"Speak!"
Di Yunjian tightened his grip on the clothes in his hand, his eyes sharp.
Zhu Yao's body trembled, and she bowed low, her voice quivering as she said, "Your Majesty! These clothes belong to the concubine and the young master in the mansion!"
"These clothes... were... were sent by someone from Concubine Xian's palace."
As she spoke, Zhu Yao's voice already took on a sob.
In an instant, Di Yunjian thought of the letter this maid had hidden a few days ago, and of Shuer opening the door and going out in the middle of the night last night.
After thinking it over, he lowered his eyes, looking at the clothes, and coldly said, "Where's the letter?"
Zhu Yao was taken aback and mumbled with her lips.
Di Yunjian looked at her coldly: "What? Don't think I don't know about the letters exchanged with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion?
"Bring them out!"
Zhu Yao didn't dare to delay. She propped herself up and climbed up, endured the soreness in her knees and rummaged out several letters from the drawer of the dressing table.
She walked over, presented them with trembling hands, and then knelt down properly.
Di Yunjian took the envelopes and calmly opened them.
Taking a quick glance, the anger in his eyes welled up again. A storm was already raging in his heart. His well - defined big hand suddenly crumpled the envelopes.
In almost every one of these letters, Shuer's concubine mother and younger brother were used as threats, asking her to help Concubine Xian in the palace.
To find out the emperor's will, to bear a child on her behalf. If she didn't comply, the lives of her concubine mother and younger brother would be in danger.
He didn't say a word. After a long time, his loving and pitying gaze finally fell on the sleeping person in the bedroom.
Seeing his gaze fall on her mistress, Zhu Yao summoned up her courage and spoke.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please investigate clearly! Mistress didn't do such things!"
"Your Majesty, please investigate clearly!"
Zhu Yao knelt and crawled forward to kowtow and plead.
Di Yunjian's face darkened and he didn't say a word. His face was as black as ink, and the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.
At this moment, Li Dahai led the imperial physician in. Seeing the emperor's expression, he was also shocked.
The emperor is really very angry...
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician is here."
Di Yunjian nodded and waved his hand, allowing the two of them to go in and feel Yan Qingshu's pulse.
Di Yunjian's face was cold. He asked Zhu Yao to tell the whole story.
"Your Majesty... Mistress never did such things!
"Mistress didn't want to enter the palace at first. It was Concubine Xian... Concubine Xian asked Mistress's mother to threaten Mistress with her concubine mother and younger brother to enter the palace to serve you..."
"She wanted Mistress to conceive a dragon son. After the dragon son was born, Mistress would give the child to Concubine Xian to raise!"
Zhu Yao sobbed and told the whole truth without reservation.
"Mistress is favored by you... Concubine Xian was jealous, so she often sent the blood - stained clothes of Mistress's concubine mother and younger brother into the palace to intimidate Mistress."
"I don't know... I don't know how Mistress's concubine mother and younger brother are now!"
"Your Majesty, please investigate clearly. Mistress didn't listen to her father. She admires you. She won't do such things!"
As Zhu Yao spoke, she knelt and crawled forward a few steps to plead for Yan Qingshu. Every word seemed to be uttered with blood.
"Mistress never let this servant talk too much. She also kept those letters secretly..."
Di Yunjian hung his head, making it impossible to see the expression in his eyes.
The calmer he was, the more frightened Li Dahai in the bedroom became.
The emperor is really angry this time...
Looking at the pale and unconscious person on the couch, Li Dahai sighed silently in his heart.
This Lady Zhen is really ill - fated. If it weren't for the emperor's accidental discovery today.
Who knows how much more suffering she would have to endure.
Thinking of this, he looked at the imperial physician and asked, "How is she?"
The imperial physician withdrew his hand, put away the silk handkerchief, and packed up his medicine box.
Walking out of the bedroom, the imperial physician knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Lady Zhen is fine physically. It's just that she has been overly worried. If this continues, the melancholy will accumulate in her heart, which will cause great harm to her body and even the fetus will not be spared."
"Is there a way to cure it?" Di Yunjian frowned and asked.
"The heart - ailment needs a heart - medicine to cure." The imperial physician hesitated for a moment and said.
Di Yunjian was silent. He waved his hand and asked Li Dahai to take the imperial physician down to prescribe medicine.
"You may leave." Di Yunjian looked at Zhu Yao expressionlessly.
Zhu Yao's heart trembled. She was suddenly unable to figure out the emperor's mood. She glanced at the sleeping person in the bedroom, pursed her lips, and still stood up and retreated.
The hall suddenly became quiet. Only the sound of ice melting could be heard.
After a long time, Di Yunjian stood up. Holding the crumpled letters in his hand, he lifted the bead curtain and walked into the bedroom.
He sat on the couch. His big hand gently stroked Yan Qingshu's cheek. Seeing her pale face and closed eyes.
His heart seemed to be clenched.
"Shuer..."
He didn't even notice that the pity in his eyes was about to overflow.
He knew that Shuer had correspondence with the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion. Originally, he thought that Shuer understood his meaning and deliberately revealed the information he wanted to convey to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion to them.
He didn't expect that these letters were densely filled with threats to her.
She had been carrying these worries day and night. She must have been on the verge of collapse.
Thinking of her red - rimmed eyes from crying just now, Di Yunjian pursed his lips and unfolded the letter in his hand again.
Word by word, the black ink characters became redder and redder as he read, as if they were written with fresh blood, making one's heart tremble.
"Shuer..."
Just as he was about to say something, the pale lips of the person on the couch parted slightly, and she seemed to be mumbling something.
Di Yunjian's heart ached. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Shuer, forgive me."
The Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion may be involved in the drought in the northwest and even in the crime of colluding with the enemy and betraying the country. For the time being, it has to be kept.
It would be troublesome for her concubine mother to leave the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion, but he could ensure that her concubine mother would live a good life in the mansion.
When the matter in the northwest is resolved and all the crimes are combined, and the officials impeach them, he can then rightfully inquire about the inner affairs of the Marquis of Zhenyuan.
If he alerted the Marquis of Zhenyuan now, it would be even more difficult to investigate the matter.
However, he could still give them a little warning.
Di Yunjian clenched his fist beside his body. For the first time, he felt deeply powerless and hated his own uselessness.
These old fellows, relying on being senior officials in the court, repeatedly committed acts of corruption and law - breaking right under his nose!
It was a pity that his own power was not yet strong enough. To eliminate them all, he still had to lay a long - term net.
His cold eyes softened when they touched Yan Qingshu.
He held her hand and stroked her pale cheek.
Wait a little longer, Shuer. I will never let you and the child fall into the hands of others!
A gentle breeze blew in from outside. The eyelashes of the person on the couch fluttered slightly.
Yan Qingshu slowly woke up. She saw the man lying beside her on the couch, firmly holding her hand.
Just now, she had taken the Dream - Startling Pill on herself. She was afraid that her acting would go wrong, so she took the pill.
That heart - rending cry just now was the pain that she had suppressed for a long time and had no way to vent.
"Liulang..." she said weakly.
Di Yunjian looked up at her. His eyes, which were usually full of strategy and sharpness, were now filled with vulnerability.
She pursed her lips and reached out to touch his face.
"Liulang..."
Because she had cried quite loudly just now, her voice was slightly hoarse.
She had heard everything he said just now. She knew that Liulang wouldn't take action against the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion for the time being.
She knew that the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion couldn't be touched now.
This play was just to let him know her situation, to let the emperor give the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Mansion a warning, to keep them busy, and to stop staring at her belly all day long!