Ye Jingyu: "This king naturally believes the Empress would not do such a thing, but if this matter were to get out, whether others would suspect Your Majesty is something this king cannot control."
Luo Yun'e's expression changed drastically.
Since ancient times, the back palace was a place where a single rumor could drown a person.
Ye Jingyu knew she would handle this properly. "If there's nothing else, this king must return to care for his mother. Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
He flicked his sleeve and left.
Luo Yun'e waited until he was gone, her face gradually filled with panic. "Guards, quickly, guards!"
Granny Qin entered from outside. "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
Luo Yun'e panted heavily, her facial muscles trembling. "Issue an order: from now on, Qin Mingyan is forbidden from entering the palace."
"You personally go to Consort Qin. Tell her everything that happened in the cold palace today and ensure she handles Qin Mingyan's affairs properly!"
"Also, increase security in the cold palace. Consort Liang cannot have another accident!"
Luo Yun'e had never imagined she would one day have to protect Consort Liang's safety, but she had no choice but to do so now.
Prince Yu's reminder this time was to prevent Consort Liang from being thrust into the spotlight again because of this incident.
She herself felt the same way.
If people knew what Qin Mingyan had done today, and that she had been associating closely with her recently, she would undoubtedly be suspected and framed!
At that point, her position as Empress would be unstable!
Granny Qin also knew the gravity of the matter and immediately rushed to Consort Qin's residence.
When Qin Mingyan was sent back with a damaged throat, Consort Qin was still bewildered. Upon hearing Granny Qin's words, she nearly fainted.
She immediately instructed her attendants to send a message to the Qin family, summoning Qin Shu to the palace.
Qin Shu only heard that his daughter was seriously injured and didn't know the specifics, so he rushed over.
Upon entering the palace, Qin Shu saw Consort Qin reclining on a couch, with two palace maids fanning her.
Despite the cold weather, the windows in the hall were all open.
"Consort Qin, you urgently summoned this old minister. Has something happened to your sister?" Qin Shu was anxious to see his daughter and didn't look around.
Qin Shu dismissed the palace servants, closed the hall door, leaving only the father and daughter inside.
Qin Shu sensed something was amiss. "What does Your Majesty wish to discuss with this old minister?"
Was it so important that all the palace servants had to be sent away?
Consort Qin's face was grim and unsightly, her eyes filled with anger, frustration, and urgency. "Father, do you only care about your daughter and not about the hundreds of people in the Qin family?"
Qin Shu's heart skipped a beat, and he was stunned. "What does Your Majesty mean by that? This old minister performs his duties impartially in court and has never committed any wrongdoing."
When he was first promoted to a second-rank official, she had summoned him to the palace to remind him about this matter.
He knew that his official position was not entirely due to his own merit, so he was extremely cautious in his words and actions.
Her questioning him so directly today was truly excessive.
Consort Qin did not beat around the bush. "Father, do you know what your good daughter has done? She actually poisoned Consort Liang!"
Qin Shu blinked in surprise, not immediately understanding. "Consort Liang? Which Consort Liang?"
Consort Qin was annoyed. "How many Consort Liangs are there in this back palace? Of course, it's Prince Yu's mother!"
Qin Shu was immediately shocked. "What? How is that possible!"
Mingyan had indeed mentioned wanting to marry into Prince Yu's mansion in the past few days, and he knew she often entered the palace.
However, each time she entered the palace, it was at the Empress's summons, so he thought nothing of it. Furthermore, if Mingyan wanted to marry into Prince Yu's mansion, her first priority would be to curry favor with Consort Liang.
Since she had the opportunity to enter and leave the cold palace to see Consort Liang, why would she poison her?
"Your Majesty, you know Mingyan's temperament. Although she is sometimes foolish, she is not inherently evil. She would not do such a thing."
Plotting against a concubine was a capital offense, let alone one who was the mother of the highly favored Prince Yu. This was like stirring up a hornet's nest!
Anyone could see how favored Consort Liang was by the Emperor in the past. Now that Prince Yu had regained the Emperor's favor, it was possible that Consort Liang would be brought out of the cold palace at any time.
Once this matter was exposed, the Qin family would be finished!
Consort Qin sneered. "She wouldn't do such a thing? Consort Liang is now bedridden, and the imperial physicians have confirmed she was poisoned."
"After daring to do such a thing, she didn't avoid detection but dared to go and join the commotion, only to run headfirst into Prince Yu and be caught red-handed!"
"Prince Yu, for Consort Liang's sake, has not exposed it for now. But once the reckoning comes, how will you, Father, bear the responsibility!"
Qin Shu gasped, his legs weakening, and he almost fell to the ground. "My wicked daughter, my wicked daughter!"
After months of treading on thin ice in the imperial court, his entire family was now being ruined by the daughter he raised with his own hands!
If he had known this would happen, he should have strangled her to death at birth!
Consort Qin saw his panicked demeanor and was relieved that at least one person in the Qin family was rational. However, she had to lay out the worst-case scenario.
"Father, don't rush. I haven't finished speaking. Do you know why Mingyan poisoned her?"
Qin Shu's heart turned to ash, feeling that disaster was imminent. "Is it still useful to say this now? The poison has already been administered; the reason is no longer important."
Consort Qin said coldly, "Because she was jealous that General Su's daughter was close to Prince Yu, she poisoned the pastries that Su Yunmo brought and slandered her in front of Prince Yu."
Qin Shu collapsed to the ground with a thud, his face instantly draining of color.
After a while, he struggled to stand up, his eyes bloodshot. "Where is Qin Mingyan? Bring that rebellious daughter out to me!"
He would now disown his own daughter for the sake of justice!
Consort Qin called out, "Granny."
Granny Qin entered from outside and bowed. "Please follow this old servant, sir. The second young lady has already been sent to the carriage."
Qin Shu turned and strode outside.
Consort Qin called out a reminder, "Father, be careful. This hurdle will not be easy to overcome."
Putting aside Prince Yu's side, the General's mansion had now been thoroughly offended.
"This father knows. Your Majesty, please rest assured, this father knows what is more important!" Qin Shu flicked his sleeve and left.
Between the hundreds of lives in his household and his own daughter, he knew that when it came down to it, he had to make a choice.
Since Mingyan had sown the seeds of evil herself, she had to bear the consequences.
Qin Shu left the back palace and headed straight for the palace gates.
As he rounded a corner, someone suddenly rushed out from the side, colliding with him.
The fruit in the person's arms scattered on the ground.
Qin Shu was already annoyed, and when he was bumped, he instinctively wanted to lash out. However, the words of anger caught in his throat and were abruptly swallowed.
This was the imperial palace, and one never knew who they might encounter. He couldn't afford to offend anyone.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry." Qin Shu bent down to help pick up the fruit.
"It was my carelessness. Thank you very much, Lord Qin." Ye Ningyuan, holding the fruit, smiled faintly.
Qin Shu felt that the person before him looked familiar. He frowned and thought for a moment, then his face suddenly changed. "Your Highness?"
How lucky, how lucky. It was fortunate he had been rational just now and hadn't yelled at her.