Yu Zhu choked on her saliva and almost coughed.
"Miss, don't interrupt. If Jiang manages to get away with it this time, she'll only become more brazen. Are you going to keep putting up with her like this?"
Yu Zhu thought her young mistress was perfect in every way, except that she was too lazy!
When someone punched her, she was like a wad of cotton, taking the blow without fighting back. She only showed enthusiasm for food; everything else failed to pique her interest...
"She won't get away with it," Yun Xi yawned lazily.
What kind of man was her father?
Although he seldom concerned himself with the affairs in the inner courtyard, with Jiang making such a show of herself today, her father was bound to investigate.
Yun Xi naturally hoped to bring Jiang down and live a carefree life.
But one had to strike at the snake's vital seven - inch point. Acting too hastily would only make her father think she was being unreasonable and others think she was being paranoid and scheming, which would actually play into Jiang's hands.
So, knowing she couldn't avoid this, she had decided to turn the tables from the start, secretly laying out a plan and patiently waiting for Jiang to fall into the trap.
She had managed to extricate herself from the predicament and clear her name this time, which was already an achievement.
"Everyone there was a shrewd person. No matter how hard Jiang tries to disguise herself, her reputation as a kind step - mother is in tatters."
From now on, Jiang would think twice before trying to slander her, for fear of getting burned herself!
Yun Xi slept until late in the morning. A tantalizing aroma wafted into her nostrils and woke her up. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the red - glazed porcelain bowl in Yu Zhu's hand. Saliva welled up in her mouth.
"It's good to be alive!"
Yun Xi's cheeks were puffed out, and her bright eyes curved into crescents.
Reluctantly, she forced herself to bring up an unpleasant topic.
"Any news about Jiang Qing?"
As long as that scoundrel was alive, Jiang would never stop hounding her. It would be great if he became the meal of some wild beast!
Yu Zhu shook her head, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"I've sent people to keep an eye on him. I'll inform you as soon as there's any news."
Just then, an old woman in coarse clothes hurriedly lifted the curtain. She whispered something in Yu Zhu's ear and then quickly left.
Yu Zhu's face turned ashen, and her voice trembled with sobs.
"Miss, Jiang Qing has been taken away by the Imperial Guards! He's shouting that he has evidence of a secret meeting with you..."
Just when she had cleared her name, if Jiang Qing implicated her, how could her young mistress survive?
Worse still, it was the Imperial Guards. If the matter reached the emperor, her mistress would be in great danger!
"Imperial Guards?"
Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat. She quickly stuffed a few mouthfuls of congee into her mouth to calm her nerves.
Suddenly, a pair of sinister eyes flashed through her mind. She gasped in horror.
"It's him!"
Yun Xi threw down the empty bowl, seething with anger.
She threw off the quilt and got out of bed in a hurry. A sharp pain shot through her foot, and she staggered.
"Miss!"
Yu Zhu exclaimed and rushed to support her. Yun Xi grabbed her hand tightly, her eyes ablaze with determination.
"Yu Zhu, help me get dressed. I'm going to see the queen!"
If that person's goal was to destroy her, she wouldn't sit back and do nothing.
She was ready to fight to the bitter end!
The queen's tent was much larger and more imposing than those of the other female officials. It stood proudly on the east side, next to the emperor's. The perimeter was heavily guarded by soldiers.
Before the two of them could get close, they were stopped by the guards.
"Who are you?"
The glinting swords exuded a chilling sense of oppression.
Yu Zhu shrank back in fear, but Yun Xi supported her.
Yun Xi calmly stated her purpose. The guard turned around and called an amah who was fetching water. After giving her a few instructions, he stepped aside.
"Miss, why are they so fierce?"
Yu Zhu leaned closer to Yun Xi and whispered behind her hand.
When they came here yesterday, these people didn't draw their weapons.
"The queen's summons is different from our request for an audience. Moreover, yesterday, we were led by Lady Lü Xin..."
Yun Xi explained but didn't mention the most important thing: someone had tried to assassinate the emperor during the hunting yesterday!
The emperor had deliberately concealed the incident and only strengthened the security secretly. His aim was to lull the enemy into a false sense of security and catch the mastermind.
She knew that the assassin was already dead, and she was the one who killed him...
Yun Xi sighed inwardly. A sense of weariness washed over her.
Without a doubt, she was in for a tough battle today!
All she could do now was to try her best to get rid of some of her enemies. The rest was up to fate!
A moment later, the amah who had gone in to report came out of the tent. Along with her were another amah and a female official.
"It's Lü Xin."
Yu Zhu exclaimed happily. She immediately recognized the queen's chief female official, Lü Xin.
Unlike Yu Zhu, Yun Xi was not so optimistic. Since coming out of the tent, Lü Xin hadn't even glanced at her.
Sure enough.
Not far from the tent, the amah who had fetched water suddenly knelt down. Another amah picked up a soft whip and lashed it hard across her back.
Twenty lashes in a row! The amah fainted but was splashed awake. Lü Xin scolded coldly:
"You stupid thing! The queen can reward you, and she can also destroy you! If you can't even do your job properly, what's the use of keeping you?"
The amah pleaded piteously, but Lü Xin ordered with a cold face:
"Lock her in a cage and cut off her food and water! If she manages to survive until we return to the palace, demote her to the laundry bureau!"
After witnessing all this, Yun Xi felt a chill run down her spine. She understood the queen's warning and anger.
Poor as the amah was, she had been implicated because of her.
"Miss..."
Yu Zhu's face was pale. She sensed that things were going wrong.
Lü Xin seemed to have just noticed Yun Xi and walked towards her with a smile.
"Miss Yun Xi, I'm so sorry. It's all because this girl is so clumsy that she can't even carry a water basin properly. It really annoyed the queen..."
Facing Lü Xin's insincere smile, Yun Xi bowed respectfully and replied with a charming smile:
"Nonsense. It would be my fault if I interrupted Lady Lü Xin from teaching the servants."
Lü Xin was the queen's most trusted confidant.
As the chief female official, she held a fifth - rank position. Even lower - ranked concubines had to bow to her.
However, some high - minded official's daughters treated her like a servant. Yun Xi, on the other hand, always treated her with respect and never lost her temper because of her cold treatment.
Lü Xin nodded in satisfaction.
"Come with me."
Yun Xi immediately took out a money bag and put it into Lü Xin's hand.
"A small token of my respect. I hope you'll accept it."
Lü Xin initially wanted to refuse, but when she felt the weight of the money bag and caught a glimpse of the glittering gold through the opening, her eyes lit up, and she slipped it into her sleeve.
"You're too kind."
Yun Xi just smiled and said nothing.
To prevent Lü Xin from rejecting her gift, she had to be generous.
As if remembering something, Lü Xin suddenly sighed.
"These days, the queen has been extremely worried about the construction of the temple. She hasn't been able to rest well. She doesn't look very energetic today either."
Yun Xi's mind raced, and she followed up on the topic.
"Building a temple to invite the Buddha's blessing for the Liuguo is a great thing! Why is the queen so worried?"
Lü Xin stopped in her tracks and whispered:
"You don't know. Building a temple is no small matter. If it's too large - scale, the queen is worried about overburdening the people and exhausting the treasury; if it's too small, she's afraid that her sincerity won't be enough to move the Buddha..."
The new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the national treasury was not very abundant.
Building a temple at this time would surely overburden the people and exhaust the treasury. But the queen wanted to take all the credit and avoid being criticized, so she had to find other ways to raise funds.
As the royal family of Liuguo, enjoying the highest power and the people's support, they should have compassion and care about the people's suffering, doing things that were beneficial to the country and the people.
However, they only cared about their own self - interests!
Yun Xi nodded. "It's really a difficult situation."