upright, his back as straight and unyielding as a green pine, his face was stern and his expression was indifferent, as if nothing in the world could catch his attention.

The whole person exudes an otherworldly temperament, like a ruthless immortal who is detached from the mundane world. The powerful aura makes it almost impossible for the people present to breathe.

Everyone was so shocked by his unexpected action that they were speechless for a moment.

As the queen, she actually cut her robe in public. This kind of thing has never been heard of, not to mention witnessed with one's own eyes! There is no doubt that this action not only damaged her own reputation but also greatly damaged the face of the royal family!

Even Chu Yunxiao, who was usually calm and composed, couldn't help but feel his pupils tremble slightly. His eyes, which had been calm and composed before, were now filled with the slightest ripples.