NFBE Chapter 436 The Princess's Maid (40)
Chapter 436 The Princess's Maid (40)
"Then go ahead and expose me."
Qi Ning laughed unrestrainedly.
“You…” Yun Jing gritted her teeth.
When she fell, she hit a shelf next to her, making a sound.
Hearing the commotion, Yulan came in to check on the situation.
"Your Majesty, what has happened?"
When she came in, she saw Yun Jing lying on the ground and was somewhat puzzled.
"What's wrong with Yu Tao?"
"It's nothing," Qi Ning said. "Yu Tao is probably not fully recovered from her illness; she just collapsed while standing."
Upon hearing this, Yulan looked at Yun Jing with some disdain: "Get up quickly. Since you're not fully recovered, rest a little longer. Come back to serve Her Majesty when you're fully recovered. Otherwise, if you frighten Her Majesty, she won't let you off the hook."
Yun Jing looked at Qi Ning, then lowered her eyes and continued pruning the flower branches, seemingly certain that Qi Ning wouldn't expose her.
Yulan is right here. She was arranged by Yue Zeyuan. If she were to reveal her identity to Yulan in front of her, Yue Zeyuan would surely find out soon.
Yun Jing's lips opened and closed as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed it back.
"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and get out," Yulan urged again.
In the end, Yun Jing didn't say anything. She just got up from the ground, clutching her stomach, and went out at Yu Lan's urging.
Yun Jing understood perfectly where Qi Ning's unbridled confidence came from: it came from Yue Zeyuan's doting affection for her.
If she really revealed Ning'er's identity to Yue Zeyuan, then there are only two possibilities.
First, Yue Zeyuan could not accept being tricked and deceived by a maid, so he executed them all to vent his anger.
Secondly, Yue Zeyuan punished her alone but showed leniency to Ning'er, and may even have secretly disposed of her, allowing Ning'er to take her place and thus leaving no way to verify her identity.
After all, Yue Zeyuan had indeed been very fond of her during this period, and had even had the imperial physicians help her recover, hoping that she would give birth to his heir.
For Yue Zeyuan, it was nothing more than keeping a woman who suited his taste.
In either case, she would not have a good ending, but Ning'er was able to gain a glimmer of hope by relying on Yue Zeyuan's favor.
She had only thought of dying together with Ning'er in a moment of desperation, but now that she had calmed down a bit, she hesitated again; she still wanted to live.
Yun Jing thought carefully. If she really wanted to expose Ning'er's true identity, she would have to be able to protect herself after exposing her, prevent Yue Zeyuan from killing her, and force Yue Zeyuan to deal with Ning'er...
This requires finding a good time.
But the most pressing issue right now is Shen Yixiao's safety.
Now that she has been abandoned by Chu Hanfeng and can no longer contact him, only Shen Yixiao is still by her side, trying his best to rescue her. She can't let him die like this.
Since Ning'er was unwilling to save Shen Yixiao for her, Yun Jing had no choice but to find a way herself.
That day, she took the opportunity to sneak out of Yaohua Palace and head towards the Shenxing Division.
This time she wasn't as unlucky as before; she didn't run into Eunuch Xu on the way and arrived at the Shenxing Division smoothly.
Of course, when she arrived at the entrance of the Shenxing Division, she was stopped by two guards.
"Halt! Who goes there! Is this a place for you?" the guard shouted at her.
Yun Jing forced a smile: "My lords, I am Yu Tao, the personal maid of Consort Ning of Yaohua Palace."
Although she looked down on Ning'er, she knew that her title of Consort Ning was very useful in the palace.
Sure enough, as soon as she said that, the attitude of the two guards immediately changed.
They laughed and said, "So you're one of Consort Ning's people. We were very sorry for offending you earlier."
Do they still remember that not long ago, a palace maid named Yu Tao was punished by Miss Chen, and Consort Ning and His Majesty protected her? How could they dare to offend her?
“But Miss Yutao, what brings you to the Censorate? This is not a place you can just enter at will.”
Yun Jing invoked Consort Ning's name again: "It was Consort Ning who sent me here to inquire about the situation of Shen Yixiao, who is imprisoned in the Shenxing Division. I heard that he was tortured a few days ago. How is he now?"
Upon hearing this, the two guards exchanged a glance.
Yun Jing stepped forward again and secretly slipped some silver into their hands.
"My lords, please make an exception."
This silver was Yun Jing's monthly allowance, which wasn't much. The two guards wouldn't be bribed by such a small amount of silver.
However, for the sake of Consort Ning, that's a different story.
They hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "The man is still alive."
"What about his injury? Is it serious?" Yun Jing asked again.
"Miss Yutao, please don't make things difficult for us."
"Just tell me how badly he's injured?"
"He is indeed seriously injured, but he is still breathing."
What? He's still breathing?
Doesn't that mean being on the verge of death?
Yun Jing returned to Yaohua Palace in a daze, filled with worry.
She muttered to herself, "No, we can't let this go on. If this continues, Yi Xiao will definitely die. I have to find a way to save us both."
That evening, Yue Zeyuan arrived at Yaohua Palace, his expression not looking too good.
Seeing his appearance, Qi Ning knew roughly what was going on.
She had already heard from the system that during the day, Yun Jing used her name to inquire about Shen Yixiao's situation at the Censorate.
It's likely that Yue Zeyuan is angry about this again.
Yun Jing is quite clever; she knows how to get things done in her name.
But how could Yue Zeyuan be kept in the dark about things in the palace? If you angered him, Qi Ning would have to appease him.
When it was time to go to bed, Yue Zeyuan did not hold Qi Ning as usual, but lay down on one side.
Qi Ning looked at his profile.
"What happened today? The way you're looking at me is strange again." Qi Ning asked directly.
She didn't want to have a falling out with Yue Zeyuan; it was better to talk things out clearly.
Yue Zeyuan opened his eyes: "How dare you presume to know my thoughts."
Qi Ning glared back: "Who are you trying to scare? Speak your mind."
Yue Zeyuan stared at her for a moment before turning to ask, "I heard that you sent Yu Tao to the Shenxing Division today to inquire about Shen Yixiao's situation?"
"What? No!" Qi Ning denied it outright.
"No?" Yue Zeyuan was skeptical.
"Of course not. It must be Yu Tao who used my name to inquire without my permission, perhaps trying to send a message to the State of Chu."
Yun Jing wanted to ruin her relationship with Yue Zeyuan, but it wasn't that easy. Qi Ning simply shifted the blame back onto her with a few words.
Upon hearing this, Yue Zeyuan thought to himself that it was indeed not impossible.
He had initially tried to keep the fact that Shen Yixiao was in his possession a secret, but later he learned that the jade peach was secretly communicating with the Chu Kingdom via carrier pigeons.
The State of Chu has not yet reacted, presumably because the news that Shen Yixiao is in his hands has not yet reached them.
As for what happens after that, if she wants to send a message, it will all go through Yue Zeyuan's eyes, and she won't be able to send it out as she pleases.
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