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The Abbot's heart skipped a beat, but his breath remained steady. "She has gone on a journey with an Abbess from our temple..."
Aunt Yu did not miss the fleeting hint of panic that flashed in his eyes as he spoke. She nodded, her tone growing slightly colder. "I understand. What I want to know is when she will return, or rather, will she return at all?"
The Abbot felt a jolt within him, yet his voice remained calm as usual. "She is also a practitioner; for practitioners, the world is their home. This place is not her permanent residence, so there is no question of whether she will return."
Aunt Yu took a deep breath and suddenly chuckled lightly. "Not her permanent residence? Well said. Qingqin, I suppose you have said this to her before, haven't you?"
The Abbot raised his gaze, seemingly confused.
Seeing that the Abbot was still playing dumb, Aunt Yu decided to be straightforward. "Qingqin, Chu Xiruo must have told you everything long ago, right? I guess she will never return..."
The Abbot's heart trembled, but he remained silent.
"Freedom to come and go? You must be referring to Chu Xiruo; Mei Shuang may not enjoy such freedom..." Aunt Yu snorted coldly, casting a stern glance at the Abbot. Her voice grew increasingly severe. "Qingqin, they say practitioners are compassionate; I ask you, where does your compassion manifest? Is Miss Mei Shuang's illness also a result of your compassion?"
Aunt Yu deliberately emphasized the word "compassion." Upon hearing this, the Abbot's form shifted slightly, yet he still kept silent.
This damned woman seemed impossible to deal with unless he completely exposed her true nature.
"You just mentioned 'others'; for you, Chu Xiruo is hardly an 'other,' right?" Aunt Yu's lips curled into a hint of mockery. "Her mother is close to you; her coming to seek refuge with you must not have been a hasty decision. It was merely a coincidence that she encountered Shuang'er on the way. I just want to know whether keeping Mei Shuang here was your idea or Chu Xiruo's."
The Abbot lifted his gaze, his expression calm. "Neither; it was Miss Mei Shuang who had nowhere else to go and chose to stay voluntarily."
"Oh? Is that so? Then making her eat those vegetables daily for her illness is also her choice?" Aunt Yu retorted sharply.
The Abbot's brows suddenly twitched as he clenched his teeth in silence, striving to remain composed. "Amitabha, Miss Mei Shuang has been poisoned and is weak; I am merely helping her."
"Hmph, Qingqin, you are quite astute. Since you have recognized that she was once poisoned, you surely know that such poison cannot be cured by medicine. What sense does it make to feed her those vegetables? While they may seem harmless and beneficial for temporarily boosting Miss Mei Shuang's spirits, prolonged consumption will only exacerbate the toxicity within her body. At that point, even a celestial being would struggle to save her life; no skilled coroner could unravel this mystery either. Qingqin, you truly are thorough in your considerations; well done..."
In the end, Aunt Yu's voice was stern as she gazed at the compassionate face before her, wishing she could slap away the deceptive mask that adorned it.
The shock that flashed across Qingqin's face after being exposed quickly faded, replaced by a smirk. She no longer avoided Aunt Yu's gaze but met it directly, filled with arrogance.
This look was unfamiliar; having grown accustomed to her demure demeanor, Aunt Yu soon realized that Qingqin had no intention of hiding her true self any longer, nor did she need to.
"How did you know, Aunt?" she asked.
"You think you can act without anyone noticing? You don't realize that there are always loyal elders in Cheng En Temple who serve the Empress Dowager..." Aunt Yu scoffed.
At these words, Qingqin lowered her head and gave a self-deprecating smile. "It seems the Empress Dowager is indeed skilled in manipulation. Twenty years ago, I was completely outsmarted by her, and twenty years later, I still find myself at her mercy..."
Aunt Yu met her coldly.
Qingqin raised her head and stated firmly, "You are right, Aunt. It is all me..."
Hearing Qingqin admit it herself shocked Aunt Yu. "Mei Shuang has done you no wrong, yet you harm her so! You are acquainted with her mother, Princess Bilian! Qingqin, what are your true intentions?!"
"Hmph, who says she has no grievances with me?" Qingqin tore off her mask completely and sneered repeatedly. "She is the Empress Dowager's favorite; if I do not treat her 'well,' wouldn't that be a disservice to the Empress Dowager?"
Seeing Qingqin finally reveal her fangs, Aunt Yu took a deep breath. "So that's how it is! Qingqin, you have not changed; you have always resented the Empress Dowager!"
"Exactly right, Aunt Yu. I truly admire your keen insight!" Qingqin said with a proud smile.
"You are so ruthless as to target an innocent girl!" Aunt Yu recalled what the imperial physician had said, her voice trembling with anger.
At this remark, Qingqin's eyes filled with resentment as she spoke hollowly and slowly. "When it comes to ruthlessness, compared to the former Empress Dowager, I am nothing. The destruction of my family was orchestrated by the Empress Dowager herself. Fearing I might bear Prince Dragon Vein's child, overnight I became the daughter of a traitor; my entire family was exiled to the southwest, their fates unknown. As for me, I could only end my wretched life beneath this Azure Lamp and Ancient Buddha while thanking her for facilitating it... Hmph, all the good deeds were done by her..."
Aunt Yu paused; this was indeed the truth.
"Speaking of innocence, how could Mei Shuang be innocent?" Qingqin sneered, "She has been arrogant and rude since childhood, and even as she grew up, she forced Xi Ruo into a corner. Yet, such a person has caught the attention of the Empress Dowager and gained her favor. This shows that like attracts like; it’s hard to guarantee she won’t turn out to be just like the Empress Dowager in the future. It would be better to end it now to prevent harm."
"You?!"
Aunt Yu was so angry that she hadn't spoken yet when Qingqin continued, "Looking at the current situation, it seems the Empress Dowager truly thinks highly of this girl. But I wonder how the Empress Dowager would feel if she knew this girl only had a few days left to live? Heh, just thinking about that old hag's heartache makes me feel satisfied!"
Aunt Yu slapped Qingqin across the face.
After the crisp sound, Qingqin stumbled sideways, caught off guard, and even dropped the prayer beads in her hand far away.
Qingqin seemed indifferent to the pain on her face; instead, she slowly got up, walked over to pick up the prayer beads, carefully brushed off the dust on them, and gently said,
"I hold this string of beads every day without daring to put it down for a moment, just to remind myself that one day I will make the Empress Dowager feel the same pain I once felt, even if just a little..."
Aunt Yu scolded angrily, "Qingqin, you are truly insane!"
Qingqin smiled sadly, "I am not insane; it is the Empress Dowager who is insane! In the past, for wealth and glory, she changed her name and abandoned her husband and children! Although she rose to power in one leap, she is despised by others! I wonder if she is living a solid life now?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Yu's heart trembled violently. How did she know such palace secrets?
Perhaps sensing Aunt Yu's thoughts, Qingqin laughed freely, "Auntie must be curious about how I know all this? ... Actually, I know more than just this; I also know why the Empress Dowager favors Mei Shuang..."
"Shut up!" Upon hearing this, Aunt Yu immediately became furious. "Qingqin, you ungrateful wretch! You should have been beaten to death long ago; it's only because of the Empress Dowager's mercy that you are still here!"
"Mercy?!" Qingqin suddenly laughed loudly; her laughter was particularly jarring in the silent night. By the end of her laughter, her face twisted grotesquely. "The Empress Dowager appears pious on the surface; who knows if it's due to a lifetime of killing too many people as penance?"
"You..." Aunt Yu was about to raise her hand to teach Qingqin a lesson when she heard a calm voice say "Stop."
Qingqin turned around in shock. Behind her stood Master Jing supporting the princess as they approached gracefully. However, the princess's face was too pale, and beside her, Master Jing looked at the deranged expression and twisted face of Abbot with anger.
After the initial shock, Qingqin suddenly chuckled lightly, "Princess Bilian? You arrived just in time..."
Master Jing could no longer contain himself and quickly stepped forward to grab Qingqin's clothes, gritting his teeth, "I never expected you to be such a malicious person, wasting the trust and entrustment of the princess! Back then, when you had a high fever at Cheng En Temple, if it weren't for the princess passing by and saving your life, how could you have survived until now? You actually targeted the princess's child out of revenge against the Empress Dowager! You truly do not deserve to be human!"
Qingqin stared at Master Jing for a moment before suddenly smiling, "I do not deserve to be human? Compared to the Empress Dowager, I am not even one ten-thousandth of her!"
As she spoke, she forcefully pushed Master Jing away, her eyes suddenly filled with resentment. "She, Mei Shuang, was born to the princess and has royal blood flowing through her veins. Is my Xi Ruo not of noble birth as well? She is so pitiful; why must she suffer all kinds of exclusion and criticism from Mei Shuang?"
As soon as Qingqin's words were spoken, the room fell silent in shock.
"Your Xi Ruo? Noble birth?" Aunt Yu narrowed her eyes, suddenly realizing something. Her pupils constricted in shock as she exclaimed, "Are you saying... Chu Xiruo is the daughter of the Former Emperor?"
Qingqin raised her hand to smooth out her clothes that had been wrinkled by Master Jing's grip and sneered, "Of course. Surprised, aren't you? When I left the Former Emperor, I was already two months pregnant. I hid it from everyone; even the Former Emperor did not know. I was worried that if he found out, he would definitely keep me in the palace, and then the Empress Dowager would know and would surely kill us both. So I followed the Empress Dowager's arrangements and came to Cheng En Temple. The Abbess who followed me was actually someone sent by the Empress Dowager to monitor me. I poisoned her when we went out together for a tour, which allowed me to give birth to Xi Ruo. Coincidentally, the General of the State's wife could not bear children, so I sent her to the General's Residence. The General's Residence knew this was a Dragon Vein and indeed needed a child, so everything fell into place..."
Master Jing was also exceptionally shocked. "So that means Chu Xiruo should be the emperor's sister. If she enters the palace and is with the emperor..."
Qingqin sighed heavily. "You are quite right... I originally thought this child could grow up safely and marry a good family; then I would die without regrets. Who knew she ended up getting involved with the Current Emperor... It's truly heart-wrenching! Fortunately, Xi Ruo is well-behaved; with the Current Emperor stabilizing the borders and being away often, nothing irreparable should happen. Of course, this is also thanks to Mei Shuang... She hates Xi Ruo and tries every means to stop her... Perhaps this is fate..."
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