Chapter 24: She Began to Panic. Part 3

The lifted leg immediately dropped back down. Xunqi winced in pain. “What did she come to my house for?”

“Exactly, what did she come to my house for?” Yan Zhi’an was equally indignant. Coming to my house to punish my daughter—how outrageous. She helplessly called to Wushuang: “Go catch up with Her Majesty and ask if she can get up. If not, she’ll keep kneeling.”

Xunqi: “…”

Wushuang lowered her head, suppressing a laugh. She glanced at the pitiful Young Mistress and immediately went to chase after Her Majesty.

“Her Majesty wants you to kneel and reflect, so reflect properly on where you went wrong last night. Write down your process of repentance and show it to me tomorrow.” Yan Zhi’an scolded with feigned seriousness, but she shifted the blame onto Her Majesty.

Her meaning was: Her Majesty made you kneel, Her Majesty made you reflect, Her Majesty made you write the confession. It has nothing to do with me.

Xunqi was about to cry. She didn’t know what she had done wrong. With a mournful face, she looked at her mother: “I didn’t do anything wrong. What did I do wrong?”

Yan Zhi’an couldn’t answer. How could she say it? A subject saving the sovereign is the natural order of things. A sovereign saving a subject goes against heaven’s way. So Xunqi was wrong, but she couldn’t say it out loud.

At this moment, she rarely felt helpless. The truth she wanted to say couldn’t be spoken, and she could only watch the girl suffer in grievance.

A daughter risking her life to save her mother—where was the wrong in that?

The natural order of things. There was no wrong!

Yan Zhi’an thought for a moment. She truly couldn’t go against her conscience. She turned and went inside.

She was gone. Xunqi’s hopes shattered. Miserably, she knelt in the courtyard, genuinely trying to think about what she had done wrong.

Where did I go wrong? Xunqi racked her brains but couldn’t figure it out. After kneeling for a while, Chen Qingrong came over carrying a bowl of herbal decoction. Seeing the person kneeling in the courtyard, she asked in surprise: “What’s this about?”

“Her Majesty ordered me to reflect.” Xunqi looked at Madam with a dead expression. “Madam, please save me, alright?”

“You angered Her Majesty?” Chen Qingrong’s expression changed. Offending Her Majesty was a serious matter, and the girl was still so young. She ordered someone to take the medicine inside, then patiently asked: “What did you do?”

Xunqi kept her mouth tightly shut. Chen Qingrong looked at her little expression and chuckled: “You definitely didn’t do anything good.”

“Helplessness forced me into it. I think I’ve figured it out.” Xunqi said belatedly. “I’ll just keep kneeling.”

She wouldn’t say. Chen Qingrong grew even more curious. She had someone bring an umbrella to shade them both, moved a stool over, and sat there quietly watching her kneel.

“Tell me, how did you anger Her Majesty?”

Xunqi snorted and turned her body to face the bedroom, continuing to kneel.

“Little brat, just tell me.” Chen Qingrong was dying of curiosity. “Tell me, and I’ll go beg your mother to have Her Majesty forgive you.”

“I don’t believe you.” Xunqi didn’t trust her words. She stared straight at her. “Madam, you said last time that you’re afraid of her.”

Chen Qingrong’s old secret was exposed. Her old face couldn’t take it. To get to the truth, she immediately started bragging: “If I told her to kneel, she wouldn’t dare stand.”

Hearing this, a rebellious look appeared on Xunqi’s fair face. “Madam, deceiving a child is unforgivable by heaven!”

“Why are you so hard to fool? Just like your mother when she was little.” Chen Qingrong suddenly found it boring. She got up and went inside. “Kneel slowly by yourself. I’ll give you an umbrella for shade, so it’s not for nothing that you call me Grandmother.”

Xunqi wore a mournful face but didn’t dare not kneel. Internally, she cursed the Female Emperor up and down.

The sun was quite pleasant today—not too hot, not too cold. Kneeling in the courtyard to reflect was actually suitable.

In the bedroom, Yan Zhi’an quietly listened to the commotion outside. The maidservant attending to the medicine had withdrawn. Chen Qingrong came in, puzzled: “What did she do to anger Her Majesty?”

“My head hurts. Don’t ask me.” Yan Zhi’an was irritated. She closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The more she refused to say, the more curious Chen Qingrong became. She loved excitement. She went over and pushed her daughter. “Tell me, and I won’t go out to play for a month.”

“Whether you stay in for a year has nothing to do with me.” Yan Zhi’an couldn’t be bothered with her mother’s affairs. Now that she had Xunqi, all her thoughts were on Xunqi. She had no energy for her mother’s old, stale matters.

Chen Qingrong sensed something was wrong. “You don’t even care about me anymore! So it’s true—once you have a young one, you forget the old one. Yan Zhi’an, you’ve forgotten your mother now that you have a daughter.”

“Go listen to opera at Changchun Garden.” Yan Zhi’an was exhausted, too weary to deal with her mother. She said directly: “And don’t interfere with Xunqi. Her Majesty punished her for being reckless and following an assassin.”

“Reckless? What does that have to do with Her Majesty?” Chen Qingrong also thought Her Majesty was being ridiculous. A daughter saving her mother—how was that reckless?

She didn’t understand Her Majesty’s logic. “Zhi’an, isn’t something off here? Why is she meddling in your family affairs?”

Yan Zhi’an closed her eyes: “She ate too much and had nothing better to do.”

“What about the person in the courtyard?” Chen Qingrong was still unwilling to let it go. “Why is she meddling with my granddaughter?”

Hearing this, Yan Zhi’an suddenly opened her eyes. An idea struck her. She said: “Mother, go call her up. She was up all night last night, she’s tired. If she gets too exhausted, she won’t grow tall, right?”

“Fine, I’ll be the bad guy. You rest.”

Yan Zhi’an’s protectiveness was inherited from Chen Qingrong. Chen Qingrong did as she said and went to the courtyard to pull the girl up.

“I can get up?” Xunqi was pleasantly surprised. “Wushuang hasn’t come back yet?”

“Shh, don’t ask. I’m taking you to eat.” Chen Qingrong warily covered the girl’s mouth. “Eat first, then we’ll talk. She’s not even your mother, why would she punish you? Come on, come on.”

Chen Qingrong dragged Xunqi away without further ado. The courtyard fell silent.

In the bedroom, Yan Zhi’an heard no more commotion, guessing the two had left. The pain surged over her, especially in her back. Whether lying flat or on her side, it hurt terribly. She turned to face the wall and suddenly saw the wooden figurine.

Without much thought, she reached out and picked it up, holding it in her hand. She smiled inexplicably.

Prince Ji had run around in circles. Before he could find anyone, he heard the news that the Left Prime Minister had returned to the capital. He turned his horse around and galloped back to the city.

As soon as he entered the Prince’s residence, he summoned his advisors. “Go find out the background of that daughter of the Yan family.”

The fake princess had been a pawn he’d planned for years. For her to die at Yan Zhi’an’s hands—how could he accept that? He had served in court with Yan Zhi’an for years. Yan Zhi’an had been pampered since childhood, frail and delicate. There was no way she could have killed the fake princess.

The only possibility was Yan Xunqi.

What was her background? Yan Zhi’an had donated a mine to the court for her. She had shone brilliantly at the Jinling talent selection. This girl had undoubtedly become the most sought-after young lady in the capital.

And last night, she had ruined his scheme again.

Prince Ji paced furiously around his residence. Just as he gave the order, a steward came running in. “Your Highness, Her Majesty has ordered you to the palace.”

“What’s there to panic about? I’m her uncle. She wouldn’t dare kill me.” Prince Ji was completely unruffled. He calmly straightened his collar. “She dared to kill her husband. I’ll fight her to the end. Send someone to the Eastern Palace immediately and tell the Crown Prince that Her Majesty wants to kill me.”

Sima Shenrong only had the Crown Prince now. At least she wouldn’t dare kill the Crown Prince.

Prince Ji entered the palace to see the Female Emperor with complete composure.

As soon as he entered the palace, he encountered Duke Dingguo, Sima Xun. He hurried forward to greet him: “Duke Dingguo.”

Duke Dingguo, Sima Xun, was the Female Emperor’s elder brother and the Crown Prince’s maternal uncle. He was also Princess Zhaohui’s maternal uncle. Last night, he had missed the banquet due to other matters, missing the whole drama.

Prince Ji eagerly pulled the Duke aside, complaining that the Left and Right Prime Ministers were disrupting the court, using their positions as women to wreak havoc on the government. He also expressed indignation on Sima Xun’s behalf—with his talent, he should have been made Prime Minister long ago.

It was because of these two that the Duke couldn’t be close to Her Majesty.

Duke Dingguo listened quietly to Prince Ji’s divisive words, his expression indifferent. After Prince Ji talked until his mouth was dry, the Duke said only one thing: “I heard that Prince Ji was deceived by someone?”

Prince Ji was speechless. Duke Dingguo laughed heartily and strode away.

Prince Ji spat: “Bastard!”

Yan Zhi’an slept until dusk. When she woke, there was an extra figure outside the brocade curtain, bent over writing. She pulled aside the curtain and saw the girl practicing calligraphy with her head down.

She’s being obedient today.

Yan Zhi’an felt relieved. She closed her eyes for a brief nap, then called for someone.

The maidservant didn’t come in. Instead, Xunqi eagerly came to her side, helped her sit up, and diligently placed a soft pillow behind her back. At a glance, she looked extremely filial.

Yan Zhi’an laughed softly. “You’re suddenly so filial. It’s making me quite afraid.”

“Afraid of what? I’m not a flood or a beast.” Xunqi found it strange. She naturally leaned in, looking at her mother’s cold eyes. “Madam said you left her when you were young. Are you not used to being close to people?”

That hit the mark!

Yan Zhi’an had been raised by maidservants since childhood. A maidservant’s care was vastly different from a mother’s. The former kept you alive, kept you from getting sick or uncomfortable, but never cared about how you felt inside.

Therefore, she had been strong since childhood, relying on herself for everything, and didn’t like being close to people. Xunqi’s words pierced straight into her heart.

Yan Zhi’an glanced at her, extremely annoyed. But the girl was all smiles, and you couldn’t hit a smiling face. The next moment, Xunqi reached out and pinched her cheek.

Utter audacity!

She slapped Xunqi’s hand away. “What are you doing? No respect for your elders!”

“Madam said you don’t like having your face pinched, so she never did it. She told me to try.” Xunqi explained, looking at her mother with a hint of satisfaction. Her gaze swept over her neck, the layers of gauze making her look very fragile.

The next moment, she obediently stepped back to the foot of the bed. “You’ve slept half the day. Time for your medicine. I’ll go get it.”

With that, she happily turned and ran off. Yan Zhi’an watched her go, her eyes dark and deep. Guilt surged over her like a tide. She could only sigh helplessly.

Within two breaths, Xunqi returned carrying the herbal decoction. Yan Zhi’an suppressed her emotions, a smile on her face. “Did you take care of the madwoman like this before too?”

“The madwoman… I mainly kept an eye on her, made sure she didn’t drink.” Xunqi lowered her head, blowing on the hot decoction, smiling as she spoke. “She loved drinking. Whenever she earned money, she’d buy wine. She said alcohol numbs the nerves—drink enough and you stop missing home. I’d ask her where home was, but she never said, just kept pouring the wine down. The money left over from drinking, she said she’d save for me. If I married someday, it would be my dowry. If I didn’t marry, it would be for me to live on.”

Yan Zhi’an watched the girl lower her head and blow on the medicine. Today she wore a striking, bright red outfit with a jade crescent pendant at her waist. Her long hair fell loose over her shoulders, making her lips red and teeth white, inadvertently exuding an air of nobility.

Yan Zhi’an began to panic. She realized that after experiencing the madwoman’s death by poison, Xunqi had transferred all her emotions and thoughts onto her ‘mother.’

If, in the future, Xunqi discovered the deception, what would the consequences be?

At this thought, she clutched her chest, feeling a strange palpitation.

“Mother, what’s wrong? Is your chest uncomfortable?”