Chapter 69

  A large basin of fresh red chrysanthemums was sent over to the Ninth Princess a few days ago by the Empress Dowager. The flowers seemed less vibrant than when they were first delivered, perhaps due to inadequate care. The Ninth Princess sat silently on an intricately carved bed with soft pink silk hangings, her body turned sideways.

  Shun An Yan stood opposite Ninth Princess: "......Listen to me, things are not as you think they are......"

  "Get out!" The Ninth Princess only had these two words from start to finish. As a result, Shun An Yan's mouthful of words couldn't be spoken, and he stood anxiously in place.

  Yatou reported that the Fourth Mistress had arrived, and only then did Ji Gongzhu's face show some expression: "The Fourth Sister has come... how can I see her..." She muttered to herself, but Shunan saw hope in it: "Quickly invite! Quickly invite!" He said as he went out of the house to welcome her.

  He then went on to say a few more words: "You've always been close with Jiu Mei, please help me persuade her well. The woman outside was someone I had before we got married, and I've already given her a house and silver to send her away. I didn't think she'd still cause trouble at my doorstep... this really puts me in an awkward position..."

  "If you're going to deal with it, you should deal with it properly. Now that someone is making a scene at your doorstep, anyone would misunderstand. You having no excuse is justified."

  This gentle tone made Shun An Yan's face suddenly flush, and he repeatedly replied: "You're right, it was indeed my fault for not handling things properly."

  With a hint of majesty in his back view, he walked into the house. Shun An Yan stood in the courtyard, this fourth wife was really not the same...

  The ninth princess had lost a lot of weight, and when she saw Quan Pei, she burst into tears: "I devoted myself to him wholeheartedly, but he actually had a woman outside, and now she's pregnant and coming to find me. How can I go on like this?"

  Quan Pei comforted the ninth princess, wiping away her tears: "Shun An Yan just told me that the woman was someone he had before they got married, and he had already sent her away. He didn't expect her to show up at our doorstep. I've already scolded him for you, don't be too angry."

  "Is it true?" Princess Jiugong asked, her eyes welling up with tears.

  "It should be true."

  The Ninth Princess heard Quan Pei say this and was no longer as angry as before, but instead became even more indignant: "Since there's already nothing between us, why did he protect that woman when I had her beaten to death with sticks? Isn't this intentionally causing me trouble?"

  "Lightly patting the back of Ji Gong Zhu's hand, Quan Pei said: 'Whether the child in that woman's belly is Shun An Yan's or not is still unknown, but if you were to kill her, then that child would definitely be considered Shun An Yan's. After all, how could one not care about their own flesh and blood? If you were to kill his child, there would be a knot in your relationship for the rest of your life, or perhaps Shun An Yan would even come to hate you. I know this is difficult for you, but if you want to get along with him from now on, you must also consider his feelings. Between husband and wife, mutual understanding is necessary for a long and happy life.'"

  The Ninth Princess was stunned: "But I've already ordered someone to take advantage of the chaos and make a move......"

  The two matrons beside Quan Pei took the big-bellied woman to a quiet place behind the screen, and only then did they learn that her name was Meng Ya, who was just twenty years old. When she spoke, she was timid and hesitant, not daring to look people in the eye. The matron thought something was amiss and wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly several young eunuchs emerged from behind and grabbed Meng Ya, slamming her against the wall. The two matrons, remembering Quan Pei's words, rushed forward to protect Meng Ya, fearing she would be seriously injured.

  Perhaps this matter was just a simple conflict between husband and wife, but it happened to be known by Quan Pei and coincidentally encountered on the way. The Ninth Princess is Yongzheng's sister, Quan Pei cannot turn a blind eye, once involved, she also became an insider. If the Ninth Princess really called someone to kill Mengya, then there was also Quan Pei's participation in it, so the ending would become that the Ninth Princess and Quan Pei conspired together to harm Shunan Yan's child, and the hatred between the two sides must have been established.

  。

  The relationship between Ji Gongzhu and the Tong family has reached an impasse, and the bond that maintains the Tong family and Ji Gongzhu's power will show signs of cracking. The relationship between Quan Pei, representing the Fourth Prince's mansion, and the Tong family is also at an impasse, which is a situation where one move can gain multiple advantages.

  Several eunuchs rushed out of the side door, shouting and pulling away several other eunuchs who were beating people. Two palace maids shielded Meng Ya and hid aside.

  Shun Anyan hurried out with a somewhat hasty pace, Meng Ya was already sitting on the ground with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead, looking very painful. Shun Anyan's face changed and she scolded the eunuchs: "What is going on here? Who told you to touch her?"

  The eunuchs were so frightened that they hung their heads and no one dared to speak up.

  The old ladies, however, did not dare to be slow: "Quickly call this girl to lie down and ask a doctor to take a look, that's the proper thing to do!"

  Although it couldn't hurt Meng Ya, Quan Pei took charge and never let Meng Ya set foot in the princess's mansion from start to finish. Fortunately, everything went smoothly and both adults and children were safe.

  The ninth princess sat at the head of the bed with tears streaming down her face, while Guan Pei sat in a high-backed chair beside her.

  Shun An Yan sat silently with his head bowed in the chair at the lower end, and things were chaotic. In the end, it was still Quan Pei's words that he had not handled properly early on, leaving behind future troubles. It wasn't until he heard Quan Pei speaking from the upper end that he raised his head.

  "It's not good for me to say more as an outsider about your family matters." The official kiln porcelain tea cover in Quan Pei's hand slightly flipped: "You should pay attention to Meng Ya's affairs, it's best to investigate whether someone is secretly instigating her to cause trouble. And whether the child in her belly is indeed Shun An Yan's or not. I think she's timid and afraid of trouble, probably hiding some secrets."

  The Ninth Princess also forgot to cry: "Sister is saying someone is plotting against us?"

  "Better be cautious, no nature is better."

  Quan Pei didn't stay for long, and only said half of what she wanted to say, but it made the Ninth Princess and her husband feel a sense of crisis. They no longer cared about emotional matters as they had before. The Ninth Princess even took the initiative to say to Shun An Yan: "I'll go into the palace to see the Empress Dowager. This matter can't be left like this..."

  "What you said is right, I'll go back home and discuss with my family, can't let others take advantage of us for no reason!"

  On the red wood marble desktop, a set of five-color twelve-month flower-patterned cups was newly arranged, with a total of twelve cups. According to the twelve months of the year, the flowers representing each month were painted on the cups, accompanied by poetic lines to praise them. The paintings and poems were beautifully matched, making it a rare masterpiece of the time. Yongzheng walked in from outside and saw Quan Pei looking at it, smiling and asking: "I saw it in the Imperial Household Department, thinking you would like it, so I brought it over."

  Wei Qing put down her cup and turned around to look at Yongzheng: "I really like it."

  Yingzong smiled and took over the new silver needle tea that Yaotou had just brewed, sitting on the couch and asking Quan Pei: "Was everything smooth today?"

  Everything went smoothly at Third Brother's place, and the sisters-in-law were also very kind. It was only when passing by Ninth Sister's husband's mansion that some things happened...

  Listening to Quan Pei finish talking about the things that happened at the Ninth Princess's residence, Yongzheng gradually furrowed his brow: "Who stirred up this matter again..."

  If Quan Pei wasn't around, the things between Jiugongzhu and Shun Anyan would affect him without his knowledge, but with Quan Pei there, it always made him feel more at ease.

  "The Crown Prince, Consort Hui and the Eldest Prince, the Empress Dowager and the Eighth Prince, and then there is another force that we have not considered, this matter does not seem to be the Crown Prince's doing, it should be that unknown person"

  Quan Pei said, sitting beside Yongzheng, lowering her head to wipe the honeysuckle flower juice on her hand: "The powder butterfly should also be the handwriting of this person, it's really curious, I don't know which A Ge or which Fei Pin is so deeply hidden and has such means."

  "Who wants to harm you?"

  He was originally more concerned about this matter.

  Ruan Yu's grudge against the Empress Dowager was not something that could be explained to Yongzheng at the time, and she thought she had already passed the test, never expecting the Empress Dowager would still make a move to harm her.

  "This one, it seems like we still need to investigate further..."

  Yuan Zhen leaned against the headrest, looking out of the carved window: "I didn't expect the situation to become more and more complicated, it's not easy for us to stand firm among these people..."

  Quan Pei stretched out her slender fingers and tapped on Yongzheng's shoulder: "Are you afraid?"

  Yin Zuan turned his head to look at Quan Pei: "What's there to be afraid of? Haven't we been living like this for so many years?"

  Quan Ai smiled and said: "I heard that the silver seeds of Shaanxi were embezzled by tens of millions? How did Grandpa deal with it?"

  The case of corruption in Shaanxi's silver coins, Kangxi also ordered Yin Zhen to investigate.

  "These people who exploit the common folk, I'd kill one whenever I see one. I've already petitioned the Emperor to have them beheaded on the spot, not a single one will be spared."

  Yongzheng is fair but also ruthless in his handling of affairs, and his reputation in the imperial court is somewhat harsh. However, with so many forces vying for power, they don't need to make themselves look perfect and stick their heads out to be criticized. Keeping a low profile and waiting for an opportunity to strike is now the way to survive.

  Quan Pei nodded slightly.

  The weather in late autumn was cool, Quan Pei raised her hand to tidy up the stray hairs on her temples, and a small section of her white jade-like arm was exposed. Yin Zhen pulled out a quilt and wrapped it around Quan Pei's body, his tone somewhat reproachful: "You don't even know how to take care of yourself, your body has suffered such a great ordeal, you should be more careful."

  The soft blanket brought a unique warmth, like the spring sun, and Quan Pei's eyebrows and eyes all relaxed, softly responding: "Hmm, I know..."

  The Empress Dowager, leaning on the low couch of Gui Fei, had a smile that gradually faded from her face. It wasn't until the 9th Princess stopped talking beside her that she said: "Fourth Lady Fu said it's possible someone intentionally intimidated Meng Ya to ruin your relationship?"

  "Yes, Fourth Sister said so, and I also think it's not simple, that's why I came to the palace to find you, wanting to ask for your advice."

  The Empress Dowager naturally also thought of the layer that Quan Yu thought of, someone wanted to destroy the bond between her and the Tong family, fortunately being seen by Si Furen just in time, this Si Furen was obviously full of hostility towards her, why would she lend a hand? Was it simply to help the Ninth Princess?

  The empress dowager slowed down her tone: "Listen to my words, never mind the trivial matters with Shun An Yan, whatever happens, just talk it out properly, just like this time, if you were a bit more rational, things wouldn't be that difficult, right?"

  The ninth princess cleverly said: "Yes, I've remembered everything."

  The empress finally smiled: "Don't worry about this matter anymore, I'll take care of it myself. If anyone dares to have evil intentions towards you, I won't agree to it first!"

  The Ninth Princess left with a satisfied heart. The Empress Dowager thought for a moment before instructing Yang Qing, "Go and summon the Noble Consort, I have something to discuss with her."

  If anyone dares to lay a hand on her, then being an empress would be too boring for her!