Hearing the Queen Mother's words, Yun Xi was slightly surprised, but quickly understood the situation the next moment.
She first glanced at Concubine Yu, who was sipping tea leisurely and had remained silent. Yun Xi knew in her heart that she couldn't count on Concubine Yu to speak up for her in front of the Queen Mother today as she did last time.
The Queen Mother clearly intended to settle old scores with her. One slip - up, and she might be directly beaten to death by the Queen Mother's order.
At this moment, as long as Concubine Yu didn't add insult to injury, Yun Xi would already be very lucky!
However, even though Concubine Yu had made up her mind to stand by and do nothing, Yun Xi still had to be on guard against her colluding with the Queen Mother and framing her.
After a moment of deliberation, Yun Xi slightly curved her lips into a smile and said,
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, since you've said it was what you heard from others, there's a possibility of misinformation. If you've already decided that I'm guilty from the start, even if I explain until I'm blue in the face, you might not believe me."
Then, Yun Xi changed the subject and looked at Concubine Yu.
"However, if you don't believe my words, surely you trust Concubine Yu? That day in Zhaohua Palace, it was Concubine Yu and Lady Zhaoyi who arrived in time and witnessed the whole thing with their own eyes, which proved my innocence."
Yun Xi slowly stood up, gracefully curtsied in Concubine Yu's direction, and said gratefully,
"Come to think of it, I was able to clear my name and leave Zhaohua Palace safely that day thanks to Concubine Yu."
So, if Yun Xi was really guilty that day, why would Concubine Yu help her?
Wouldn't that be abetting a wrongdoer? Would Concubine Yu be so stupid as to ruin her own reputation for Yun Xi?
The answer was obvious.
Concubine Yu's hand holding the teacup paused slightly when she heard Yun Xi's words.
Once Yun Xi said this, if she still followed the Queen Mother's instructions and pinned the blame on Yun Xi, it would make her appear inconsistent and unconvincing.
The Queen Mother naturally thought of this too. A flash of coldness passed through her eyes, but was quickly hidden behind her gentle appearance.
The Queen Mother first sighed, then said helplessly,
"I've heard from Concubine Yu about this matter, and of course I believe in your innocence. However, that Miss Song insists that you deliberately vented your anger and used her to damage the imperial gift. Not only did you almost cause Lady Yushu to have a miscarriage, but you also tried to shift the blame onto her?"
Hearing the Queen Mother's words, Yun Xi's eyes suddenly sharpened. She subconsciously glanced at Concubine Yu and caught a fleeting look of jealousy and hatred on her face.
She couldn't help but feel a bit regretful in her heart.
It seemed that Yu Xueming not only wouldn't be punished this time, but might even gain more of the Emperor's attention because of her pregnancy, so that she could throw her weight around in the future...
This Yu Xueming had just been promoted to Lady Yushu and was already eager to cause trouble for her. If she managed to secure her position, wouldn't she be even more of a nuisance?
Thinking of this, Yun Xi couldn't help but feel annoyed.
"The innocent will remain innocent, and the guilty will reveal themselves. I believe that Your Majesty the Queen Mother has discerning eyes and a kind heart, and will surely uphold justice and clear my name."
Yun Xi faced the Queen Mother's scrutinizing gaze calmly and unyieldingly.
She thought that even if the Queen Mother wanted to use this incident to achieve her own hidden agenda, she wouldn't openly frame or punish her!
After all, everything needed evidence. Could the Queen Mother really get everyone in Zhaoyang Palace to testify against her?
Moreover, she still had Concubine Yu to back her up.
The Queen Mother originally wanted to intimidate Yun Xi with the charge of "harming the imperial heir" so that she could be easily manipulated.
Unexpectedly, Yun Xi was so calm that she didn't know where to start.
Not discouraged by this setback, the Queen Mother continued to say to Yun Xi,
"I've heard that the Prince of Xian has volunteered to go to war and will leave the capital soon. If you feel lonely in the mansion, you can come to the palace to chat with me."
Yun Xi was a bit surprised by the Queen Mother's words.
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty the Queen Mother. I'll remember that."
Go to the palace and chat with the Queen Mother voluntarily? What a joke!
She hadn't forgotten that just a moment ago, this woman had wanted to convict her.
One plan failed, and she came up with another!
She wasn't so naive as to be like a headless fly flying straight into a spider's web.
However, no matter whether this was just a polite remark from the Queen Mother or what her real intention was, Yun Xi couldn't refuse directly.
Seeing Yun Xi's docile attitude, the Queen Mother couldn't help but sigh and pretended to be sympathetic.
"You lost your mother at a young age and must have suffered a lot. That's why you're so sensible now. Unlike Princess Eight, who has always been spoiled and does things without any restraint or propriety. If you could interact with her more often and advise her, maybe Princess Eight's temper would become more stable."
Whether this was just a casual remark from the Queen Mother or not, Yun Xi broke out in a cold sweat when she heard it.
Get in touch with Princess Eight more often? Wouldn't that be shortening her lifespan?
Princess Eight was like a stubborn rock. Even a saint would probably be driven crazy if they met her, let alone change her!
Moreover, Princess Eight had always hated her. She didn't think she had the ability to make Princess Eight look at her differently. Why should she put herself through that?
So, cherish your life and stay away from Princess Eight.
The Queen Mother knew very well in her heart. So when she saw Yun Xi fall into silence instantly, a rare look of embarrassment flashed across her face.
However, talking to Yun Xi like this wasn't her real purpose. The Queen Mother changed her tone and sighed.
"You're a noble lady, the only legitimate daughter of Prime Minister Yun, but now you're not even a side concubine in the Prince of Xian's mansion. It's really a pity for you. I can't help but feel sorry for you. They say that fate plays tricks on people. If it weren't for that misunderstanding and your eagerness to save your father, how could you have agreed to such a ridiculous request from the Prince of Xian?!"
The Queen Mother had deliberately looked into the matter. Originally, Yun Xi was supposed to marry Shi Qian, Prime Minister Yun's disciple, but Qi Rong had interfered. He had forced Yun Xi to become his concubine on the condition of saving Yun Sheng, which had made her a laughingstock in the capital.
"Alas, it's understandable."
The Queen Mother suddenly sighed and said with emotion,
"After all, the Prince of Xian still harbors grudges about what happened back then, especially against your father. That's why he treats you..."
The Queen Mother didn't finish her sentence, but Yun Xi immediately became vigilant.
She couldn't help but be secretly shocked. The Queen Mother's mood - changing was so fast that she almost couldn't keep up! Seeing that she couldn't intimidate her, she was now adopting a conciliatory policy. Was she trying to win her over?
If it had been half a year ago, when she had just become Qi Rong's concubine, if the Queen Mother had said these things to her, she might really have wavered.
She might have even been stupid enough to try every means to cause trouble for Qi Rong in order to get rid of him and force him to let her go.
By now, she and Qi Rong had been honest with each other and trusted each other. Being so obviously sown discord by the Queen Mother, Yun Xi suddenly had a bold idea!
As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge an open spear but hard to guard against a hidden arrow.
Since the Queen Mother was so eager to find a crack in her to deal with Qi Rong, why couldn't she lure the enemy in and catch them off guard?
This way, she could figure out the other side's intention and secretly protect Qi Rong from persecution. Wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?
Yun Xi thought about it and immediately her eyes turned red. Tears began to fall one by one. She didn't need to cry and complain to the Queen Mother. At this moment, silence spoke louder than words, and her aggrieved expression said it all!