Chapter 36: Silence is also a sin

  "We've worshipped heaven and earth together, no matter life or death, we're a family now, and the heavens will acknowledge us too."

  "We're just one family now!"

  That night, Xuan Yuan Mu took me from gentle to 'fierce', from passionate to tender, bringing us to a paradise of joy time and again.

  Returning to the imperial palace, Xue Qiufeng hastily came out to greet him: "The Emperor is looking for you!"

  Xuanyuan changed his clothes and headed towards the front hall, with me and Xue Qiufeng closely following behind him.

  Xuanyuan entered the imperial study, and we stayed outside the palace until noon. It wasn't until later that we found out the emperor was afraid he would investigate the secrets hidden within the palace, so he had him handle national affairs under the guise of "supervising and learning", leaving him no time for anything else.

  "Xue Qiufeng is still just a person from the East Palace, and he doesn't have much freedom to move around in the entire imperial palace. Ling Xue, you're a woman, and the attire of the women in the East Palace is the same as that of the other palace maids, so these few days, try to move around more, it's best if you can draw out a map of the imperial palace. After all, it's been ten years since we've returned, and there have been quite a lot of changes here!" Xuan Yuan Mu said, "Tomorrow, you don't need to follow me to the Imperial Study anymore!"

  "Good!"

  "Xue Qiufeng, you have many friends outside the palace, help me investigate where Gu Shi took Ye Lan's body? Since Ye Lan's body was taken away, Xuan Yuanqi has been asking people to pass on messages to me, telling me not to go back on my word, so we must settle Ye Lan's affairs properly."

  "Yes!"

  After Xuan Yuan gave his final instructions, the three of us set off in different directions.

  I got in touch with Zhang Mama, who was brought into the palace together with me. She used to be a person by the side of the empress, and there are many people in the palace who know her. With her leading the way, I believe it will save us a lot of trouble.

  I also had the East Palace kitchen prepare some pastries, so if anyone asked, I could say that the Crown Prince sent them to each gate and palace as a gesture of goodwill.

  Zhang Ayi walked with me inside the imperial palace, which was so vast that even Zhang Ayi, who had been working in the palace for twenty years, couldn't know every nook and cranny. Fortunately, we had her, or some palaces wouldn't have given us face, allowing us to enter and take a look around.

  For three whole days, I toured the palace from top to bottom, but still couldn't find the place where Xuan Yuan Zi's ghost took me before, that place with the word "Forbidden" and a tomb-like structure.

  Returning to the East Palace, I heard the sound of quarreling and scolding from afar in the West Garden.

  "I'll go take a look!" Zhang Yaoyao quickly ran a few steps towards the direction of Xiyuan, and I followed her as well.

  "You dead hoof, how dare you look down on me? Hit her for me, hit her hard!" It was none other than Yang Qing Dai ordering one of the palace maids to beat a smaller maid on the ground.

  "Yang Zhu Zi, what's wrong?" Zhang Mama was after all the old housekeeper of the former Wang Fu, and everyone who saw her had to show some respect.

  "What? This little girl actually broke my gossip mirror, I think she doesn't take me, the crown prince's consort, seriously." Yang Qing Dai said coldly with a stern face, and raised her eyes to see me standing at the gate of the courtyard.

  "Hah! I was just disciplining the servants in our courtyard, how did it still disturb the red person by the prince's side?" Yang Qing Dai saw me and walked towards me, but Mei Ling Xue beside her had an evasive expression, as if seeing me made her very embarrassed.

  "What? You still want to bully us? Let me tell you, I am now the Crown Prince's consort, appointed by the Emperor himself. Come, this servant was previously disrespectful to Her Highness, today I will take care of her and have her hung up!"

  "Good sister-in-law, this won't do, it won't do!" Zhang Ya hurriedly stepped forward to stop her.

  "What's wrong with her, she seduced the prince and was demoted to a commoner without knowing shame. Today I'm going to give her some color to see! Come on, tie up this fox spirit for me!" Yang Qingdai shouted like a madman, her body trembling with anger.

  The old woman of Xiyuan heard 'come' and did not dare not to obey, came up and tied me up with five big ropes.

  "First, hit me. After I've vented my anger, I'll take her to see the Emperor. A demoted commoner has no right to stay by the Crown Prince's side. What qualifies him to ignore us and...and..."

  "Yang sister!" Mei Linghua heard her hesitant words and quickly stepped forward to pull her sleeve: "Forget it, even if it's humiliating, we can endure it!"

  "No! You must endure it, if it weren't for this fox spirit, Xuan Yuan wouldn't even spare us a glance. Beat me to death, beat me to death!"

  I should have avoided this kind of thing a long time ago, but I didn't expect that without saying a word or doing anything, I would be hung up like this.

  A whip lash landed on my body, the scorching pain made me clench my teeth and force myself to endure it. My ears were ringing, I could no longer hear Yang Qing Dai's curses, nor see anything in front of me.

  I gritted my teeth tightly, not letting out any painful sounds. I wanted to curse, but couldn't get the words out. This absurd life, this 'damn' world, who did I offend? One by one, they all want me dead.

  Xuanyuan Mou rushed in, that bright yellow whip rushed into the West Garden, snatched out the whip, and shouted loudly: "Come on, kill everyone in this yard for me, not one left!"

  "Wow!" Everyone present burst into tears, and everyone knelt on the ground, except for Yang Qing Dai. She looked at Xuan Yuan Mu coldly, without a hint of fear.

  Xuanyuan Mu put me down, and the imperial physician also rushed over. "Yang Qing Dai, don't think that just because you have the Emperor's backing, I won't dare to move against you!" His yellow eyes gleamed fiercely as he stared at the 'woman' in front of him.

  Xuanyuan Mu took me into his room, and my whole body ached with burning pain.

  "Miss, please beg for mercy quickly. Yang Liang's mistake cannot implicate everyone else. For the prince's reputation, you must also beg for mercy!" Zhang Yaoyao knelt on the floor beside the bed and pleaded in a low voice.

  There was a moment when I even wished that all people would die and this world would no longer exist, so there would be no more pain and no more death.

  "Miss, I'm begging you, now only you can save the people in this whole yard." Zhang's hand grasped mine with some urgency.

  "Help me up!" I'm still alive, so I'll keep doing things that living people do.

  I went to plead, Xuan Yuan Mu looked at me being so seriously injured and kneeling on the ground, had no choice but to agree. However, he wanted to abolish Yang Qing Dai's position as Taizi Liang Di, Yang Qing Dai disagreed and led a group of palace maids towards the front hall, she wanted to find the Emperor to reason with him.

  "Thanks to Your Highness for sparing his life!" Many of the palace maids and eunuchs knelt down.

  "Thank the palace for what, thank Lingxue girl instead. From now on, remember that Meilingxue is my prince's person. Whoever dares to move her will be seeking death! The one who just whipped people with a leather whip, go and receive your death!" After finishing speaking, Xuan Yuan Mu hugged me and walked into the palace.

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