Chapter 22 The Empress, She Dares Not
specifically for Qihua Pavilion. 。What happened on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month remains a mystery to this day, and who was responsible for it is still unknown. 。Although Shi Liyuan b...Yunchen went to the Qingliang Courtyard. He left Xuming Hall and randomly pointed to a servant to lead the way.
Three people inside the house couldn't sit still either, and they followed suit, each being helped along by a servant.
The pain, which was like being stabbed, has lessened somewhat and I'm not in excruciating pain that prevents me from standing. However, walking is still uncomfortable.
Xiao gave Ye Jingsheng a look, and Ye Jingsheng understood. That was asking why the Inspectorate had gotten involved.
But where could he know why, the Imperial Supervisor never interacted with officials. This had been going on for years; no one had ever heard of an Imperial Supervisor visiting any official's home. Even during the old master's time, the Imperial Supervisor was a figure that remained aloof!
Today, the person came here, still for Ye Wenyan's sake. It's simply baffling.
This is truly sinister. From morning till night, everything about Ye Wenyan has been anything but smooth or normal. He still can't figure out why Ye Wenyan destroyed the entire wall of the Su Wangfu, yet the Sixth Prince didn't dare do anything to her.
Seeing the night view, Xiao's expression seemed pensive. Xiao didn't press further, and the group hurried to Qingliang Courtyard, where upon entering they saw a courtyard full of fierce-looking matrons.
The old Madam’s heart wasn’t good, sure enough, walking at the front Yun Chen opened his mouth: “En What does this mean Night Old Madam, aren't these people here to manage Sister Four This official just says, if it weren't for some special reason, Sister Four wouldn't even give this little face.”
The old madam's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly reprimanded the women: "This is the mistress' courtyard. Even if you want to protect the mistress, there's no need for all of you to stand in the courtyard. Get out now!"
The women obeyed and retreated. Yun Chen didn't stop them, but merely said with a forced smile, "Old Madam is truly humorous. This is the residence of a First Rank General, how could there be any danger for Fourth Sister's family within their own courtyard that would require so many people to protect them"
The old lady's words left him speechless. He had nothing to say, so he just kept quiet. It was better to make a mistake than to get into trouble on purpose.
A group of people arrived at the door. Yuncheng bowed respectfully to the closed door: "Master Inspector Yuncheng requests an audience with Night's Fourth Sister."
Wu Fei also let out a groan, and the few night guards behind him drew in their breaths.
The old matriarch cast a questioning glance at Ye Jing, implying that he might have missed something, whether there were other encounters in the Su Mansion.
But the night scene shook his head. Aside from the fact that she was pregnant, everything else he had done was beyond reproach, every detail accounted for. So right now he truly didn't understand why the Inspectorate would come to him at this time and request an audience with Ye Wenyan.
And there was Eunuch Wu Fu, a close confidant of the Emperor. What was he doing out here running around instead of tending to his duties in the palace
Look at how reverent and respectful Ye Wen is towards Night Wind. Could it be that Ye Wen has lost her status as the consort of Prince Xu, and holds a position elsewhere But where could this "elsewhere" be Couldn't it be that Yunchen fancies her
Nightview pondered for a while, feeling that it wasn't impossible. This Yunchen was only twenty-five years old and unmarried, so he might have really taken a liking to Ye Wenyan. After all, Ye Wenyan's beauty was quite famous in Lin'an City, known throughout households.
If that's really the case, things will be difficult to handle. What is Qinyin anyway That's a place directly governed by the Emperor! Once Ye Wen agrees, it means he becomes half a close confidante of the Emperor.
The Emperor is extremely protective of his people. If a woman favored by the civil servants under his rule were wronged, their families would face the wrath of the Emperor. They wouldn't even have time to react before being burned to ashes!
The night scene was getting more and more beautiful, but the more she looked at it, the colder her heart became. Just as she felt a chill, the door finally creaked open.
Then Ye Wen walked out, holding a piece of clothing in his hand. He first glanced at Yun Chen, then at Wu Fu, and finally, his gaze fell on Xiao Shi.
Xiao's heart tightened. She recognized it as a piece of clothing she hadn't worn in a long time and didn't really want to keep it anymore. When moving courtyards, she had intended to ask the servants to take it away and discard it, but before she could give the order, something happened at Su Wangfu. She and her husband hurriedly left their home, leaving this matter behind.
What is the purpose of taking this outfit out now
Ye Wen walked a few steps outside and stood before Xiao Shi, bowing timidly: "This is the clothing Second Aunt dropped in the room. Ye Wen took it out for Second Aunt to have a look. If you still want it, please take it back. If not, could you possibly give it to us Mother's clothes are made of good material; it would be a shame to throw them away. When we moved here, many of our clothes were taken back by the manor. I'm afraid this might sound silly, but right now, there aren't many suitable outfits left for going out."
Xiao shi heard this and frowned, thinking about how to respond. Before she could, Yun Chen continued: “Fourth Sister, I’ve heard rumors that your clothes were taken back by the house earlier. What does that mean Also, since these are the second mistress's clothes, why were they found in your room”
Ye Wen sighed deeply, "Master doesn't know, originally we lived in the east courtyard of General's Mansion. This Qingliang Courtyard was where Second Aunt used to live. But this morning, Grandmother drove our whole family out of the east courtyard with Second Uncle and Second Aunt. Not only did they expel us, but they also took away all our good clothes."
"En" Yunchen looked at the old lady with a puzzled expression, "This... is this a bit too much"
Ye Wen continued to sigh, “Who would have thought my father would leave so early, leaving us orphans and our mother behind. How could we possibly afford to live in such a good place or use such fine things That’s why I came to ask Second Aunt, if this garment is no longer wanted, please give it to us. My mother can make some alterations, and she’ll still be able to wear it. It’s better than the old patched-up clothes we have now.”
Xiao could not bear it any longer and blurted out, "Nonsense! Who took your clothes"
Wu Fei couldn't stand it anymore: "Then why change courtyards"
Xiao Shi, forcing down her anger, said: "There are laws for the country, and rules for the household. Our Ye family's rule is that whoever is the head of the family, their wives, concubines, and children live in the east courtyard. Conversely, they live in the west courtyard. Now that the previous head of the family has passed away, and the old grandfather is gone, this family will now be supported by the second master, so we need to change courtyards. I ask you, sir, is there anything wrong with that"
Wu Fei looked at the Xiao family for a while and smiled, "That's right, your family, you settle it yourselves." Then he said to Yun Chen, "Yun sir, it's hard for an impartial official to judge family matters, let's focus on the important business at hand."
Yun Chen nodded, "Right, let's get down to business." He turned to Ye Wen Yan and bowed again, "Fourth Sister, I am here because I have something to ask of you. The Emperor has passed away, please enter the palace immediately, there is something important to discuss."
This left everyone dumbfounded. The emperor had passed away, and they were calling a maidservant into the palace to discuss matters
Ke Yunchen, with a serious expression, even Wu Fu nodded along. He even said, "The Imperial Inspector rarely interacts with court officials, so to prevent anyone from not recognizing Lord Yun, let me come along and vouch for him."
The Mu clan, who had always stood behind Ye Wen, felt a little uneasy and tentatively asked, "What did they ask our Yan'er to come to the palace to discuss"
Yun Chen replied, "Matters in the palace are not something I can speak freely about. But please rest assured, Madame, with me as your guarantee, your fourth sister will be absolutely safe on this journey."
"Wouldn't the Empress make things difficult for her" Mu asked, fixing Yun Chen with a hard stare. "Can you guarantee that the Empress won't make things difficult for her"
When Ye Wen returned, she had passed by those gossiping women. She smashed the wall and gate of Su Mansion, this clearly showed a break between her and the Sixth Prince. The Empress was the biological mother of the Sixth Prince, if she wanted to vent for her son, how could Ye Wen possibly escape unscathed
Yun Chen didn't think that way. He lowered his voice and told Mu Shi, "I can assure you, the Empress will never make things difficult for the Fourth Sister. Or to put it another way, she is not incapable, she is afraid."
Not a word, Mu Shi understood.
She was once the mistress of a high-ranking general's household; how could she possibly lack discernment
She is the supervisor, she's a stickler for precision and knows what she's doing. With Yunchen giving such an assurance, she has no reason to doubt him anymore.
Mu retreated a step and fell silent.
Yet unexpectedly, Ye Lianmian blurted out, "Should we bring her into the palace to be buried with the Emperor"
“You insolent little wretch, be quiet!”
Yè Liánmián shivered in fright and dared not speak another word.
Yun Chen's eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at Ye Lianmian, then at Xiao Shi, and finally at the old matriarch. He said nothing, but this round of silent scrutiny left the Ye family members trembling with fear.
"Sister Four, follow me! As for protecting the family, please rest assured. Besides me and Master Wu, there are also palace guards with us. When it comes to such matters, the guards are much more capable than those gossiping housewives."
The old lady narrowed her eyes, she understood. This was truly to protect the eldest family, afraid that Ye Wen would leave home and she would send those gossiping women over right after him.
When did Ye Wen become so brazen Even the Imperial Guards are at her beck and call, and this is happening during the Emperor's death. Could there be something else going on that she doesn't know about
Everyone fell silent. Ye Wenyan shoved the clothes in her hand into Xiao's, then turned to Yunchen and said, "My lord, please wait a moment. The Emperor has passed away, so it is inappropriate for me to enter the palace in this attire. Allow me to change."
Yun Chen bowed again and said, "Sister, please."
Ye Wen and Mu shi turned around and went back into the house. Ye Feiyu didn't follow them in, her heart aching as she gently closed the door behind them.
Mrs. Mu retrieved a plain garment from the package on the ground that hadn't been tidied up yet and, after some thought, removed the silver hairpin from her own head and handed it to her. "The household is in mourning right now, this was brought over from your room, quickly put it on!" She pushed the person towards a screen behind her, an alcove previously used by Lady Xiao when bathing. "And take out your hair and replace the hairpin with this one."
Ye Wen saw that Mrs. Mu had something on her mind and knew what she wanted to ask, but now was obviously not the time for a long talk. Besides, even if the timing was right, she didn't intend to tell her about encountering Shi Liyuan outside the city.
He just patted Mu's hand and murmured, "Mother, don't worry about me. Just look at the attitude of those two who came today, you'll know that nothing will happen to me on this trip."
Mu nodded, "It's okay."
Ye Wen tiptoed past the screen, making sure no one was following, before carefully unhooking the silver bell from his waist...gguang Hall was heavy and oppressive. Quan Qingcheng remained silent, and Wu Fu dared not utter a word, nor even breathe too heavily. 。Gradually, Wu Fu understood what Quan Qingcheng had said at Yuhu...