"Your Highness, as long as the green mountains remain, there'll always be firewood. You're still young!" Yi Qing said with a half - smile.
"No, no. I don't want the Emperor's concern," Xue Ci refused. "I just had a bit of an upset stomach. I'm much better now."
"A Ci, don't be afraid of seeking medical advice. You should trust Yi Qing. She even saved Xiao Tian's life when he was on the verge of death last time," the Emperor coaxed Xue Ci patiently.
"Your Majesty, I'm really fine," Xue Ci said, biting her lips. "I told you just now that the Queen merely gave me a gentle push. It was not intentional, and it wasn't even hard."
So there was such a thing!
Yi Qing sneered. Xue Ci's tricks were so clumsy, but unfortunately, the Emperor was blinded by love.
"Your Majesty, please let the Queen rise. She has a noble status. It's unreasonable for you to punish her for me, and it'll also bring bad luck to our child. Come to think of it, the child in my womb is also the Queen's child!"
Tsk, tsk. Playing the victim and stepping on the Queen so sincerely. If the stupid Emperor didn't fall for it, she'd write her name backwards.
Yi Qing raised her eyebrows and looked at Xiao Tian, only to find the latter frowning with a cold and solemn look in his eyes.
"As long as you're well, I've promised you that you'll surely become the Queen," the Emperor said.
Yi Qing couldn't help but roll her eyes.
The Emperor was still relying on the Xie family. How could he say such words without feeling ashamed?
Did good kidneys mean everything was okay?
Xiao Tian said unpleasantly, "Your Majesty, since Her Highness is fine, we'll take our leave first. Please be cautious about the Queen. Regardless of the Xie family, in my opinion, the Queen has never done anything wrong to you."
Yi Qing couldn't help but think that this fool was just adding fuel to the fire by saying such things now.
His sweetheart was so weak that she and the baby were almost in danger. If the Emperor endured this, would he still feel like a man?
Sure enough, the Emperor flared up in anger. "I'll depose her right now. I'll issue the edict to depose her today! Let's see if the Xie family dares to do anything!"
"The Xie family will accept the edict and then, together with the scholars across the country, condemn you as a tyrant," Xiao Tian said coolly.
Although Yi Qing thought he was a bit stupid for being so straightforward, she still felt that his words were really satisfying.
The Emperor was so enraged by the danger of losing his beloved that he shouted, "I'll depose her today no matter what! If necessary, I won't be the Emperor anymore!"
Yi Qing scoffed. If he wasn't the Emperor, the woman in his arms was eager to be the Queen.
It seemed that she didn't care who was the Emperor.
Yi Qing thought she should still help Xiao Tian, so she spoke up.
Looking at Xue Ci, she said, "Your Highness the Imperial Concubine, you'd better persuade the Emperor to consider the overall situation. If there's a commotion, people won't blame the Emperor but will only say that you're a femme fatale. Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty was fine, but it was Concubine Yang who died tragically under the horses' hooves!"
"Rubbish!" The Emperor swore at Yi Qing. "Xiao Tian, control your woman."
"She's right," Xiao Tian stood in front of Yi Qing, shielding her with his body. "Regardless of whether the child in the Imperial Concubine's womb can be saved, if the Emperor punishes the Queen before the truth is revealed, this matter has already lost its grace. I'd like to ask the Emperor, so far, apart from the Imperial Concubine's one - sided story, is there any other witness or evidence?"
"You doubt A Ci? It's okay if others say so, but you..." The Emperor was so angry that his face turned purple.
"Your Majesty, my belief doesn't matter. What matters is convincing the world," Xiao Tian said coldly. "Deposing the Queen is not only a family matter of the Emperor but also a national affair. I advise the Emperor not to mention these two words casually."
"The Emperor thinks the Queen has done something wrong to you, but I dare say that if it weren't for the Queen holding things together, the Xie family would have been out of control long ago. What's the use of a Queen who can't give birth to a prince? Do they support the Emperor just to make wedding clothes for others?"
Yi Qing couldn't help but give Xiao Tian a mental thumbs - up.
"Your Majesty," she echoed her husband, "I've also heard a saying, 'To evaluate a person, we should not only listen to what she says but also see what she does'. You think the Queen is vicious, but over the years, you, Her Highness the Imperial Concubine, and the eldest prince have all been fine, haven't you?"
Seeing that the Emperor was about to retort, she quickly said, "You see, a person like me is truly vicious. If my man took advantage of my family and wanted to elevate his concubine and degrade his wife, I wouldn't do anything but directly give him a dose of poison and let everyone die together. That's what I call vicious. What's the use of just making a fuss every day?"
Xue Ci finally confirmed Yi Qing's hostility towards her. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Yi Qing and said, "Madam Yi, what have I done wrong to you that you want to stab me in the back at this moment?"
Oh, she's using "this palace". How scary!
Yi Qing stepped out from behind Xiao Tian, reached out to adjust her hairpin, and said slowly, "I finally understand how exaggerated Her Highness the Imperial Concubine can be. If this is considered stabbing you in the back, you're too fragile. I was just self - deprecating. Why do you take it so seriously? You should know that I even wanted to save you just now!"
She was fed up with Xiao Tian's hesitation and Xue Ci's hypocrisy.
She was in a good mood today, so she'd help them sort out this old mess.
Judging from the situation today, it seemed that Xue Ci didn't want to let her go either and wanted to involve her in this.
That was good. Let her know that there were some people she couldn't touch!
Xiao Tian seemed to have realized her attitude and reached out to pull her. "Don't be naughty."
Now that the Imperial Concubine was pregnant, it wasn't a good time to expose her.
The Emperor scolded Xiao Tian, "Take her away. She's so sarcastic. I'll settle the score with her later. A Ci, don't mind her. She's like this to everyone, not just targeting you."
"Your Majesty," Yi Qing didn't back down. "You summoned me to examine Her Highness the Imperial Concubine, but before I even started, she's already well. Don't you think this is too strange?"
"Yi Qing, stop sowing discord," the Emperor said. "I'm the Emperor, and the woman in my arms is the Imperial Concubine! If you dare to offend your superiors, I'll never forgive you lightly!"
"Your Majesty, I have a death - exemption gold medal," Yi Qing said.
"You! What on earth do you want to do today?"
"I was originally enjoying my meal and humming a tune at home. But the Emperor insisted on summoning me to the palace. When Her Highness the Imperial Concubine was unwell, I also did my best to diagnose and treat her. But when I heard that the Emperor was targeting the Queen, I just had to stand up for justice."
She looked at Xue Ci. "May I ask the Emperor, which imperial physician examined Her Highness the Imperial Concubine's pulse? I'd like to confront him and ask him where he saw that the Imperial Concubine's baby was in danger!"
Xue Ci's face instantly turned pale.
"Others may not know my medical skills, but the Emperor has seen them with his own eyes. The Emperor wouldn't hide anything from Her Highness, right? So Her Highness knows that I'm highly skilled in medicine but still insisted on summoning me to the palace. The implication is clear to Her Highness."
If this wasn't a scheme against her, she'd cut off her own head.