Zhan Ruyi drew the bead curtain aside and walked out.
Her gait wasn't charming, nor was it feminine. She had never displayed her feminine style. Wearing a dress only suppressed her valiant and heroic bearing, but it accentuated her calmness. She walked calmly with her head held high and her expression was always calm.
Qing Zhu opened his eyes and looked at her. He reached out and pulled her hand to the side, making her sit beside him. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his abdomen without letting go.
Zhan Ruyi wasn't used to this. After enduring it for a while, she withdrew her hand awkwardly and sat quietly at the side.
Qing Zhu sighed softly. He didn't seem to have any other thoughts today as he closed his eyes slowly.
The two of them were silent for a while before Zhan Ruyi suddenly said, "I heard that His Highness has been demoted?"
Qing Zhu's eyelids twitched as he opened his eyes slowly. He narrowed his eyes and looked at her with interest. This was the first time he had seen Zhan Ruyi concerned about this matter. Was he finally interested in the empress? "Yes, he naturally has to be punished when he makes a mistake."
Zhan Ruyi paused for a moment before adding, "His Highness shouldn't make a mistake easily. Maybe there's something else going on."
Qing Zhu blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected Zhan Ruyi to speak up for Yuan Venerate Qing. He raised his head and said, "Does the Heavenly Consort know something?"
Of course, Zhan Ruyi knew what was going on. The Ying Family had looked for her in the beginning. If she had stepped forward, she wouldn't have had to resort to such underhanded means. Given how much Qing Zhu doted on her, she could have simply gotten her subordinates to cause some friction with Yuan Venerate Qing. Then, she could casually accuse Yuan Venerate Qing of being disrespectful to her in front of Qing Zhu. That would have been enough to test Qing Zhu's intentions. However, she wasn't willing to participate in this matter at all.
Afterward, Imperial Concubine Qin of the Ying Family had been taken away by Yutian and returned home to visit her relatives. Others didn't know what had happened, but she had already guessed that the Ying Family might have sent Imperial Concubine Qin to do something to Yuan Venerate Qing. However, nothing had happened to Yuan Venerate Qing afterward, so she had thought that she had guessed wrong. Now that Yuan Venerate Qing had been demoted, she realized that she had guessed correctly. It was just that Qing Zhu hadn't done anything previously. Otherwise, it would have been too much to demote the emperor just because he had destroyed half his palace.
She also knew what the Ying Family's intentions in framing Yuan Venerate Qing were, as they had already made it clear to her that it was for her own good. They wanted to suppress the mother and son of the Sky Palace and help her ascend to the position of the Motherly Model of the World.
However, she wasn't interested in being the Mother of the World, nor did she want to give birth to a son for Qing Zhu. From the beginning, she had been forced to enter the palace, and there had been an insurmountable mountain between her and Qing Zhu. She had always believed that she was making a sacrifice and compromising for the sake of the family and had never truly treated Qing Zhu as her man.
She was reminding Yuan Venerate Qing because of this and also because she didn't want to harm Yuan Venerate Qing by being despicable. She had always despised the way the Ying Family did things. She believed that victory or defeat should be decided fair and square, just like how Niu Youde had led half a tiger flag and dared to face a million elites head-on. He had even defeated a million elites and become famous because of that. This was what the Ying Family should do.
Of course, she wasn't too pedantic. She wasn't opposed to using some underhanded means either. For example, Niu Youde had won the position of the Netherworld Domain Commander in an open and aboveboard manner during the Heavenly Elder's birthday banquet. Who would dare to say that Niu Youde was shameless after that? Both friend and foe would praise Niu Youde for his ability.
Even someone as insignificant as Niu Youde was able to accomplish such a feat, while the dignified Ying Clan was actually doing such a despicable and shameless thing. Back then, Niu Youde had scolded them for 'selling their daughter for glory'. Now, even she felt ashamed for the Ying Clan.
However, she didn't want to betray the Ying Family. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself to enter the palace.
Upon hearing Qing Zhu's question, Zhan Ruyi shook her head and said, "I don't know anything. I just heard that the Empress has always been very strict with His Highness. His Highness shouldn't make mistakes easily. I hope that Your Majesty will investigate this thoroughly." She didn't want to say anything else.
Qing Zhu looked at her with a faint smile after a few fruitless attempts at probing her. There was a hint of gratification in his smile.
Why had he suddenly invited Zhan Ruyi into the palace? He had been monitoring Zhan Ruyi closely ever since she had entered the palace. Although he didn't know the truth, he had already known from some clues that Imperial Concubine Qin had framed Yuan Venerate Qing. The Ying Family had probably wanted Zhan Ruyi to make a move, but they probably hadn't persuaded Zhan Ruyi. Afterward, when Silver Frost had gone to Imperial Concubine Qin, he had realized that Imperial Concubine Qin was the culprit. The outcome was as he had expected.
In the palace, it wasn't easy to hide many things from him as long as he had the intention. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sleep soundly.
He was very gratified that Zhan Ruyi wasn't involved in this matter. However, he hadn't expected that Zhan Ruyi would actually speak up for Yuan Venerate Qing.
Although Zhan Ruyi hadn't exposed the matter and had only given Yuan Venerate Qing a reminder, it was enough. Qing Zhu felt that it wasn't easy for Zhan Ruyi to go this far. Qing Zhu also understood Zhan Ruyi's standpoint.
"My beloved concubine!" Qing Zhu grabbed her hand and placed it on his abdomen. He gently patted the back of her hand and said with a gratified smile, "You are very good, very good, very good …" After praising her a few times, he suddenly felt his entire body relax and all the vexation he had felt before was swept away.
Qing Zhu realized that he could always find peace and quiet there, so he quickly fell into a deep sleep …
At the seaside of the Netherworld Governor's Residence, Fei Hong was leading two maidservants on the beach. She had rolled up her trousers and was picking up seafood barefoot. She was chattering and laughing happily. Her feet were covered in mud, but she was having a great time.
Miao Yi's feet were also covered in mud, but he had walked out of the beach and was using the star bell to contact Yang Qing, who was in the Purgatory.
Upon hearing that Yuan Venerate Qing had almost been sent to the Netherworld Governor's Residence but had been stopped by Qing Zhu's trusted officials, Yang Qing couldn't help but ask, "Sir, are you sure that the person who stopped him was Gao Guan?"
Miao Yi: "I should be right. Why? Do you think there's a problem?"
Yang Qing: "I just feel that it's a little strange. I have studied the people of the Heavenly Court for many years. The style of the Supervising Right Envoy, Gao Guan, is very obvious. He is a typical cold-blooded person with many tricks up his sleeve. He holds the power to act first and report later. He is extremely powerful and is used to using force. He is not used to arguing with others. He doesn't speak much even in the imperial court. Therefore, it is unlikely that Qing Zhu would choose Gao Guan even if he instructed his subordinates to play along. Now, Gao Guan was the first to jump out and stop Yuan Venerate Qing from coming to the Netherworld Governor's Residence. I am a little suspicious that Qing Zhu and his trusted subordinates are putting on an act. Perhaps Yuan Venerate Qing wasn't Qing Zhu's first choice. Given our previous plan and Qing Zhu's intention to train Yuan Venerate Qing, it is possible that Yuan Venerate Qing will be demoted to the Netherworld Governor's Residence. This is because Qing Zhu knows very well that those officials will never accept Yuan Venerate Qing. He has already regarded Yuan Venerate Qing as a demoted official. If his guess was correct, then Lord Qing's plan might have really been stopped by his trusted subordinates!
If Yang Qing's guess was correct, then they were really lucky to have avoided trouble. Lord Qing had sent out such a signal. If he had really demoted Yuan Venerate Qing to the Netherworld Command Manor, then trouble would follow. The Netherworld Command Manor would once again become the focus of attention, which would go against the strategy of concealing one's strength and biding one's time. Now was the time to keep a low profile and accumulate strength. Furthermore, this was not just a small problem. It involved the fight for the position of Empress.
Miao Yi heaved a sigh of relief. 'Fortunately, Yuan Venerate Qing has his personal guards watching over him. The Empress has the protection of the Xiahou family. We can continue to stay out of this matter.'
Yang Qing thought, 'This should be the most advantageous situation.'
After the two of them ended the call, Miao Yi, who was in a good mood, ran barefooted to play with Fei Hong. He secretly smeared mud on Fei Hong's face, causing her to scream in fear. She grabbed the mud and ran after Miao Yi.
Meanwhile, in Purgatory, Yang Qing paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. Sometimes, he lowered his head and pondered. Sometimes, he looked into the distance and frowned. Occasionally, he would mutter a name, "Gao Guan … Gao Guan …"
Jin Man's golden dress fluttered in the wind as she leisurely walked over. Suddenly, she crossed her arms in front of her chest and swayed a wine jar with one finger. She smiled and said, "What is the Great Deacon thinking about again?"
After many years of contact, she could tell that Yang Qing was not thinking about anything important. That was why she dared to disturb him.
Yang Qing snapped back to reality and chuckled. "It's nothing."
"The Great Deacon is naturally someone who likes to be distracted!" Jin Man teased. She casually tossed the wine jar over. Her movements were elegant and carefree as she walked closer. "This is a fine wine from the small world. It's a gift from my subordinates. Have a taste and see if it suits your taste. If it's okay, I'll go make some side dishes to go with it."
Yang Qing received the wine jar and glanced at her meaningfully. He casually removed the clay seal and took a big gulp. Then, he used the opportunity of tasting the wine to say something meaningful. "This wine is good. Speaking of the small world, my wife is still there."
Jin Man was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled and said, "I've heard of it. I heard that she is a remarried daughter and that the Holy King forced you to marry her. If the Great Deacon feels lonely, there are many good women in the great world to accompany you and relieve your boredom. It's common for a man to have several wives and concubines. Your wife shouldn't be that difficult to talk to." Then, she changed the topic. "Since the Great Deacon thinks this wine is good, I'll go make some side dishes and accompany the Great Deacon for a drink or two."
She had just turned around and walked a few steps when Yang Qing, who was facing the sea, lightly said, "I wonder if Sacred Lord Jin is confident in breaking through to the Divine Soul Realm?"
Jin Man's figure trembled. She understood what Yang Qing meant. He wanted her to think it over.
Yang Qing wasn't an idiot. It had been so many years. Even if he couldn't see it in the early years, it was impossible for him not to see it later. He already knew that Jin Man was interested in him. The two of them were also well aware of each other.
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