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  Ming Xuan had once experienced a wardrobe scandal in the Jian'an Bo Mansion. If it weren't for Ninth Sister Ming Wei having ulterior motives towards the Marquis of Jian'an, she would have used the trick of "Li Daitaoji" to frame both Madame Hou and the previous Madame of Jian'an together. She herself might have already fallen into Madame Hou's trap by now and become the second wife of the Marquis of Jian'an, not that the Marquis was a bad person, but she simply detested this kind of framing trick.

  So as soon as she heard the four words "change clothes in a side room", her heart was filled with 120,000 units of vigilance, but immediately afterwards, she couldn't help but secretly laugh at herself for being like a startled bird, and being overly cautious.

  Empress Pei has no reason to plot anything in the side hall, her current position is precarious, and the backers who supported her have all collapsed. Pei Jingchen is now the only one she can rely on, although Pei Jingchen and Ming Xuan seem very distant and cold to her, but after all, they have an inseparable blood relationship that no one can deny. If Empress Pei is now adrift in a sea of trouble, and Pei Jingchen and Ming Xuan are her only lifeline, this straw to cling to, she cannot easily give up.

  Moreover, this is Kun Ning Palace.

  The side halls of the Kun Ning Palace, except for the emperor, no other man can set foot. The current emperor is a wise and astute person, Ming Xuan's brother Gu Yuan Jing is his trusted right-hand man, and Pei Jing Chen is someone he has been actively trying to win over recently. In this situation, it's not that he doesn't have any thoughts about Ming Xuan, but even if he did, it would be absolutely impossible for him to make any improper moves at this time. Moreover, Ming Xuan is a pregnant married woman, if the emperor were to have any indecent rumors with her, it would not be a beautiful thing, but a thorough and utter imperial scandal.

  A man with great ambition, who can sacrifice his wife for the sake of the empire, is on the road to reviving the Zhou Dynasty. He has vowed to become a wise and just ruler, and it is absolutely impossible for him to allow himself to suffer irreparable damage to his reputation before he achieves his goal.

  So there won't be any melodramatic plot twists like being caught changing clothes or anything like that.

  Thinking of this, Ming Xuan put down the heart that had been raised a little earlier, and suddenly thought of the strange scene in front of Kun Ning Palace just now. In an instant, she turned her mind over and over again, and already had some conjectures in her heart. She thanked Empress Pei, whispered two sentences to Huang Yi, and followed the female official to the side hall.

  The female official took a piece of brocade outerwear with a color similar to Ming Xuan's and placed it on the table, saying "Princess Anping, please" before retreating to the door.

  Ming Xuan had already tucked her sleeves in early, knowing that only the outer layer of her cotton robe was wet. In this cold winter, she wore three layers inside and out, so even if she took off her outerwear, there were still many clothes underneath, and she wasn't afraid of making a mistake. She calmly changed her clothes and then slowly tidied up her hair in front of the copper mirror, her movements natural and slow, with an air of ease and composure.

  She is waiting.

  As expected, before long, the palace gate creaked open and a tall palace maid came in. She was the same one who had been protecting Yuehe at the entrance of Kun Ning Palace earlier. With a thud, she knelt down on the ground and said in a low voice, "I am Xingyi, a palace maid who has served by the side of Yuanfei, the princess consort of Yonghe Palace. I have met Princess Anping before. I came to see you, Your Highness, because there are many things I want to tell you!"

  Ming Xuan's eyes moved slightly as she gazed at the stars, remaining silent for a long time before finally asking, "If I were to say that you are my sister's personal maid, do you have any proof?"

  This is the Kunning Palace, even if the Empress Dowager is no longer in favor, but the defense here is still strict. Every ten steps there is a guard, and every five steps there is a palace maid. If someone hadn't deliberately let them through, it would be impossible for the palace people from Yonghe Palace to sneak into Kunning Palace, not to mention sneaking into the side hall without being blocked in any way, and having a face-to-face conversation with herself like this.

  This matter was too strange, forcing her to summon up the spirit to cope with it.

  Xing Yi hurriedly handed over a bangle from her bosom, saying in a low voice, "This is the dowry of Concubine Yuan, she gave it to me before her death. The concubine said that this bangle was originally a pair, one with her and the other given to her sister, Miss Gu Qi. If I have the chance to meet Miss Gu Qi in the future, I will take out this bangle, and Miss Gu Qi will believe my words."

  Tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes, "If the princess doesn't believe me, then she should believe Yuehe. Her former name was Yueke, and she was a maid brought out by the Empress Dowager from the Gu family's Yongning Hou Mansion. Yunfen in Lixiangyuan is her cousin. Yuehe is a biological child of the Gu family, the princess must have seen her before!"

  Among the maids who followed Li Xiangyuan to accompany Gu Mingrui to the Ninth Prince's Mansion, there was indeed one named Yuè Kē. According to Yán Māmā, because the birth mother of the Ninth Prince had a taboo character "Kē" in her name, Yuè Kē changed her name and was originally renamed Yuè Hé.

  Ming Xuan took the bangle and thought of the one in her dressing box when she first arrived, which was similar to this one. She had never worn it because the style didn't suit her taste, so she had left it at the bottom of the box. Now she realized that these two bangles were a pair. Not many people knew about these two things, and they corroborated each other. This palace maid who was called Xing Shi must be from Yonghe Palace.

  "She sighed softly and said, 'What is it you want to say to me?'"

  Xingyi finally believed her, and the corners of her eyes became even more moist. She sobbed twice and said, "The death of Concubine Yuan was unjust, and over the years, we slaves have always wanted to send out messages to let your family know the truth, but it's been impossible. This palace is like a copper wall and iron fortress, and we are powerless and penniless, unable to get any news out. Luckily, I met you today, and no matter what, I must tell you about this!"

  She wiped away her tears, with a hint of anger in her eyes. "I know that outside they say the princess died from absolute fasting, but it's not true! The three houses of Yongning Houfu encountered a change, and the princess was worried every day, which affected her body and made her feel unwell. She didn't eat or drink much, these are all true."

  However, even so, the princess would not commit suicide because at that time, the imperial physician had already diagnosed that the princess was pregnant. As a mother-to-be, she was strong and had been longing for the child in her womb for many years before finally becoming pregnant, how could she possibly take her own life?

  Yu Fei was one corpse with two lives...

  This news was too shocking, causing Ming Xuan's calm face to suddenly become turbulent. She lost her composure and self-control for a moment, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is the Empress pregnant? Does the Emperor know about this? Tell me everything that happened that day, don't leave out a single word."

  The empress, with this encouragement, was no longer as flustered as she had been earlier. She thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty was originally supposed to be the mistress of the central palace, but later yielded to Empress Pei and was only granted the title of pin. Her position wasn't even higher than that of Concubine Hui, although she is gentle by nature, she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss in her heart. Moreover, with the troubles in the three branches of the Gu family of Yongning Hou Fu, the third master was arrested, the third madam was weak with illness, and Your Highness... The empress had been worried and depressed every day, and at first, she was indeed somewhat desperate. However, since the emperor came to Yonghe Palace frequently, perhaps he promised that the third master would be safe, so the empress became more cheerful day by day."

  She recalled calmly, "But one day, Concubine Hui rushed in to report that the Third Madam had passed away. On the same day, the Third Master hanged himself, and the only son of the Third House was demoted and sent to the northwest. The Empress was anxious and fearful, so she immediately wanted to request an audience with the Emperor. However, the guards at the Huangji Palace were strict, and the eunuch who delivered the message said that the Emperor did not want to see her. The Empress did not believe it and wanted to force her way in, but was later escorted back to the Yonghe Palace by the guards. After that, the Yonghe Palace was surrounded, with no one allowed to go out or come in."

  Ming Xuan's eyes flickered slightly, Hui Fei...

  "She said in a calm voice, 'Continue speaking.'"

  Xing nodded "Yonghe Palace was besieged for seven days, the first few days, the queen really wanted to use fasting to force the emperor to come and see her, but parents just mysteriously disappeared, she always wanted the emperor to personally tell her that it wasn't him who did it. But after starving for two days, the queen fainted, we were at a loss, so we used money to bribe the guards to pass on a message to Concubine Hui, asking her to think of a way to bring in an imperial physician to take the queen's pulse."

  Ordinary guards refer to the imperial physicians who were not on duty at the Taiyi Hospital. At that time, Gu Mingrong and Empress Hui had the best relationship, both of whom came from the Ninth Prince's mansion. Since people in Yonghe Palace couldn't see the emperor at this time, they thought of seeking help from Empress Hui.

  She paused, then continued, "The imperial physician diagnosed that the princess was pregnant, and she listened to the advice of the palace maids and began to eat. Although she resented the emperor's heartlessness, she felt full of hope and tenderness towards the child in her womb. Moreover, thinking that the emperor had no children, if she could give birth to a child, the emperor would certainly be delighted. At that time, for the sake of the child, he would definitely want to seek justice for the Gu family."

  "Ming Xuan's voice trembled as she asked, 'If so, then how could sister...'"

  For four years, there have been rumors that Consort Yu died from starvation. But if she didn't starve to death, then how did she really die? The Emperor showed such remorse after her death, it's said that on the 15th of every month when the moon is full, he would leave Empress Wang and spend a night at Yonghe Palace to mourn her spirit. If so, why not investigate who was behind Consort Yu's death?

  Since the imperial physician has already confirmed that the Crown Princess is pregnant, why does the Emperor, who values his descendants so much, still have Yonghe Palace surrounded and not even show his face once?

  The star moved to her face, revealing a sorrowful expression. "The princess had been overthinking and worrying earlier, although she was pregnant, this fetus was not stable, and from time to time, there were some bleeding. The imperial physician also said that this fetus needed to be taken care of at all times, otherwise, it could miscarry at any moment. The princess drank medicine every day and was very careful, but her body became weaker by the day, and she eventually couldn't eat anymore. After two more days... nobody knows who started the rumor first, but it was said that the princess died from excessive worry and fasting, and this false news spread throughout the land."

  She indignantly said, "After the empress passed away, the emperor would come to Yonghe Palace every month to pay his respects. One time, Yue'er mustered up the courage to tell the emperor everything, but he said that he had never given an order to confine Yonghe Palace and had never heard any news about the crown princess being pregnant. He even summoned the imperial physician who had taken the empress's pulse to question him, but the physician distorted the truth and didn't mention a word about the empress being pregnant, only saying that she was probably hallucinating due to starvation. How ridiculous! The physician said that the empress being pregnant was just an illusion!"

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