Taking this opportunity, the emperor ordered the Inner Court Department to search each palace for prohibited drugs one by one. He also sent people to strengthen the guards at Yaoguang Pavilion. On the pretext that the Fifth Princess needed to recuperate in peace, he asked all the concubines not to visit Wei Dongling's courtyard for the next few days.
After lunch, Wei Dongling sat bored in the autumn sun, lost in thought. Hearing that Aunt Minfang was extremely skilled at needlework, she pestered her to teach her how to embroider and even rewarded her with a crystal - clear jade bracelet.
Aunt Minfang recognized that this was one of the gifts of thanks sent by the ladies in the harem after they drank the Fifth Princess's milk tea a few days ago. She hurriedly declined, saying, "It's just teaching needlework. Your Highness, there's no need for such a generous gift."
Wei Dongling smiled and said, "I know, Aunt Minfang, that you were implicated in Qiaoyue's poisoning incident and had your salary deducted. I also know that you are loyal to me without a second thought. This jade bracelet is just a little token of my appreciation. I've just entered the palace and don't understand many rules. I hope you can give me some advice on the miscellaneous matters in the palace from now on."
Aunt Minfang knew that the Fifth Princess was trying to make it up to her in a roundabout way. She couldn't help but feel grateful. She took the jade bracelet and thanked the princess, then seriously taught Wei Dongling how to embroider, guiding her hand - in - hand.
While learning to embroider, Wei Dongling chatted with her about daily matters. Pretending to sigh casually, she said, "Poor Qiaoyue must have been bewitched by a villain to do such a thing. I wonder if her parents are still alive. If they knew that their daughter has died like this, how heart - broken they would be!" Aunt Minfang had personally selected two maids to serve in Yaoguang Pavilion. She must know them well.
Aunt Minfang had served beside the Empress Dowager for many years. How could she not hear the probing in Wei Dongling's words? She quickly replied, "Speaking of which, I brought Qiaoyue here because she was quick - witted and honest. She was from the same hometown as Su'e, the personal maid of the Empress Dowager. Su'e and I have been friends for many years. When we heard that the Fifth Princess was going to return to the palace, Qiaoyue asked Su'e to come to me. She voluntarily said that she wanted to serve Your Highness under my care. That's why I..."
Wei Dongling calmly asked, "So, this maid named Su'e should be quite familiar with Qiaoyue. Does she know if there are any other family members of Qiaoyue?"
Aunt Minfang replied, "It is said that her parents died early, and she had no other siblings."
"I see," Wei Dongling thought to herself. If Qiaoyue wasn't caught by someone with a handle, why would she take such a risk? And she insisted that she was instructed by Murong Yunxi. She would rather be beaten to death than reveal who the mastermind was.
She had no family ties at all. What on earth made her willing to die?
Wei Dongling was very puzzled. She asked again, "Aunt Minfang, do you know why Qiaoyue left the Dream Bamboo Palace of the Seventh Princess half a year ago and then went to serve my imperial grandmother?"
Aunt Minfang whispered, "I heard her tell Su'e privately that the Seventh Princess had a bad temper and had punished her many times. She had harbored a grudge for a long time. So she bribed the eunuch in charge of the Internal Affairs Office with silver and was transferred to the backyard of Cining Palace to do the cleaning."
So that was the case.
While holding the embroidery needle, Wei Dongling accidentally pricked her finger. She let out a painful scream and was almost on the verge of crying.
Aunt Minfang quickly grabbed her finger and put it into her own mouth to stop the bleeding and disinfect it with saliva. Then, as if realizing that this was inappropriate, she quickly put down the princess's delicate hand and hurriedly went to find some ointment to apply.
Looking at Aunt Minfang's flustered expression while applying the medicine, Wei Dongling looked up and smiled, saying, "I will seek justice for Qiaoyue."
Aunt Minfang was stunned when she heard this. Before she even had time to bandage the finger, she saw the Fifth Princess rushing out in a hurry with Cheng Hao. Aunt Minfang quickly followed them with the two maids, trotting all the way.
In the Dream Bamboo Palace, the Seventh Princess Murong Yunxi was furious and venting her anger. The ten heavy bamboo - board punishments she received yesterday had left her buttocks so sore that she couldn't even sit on a chair today.
All the fine porcelain from the official kilns in the room, including cups, bowls, dishes, and vases, were smashed into pieces by her. The porcelain fragments were piled up layer upon layer in front of her boudoir door.
When she heard the maid report that the Fifth Princess Murong Wanlin was asking for an audience, Murong Yunxi angrily threw a round stool at the door frame. The stool knocked a chunk out of the door frame and rolled away. Murong Yunxi stared at the stool on the ground and roared, "I won't see anyone! Who does she think she is? Get her out of here!"
All these words fell into the ears of the people at the door. Aunt Minfang and the two maids' faces immediately darkened.
Wei Dongling didn't care at all. She stepped forward with a smile and said loudly, "In this vast imperial palace, there's no place I can't go if I want to! Does your opposition matter?"
Murong Yunxi was so angry that her whole body trembled. She stamped her feet at the door and cursed, "Murong Wanlin! You country bumpkin! How dare you act recklessly in my palace?" As she spoke, she threw a flower pot. With a clang, it broke into several pieces on the ground. The delicate orchid in the pot rolled away with the soil.
All the maids were so frightened that they quickly knelt down. Aunt Minfang and the two maids were also terrified, their faces turning pale.
Wei Dongling waved to Cheng Hao, indicating that they didn't need to follow. She swaggered into the room, stepping on the fragments.
Seeing her coming towards her quickly, stepping on the porcelain fragments in just a few steps, Murong Yunxi was momentarily stunned. Then she roared in anger, "How dare you be so rude! Do you think I won't complain to Father Emperor about you?"
Wei Dongling lowered her voice and waved her hand, saying, "Do you want to be wrongly accused forever? Don't you want to find out the truth?"
Murong Yunxi was stunned for a moment and whispered back, "How do you know I'm innocent?"
Wei Dongling ignored her and waved to the maids kneeling outside the door, saying, "What are you all kneeling for? Why don't you go and clean up the mess on the ground? It almost pierced the sole of my shoe!"
Aunt Minfang and the others were dumbfounded. They couldn't believe that the Fifth Princess's words could calm down the furious Seventh Princess.
The maids kneeling on the ground in the Dream Bamboo Palace heard Wei Dongling's order and quickly looked up at their Seventh Princess. Seeing Murong Yunxi glaring at Wei Dongling without saying a word, they didn't dare to move. It wasn't until Wei Dongling closed the door that they quickly got up to clean up the mess.
Wei Dongling wasn't polite at all. She directly sat on a master's chair and casually crossed her legs.
Murong Yunxi looked her up and down with a dark face and said unhappily, "I'm asking you a question! How do you know I was framed?"
Wei Dongling sneered and said, "Although you're a bit willful, unreasonable, and arrogant, you're not a bad person at heart and wouldn't want to kill someone."
Hearing this, Murong Yunxi's face showed a variety of expressions. First, it turned ashen, then flushed red, as if she had been slapped in the face. She glanced at Wei Dongling and coldly said, "Humph! How do you know?"
Wei Dongling smiled and said, "The first time we met was in the prince's mansion. We had a little misunderstanding then, but it didn't damage our relationship. The second time we met was in the palace. You clearly had the opportunity to kill me, but you didn't. You just had me driven out of the palace. This shows that you're not really a bad person at heart."