Chapter 1378 The Queen’s Lecture!

Zhao Yuan nodded slightly and pondered for a moment before asking again:

"Captain Yang, who do you think this heartless bastard Ziyun is talking about?"

Yang Tao shook his head and said:

"I was about to hand the list over to Prefect Liu when Wang Shujie came to me. He told me that if I handed the list over to Liu Ning, I would be retaliated against. He asked me to hand the list over to him. He promised me that as long as I gave him the list and covered up the truth from Prefect Liu, the safety of me and my family would be guaranteed!"

"Because of my trust in Wang Shujie, I did what he arranged. That bastard gambler did have a crush on Ziyun and had stolen some of her underwear before. He was in debt at the gambling house and couldn't pay it back. He would only hurt himself and others if he continued to live in this world, so I put the blame on him!"

Listening to what Yang Tao said, Zhao Yuan nodded slightly and said:

"Captain Yang, I believe what you said!"

Yang Tao felt relieved when he heard this, but just as he was about to say something, Zhao Yuan changed the subject and said:
"But I think with your personality, Captain Yang, even if Wang Shujie is your good friend, you won't believe his words so easily."

As soon as these words came out, Yang Tao's heart changed slightly, and at this time Zhao Yuan said to himself:
"I guess a smart man like you, Captain Yang, should have guessed who ordered Wang Shujie to come to you, so you were willing to hand over the things without telling Prefect Liu!"

After saying this, Zhao Yuan looked at Yang Tao with a half-smile. Yang Tao fell silent after hearing what was said. Seeing this, Zhao Yuan continued to persuade him:

“Captain Yang, you have to help me, then I can help you! What’s more, Wang Shujie has been forced to commit suicide, and their next target is you. They want to kill you, so why bother keeping a secret for them···················"

Yang Tao was also persuaded by Zhao Yuan after hearing this, and he sighed and said:
"After Wang Shujie was wronged in the Ministry of Justice, he also told me that in order to avoid being bullied in the Ministry of Justice, he was trying to get in touch with Gongsun Hao, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice!"

After that, Yang Tao said to Zhao Yuan very sincerely:

"The reason I didn't tell you this is not because I wanted to hide something. At the time, I also thought that it was Gongsun Hao who instructed Wang Shujie to come to me for the list. In addition to Wang Shujie's reasons, nine of the fifteen names on the list are members of the Liaoyang gang, and Gongsun Hao is the boss of the Liaoyang gang!"

"But then I thought about it carefully, and I felt that Gongsun Hao was not a big suspect. Ziyun was able to record this list because she participated in Hu Ming's drinking party, but Gongsun Hao was well-known in the court for not being interested in such gatherings of men and women!"

"Besides, Gongsun Hao is old and in poor health these years. He often takes sick leave from the Ministry of Justice. I think he is powerless even if he wants to!"

Listening to Yang Tao's introduction, Zhao Yuan nodded in agreement and said:
"Captain Yang, you are right. Based on my understanding of Lord Gongsun, this incident is definitely not something he would do!"

Yang Tao continued to analyze after hearing this:
"There is a characteristic on the list recorded by Ziyun, that is, the higher the position and the more powerful the person, the more money he received. And this conscienceless bastard recorded by Ziyun took a total of 30,000 taels of silver from Hu Ming. He is the person who received the most bribes on the list!"

"From this, I believe that this person must be a senior official in the imperial court, and that is why Hu Ming was willing to give him 30,000 taels of silver as a gift!"

"Now that Hu Ming's case has been exposed, all those related to him have been investigated by the court. This person definitely doesn't want to be punished for this, so I'm afraid that this conscienceless bastard mentioned by Ziyun is the mastermind behind Wang Shujie."

"And a woman like Ziyun, calling someone a heartless bastard, I think it's very likely that Ziyun is having an affair with this person!"

"There was a rumor in the Pan Family Theater before that Ziyun was pregnant with someone's child, and she dreamed of becoming a royal consort, but was eventually forced to have an abortion..."

･････････
･････････
August, 15th
In the Tianhua Hall of the Yijing Palace, all the concubines and princes and princesses of the Daqian Palace gathered here, and the voice of a eunuch was heard outside the door.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall bowed and saluted outside the door and said:
"We are here to see Her Majesty the Queen!"

With everyone paying respect, An Miaoyi brought her son Ye Jingren into the hall and sat in the main seat. She glanced around at everyone present and said calmly:
"Everyone, sit down!"

"Thank you, Queen!"

As everyone sat down, An Miaoyi went straight to the point:
"The reason why I called you sisters here today is very simple. That is to inform you of the problems that occurred in the palace before, so that you sisters can learn from the experience and lessons, avoid making similar mistakes in the future, and better assist His Majesty!"

After saying this, An Miaoyi named:

"Princess Bai, please tell me!"

Bai Yuanyuan stood up immediately after hearing this. Seeing this, the eyes of many women and children present were focused on her. Some of these eyes were full of pity, some were gloating, and some even had a sense of pleasure of revenge.

Under the gazes of these people, Bai Yuanyuan was also very ashamed and preached:
"Some time ago, your majesty took Xingtong on a secret visit. Xingtong did not complete the small task assigned by your majesty, and was also arrogant and willful and refused to obey discipline. I am a poor parent!"

“After Your Majesty brought Xingtong back to the palace, I believed the slander and sent people to beat up a worker at Zhuji Cloth Shop…”

By the end, Bai Yuanyuan was crying more and more, and her daughter Xingtong beside her also started crying.

"My Queen, I am guilty! Please punish me!"

After saying this last sentence while crying, Bai Yuanyuan pulled her daughter Xingtong to kneel in front of An Miaoyi. Although everyone present had heard about this incident a few days ago, at this moment, seeing the pitiful appearance of Bai Yuanyuan and her daughter, some people were shocked.

At this time, An Miaoyi said lightly:

"Although you did something wrong, Concubine Bai, fortunately you didn't cause serious consequences. Moreover, His Majesty has already punished you, so I will not punish you again. I hope you can be careful in the future and don't listen to slander, otherwise the court's laws are no joke!"

Hearing what An Miaoyi said, Bai Yuanyuan also pulled her daughter Xing Tong and said:
"Thank you, Queen, for your generosity! Thank you, Queen, for your generosity!"

"You mother and daughter, get up!"

"Thank you, Queen, for the seat!"

Seeing An Miaoyi let Bai Yuanyuan and her daughter off so easily, Shen Yutong in the crowd flashed a hint of disappointment. In recent years, Bai Yuanyuan did not dare to provoke An Miaoyi and Murong Qingwu, who had a more powerful background than her, nor did she dare to provoke Pei Zhixiu, who was the most favored.

However, relying on her father and brother’s wealth and power, Bai Yuanyuan often showed off and mocked other people. She especially looked down on Shen Yutong...

Bai Yuanyuan felt that Shen Yutong was an actress who was lucky enough to climb into the emperor's bed. She usually put on a pitiful and innocent look in the palace. Why was she, Bai Yuanyuan, a royal concubine?

Because of this, Bai Yuanyuan often mocked Shen Yutong, although Shen Yutong was not willing to be outdone. What was there to be proud of for Bai Yuanyuan, who was married for the second time? Although she was an actress, she was still a virgin when she served His Majesty. Who are you?
Although Yin and Yang were no match for Shen Yutong, Bai Yuanyuan still had the upper hand in the confrontation thanks to her father and brother's wealth and power!
This made Shen Yutong so angry that her teeth itched. Therefore, after learning that Bai Yuanyuan was punished by Ye Mingsheng for hiring a killer and had to reflect on her mistakes for three months, Shen Yutong was very happy. She even drank extra wine that night to celebrate!

When Shen Yutong learned that An Miaoyi was going to hold a meeting, she thought that An Miaoyi was going to punish her again, and with the intention of revenge, she came to Tianhuatang to see Bai Yuanyuan make a fool of herself. However, the happier she was when she came, the more disappointed this former Liaoyang celebrity was!

At this time, An Miaoyi raised the board high and then gently put it down, and said to everyone with a deeply touched look:

"Sisters! This time, Concubine Bai is a living example. She believed the rumors and hired assassins to kill people, which led to her punishment by His Majesty. Sisters, let us take this as a warning and learn a lesson from it. Don't believe everything you hear and spread so-called gossip inside and outside the palace!"

An Miaoyi paused here, and then her beautiful eyes looked around at everyone present again, and facing An Miaoyi's gaze, most of the concubines avoided it and did not make eye contact with An Miaoyi, only Murong Qingwu and Pei Zhixiu looked indifferent and did not avoid or give way...

Seeing this, An Miaoyi continued coldly:

"I know that some of you are always looking for trouble in the world. Don't think that others don't know about your little tricks. You must remember that the devil is one foot high and the Tao is ten feet higher!
At this point, An Miaoyi glanced at Murong Qingwu intentionally or unintentionally. The warning was self-evident, but Murong Qingwu remained indifferent to it.

And An Miaoyi continued:

"Before, I couldn't bear to punish you because of our sisterhood, but as the queen, I can't sit idly by and watch the evil tendencies in the palace destroy the unity and order of the palace. So from now on, I will strictly enforce strict requirements and handle all matters in the palace!"

"No matter who is involved, there will be no leniency! I'm telling you this, don't let the punishment get to you and you start crying and begging for mercy!"

Faced with An Miaoyi's series of harsh words, everyone's faces changed. Knowing that An Miaoyi was serious, they all said in unison:

"I know it!"

An Miaoyi nodded slightly upon hearing this, and the harem meeting ended.

Half an incense stick later, in Murong Qingwu's courtyard, Murong Xinyun said to Murong Qingwu with some concern:

“Sister, why do I feel that An Miaoyi is murderous, as if she wants to eat people…”

Hearing Murong Xinyun say this, before Murong Qingwu had time to speak, Ying'er beside her spoke up:
"Madam! Didn't His Majesty say before that women will enter menopause when they are in their thirties or forties? In my opinion, this is An Miaoyi's menopause?"

"I heard that Your Majesty hasn't visited her for a while. A girl like her, the reincarnation of Baosi, must have developed some evil fire in her heart due to the loneliness and intolerance of not getting any care from Your Majesty for such a long time."

As soon as these words came out, Murong Qingwu immediately blamed:

"Who did you learn this from? Why are you speaking so foul language?"

Ying Er immediately bowed her head and admitted her mistake upon hearing this:
"My lady, I was wrong!"

"I will face the wall for an hour!"

"Yes!"

After punishing Ying Er, Murong Qingwu also said to her sister Murong Xinyun:

"This time An Miaoyi's mother is critically ill, and rumors of borrowing her mother's longevity are rampant in the palace. I heard that the queen was scolded by the empress dowager, and there were also censors from the Censorate who impeached her. Fortunately, Jingren is a tough kid and has not been sick during this period, otherwise An Miaoyi would have really fallen into a big trap!"

"Given An Miaoyi's personality, this matter is naturally impossible to let go like this. The slapping of the palace maids and guards a while ago was not enough. But she was in the wrong in this matter after all, so there is no way to speak directly!"

“And now that Bai Yuanyuan’s incident has happened, it gives her room to make use of the issue…”

"Didn't you see that she kept talking about rumors?"

"What are rumors?"

"To An Miaoyi, the rumor that her son Jingren's life was borrowed by her mother is just a rumor!" At the end, Murong Qingwu's face showed disdain and ridicule.

Listening to her sister Murong Qingwu's analysis, Murong Xinyun nodded and said:

"Sister, you understand her!"

Murong Qingwu smiled when she heard this, and then also warned:
"Xinyun, be careful recently and don't break any taboos!"

"You've also seen that An Miaoyi is like a mad dog now. She'll keep staring at us no matter what we do. If anything goes wrong with us sisters, she won't let it go easily!"

Murong Xinyun nodded seriously and said:
"Sister, I understand! I have always been cautious in what I say and do, and I won't cause any trouble!"

After saying this, Murong Xinyun seemed to remember something and asked curiously:

"Sister, I saw that during the meeting just now, the lady sitting on the far left of the first row didn't seem to be very interested in An Miaoyi's ideas, and she seemed a little eccentric. Others attended the meeting in formal attire, but she didn't wear any makeup. She looked very individual in a white dress..."

"Who is she, sister?"