In history, there were plenty of instances where the spring night was short and the sun rose high, so the monarch never held court in the morning.
It was understandable that Emperor Tianhui had come to Noble Consort Yun's palace right after morning court. Han Yunxi took it as a sign that Emperor Tianhui wouldn't let go of Chu Qingge so easily.
"Zhen has come to see how you're going to investigate. You two should investigate and ask questions, there's no need to have any misgivings," Emperor Tianhui was still very serious.
"Yes," Han Yunxi replied offhandedly.
But Chu Qingge only said, "Since Your Majesty is so open-minded, Qingge will definitely do her best to uncover the truth!"
On one side, Han Yunxi couldn't help but roll her eyes. Does that mean I won't do my best if Emperor Tianhui doesn't come?
"Zhen believes you!" Emperor Tianhui's eyes were filled with meaning.
Chu Qingge nodded. She was about to continue questioning the court lady when Emperor Tianhui added, "Miss Chu, if there's anything you need help with, you can ask Zhen directly. Zhen will definitely help you deal with it in a timely manner."
By now, Emperor Tianhui had already cast Han Yunxi to the side.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
If this was the past, Chu Qingge would have noticed the change in Emperor Tianhui's eyes. But now all she could think about was how to compare herself to Han Yunxi.
As long as there was a way to beat Han Yunxi and show off in front of her, she'd use it without a second thought.
"It's Qingge's honor to gain Your Majesty's trust," Chu Qingge purposely raised her voice.
Although the empress dowager had pushed Han Yunxi forward, Chu Qingge didn't believe the woman was sincere. She guessed that the empress dowager had some sort of scheme waiting for Han Yunxi.
Emperor Tianhui would never help Han Yunxi either. Perhaps he had prepared a trap for Han Yunxi to jump into as well!
Even if she couldn't win the empress dowager's support, Emperor Tianhui's trust was enough to beat Han Yunxi.
So what if Han Yunxi was Long Fei Ye's official consort? So what if rumors said she was favored by the Long Fei Ye?
Long Fei Ye was such a cold and busy person. How could he be by her side all the time and help her with everything?
Chu Qingge was speaking so loudly that Han Yunxi would be embarrassed if she didn't look over. Her face was filled with confusion. What was Chu Qingge being so smug about?
Hadn't she realized that winning Emperor Tianhui's trust wasn't an honor, but a misfortune?
"Sigh …"
Han Yunxi sighed softly in her heart.
"Esteemed Wangfei, His Majesty must have taken a fancy to this girl!" Zhao mama couldn't help but whisper.
Granny Zhao was an old woman who had been in the palace for a long time.
Actually, when Chu Qingge had been playing the zither at the empress dowager's birthday banquet, Zhao mama had already noticed something amiss. But she hadn't taken it to heart. Now that she saw Emperor Tianhui's gaze, she was 100 percent certain.
Han Yunxi signaled Zhao mama to keep quiet and walked into the inner room.
Emperor Tianhui already hates me enough. It's better if I don't stay here and be a third wheel. It's not a good thing to ruin a marriage's fate.
As soon as Han Yunxi left, Chu Qingge couldn't stay any longer. Why did that woman leave? Couldn't she stay any longer?
"Your Majesty, Qingge will take a look inside. Please excuse me," she said respectfully.
"Go on," Emperor Tianhui smiled slightly, looking very approachable.
Even after Chu Qingge had turned around, Emperor Tianhui's gaze was still on her. He stared with interest at her exquisite figure and her graceful gait. As he stared and stared, his lips drew up into a satisfied smile.
Heheh, the more he looked, the more satisfied he felt.
When Chu Qingge entered the inner rooms, she saw that Han Yunxi wasn't investigating anything, but sitting on one side and whispering to Zhao mama. It was unclear what they were talking about, but both master and servant were wearing smiles on their faces.
When Chu Qingge entered, Han Yunxi only glanced at her before ignoring her. Chu Qingge sat down across from her, but Han Yunxi ignored her to chat with Zhao mama.
Chu Qingge listened for a bit and realized that she didn't understand a single thing they were talking about. It had nothing to do with the case.
Chu Qingge assumed that Han Yunxi would say something now that she was inside.
After sitting for awhile, Chu Qingge felt a little awkward. She dropped her lofty airs and asked Coldly, "Han Yunxi, judging from your expression, you must have found something, right?"
"No," Han Yunxi was a woman of few words and didn't say much.
"Emperor Tianhui trusts me so much. Aren't you afraid?" Chu Qingge asked next.
"No."
Han Yunxi only replied without explaining. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk with Chu Qingge anymore, but Chu Qingge really wanted to talk with her.
She wanted to know if this woman really didn't mind Emperor Tianhui's favoritism. More than that, she wanted to know what other charms this woman had to keep Long Fei Ye by her side.
"Han Yunxi, you don't really think the empress dowager is on your side, do you? But even if she wants to help you, she probably … "
As Chu Qingge spoke, she feigned kindness and lowered her voice. "When I came over this morning, I heard that the empress dowager's palace lost a bunch of good things. She's so worried that she's busy searching everywhere that she doesn't have time to worry about anything else."
Hearing this, Han Yunxi and Zhao mama couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Lil Thing is awesome!
Chu Qingge was completely lost. "Han Yunxi, what are you two laughing about?"
But Han Yunxi only replied with a few words. "Nothing."
As she spoke, she went back to talking and joking with Zhao mama. She rambled on and on about a bunch of things while ignoring Chu Qingge.
Chu Qingge was clearly here to show off, but her proud heart suddenly felt a sense of inferiority at being ignored.
She gritted her teeth and left in a huff. Han Yunxi, just you wait and see!
As soon as Chu Qingge arrived outside, she saw Emperor Tianhui drinking tea.
"Miss Chu, do you want to rest?" Emperor Tianhui asked with concern.
Only then did Chu Qingge realize that something was off. She felt strange, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. "Many thanks for Your Majesty's kind intentions, but Qingge has to seize the time. There's a bunch of court ladies outside that need to be interrogated one by one."
Chu Qingge was very serious. She spent the entire morning interrogating the court ladies in great detail. She even asked a few questions repeatedly to make sure they weren't lying.
She didn't realize that Emperor Tianhui was watching her the entire time she was interrogating the court lady.
While Chu Qingge was both serious and diligent, Han Yunxi spent the entire morning chatting with Zhao mama, who told her all sorts of interesting and scandalous stories about the palace.
It wasn't that Han Yunxi was lazy, but that she'd already done most of her investigations. She'd examined Noble Consort Yun's corpse and asked the court ladies a few questions so she had an idea of what was going on.
Emperor Tianhui didn't leave until noon, but soon had someone deliver a sumptuous lunch to Chu Qingge. He even thoughtfully prepared fruits and melons after the meal.
As for Han Yunxi, she and Zhao mama had to wait for a sedan chair to take them to their quarters for a meal. Their quarters were quite a distance away from Noble Consort Yun's palace.
Chu Qingge sat by herself, elegantly enjoying her meal while Han Yunxi and Zhao mama waited by the door.
"Esteemed wangfei, don't worry. This old servant used silver, so the sedan chair will be here soon. This old servant has arranged for a famous flower banquet in the palace for you," Zhao mama murmured.
"It's fine, I'm not hungry." Han Yunxi really wasn't hungry. With Zhao mama, a senior servant in the imperial harem, she enjoyed her meals and lodging quite a bit.
But by the time Chu Qingge finished eating, the sedan chair still hadn't arrived.
Zhao mama immediately understood what was going on. She raged, "Those cheap bastards who take the money but don't do the work. Don't think they can disregard this old servant just because I'm no longer in the palace! When I was serving in the palace, the empress dowager wasn't the empress dowager yet. The emperor wasn't the emperor yet either! "
Han Yunxi looked at Zhao mama, her mouth twitching. She never expected the woman to have such a valiant side. She couldn't help but think back to all those years ago, when the empress dowager and Grand Concubine Yi, Emperor Tianhui and the Duke of Qin fought to the death in the imperial harem. Long Fei Ye must have been very young then.
"Aiya, why are you guys still here?"
Chu Qingge's voice suddenly rang out. Han Yunxi looked back and saw the woman walking towards them. Behind her, court ladies were cleaning up the table of leftover food.
Han Yunxi ignored her and murmured, "Zhao mama, let's walk over. We've got nothing better to do, anyways."
Seeing that they were about to leave, Chu Qingge laughed out loud. "Han Yunxi, if you're hungry, I'll tell them to stop cleaning up. You guys can go eat."
Zhao mama grew angry. This Miss Chu wasn't cute at all. Esteemed wangfei hadn't provoked her all morning, so why was she provoking her all the time?
"Miss Chu, the mistress of this palace just died. Aren't you afraid that she'll come begging you for food tonight by eating and drinking to your heart's content in her side hall?" Zhao mama asked seriously.
Chu Qingge felt a chill run down her back at those words. She subconsciously glanced back at the memorial tablet and coffin in the main hall and felt her hairs stand on end.
"Old servant, what nonsense are you spouting? That's a gift from His Majesty! Are you saying that His Majesty was wrong? "Chu Qingge retorted.
"Miss Chu, esteemed concubine Yun won't be happy if you keep talking about His Majesty this and that. Esteemed concubine Yun likes to get jealous all the time, don't you know that?" Zhao mama reminded her faintly.
Chu Qingge's hair stood on end, but she refused to admit defeat. "What, are you jealous because His Majesty favors me?"
Zhao mama laughed. "What are you saying, Miss Chu? Everyone in the imperial harem knows that His Majesty has always been fair and impartial. How could he favor you? If we're talking about favoritism, His Highness Duke of Qin does it all the time. "
Han Yunxi didn't even plan to speak. For the first time, she realized how interesting it was to have Zhao mama by her side!
She was certain that Chu Qingge didn't understand the true meaning of Zhao mama's words.
Everyone in the imperial harem knew that His Majesty was fair and impartial. If they found out that he cared for Chu Qingge so much, she'd have a hard time staying in the palace for the next two or three days!
The struggles of the women in the imperial harem were often more terrifying and cruel than the struggles of the men in court. Even the emperor himself couldn't take care of them all. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many tragic deaths and miscarriages.
As expected, Chu Qingge didn't catch the main point of Zhao mama's words. She laughed coldly and said, "Is that so? Then why don't I see His Highness Duke of Qin delivering food? Qin Wangfei, I heard that His Highness Duke of Qin dotes on you a lot. Now it looks like the rumors are just rumors! "
Unfortunately, Chu Qingge had hardly finished speaking when a eunuch announced loudly from outside. "His Highness Duke of Qin has arrived!"
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