After the emperor read her mind, the salted fish concubine effortlessly won the title of empress.

Chapter 309 Using a borrowed knife to kill

Xu Gongmao and the Grand Secretary had a very pleasant conversation.

Shen Shixi also received the news; Xu Gongmao was indeed an ambitious man.

Judging from the fact that Pei Xiang had shown him kindness and mentorship, and that she had entrusted him to Xu Gongmao, giving him the opportunity to stand up for Consort Jing, yet he weighed the pros and cons, it is clear that he was ungrateful and lacked a strong sense of morality.

The way to employ people is to consider whether to value their talent or their virtue. There aren't many people in the world who possess both talent and virtue, so those in positions of power need to weigh the options.

Shen Shixi pondered for a moment, then instructed Chaoyu, "Let Fuling be exposed. Those who betray their masters for personal gain need not be kept alive any longer. Also, among Consort De's people, who has the closest ties to Baoci Palace?"

Chao Yu said, "Wang Cairen is Wang Yuehuai!"

Neither the emperor nor the empress had a deep memory of the concubines below them.

Shen Shixi asked, "Alright then, is Yuan Zhaoyue still alive?"

She's the one who faked her pregnancy before. Her father was the military governor of Xiangzhou, and he and Wang Yuehuai were originally from the same hometown. However, she relied on her family background to bully others and fell into Wang Yuehuai's trap.

Chao Yu said, "Since Her Majesty didn't say she should die, no one dares to stop her from living."

Shen Shixi said, "Then let's expose Wang Yuehuai for putting something in the spices she used. If she wants to do something but can't, we'll just help her out. She's a stupid and clumsy thing!"

"This servant obeys the decree!"

Since Shen Shixi took power, life in the Cold Palace wasn't too difficult. At least they had enough to eat and wear. Moreover, Yuan Zhaoyue still held the rank of a concubine, so she wasn't actually banished to the Cold Palace. The Emperor's original decree was to demote her to a concubine and banish her from the Emperor's bedchamber forever! He also moved her to a remote place.

Yuan Zhaoyue originally thought that Consort De had caused her to fake a pregnancy, and she was powerless to do anything about it. However, her personal maid Xiangrui heard from others that it was Wang Yuehuai who had targeted her.

After carefully considering the cause and effect, Yuan Zhaoyue had no doubts.

With so many women in the palace pregnant, one more or one less wouldn't make a difference. Rather than turning against herself, Consort De would rather focus her efforts on dealing with the current Empress.

The only person with both the opportunity and the motive is Wang Yuehuai.

When she falls on hard times, things get better for Wang Yuehuai's family!

She was about to kill him when Xiangrui stopped her. "My lady, you mustn't! Why do you have to do it yourself? Even if you kill her, what then? You'll only lose your own life. Why bother? You should tell the master and let him avenge you!"

Yuan Zhaoyue was furious. "You bitch, you're a real bitch!"

She took off the last bracelet from her wrist. "Take this and find a way to tell my father that she's the murderer. I'll make sure her family is ruined."

"yes!"

As the saying goes, "A county magistrate who ruins a family, a prefect who exterminates an entire clan."

After Yuan Zhaoyue was punished for faking her pregnancy, the Yuan family had been hoping that Wang Yuehuai could take care of their daughter in the cold palace and had been very supportive of the Wang family. Who would have thought that the person who would do this was Wang Yuehuai.

Yuan Daoheng was lucky he didn't die of anger. He seized on a mistake made by the Wang family and imprisoned the whole family.

This is also Wang Yuehuai's father's fault. He was promoted by the Yuan family, and his daughter was a sixth-rank concubine in the palace. Suddenly, everyone in the region was in awe. He took a fancy to a girl from a humble family and insisted on forcing her to be his concubine. When she refused, she was carried in and died that very night.

It was initially ruled a suicide, but now it has been determined to be a homicide.

Wang Yuehuai's father also enjoyed indulging in a bit of bourgeois sentimentality, attending poetry gatherings everywhere. He was always flattered as the emperor's father-in-law and sat at the head of the table, feeling very proud. "The bamboo rustles before the old fortress, tears fall silently behind the curtain in the deep boudoir," was originally a poem written about a woman in her boudoir who was feeling resentful. However, she was falsely accused of writing a seditious poem that missed the old country and hated the new dynasty.

The previous dynasty's surname was Xiao.

The term "故垒" refers to the former dynasty.

With this interpretation, no one dares to disagree.

If anyone harbors rebellious intentions, their entire family will be imprisoned.

In early August, Wang Yuehuai received the news that her family had gone to great lengths to deliver. She felt like the sky had fallen. She hadn't received many resources from the Wang family. The only time her father paid attention to her was when she participated in a talent show and was selected. Only then did he finally remember, "Oh, so he has a daughter."

Entering the palace became her chance to escape that home.

If she hadn't entered the palace, her father might have used her to exchange for some benefit, and she might have been betrothed to someone as a concubine. It was far better for her to enter the palace.

However, she could not abandon the Wang family. If the Wang family were to fall, she would be the daughter of a disgraced official, which would be tantamount to handing over the handle that would banish her to the cold palace to the Empress.

Yuan Zhaoyue couldn't get any news from outside the palace, but when Wang Yuehuai came to see her, she knew that her family had taken action.

"Is everything alright, sister?" Wang Yuehuai asked with a polite smile.

Yuan Zhaoyue sneered, glancing around at everyone. "What do you think? Do you think I'm good or bad? Whether I'm good or bad, others may not know, but surely you do?"

Wang Yuehuai gave Guiqiu a wink, and Guiqiu brought in two sets of linen robes and a cotton quilt, saying, "These were just issued by the Imperial Household Department. My mistress was afraid that Miss Yuan wouldn't have any, and since the weather is getting cold, she said she would bring them over for Miss Yuan to use first."

In the past, Wang Yuehuai had helped her, and she was always very touched, but she also regretted that she had treated Wang Yuehuai badly in the past.

"No need!" Yuan Zhaoyue said without even glancing at it. "Even though this place is cold and deserted, there's still some firewood to burn. I won't freeze to death!"

She glanced at Wang Yuehuai. "You don't need to pretend with me anymore. Did you come to see me because you need something?"

Wang Yuehuai was filled with hatred. At this moment, she was unaware that Yuan Zhaoyue already knew the truth. She thought that Yuan Zhaoyue was going to turn the tables on her and that's why she sent a message to her family to blackmail her.

"I don't know what I did wrong to cause you to misunderstand me. I thought that since we both come from Xiangzhou, people from the same place are always closer than strangers, so I always wanted to be close to you, but who knew you would treat me like an outsider!"

Wang Yuehua wiped away her tears.

Yuan Zhaoyue was disgusted. Thinking back to the past, when she used to be subservient to her like a servant girl, she never suspected anything. In the end, she fell into her trap.

In fact, there wasn't much difference between a concubine and a maid.

Presumably, the Emperor knew that she had been framed, which is why he didn't dismiss her completely.

Yuan Zhaoyue suppressed the urge to beat Wang Yuehuai to death; she was determined to make Wang Yuehuai wish he were dead. "What is it? Tell me if you want to, or get lost if you don't. I'm going to sleep!"

Wang Yuehuai then said, "Sister, have you received any messages from home? Did they say what happened to my family? I heard that my family members have all been arrested and imprisoned because...it's said that my father wrote a rebellious poem!"

She turned her head, displaying remarkable flexibility, and knelt before Yuan Zhaoyue, pleading, "Please, elder sister, spare my family! I'll do anything to repay you!"

She cried, "Although my sister is in a sorry state now, I can still take care of her a little while I'm out here. But if I'm punished and become a deposed concubine, and we both end up like this, who will be able to help us?"

Yuan Zhaoyue sneered, "I'm not afraid! The current Empress is kind. Even if I'm just a concubine living in the Cold Palace, I'll still have enough to eat and wear! To be honest, the Emperor doesn't need you concubines to serve him anymore anyway. So what's the use of living close to Qian Yuan Palace?"

What's the difference between you and me? Try to think more positively!