Demoted from wife to concubine? Reborn, the mistress of a noble family plots another high-status mar

Chapter 434

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuyan readily agreed, drank some wine, and became somewhat drunk.

"Your wine is quite good, could you give me a few bottles?"

Yun Xiyue smiled and said, "No problem."

He immediately sent someone to take him to his residence.

A few days later, a new batch of goods was prepared and sent to the palace.

They stopped being picky and accepted everything without question.

"Young Miss, the Empress Dowager requests your immediate presence at the palace."

Yunxi Yue arrived at Funing Palace.

The Empress Dowager smashed her teacup as soon as she saw her, exclaiming, "Yun Xiyue, how dare you!"

"What's wrong?" Yun Xiyue asked, puzzled. "Your Majesty, please calm down. It's not worth getting sick from anger."

"Did you have the new tea delivered to the palace recently?" the Empress Dowager asked angrily.

Yun Xiyue said, "Yes! What's wrong? Is there a problem with the new tea?"

"I can tell you're not serious about your work at all. All the tea I delivered before was fine, but when it was your turn, problems arose."

The Empress Dowager said with a displeased expression, "I don't want to say, you tell her!"

Granny Su stepped forward and said, "There's something wrong with the new tea that the eldest young lady sent to the palace."

"what is the problem?"

Granny Su continued, "When the new tea was sent to the palace, the Empress Dowager bestowed one box upon Grand Tutor Zhou and another box upon Prime Minister Pei."

"Now, the two gentlemen feel unwell after drinking the tea, as if they have been poisoned."

Yun Xiyue's expression changed slightly. "Poisoned? Is it that serious?"

Pei Fang and Zhou Zhilan looked at her and sneered. Pei Fang said, "What are you pretending for? It was something your Yun family sent to the palace, and now it has caused my father to be poisoned."

"And my grandfather was also poisoned. They are the regents. What good will it do you if something happens to them?" Zhou Zhilan accused angrily.

The Empress Dowager said, "In my opinion, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on you. After all, the items were not prepared by you, but by people under the Yun family. You may have been tricked."

"However, regardless of the circumstances, it was your negligence that led to the poisoning of the two regents."

Pei Fang was unwilling to accept this, "Aunt, are you going to protect her?"

"She is, after all, the future empress. Now that the emperor is personally leading the expedition, we cannot allow him to be distracted," the Empress Dowager considered the bigger picture.

Yun Xiyue smiled. "Yes! Even horses stumble, and people make mistakes. Who hasn't made a mistake? The poisoning of the two lords was due to my lax supervision. However, once the items are sent to the palace, they pass through many hands. Who can guarantee that they weren't poisoned while inside the palace?"

“Generally, the items sent to the palace by the Yun family have undergone multiple screenings and inspections before reaching Eunuch Cai.”

Eunuch Cai was Pei Fang's attendant, and he was usually responsible for managing her harem.

"Your Majesty, the new tea is sealed and has not been touched."

"There were only three boxes of this new tea. The Empress Dowager thought that the two regents had worked hard, so she bestowed them upon Prime Minister Pei and Grand Tutor respectively. One box is still here."

"They were all untouched. They were sent directly to the Prime Minister's residence and the Grand Tutor's residence after arriving at Funing Palace."

Zhou Zhilan said, "Eunuch Cai said that it was never opened, which means that the problem occurred outside the palace, in the hands of your Yun family. That's your fault."

As she spoke, she rose and knelt down. "Empress Dowager, now that my grandfather and Prime Minister Pei have both been poisoned, the Yun family cannot escape blame. If they are not punished, how can we give an explanation to the entire court?"

"His Majesty is at the border, and now we can only ask the Empress Dowager to do justice for my grandfather and Prime Minister Pei."

Pei Fang also knelt down, "Aunt, you must stand up for Father!"

The Empress Dowager gestured for them to rise, then looked at Yun Xiyue with some difficulty and said, "I believe you would not poison a court official. However, this matter cannot be left unresolved."

"Then, according to the Empress Dowager's opinion, how should they be punished?" Yun Xiyue asked.

Seeing her calm and composed demeanor in the face of danger, the Empress Dowager was quite satisfied, but she could not gain her approval.