Chapter 591
Before Bai Jinxiu could finish her words, she heard Chun Tao’s voice coming from behind the partition: “Eldest Young Lady, Nanny Jiang has brought Wei Zhong over, saying there’s something extremely important to discuss.”
Bai Qingyan looked up towards the window lattice and vaguely saw Nanny Jiang followed by Wei Zhong.
“Eldest Sister, let’s talk later…” Bai Jinxiu lifted her teacup and said.
Bai Qingyan nodded and said, “Let them in.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Soon, Nanny Jiang brought Wei Zhong in. After paying their respects to Bai Qingyan and Bai Jinxiu, Wei Zhong, with a bowed waist, began: “Master, last time Miss Lu came across the Empress secretly meeting with General Fu. I have been discreetly investigating the old affairs between General Fu and the Empress. Surprisingly, I found out… that in the early years, the Empress was engaged informally to General Fu by their elders, though no betrothal tokens were exchanged! Not many people know about this.”
An engagement?!
Bai Jinxiu widened her eyes and looked at Bai Qingyan, who remained calm. Bai Jinxiu also steadied herself quietly.
“At that time, the current Emperor was still the Crown Prince. Two years after the passing of the former Crown Princess, the Emperor had not taken another principal wife. Later, during a palace banquet, the fifteen-year-old Empress, by chance, played the favorite melody of the late Crown Princess. The former Emperor then intended to bestow a marriage. When the Empress’s maternal family got wind of this, the Empress went to the Fu Family to find General Fu, hoping he would propose to her before the Imperial Edict was issued. But General Fu felt that the Fu Family’s status was too low to match the Empress and did not dare to compete with the Crown Prince for her, so he did not propose.”
Bai Qingyan had not anticipated such a relationship between General Fu and the Empress. But this raised new questions…
Did General Fu feel guilty towards the Empress, or was he affectionate?
It seemed that later, as the Empress ascended to her position, both the Fu Family and the Empress’s maternal family would have suppressed this secret tightly.
But how did Wei Zhong uncover such an old secret?
“How did you find this out? Are there any witnesses?”
“Master, I had people pretend to be merchants… In Dadu City, they used silver as a bribe to search for a long-lost sister who was forcibly sold. We reviewed the records of servants bought and sold by the Empress’s maternal family. Coincidentally, the year the Empress married the Emperor and became Crown Princess, the Fu Family sold many personal servants, and the Empress’s maternal family sold many maids. We checked further and found some old servants from both families. Upon questioning, we learned the truth.”
Wei Zhong’s explanation was brief, but it was evident that the task was not easy. This proved Wei Zhong’s competence.
Bai Jinxiu had noticed the Empress’s pregnancy timing was suspicious. Coupled with Lu Ninghuan’s account of the Empress’s secret meeting with Fu Ruoxi, she was immediately drenched in cold sweat.
The Empress and Fu Ruoxi, was there an affair?
Fu Ruoxi was forcibly brought back this time.
So much had happened in Dadu City recently. Bai Jinxiu had not had the chance to discuss everything with her elder sister or to find out what was going on with Fu Ruoxi. Could it be that Fu Ruoxi planned a rebellion for the Empress?
“Where are the witnesses?” Bai Qingyan asked again.
“After questioning them, I did not alarm them. But their whereabouts are completely under my control. If the Eldest Young Lady wishes to see them… I can bring them here within half an hour!” Wei Zhong replied.
“Good, you’ve done well! Thank you for your efforts!” Bai Qingyan said to Wei Zhong, then turned to Nanny Jiang, “Nanny Jiang, please take Wei Zhong to rest. If needed, I’ll send Chun Tao to call.”
Nanny Jiang nodded, paid her respects, and left with Wei Zhong.
Chun Tao escorted Nanny Jiang out of the Qinghui Courtyard. As she turned around, she saw Qingshu, the chief maid of Second Madam Mrs. Liu, coming with maids carrying a hot water pot.
Chun Tao smiled and greeted Qingshu, then quickly walked to the corridor and called inside: “Eldest Young Lady, Second Madam sent people to bring hot water for your bath.”
“Wait outside, I need to speak with Second Young Lady for a moment,” Bai Qingyan said sternly. Then she looked at Bai Jinxiu, “Continue discussing the Emperor’s concerns about the Empress’s pregnancy after he left…”
“After the Emperor left, Lady Qiu also left in a huff. Then someone claiming to be a eunuch from Lady Qiu’s palace came to summon Aunt Lu, saying Lady Qiu had a headache and needed acupuncture. I was restless at the banquet, feeling the eunuch’s behavior was suspicious, so I quickly went to find Aunt Lu. Who knew the eunuch was highly skilled, and then things went wrong…”
Bai Jinxiu didn’t want to detail the process, fearing it would worry her elder sister. She simply said, “But fortunately, everything is fine now!”
“Does Grandmother know about this?” Bai Qingyan asked.
Bai Jinxiu shook her head: “Aunt Lu knew the seriousness of the matter. She didn’t dare to tell Grandmother because it would affect the stable situation you worked hard to achieve. Aunt Lu only told me secretly! Grandmother thought the Empress tried to kill Aunt Lu because she witnessed the Empress and Fu Ruoxi together. Considering the Empress was carrying the Emperor’s heir, Grandmother threatened the Empress with King Xin, forcing her not to act recklessly again.”
“Aunt Lu is defenseless, but although you’re pregnant, you used to be quite skilled in martial arts. I specifically instructed Yingshuang to stay with you at all times. For a eunuch to injure you, his skills must be extraordinary…” Bai Qingyan suddenly paused, seeing Bai Jinzhi clutching her handkerchief tightly, her face pale. “Where is Yingshuang?”
Bai Jinxiu’s eyes reddened: “To protect me, Yingshuang lost one eye. Doctor Hong said the head injury causes her to be constantly drowsy. Now I have her stay with Wang Geer. Today, when Eldest Young Lady returned, Yingshuang also came along, holding a packet of pine nut candy, saying she wanted to wait for you. But before you arrived, Yingshuang couldn’t hold on and fell asleep again…”
At this point, tears welled up in Bai Jinxiu’s eyes.
Bai Qingyan, hearing that Yingshuang waited for her while holding pine nut candy, felt a pang of sadness and got up, saying, “I’ll go see Yingshuang.”
“Eldest Sister, once Yingshuang falls asleep, no one can wake her up,” Bai Jinxiu’s voice choked as she stood up. “You’ve traveled a long way. After your bath, it’s not too late to see her when she wakes up.”
Bai Jinxiu couldn’t dissuade Bai Qingyan, who followed her to Yingshuang’s room.
On a large communal bed, Yingshuang was soundly asleep, wearing an eye patch. The once innocent face was now quite thin, and her hand outside the quilt tightly grasped the pine nut candy meant for Bai Qingyan.
“Thinking that Yingshuang loves pine nut candy, Cuibi made her an eye patch overnight, embroidered with pine nut candy. Yingshuang loves it,” Bai Jinxiu’s eyes reddened as she spoke, but no matter how much Yingshuang liked it… it couldn’t bring back her eye.
Bai Qingyan lowered her eyes, gently pried open Yingshuang’s hand, took out the pine nut candy, and placed it by her pillow. She tucked the quilt snugly around her and lightly touched Yingshuang’s eye patch, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Shen Qingzhu had no relatives, only an adopted father, General Shen Kunyang, and she treated Yingshuang like her own sister.