Chapter 293 Wrong Medicine?

Chapter 293: Did She Take Crazy Pills?

As soon as these words were spoken, Consort Li felt like her whole world was falling apart.

It was one thing for her to be demoted, but why did Luo Qianxue have to be punished too?

As far as she knew, although Grand Master of Remonstrance Xue Boyong was a fourth-rank official, he held a purely ceremonial civil post with no real power.

And his son, Xue Cheng, was nothing but a good-for-nothing, well-versed in drinking, whoring, gambling, and every vice imaginable.

In status, looks, and position, Xue Cheng was nowhere near Xie Liuzheng.

Luo Qianxue, however, was delighted.

As long as she didn't have to marry Xie Liuzheng, she would be happy to marry anyone.

At this moment, Luo Qianxue still had no idea how serious the problem was. She thought Emperor Jingyang must have found her a handsome, distinguished young man from a noble family.

Before leaving, Emperor Jingyang looked at the Empress and whispered in her ear.

"Empress, the affairs of the harem should naturally be handled by you. I leave it to you to appease Duchess Rong and calm her anger!"

What he said was utterly shameless.

After all, it was he who ordered the Imperial Guard to arrest Madam Cai based on Consort Li's words.

Now that he had offended her, he pushed the blame onto the Empress and made her deal with the fallout.

Since the matter had gotten so out of hand, appeasing the offended party would certainly require gold, silver, jewels, and other treasures.

Emperor Jingyang's intention was clear: he wanted the Empress to pay out of her own pocket to resolve the issue.

The Empress watched Emperor Jingyang leave in cold silence, saying nothing.

After all, she was thoroughly disillusioned with this man!

Although the entire affair was somewhat convoluted, Consort Li and Luo Qianxue had still been punished.

The Empress turned to Nanny Shen beside her and ordered, "Issue my decree: bestow upon Madam Cai one chest of luminous East Sea pearls from my treasury, a phoenix hairpin set with gold and kingfisher feathers, a lingzhi-shaped jade ruyi, and ten bolts of fine silk from Jiangnan. Let this be my apology on behalf of His Majesty for the wrong he has done to her."

The Empress made it clear: she wasn't apologizing for herself but on behalf of Emperor Jingyang.

Thus, the responsibility lay with Emperor Jingyang, not with her.

At the same time, it allowed those around to see Emperor Jingyang's character and stinginess.

The palace attendants all kept their heads down, afraid of eavesdropping on something not meant for their ears.

Madam Cai stopped Nanny Shen, who was about to leave, and bowed to the Empress.

"I'm grateful for Your Majesty's kindness, but I can't accept any rewards. Today, I was able to clear my name thanks to Your Majesty, Princess Jiu, Tang'er, and Zheng'er. I'm already very happy with this outcome and don't dare ask for anything more."

Madam Cai understood Emperor Jingyang's intention and silently cursed at how stingy he was.

The Empress, so gentle and gracious, had truly been wronged by being married to him!

It seemed that when a woman chose a man, she still had to be discerning. Even the Empress, despite her high position, was not necessarily happy.

The same went for men choosing women.

She was glad once again that Luo Qianxue hadn't married her son.

The Empress helped her up herself and asked, surprised, "Madam Cai, you really don't want any reward?"

"No," Madam Cai bit her lip, hesitating. "Your Majesty, there is something I wish to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

The Empress said, "Consort Li and her daughter have left. There are no outsiders around. Madam Cai, please speak freely."

"Your Majesty, I think you should think more about yourself. We women work hard to save money. You should spend those things on yourself, instead of saving them so others can take advantage."

The Empress sighed helplessly. "Ah, don't I know it!"

"But as his wife, we're in the same boat. Our fortunes are tied together. As long as I hold this position as Empress, I have to do my duty every day. Even if I don't consider him, I must consider the reputation of the entire Dongchen Imperial Family and my own family. Most of the time, I don't have a choice."

Madam Cai and the Empress talked for a long time in the palace. Seizing the opportunity, Xie Liuzheng thought it over and decided to ask Luo Qingge to step outside.

The two of them arrived at the courtyard behind Fengyi Palace. Here, the grass was lush, the scenery was beautiful, the place was quiet, and it was rarely visited.

Xie Liuzheng looked at Luo Qingge. The girl before him was half a head shorter than him. The sunlight fell on her delicate, jade-like little face, bright and gentle, with skin like creamy jade.

He was momentarily captivated!

It wasn't until Luo Qingge looked up at him that Xie Liuzheng quickly looked away.

He coughed lightly, deliberately changing the subject.

"Princess Jiu, thank you for saving my mother today. I always repay kindness and don't like to owe favors. If you have any requests, feel free to make them. I will definitely fulfill them."

Upon hearing this, Luo Qingge suddenly remembered what Madam Cai had told her: Xie Liuzheng was actually a tsundere.

In other words, he talked tough and only gave in to those stronger than him.

He typically responded to kindness, not force.

Luo Qingge thought about it and decided to be nice to him, after all, he was pretty pitiful.

"This time, I helped Madam Cai out of respect for my third sister-in-law. It was just a small effort on my part, not really a life-saving act.

"You also saved me last time, so now we're even."

Xie Liuzheng looked at Luo Qingge in surprise. Luo Qingge returned his smile.

The next moment, he said, "Princess Jiu, did you take crazy pills today? Why are you so gentle? Are you possessed by some demon or something?"

As he spoke, he started gesturing around her.

"Evil spirits begone! This is someone else's body. Get out of her now!"

Luo Qingge: "..."

Luo Qingge: "!!!"

She choked on her words, and soon her face turned red.

She should have known better than to be nice to Xie Liuzheng. He wasn't normal.

She had never seen such a crazy man!

Luo Qingge no longer wanted to deal with Xie Liuzheng. She snorted coldly and turned to leave.

"I'm not in the mood to admire flowers. Have fun by yourself!"

Xie Liuzheng: "???"

He rubbed his nose innocently.

It was just a joke to lighten the mood, why'd she get so angry?

But deep down, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Today's events hadn't been without gain—at least he had finally gotten rid of Luo Qianxue, that big headache.

Just thinking about the days ahead without her bothering him made him feel totally relaxed.

Ji Yuntang, on the other hand, went to Fengyi Palace. Since it was a rare chance to be in the palace, she decided to give the Seventeenth Prince another round of acupuncture.

The Seventeenth Prince was overjoyed to see her, wrapping his arms around her legs and calling out, "Fairy Sister-in-law, An'er missed you so much."

However, Ji Yuntang had come in a hurry this time and hadn't brought him any snacks, so she promised to bring him plenty next time.

After several acupuncture sessions, the Seventeenth Prince's condition had noticeably improved, and his illness was under control—he no longer had episodes at the drop of a hat!

With two more sessions, he'd be pretty much fully recovered!

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