Chapter 289 Blackmail

Liuli was in a side hall, and two palace maids were rubbing her knees with medicinal wine. The large purple patches on her porcelain-like white skin were shocking.

Her mood was complicated, including annoyance and anxiety.

What was annoying was that someone told the empress dowager about it, and she carried her back to the palace, leaving Chunfeng alone.

What made her uneasy was that the Queen Mother was now looking for trouble with the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, and she could no longer hide the things she wanted to conceal. In the past, when something went wrong, it was the Queen Mother who cleaned up the mess for her, but this time, it might not be that easy.

Xiaoya came in hurriedly.

Liuli asked her to go to the front hall to inquire about the news. Seeing her frightened expression, Liuli's heart trembled.

After dismissing everyone around him, Liuli asked anxiously, "What happened?"

Xiaoya said, "The Queen Mother was very strong before, arguing for the princess and was about to punish the Second Young Mistress, but who knew that the Crown Prince, Prince Jing, the eldest princess, and the old lady all came. The old lady was so powerful that she put the Queen Mother down with just a few words. Now even the Emperor was alarmed, and the old lady wanted to ask the Emperor for an explanation!"

Liuli sighed, covered her face with her hands, and knocked her head against her knees, wondering: What should I do? What should I do? This is really embarrassing.

Xiaoya sympathized with him, but she could do nothing about it. She said, "Princess, I'm afraid you have to step in to handle this matter."

Liuli was disappointed: "If I show up, will it be useful?"

Xiaoya said, "The only solution now is for the princess to admit her fault and apologize. Otherwise, the more we pursue this matter, the more trouble we will have. They will even take us to the government office and ask the government to make a decision."

Liuli was shocked: "What? Let the government decide?"

Xiaoya nodded: "Yes, the Queen Mother refused to give in, so the Prince and the old lady said that the government office should handle the matter. Princess, if this matter is brought to the government office, it will be really troublesome."

Liuli was in a state of panic: "No, it's impossible. The emperor will never agree to it."

"If the emperor does not agree, he will probably have to punish the princess in order to appease the old lady's anger. If the princess goes to plead guilty now and the old lady calms down, maybe everything will be fine. Anyway, no one present today is a outsider, and it is better than being publicized. The winner takes all, and the princess, please bear with it!" Xiaoya advised earnestly.

Xiaoya knew that the princess was very concerned about her reputation. The last apology made her very depressed. Apologizing again, and in front of the empress dowager, the emperor, and the old lady, would be too difficult for the princess. But if she didn't do so, she would definitely not be able to get away with it.

Liuli wanted to bang her head against the wall. Queen Mother, you have caused me so much trouble...

In the Ninghe Palace, the emperor was in a dilemma. The Marquis of Jing'an and the Prince of Helian were the backbones of the court. He could not ignore the face of these two families. Moreover, the facts were like this and the truth was on their side. The queen mother insisted on confusing right and wrong and defending Liuli, which would only hurt everyone's feelings. After thinking for a moment, he said, "There is no need to investigate this matter further. I believe it is true, and the handling of the Marquis of Jing'an is fair."

Then he said to the Queen Mother, "Queen Mother, Liuli did something wrong, she should bear the consequences herself. Fortunately, no greater harm was caused. I believe Liuli will learn from this and will not make the same mistake again."

The Queen Mother looked sullen and said nothing.

The emperor mentioned Ye Jiayao's name again: "Jinxuan, you have been wronged this time. I will remember this for you. If you have any problems in the future, just come to me and I will make the decision for you."

Ye Jiayao understood that the emperor was just being polite, meaning that the matter should be stopped here and no further investigation should be conducted. If the parties involved did not want to investigate, what else could others say?

The emperor has set up a ladder, how can she not know what is good for her? Forget it, just give the emperor a favor.

Ye Jiayao smiled faintly and said generously: "Your Majesty, I don't want to pursue it anymore. I always think about unpleasant things and make my mood very bad. This is hard on myself."

The old ancestor glanced at the queen mother and said contemptuously: "At least there are still some people who understand what is going on. Otherwise, I would fight for justice even if I have to sacrifice my old bones."

The empress dowager looked extremely unnatural. She had wanted to seek justice for Liuli today, but in the end she was the one who suffered the loss and was scolded by the bitch Ye Jinxuan. How could she swallow this?
"We can let this go, but what crime should Ye Jinxuan be punished for her disrespectful words and rebellious behavior?" The Queen Mother said sternly. If she didn't punish Ye Jinxuan, where would her dignity be?

The old ancestor smiled and said, "In the previous dynasty, the emperor had to be impeached by the ministers. The ancients said that using copper as a mirror can correct one's clothes and people as a mirror can help one understand gains and losses. Although Jinxuan's words are unpleasant and unpleasant to the ear, they are honest advice. The queen mother will not be so concerned about a junior!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor looked at Ye Jinxuan with a hint of surprise. "You, Ye Jinxuan, dare to contradict me and even the empress dowager."

"Queen Mother, Jin Xuan is just like that. She speaks her mind. I've been scolded by her before. Forget it. Let's not argue with the younger generation." The emperor laughed. It was not easy to calm down. If it started again, he couldn't bear it.

Yide finally breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "You are the prime minister and you can hold a boat in your stomach. Don't bother with the children." Youshi winked at Ye Jiayao. Ye Jiayao was very reluctant, but she had already caused so many people to suffer today. She could not insist and had to apologize against her will: "Just now, I was in a hurry and spoke without restraint. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

You Shi smiled and said, "Queen Mother, Jin Xuan has realized her mistake and will not dare to make the same mistake again next time."

The Queen Mother was so suffocated that she was about to suffer internal injuries, but everyone was trying to stop her. If she continued to argue, it would seem as if she was really petty and narrow-minded.

He said unwillingly, "If it happens again, I will never forgive you."

Yi De smiled and said, "Okay, okay, now the rain has stopped and the sky is clear. We are all family. It's fine as long as we make things clear while our teeth are still biting our tongues."

"Hmph, I don't think so. Liuli is stubborn and has no ability. Jinxuan is so powerful, how can Liuli be her opponent? No, it's better for them to separate." The Queen Mother was determined to get back 10% of the advantage no matter what.

Chunyu was not convinced: "From the beginning to the end, Jinxuan never regarded Liuli as an opponent, it was Liuli who always regarded Jinxuan as an enemy."

The Queen Mother sneered: "Your whole family supports her, so naturally she doesn't take others seriously."

Xiao Jing said sarcastically, "The Queen Mother doesn't understand Jin Xuan at all. Liuli is the only one who sees her as an enemy. Everyone else sees her as a good boss, a good friend, a good wife, and a good daughter. It's obvious where the problem lies."

The Queen Mother glared at Xiao Jing fiercely, saying that they were all traitors. Liuli is your biological cousin, but who is Ye Jinxuan?
The old ancestor said slowly, "What the Queen Mother said is very true. I am also afraid that Jinxuan will be plotted against again. It is better for her and Liuli to separate. Since Liuli will go to the fiefdom sooner or later, it is better for her to go earlier and inherit the mantle of the Seventh Prince as soon as possible."

The Queen Mother was dumbfounded. When she said they wanted to separate, she didn't mean Liuli had to leave.

"That's easy for elder sister to say. Liuli is still a child. If she is asked to go to the fiefdom so early, can she bear this heavy responsibility?"

"Don't we still have Chunfeng? I think Chunfeng is a good kid."

Liuli mustered up the courage to admit her mistake, but she didn't expect to hear these words. She immediately hid behind the screen and dared not come out.

"That's absolutely not possible." The Queen Mother said, "Let Jinxuan and Chunyu move out."

Youshi was anxious. How could she let the future heir to the title move out? It wasn't Chunyu's fault.

"The Empress Dowager is wise. After this incident, I am also afraid. It is better to separate. However, if I move out, where will I live? I can't live in an inn! People outside will think something has happened! I can't bear to explain to everyone I meet. Besides, I have no money and can't afford to buy a house. I still owe a lot of debts to the Prince of Yongning! Why don't the Empress Dowager reward me with a house! It doesn't have to be too grand. A house with five entrances and two side courtyards will be enough. As for the location, it doesn't have to be too prosperous. Of course, it can't be too remote. If the Emperor summons me and I can't make it in time, it would be a sin to delay the task ordered by the Emperor. As for a garden, it would be best to have one. A small garden, I can make do with it..." Xia Chunyu said leisurely.

Ye Jiayao almost laughed out loud. Chunyu was trying to blackmail the Queen Mother!

The emperor's eyes twitched. You bastard, you sound like it's easy to negotiate, but you keep asking for five courtyards with two side courtyards, a neutral location, and a small garden. Is this a simple request? It won't come without hundreds of thousands of silver. You're really asking for a lot without even taking a breath.

The old marquis was also happy. He thought his son was great. If the empress dowager was willing to spend a lot of money, he would move out for a few days.

The Queen Mother's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. Chunyu really knew how to take advantage of her and blackmail her.

But I made the request myself. I can't just say that she can't afford the house and I'd better not move out.

"Your Majesty, please grant a mansion to the son of Marquis Jing'an." The Queen Mother threw this hot potato to the Emperor.

The emperor frowned and said in embarrassment: "Oh, this is not easy to handle. There are two vacant mansions at the moment, but the owner of one committed a serious crime and his entire family was executed. The other has been idle for many years and is in a dilapidated state. I wanted to reward a minister with a mansion a while ago, but I didn't have the nerve to give it away, so Chunyu had to live in a house like that..."

Xia Chunyu said solemnly: "I dare not take the house where the traitor lived. It is too unlucky. It will cost a lot of money to repair the dilapidated house. I can't afford it!"

What I mean is that he has to have something new and good, otherwise there's no way he can get rid of him.

The old ancestor said leisurely, "Isn't the Seventh Prince's old mansion still vacant? Since the Queen Mother wants people to move out for Liuli's sake, why not give the Seventh Prince's mansion to Chunyu? However, I think it's more appropriate for Liuli to live in the Seventh Prince's mansion."

The Queen Mother wanted to kick this old sister out. She almost vomited blood after being choked by her several times today. How dare the old sister say that Liuli should live in the Seventh Prince's mansion? If Liuli opened a mansion and lived separately, others would definitely think that Liuli had done something bad and the mansion could not accommodate her.

Youshi hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, I have just given Jinxuan the important task of managing the household affairs. How can she leave the mansion?"

(End of this chapter)