Ping Zhao Lu

The accused maid's heart suddenly pounded, her face turned pale, and her eyes widened as big as copper bells. Her hands, which were originally tightly holding Wei Fu, suddenly loosened as if she had been electrocuted, causing Wei Fu's body to lose support and fall straight forward.

At this critical moment, the person standing next to her was quick-witted and quickly supported Wei Fu who was about to fall to the ground.

The maidservant regained consciousness, as if awakened from a dream. She fell to her knees with a plop, her whole body trembling. She spoke nervously, her voice tinged with tears, "Your Majesty, please understand! This man is simply making up lies and talking nonsense! I really don't know how I have offended him to deserve such a false accusation!"

Chu Yunxiao's face was stern, and he stared at the maid kneeling on the ground with a sharp gaze. He said in a deep voice, "Why are you panicking?"

"I...I really didn't..." The maidservant was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, with cold sweat on her forehead. As she spoke, she couldn't help but raise her head slightly and quickly glanced at Empress Dowager Jiang on the side with the corner of her eye.

Queen Mother Jiang had a gloomy expression and her eyes were like knives. She glared at the maid fiercely, as if warning her not to say a single word.

Zhang Datong, knowing that he had no way out, decided to take someone with him before his death. He did not hesitate to reveal the truth of the matter, describing in detail how the maid had spent a large sum of money to instruct him to do things and how she had brought him into the palace.

Upon hearing this, the maidservant's face turned pale and she was filled with remorse.

She had thought she had done everything perfectly, without any mistakes. But she hadn't expected to be caught red-handed! If she had known this would happen, she shouldn't have shown her true face. Even if she had worn a veil or a mask, it would have been fine.

Really careless.

Now her life and property are in the hands of the Queen Mother. She has no other choice but to plead guilty.

In the end, as expected, the only fate that awaited her and Zhang Datong was the cold guillotine and the tragic end of having their heads and bodies separated. Of course, the palace maid who led the young man astray was also involved.

At the same time, the two guards in the courtyard were not spared. Because they neglected their duties and caused this disaster, they were punished to clean the courtyard for three months.

Regarding Wu Chi and Cui Huan's affair, the emperor immediately ordered them both to be caned. However, Cui Huan's fate did not end there. As the personal maid of the guilty concubine Lin, she not only failed to fulfill her duties but also repeatedly aided and abetted Lin's schemes to frame innocent people. Therefore, after being caned, she was sentenced to death.

The Marquis of Changxing and his wife were enjoying a lively conversation at the banquet when they heard that their son had gotten into such a terrible disaster. They were horrified. They rushed to the scene, only to find their child lying bloodied on a worn wooden board, his life or death uncertain.

After a thorough investigation, a misunderstanding was resolved. Su Ming, who had been working in the cold palace for only an hour, was soon taken away by Xu Zhouye himself.

This series of turmoil left Empress Dowager Jiang exhausted, both physically and mentally. Unable to cope with the chaotic situation, she hastily dismissed everyone present and returned to the Cining Palace to recuperate.

On the other side, when Wei Fu woke up and learned that the maid beside her had become her scapegoat, she fainted again from fright.

……

"Your Highness, I'm afraid Concubine Li will no longer be able to show her face to others from now on." Qinghe carefully took off the exquisite hair crown on Xu Zhouye's head, unable to hide her excitement in her words.

"Previously, following your instructions, Su Ming quietly sprinkled the pollen favored by flying insects evenly on Lipin's piece of Song brocade. He then arranged for others to release a large swarm of flying insects nearby. At this moment, Lipin is at best facially damaged, and at worst, her life is in danger."

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye raised the corners of his lips slightly, revealing a meaningful smile: "We can't let her lose her life so easily."

Qing He nodded in understanding, indicating that she understood her master's thoughts, and quickly responded, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I have already called the imperial physician to come over immediately."

Xu Zhouye suddenly turned his head, staring straight at Qinghe, and asked softly, "If I wanted to get rid of her completely, would you be afraid?"

Qing He was taken aback when she heard this, but quickly recovered and broke into a broad grin. "Your Highness always has deep meaning behind his actions. How dare this servant interfere? Besides, that Lipin is truly guilty of a heinous crime. She even tampered with your dress, nearly causing your punishment! Such a sinister villain deserves to be severely punished."

Xu Zhouye's eyes gleamed with a hint of approval. "So you've already figured out that it was Concubine Li who was behind this, not Concubine Xian."

Qing He nodded heavily and replied, "Your Highness, that's right. In fact, when I thought about her sending you the brocade clothes with ulterior motives yesterday, I became suspicious. Now that this has happened, I think it must be her doing."

Xu Zhouye looked at Qinghe in front of him with a relieved smile on his face. He said softly, "You are indeed very smart, girl. But from now on, I'm afraid you won't have a peaceful life if you stay with me."

Qing He quickly shook his head after hearing this. He looked at Xu Zhouye with a determined and expectant gaze and responded very seriously, "Qing He is not afraid at all. As long as I can always be by your side, no matter how difficult or arduous it is, Qing He will be happy to endure it."

Seeing Qinghe so determined, Xu Zhouye couldn't help but feel a complex emotion in his heart, which was touched, mixed with a bit of sadness and guilt.

He thought to himself that if he had been able to cheer himself up like he is now in his previous life, perhaps Qinghe would not have died tragically for him.

At this moment, Qing He seemed to suddenly remember something. Blinking her eyes, she asked curiously, "By the way, Your Highness, what's going on with Wu Si Lang and Cui Huan?"

Xu Zhouye raised the corners of his mouth slightly and chuckled, "Haha, it's really a coincidence. These two were shameless and dared to do such a shameless thing in that courtyard. After I caught them, I simply put them and that Zhang Datong on the same bed..."

It is worth mentioning that the pill that Wei Fu's personal maid had fed him earlier not only had the effect of causing a person to be temporarily unconscious, but also had an extraordinary aphrodisiac effect.

He simply crushed the pills into powder and used agarwood as a lure. When the three of them woke up, they were also confused and distraught.

If Zhuang Yan and I hadn't seen this kind of pill before in a brothel, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to make full use of it.

This luck is really amazing.

As for why Wu Chi and Cui Huan are involved with each other.

The reason is actually very simple.

It's nothing more than lust at first sight.

Considering Wu Chi's romantic nature, it is not surprising that he fell in love with a palace maid at the banquet.

When I see Cuihuan, it's a match made in heaven.

Although Cui Huan seemed dignified and proper beside Concubine Xian, she was actually the most dissolute. Moreover, this person did not care about appearance, as long as it was someone who made her feel comfortable, she would tolerate it.

……

Jinluan Palace.

Chu Yunxiao sat in front of the imperial desk, the floor-standing palace lantern illuminating his well-defined profile.

He was seen handling the memorial documents with a slightly tired look on his face, pressing his head lightly with his right index finger, sometimes pressing harder, trying to relieve the headaches that would suddenly flare up from time to time.

After each compression, he would let out a breath, as if this could slightly alleviate the discomfort caused by the pain.

Zhao Dequan, who had been standing by, watched the emperor toil so tirelessly, and a wave of distress and worry welled up in his heart. Cautiously, he stepped forward and softly advised, "Your Majesty, it's so late. You should rest early. Take care of yourself!"

However, Chu Yunxiao just shook his head firmly and replied in a slightly hoarse voice: "There are still some extremely difficult things that need to be dealt with urgently, and they really can't be left until tomorrow." After that, he lowered his head and continued to concentrate on the memorial in his hand.

Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, Zhao Dequan knew that it would be useless to say more. He could only sigh helplessly, then quietly stepped aside and stopped disturbing him.

In this silence, only a slight sound of footsteps was heard outside the hall, followed by a tall, expressionless man walking in steadily.

Shang Jiu came before the emperor, bowed respectfully, and then reported, "Your Majesty, in two days, Wei Xian will lead his army to the capital."

Chu Yunxiao still didn't raise his head when he heard the news. He just replied calmly, "Yes. When the time comes, I will order the Crown Prince and the Minister of Rites to go to the city gate to welcome him in person."

Shang Jiu heard this and a hint of doubt appeared on his face. He couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, this is just Wei Xian's return to the court. Why is there such a big fuss?"

Chu Yunxiao paused his furious writing brush and slowly raised his eyes to look at Shang Jiu. His gaze was deep and full of meaning. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and with a somewhat elusive smile, he said, "Wei Xian has protected the borders of the Great Wei for many years, keeping them safe from foreign invasions and ensuring peace and tranquility. This contribution is invaluable, and he should be rewarded generously."

Shang Jiu was startled, as if he had heard the deeper thoughts hidden behind the emperor's seemingly calm and gentle words.

As the saying goes, "The higher you hold someone, the harder they fall." Only by holding Wei Xian high first can we prevent him from falling hard in the future.

……

"Qinghe, quickly prepare the carriage, I want to leave the palace and return home!" Xu Zhouye looked hurried. While speaking eagerly, he picked up a hairband and skillfully tied up his waterfall-like black hair and tied it behind his head.

Qing He was startled when he heard this. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Your Highness, are you worried about the master's health?"

On the eve of the banquet, Duke Dingguo took sick leave, so he not only missed today's grand birthday banquet, but also temporarily put aside many of his daily affairs.

After Xu Zhouye finished taking care of some trivial matters in the palace, he heard the news and was anxious to leave the palace to visit his father.

"Now my eldest brother is on a long expedition to the northern border, and I live in this palace without any other brothers and sisters to accompany father. Father fought in the battlefield and suffered a lot of injuries. His health has never been good. Now he is recuperating alone at home. Although there are doctors to take care of him, I still can't let him go." Xu Zhouye said as he hurriedly put on a thick coat and prepared to rush out the door.

However, at this moment, Qing He stammered, "But...but Your Highness, the Master just sent someone to tell me...that he's not sick at all, he's just pretending."