TICIEC Chapter 86.2

Helian Qi’s eyes turned slightly cold.

The concubines looked at each other in bewilderment, and the restless thoughts of several Zhaoyis were extinguished by this one sentence.

Who would be more suitable than Empress Dowager Xue to take care of the Eldest Princess, rather than selecting a concubine to take care of her?

“Your Majesty, I failed to take good care of the Eldest Princess today. I leave everything to Your Majesty’s discretion.” Zhuang Fei suddenly looked at Helian Qi and said in a deep voice.

“But please allow me to continue taking care of the Eldest Princess. I will be more careful in the future!”

Shu Fei was taken aback. Didn’t you dislike the Eldest Princess? Now you’re suddenly so shrewd?

Helian Qi’s gaze fell on Zhuang Fei’s face. Their eyes met.

He said gently, “Zhuang Fei has taken care of the Eldest Princess for three years with utmost diligence and responsibility. Today’s mistake cannot be entirely blamed on her. Zhuang Fei is to be fined one year’s salary as a warning.”

Helian Qi brushed it off with a single sentence.

Then he turned to Shu Fei and said, “The imperial physician will accompany Shu Fei back to her palace and take good care of her. Wang Degui bestowed upon Shu Fei a century-old ginseng root.”

“Yes.” Wang Degui accepted the order.

“You may all leave.” Helian Qi then looked at the concubines.

The concubines accepted the order and said, “These concubines take their leave.”

Shu Fei was unwilling, but the Emperor had already ‘punished’ Zhuang Fei and ‘comforted’ her, so there was no point in continuing to pester him.

Shu Fei showed no displeasure and said softly, “Your Majesty, this concubine thanks you for your concern.”

Ning Wanyin left Linlang Palace with the other concubines.

Just outside the palace gates, Wei Yingya’s legs went weak, and she leaned against the palace maid.

“I was so scared… I thought I was going to die…”

As she spoke, she looked at Ning Wanyin with great excitement, saying, “Thank you so much, Ning Jieyu, for saving my life!”

“You’re welcome.” Ning Wanyin replied.

She pondered to herself: the fact that the other party dared to attack the Eldest Princess must mean that they were unaware that the female physician had gone to check it…

There was no deliberate attempt to cover it up; anyone who investigated carefully would have found out.

The other party must have acted on a whim without much preparation.

Her hasty and reckless actions, coupled with her overconfidence, were unlike those of Shu Fei.

She had some other suspects in mind.

However, the clues had run dry, and suspicion without evidence was ultimately just suspicion.

…

Inside the Linlang Palace—

The concubines dispersed, and the imperial physician led the Eldest Princess to her palace.

Inside the main hall, only the Emperor and Zhuang Fei stood facing each other.

“Zhuang Fei, you’ve had a tough time all these years.” Helian Qi said, looking at Zhuang Fei.

Why did Zhuang Fei keep the child even though she clearly disliked the Eldest Princess?

Three years ago, when Helian Qi ascended the throne and intended to give the child to her to raise, Zhuang Fei was the first person to suggest giving the child to Empress Dowager Xue.

“She is Xue Shi’s daughter, so she and Empress Dowager Xue are family. Why hand her over to an outsider like me?” Zhuang Fei refused with dissatisfaction.

Helian Qi looked at her and said, “Because I don’t trust the Xue family, nor do I trust anyone else in this palace. Only by entrusting her to you can I feel at ease.”

All of Zhuang Fei’s displeasure was suppressed because of this one sentence: “I feel at ease.”

He could entrust his daughter to her with peace of mind, trusting that she would not take advantage of or harm the Eldest Princess.

This trust, which belonged exclusively to her, made her willing to do anything.

Over the years, the irreconcilable conflict between the Emperor and the Xue family has been obvious even to a fool.

Although she wasn’t particularly clever, she could see that if the Eldest Princess were raised under Empress Dowager Xue’s care, she would become the next Xue family daughter, someone who would stand against the Emperor for the sake of the Xue family’s interests.

She raised this daughter for the Emperor’s sake.

But now, she had a second reason.

She didn’t want the Eldest Princess to end up like that.

“Your Majesty still allows me to raise the Eldest Princess. I should thank Your Majesty for still trusting me.” Zhuang Fei’s words were barbed.

Helian Qi looked at her quietly for a moment, then turned around and said, “I’ll go see the Eldest Princess.”

 

 

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