The palace maid spoke coldly, "Changzai, after cooperating with the master for so long, do you really think you can extricate yourself so easily?"
Zhou Changzai’s gaze was icy, her smile gentle, "If it cos to harming her, forgive , I cannot cooperate. Qing Ya, you are a smart person. Today His Majesty pardoned the harem; there’s no way it’s unrelated to the previous incident. Otherwise, you would not have co to . You have seen how closely His Majesty watches her; to harm her now would be akin to seeking one’s own death."
Qing Ya’s face was expressionless, her cold eyes staring straight at Zhou Changzai, "I rely intend to inform her of the truth, why speak of harming her? If it weren’t for His Majesty’s imnse favor towards her, I wouldn’t need to resort to this strategy. Changzai, your hatred for her is no less than that of the master. Don’t forget, the death of your dear friend is inextricably linked to her—she died for you. Have you forgotten that?"
Finally, Zhou Changzai’s expression changed, and a sinister light flashed in her eyes; only by pinching her flesh hard in her sleeve did she manage to maintain her composure.
She slowed her hurried breathing, a slight smile forming on her lips as she maintained her outwardly gentle expression, her tone heavy with irony, "Such a crude plan, and it’s considered strategic? Qing Ya, this urgency is unlike you. Let guess what has thrown you off balance? Could it be... your frail master’s days are numbered? It truly is a pity. The once illustrious Dual Beauties of the Capital... to et such a bleak end..."
"Zhou Yijun, watch your words!" Killing intent surged from Qing Ya as she uttered each word with deliberation, and after speaking, she ironically laughed, "Heh, I actually forgot that Zhou Changzai no longer goes by that na. You should be called Zhou Xiangrong."
That comnt hit yet another sore spot for Zhou Changzai. Zhou Xiangrong wasn’t her real na; it was the domineering na Noble Consort Xue had given her when she first entered the palace—not her own.
Her real na was Zhou Yijun, but because the character "Jun" in her na overlapped with that in Noble Consort Xue’s na, by the second day of her arrival at the palace, she received a decree from Huaqing Palace stating that since the Noble Consort saw her as lovely as a flower, she bestowed upon her the na Xiangrong, and from that day forward, her na beca that of a stranger.
Clouds dream of clothes, flowers dream of beauty. Xiangrong, Xiangrong... What ’as lovely as a flower’—later she realized it was but a mockery, and yet she had to bear this humiliation and be grateful to the Noble Consort.
Zhou Changzai flicked her sleeve, her voice cold as ice, "Instead of wasting ti on small talk, you should be thinking of how to prolong your master’s life." With that, she turned to leave.
Qing Ya’s gaze was cold and determined, her hands tightly clenched into fists. She lowered her head, her attitude slightly more humble, "I spoke out of turn, I hope Changzai will not take offense. But now is an excellent opportunity; after today, it will not be so easy to act. Would you really pass up such a chance?"
Zhou Changzai stopped in her tracks, lips curved in mocking amusent, her voice laden with jest, "Oh? An excellent opportunity? You’re not trying to make a scapegoat, are you?"
Qing Ya’s expression faltered but disregarded the mockery in her tone and spoke calmly, "Changzai is so clever, I don’t have the capacity to sche against you. But please hold on for a mont and hear out. If after listening, you still wish to leave, I will not hold you back." If her earlier plan hadn’t fallen through, she wouldn’t have sought out Zhou Changzai.
Zhou Changzai remained noncommittal, her deanor unfazed throughout, even sparing the effort to smile and nod at those passing by.
Seeing this, Qing Ya stepped closer and began to speak in a lower voice, analyzing the situation.
Today, the Longevity Palace was abuzz with activity. Taking advantage of the clamor before all the palace maids were let out, as well as the reluctance of the concubines who would soon leave the palace, it was the perfect mont to "fish in troubled waters." Once these people left, the palace would beco much quieter, making it glaringly obvious who had acted.
Moreover, Beauty Lian wouldn’t always co out. If she stayed cooped up in Canglan Court like before, there would be no opportunity at all.
The most important thing was that after Beauty Lian’s brush with disaster, which nearly cost the Imperial Heir his life, only a few servants in the harem were punished. How could that be enough? How could Beauty Lian be content or feel safe?
Qing Ya understood this discontent all too well, having experienced it firsthand. After the Noble Consort had miscarried her child, she pretended to be weak and pitiable, weeping every day to gain sympathy. She moved the Forr Empress Dowager to punish many on her behalf by bypassing His Majesty’s authority.
One might have thought that was the end of it, but in the blink of an eye, that wretched woman poisoned her master, turning her into sothing neither human nor ghostly, and she didn’t stop there. After she rose to power, she eliminated one by one the Late Emperor’s concubines who had been suspected. She even committed heinous cris while His Majesty was preoccupied with the forr court. She had a Buddha’s mouth and a snake’s heart, extrely vicious.
Now that Beauty Lian had nearly miscarried, with the true mastermind behind it unpunished, there must be both doubt and resentnt in people’s hearts. Even if she were willing to accept it, how could she possibly feel safe? What if the mastermind struck again? One can fend off an attack once, but not every ti!
She had heard that Beauty Lian’s encounter had been extrely dangerous; she almost didn’t survive a hemorrhage. Such deep enmity couldn’t just be let go.
All she needed to do was give a slight nudge, puncture that spot, and provide Beauty Lian a channel for venting her hatred, making people believe the Noble Consort was the person behind the scenes. Next, it would be like what Xue Wanjun had done before, better to kill by mistake than to let off by oversight.
Moreover, Beauty Lian’s family had been destroyed, and she and the Noble Consort were inherently at odds. Now it seed that Beauty Lian was unaware of this matter. If she found out, especially with the affair concerning the Imperial Heir, she would certainly fight the Noble Consort to the death...
"Attendant, we will never have such a good opportunity again," Qing Ya said, her head lowered. Though the plan was rushed, they hadn’t really done anything except give a truthful account and lead the situation slightly. As for what Beauty Lian would think, that was no longer their concern. She was quite certain that everything would proceed in her intended direction.
Changzai Zhou understood her words and couldn’t help but smile slowly, "What a cunning strategy of killing with a borrowed knife, Qing Ya. Sotis I can’t help but admire your deep understanding of human nature and ticulous thoughts. You’ve devised such a ’foolproof’ thod that is clean and indirect in such a short ti."
Maybe soone else could have pulled it off, but not Beauty Lian!
If she hadn’t seen Beauty Lian today, she might have believed Qing Ya’s deceptive words, but now she was certain that Beauty Lian was the Emperor’s untouchable line. To plot against her and still expect to get away scot-free under the Emperor’s nose? Impossible!
She lowered her head and leaned in, gently brushing off dead leaves from Qing Ya’s shoulder. To outsiders, she seed like a master who cared for her servant.
She spoke in a soft tone, "However, you have never even seen her. On what basis do you presu that she will act as you expect? Have you ever considered that she is nothing like the Noble Consort or your own mistress?"
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