Chapter 46: Pleasant Cooperation

  "What's going on? Speak!" Empress Luo sternly ordered, her anger already thundering.

  Qingteng's legs softened and she knelt down, wiping away tears as she said, "This servant doesn't know either. Previously, the county mistress met with the Sixth Princess of Mobei here and wanted to sit in the pavilion for a bit. She ordered this servant and the Sixth Princess' maid, Kame, to go brew tea. But unexpectedly, halfway there, Kame suddenly attacked and knocked this servant unconscious. When this servant came to and searched back, it was already like this. The county mistress and Mobei's Sixth Princess... are nowhere to be found."

  Luohuanghou listened, her face grew darker, but she didn't quite believe Qingteng's words, and a sharp glance swept over.

  Qingteng's body trembled, and she hastily said, "The slave's words are all true, please, Your Highness, discern clearly."

  The Empress Luo thought for a moment before saying, "Go and bring that maid named Kame to me for questioning!"

  At that time, Liang's mother had already checked Qing Luan from head to toe and said seriously to Caiyun, "Caiyun, you know about medicine, come and take a look, what's going on with this girl?"

  She pinched his Renzhong (a pressure point on the body), and he still didn't wake up.

  "Yes!" Caiyun replied, walking over to lift Qingluo's eyelids and take a look, then feeling her wrist pulse before responding, "Please report back to the princess, she was poisoned by anesthetic, I reckon the poison must have been applied to the murder weapon and directly entered her bloodstream. She should be fine, but might not wake up for a while."

  "Thank goodness!" Qingteng heard this and patted his chest repeatedly.

  "Someone come and help her down first, find a imperial physician to take a look." Empress Luo's face was cold and she didn't speak, so wet nurse Liang gave the order instead.

  Several maidservants came up and carried Qing Luan away.

  Madam Liang returned to the side of Empress Luo and reminded her, "Your Majesty, it's getting hot here, why don't you go back to the front hall to wait for news? I'll stay here and keep watch. The young mistress is a lucky person with a good destiny, nothing will happen to her."

  The empress glanced at her but didn't move or speak.

  Chu Youyang was going to die here, which would inevitably become a troublesome matter, but she wasn't angry about this right now.

  Liang's aunt was her companion and confidante. Seeing her like this, she immediately stopped talking.

  By the order of Empress Luo, not only were all the palace maids and eunuchs outside the courtyard called in to help, but soon a team of Imperial Guards was also summoned from elsewhere to conduct a thorough search in the garden.

  Taoyi Yunji at the bottom of the well heard the noise and couldn't help but be on guard, "Is it someone you arranged?"

  "It's almost done!" At that time, Chu Yan Yang was leaning against the wall of the well with his eyes closed, resting. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes and blinked, saying, "This palace is timid and has been frightened, would you please help me call for help, Your Highness?"

  Tuoba Yunji was taken aback, looking at her spirited appearance, but also immediately understood a bit, nodding: "Good!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up and loudly cried for help.

  People on the ground are eager to lift up the skin of the earth inch by inch in search, and although the location of this well is secret, it's not hard to find.

  "Your Highness, we've found them. The county lord's daughter and the Sixth Princess of Mobei have fallen into a dry well." A captain of the guards hastily came over to report back.

  The queen's eyes flashed, and after a moment of hesitation, she personally led someone behind the fake mountain.

  The guards moved all the flower pots and wooden flowers nearby, because at the bottom of the well were two weak women who couldn't go down to rescue people. Empress Luo ordered someone to fetch a ladder, then instructed two robust palace maids to go down and help bring the person up.

  Between the ups and downs, both Chu Youyang and Tuoba Yunji were covered in mud and dust.

  "Miss!" Seeing Chu Nanyang, Qingteng's tears flowed even more happily, and she rushed over to support her, looking her up and down before saying, "Miss, what happened? You scared me to death!"

  When in front of everyone, Chu Yuanyang wasn't incapable, but would she cry and complain about her grievances in front of Luo Huang Hou?

  Forget it!

  Why not let Qingteng take care of it!

  "Third sister, are you okay?" Chu Yuening also ran over.

  "I'm fine!" Chu Youyang spoke up, his voice weak and trembling slightly. He separated the two of them with his hand and knelt down in front of Luo Huang Hou, saying, "It was my granddaughter's fault for disturbing the Empress Dowager, please punish her."

  "Never mind that for now," said Empress Luo, her face expressionless. "You first get up and tell me, what's going on here?"

  "Yes!" replied Chu Nan Yang.

  Qing Luan and Chu Yuening supported Chu Youyang on either side as he stood up. Chu Youyang suddenly remembered something, grabbed Qing Teng's hand and asked, "Qing Luan? Have you seen her?"

  "The princess can rest assured, Qing Luan is fine." Qing Teng said.

  "That's good!" Chu Yu Yang said, his eyes reddening as he looked at Luo Huang Hou, "My granddaughter didn't know what was happening either. At the time, she was talking to Yun Ji Gong Zhu in the pavilion when my maid discovered someone had poisoned the tea water. Then, an assassin appeared. My granddaughter had never experienced anything like this before and was frightened. Taking advantage of Qing Luan's fight with the assassin, she escaped with Yun Ji Gong Zhu. It was also thanks to the blessings of the Empress Dowager that they accidentally fell into the well and avoided disaster."

  "An assassin?" Empress Luo blurted out in anger.

  "The princess forgives the crime, it's our fault!" The head of the guards responsible for guarding Shoukang Palace suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Hurriedly, he also knew that this time the responsibility was great, thinking about it, he tried to probe with the corner of his eye and glanced at Chu Xiangyang, saying in a low voice, "Why didn't the young lady call for help at that time? If we had known, we would have rescued the young lady from danger early."

  Is this going to shift the blame?

  Taotao Yunji stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I was also scared at the time, and because we were below, we didn't know what was happening above. It was my extra caution that prevented the young lady from making a sound."

  She had already seen through it, Chu Nanyang was intentionally showing weakness in front of Luo Huang to create a false impression.

  No matter what Chu Yunyang's goal is, she has to stand out because ——

  Profitable.

  She also needs this opportunity to perform!

  Empress Luo looked at Tuoba Yunji with a scrutinizing gaze.

  Tuoba Yunji's mind was racing, and just as she was about to speak, Chu Mianyang said, "Imperial Grandmother, it's all because of my daughter that Princess Yunji has been implicated. Please, Imperial Grandmother, take charge and comfort her properly, lest the Fifth Prince misunderstand our sincerity in treating our guests."

  Lu Huanghou's heart tightened, and she became even more cautious.

  Tuoba Yunji was also taken aback for a moment——

  This time the assassination was aimed at her, Chu Youyang clearly knew it, but her thoughts were very agile and she immediately understood what Chu Youyang meant. She thanked him and said, "The young master is being polite, I also owe thanks to the young master's maid for covering me up, so that I can be safe and sound."

  Two people, one word each, although we didn't communicate beforehand, but it was a harmonious collaboration.

  Then she heard Liang's soft reminder, "Your Highness, the Prince of Mo Bei has arrived!"

  Everyone's heart was tightened, but before they could turn their heads to look, they first heard Qingteng shouting in a shrill voice: "Young Mistress!"

  Digression

  It seems like Yún Jī doesn't seem to be as trashy as you guys expected.