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墨書 Inktalez
Since Lady Liu spoke up, Ye Xiaohan was more than happy to do her a favor.
"Old Madam, please don't take offense," Ye Xiaohan said. "I was rude to Lady Liu earlier, but it was due to my anger clouding my judgment. Now that Old Madam has spoken, it is best for Lady Liu to handle the affairs of the Liu Family."
Ye Xiaohan glanced at Murong Jing, who waved his hand. The black-clad men under his command immediately released Lady Liu and then vanished into the darkness.
Lady Liu commanded, "Hurry and take the lady back to her residence!" Her words carried an undeniable authority that compelled obedience. After all, these were servants of the Liu Family.
Once the lady was settled in the carriage, Lady Liu turned to Ye Xiaohan and said, "Thank you, Miss Ye. Once I return, I will certainly discipline them and ensure they do not cause such trouble again."
"That would be best," Ye Xiaohan replied without hesitation. "This situation is quite unpleasant, and I am truly fed up with the Liu Family's antics! I hope they can learn from Old Madam and cultivate themselves, rather than causing harm every evening!"
If anyone else had said such a thing, they might have provoked anger. However, Lady Liu had great composure and did not take offense; instead, she responded, "It is my failure as a parent. I will rectify our family’s conduct upon returning. I have caused Miss Ye much trouble. If there is anything you require, though I am old and frail, I will do my best to accommodate."
This was essentially an offer: as long as you ask, I can fulfill your request. Given the current status of the Liu Family, if Ye Xiaohan spoke up, wealth and honor would be within reach.
However, Ye Xiaohan was not interested in such things. She indeed liked money; if it were earned by her own efforts or obtained fairly from the Liu Family, she would be pleased.
But if it came from Lady Liu as compensation for the harm caused by the Liu Family before, she could not accept it.
"Thank you, Lady Liu," Ye Xiaohan said with dignity. "I have no other wishes; I simply hope to sever ties with the Prime Minister's Residence from now on and avoid any further troubles."
Neither she nor Gu Bei had ever intended to associate with the Liu Family. Yet the Liu Family had repeatedly pressed them, forcing her to resist.
Upon hearing this, Lady Liu sighed deeply. "It is true that my family has wronged you in many ways. I sincerely regret this and will do my utmost to make amends and restrain my family members."
Lady Liu took her leave along with her servants from the Liu Family, restoring tranquility to the residence. After this commotion had settled down for quite some time, Ye Xiaohan finally sent Murong Jing away as well and was able to rest.
However, it was destined that some would find it hard to sleep that night.
In the Palace of the Empress, investigations into the poisoning case continued through the night. Liu Susu's plan had never been particularly sound. She was solely focused on harming others and had not considered that she might end up harming herself.
According to Liu Susu's original plan, there were only two possible outcomes. One was that she succeeded at that moment and could watch Ye Xiaohan suffer in front of her—enough to bring her great satisfaction!
Even if she were later discovered, with her esteemed status as Liu Susu, who would dare cause her trouble over a mere commoner? Gu Bei and Ye Xiaohan had no legitimate standing; he had no grounds to defend Ye Xiaohan.
At most, she would receive a few reprimands and be confined for a while—just like every other time she had harmed someone.
If she had not succeeded at that time, she would not have been anxious; there would always be other opportunities. As long as Ye Xiaohan was still in the capital, she would find a way to make Ye Xiaohan's life worse than death!
However, no matter how meticulously Liu Susu had planned, she never anticipated that her scheme would be exposed from the very beginning, and that someone would turn the tables on her, leading her to reap what she had sown.
The palace maid, who had been terrified to the core after Liu Susu was poisoned, quickly revealed her abnormal behavior like a wooden puppet.
The Emperor personally ordered an investigation and supervised it overnight. The officials inside dared not slack off, and the efficiency was unexpectedly high.
In just two hours, they found out about the unusual palace maid.
The maid, already half scared to death, could no longer hold on when confronted by the Imperial Guards with swords drawn. She immediately collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty, spare me! Empress Dowager, spare me! I will confess everything; please grant me mercy!" The maid knelt on the ground, stammering as she revealed all that had happened.
"I was just following Madam Gu's orders. As for why Madam Gu ended up drinking that bowl of soup herself, I truly do not know!" The maid was both frightened and panicked, regretting having been bribed by Liu Susu with a hundred taels of silver.
Gu Bei listened nearby, his eyes flickering. Connecting the dots from Ye Xiaohan's suspicious behavior at the banquet with Liu Susu's actions, he could already guess what had transpired.
At this moment, he felt both anger and relief. He was angry that Liu Susu remained unrepentant and even escalated her actions by attempting something so dangerous in such a significant setting for her own selfish desires.
He was relieved that Ye Xiaohan had been fortunate enough to escape disaster. If Liu Susu's ghastly face had not been revealed at that moment, it would have been Ye Xiaohan who was injured now.
Gu Bei's disdain for Liu Susu reached its peak; if she were standing in front of him now, he could hardly guarantee that he would remain rational and refrain from taking action against her.
"Your Majesty," he said, "from this maid's description, it seems there was an accident while picking something up. She and other courtiers mistakenly took the wrong items, which is why the poison did not reach Ye Xiaohan's table as planned but ended up at Madam Gu's instead."
Although it seemed suspiciously coincidental, coincidences often happen in stories. Ye Xiaohan left almost no evidence behind; it was impossible to trace anything back to her. The only flaw was that Liu Susu’s accomplice had knocked out a eunuch while sneaking into the Imperial Kitchen to obtain clothes.
However, this detail did not require much concern; with Gu Bei present among those investigating, it could easily be covered up. The incident involving the knocked-out eunuch would be dismissed as a personal vendetta gone wrong.
Perhaps under normal circumstances someone might have cared about such matters concerning servants. But in light of such a serious incident, no one paid attention to the conflicts among the eunuchs; they were simply overlooked.
Especially under the Emperor's furious countenance, even Liu Chancellor, who found this suspicious, could only kneel and plead for his daughter’s sake; there was no way he could divert his attention to investigate these matters.
"Liu Aiqing, you raised a fine daughter!" The Emperor felt pain in his heart and lungs from anger; a violent urge to cough surged in his throat but he suppressed it fiercely.
Liu Chancellor dared not respond; he never expected Liu Susu to be so audacious. She had completely disregarded his teachings and even dared to act in front of the Emperor!
At this moment, Liu Chancellor began to regret not being stricter with Liu Susu. If he had been able to educate her firmly when the first signs appeared, they would not have ended up in this situation.
However, his regret came too late.
With such a scandal, Liu Susu's reputation was utterly ruined. She had harmed herself instead of others; no one sympathized with her, and instead, they mocked her behind her back, believing she brought this upon herself.
Liu Susu had always relied on her family background and beauty to look down on other ladies, stepping on them whenever she could. Naturally, her popularity was never high.
Now that her beauty was destroyed, those she had once scorned felt a sense of relief. They dared not laugh openly but secretly reveled in her downfall.
The Liu Family could only watch all of this unfold with resentment. Yet, what could they do about their daughter’s disgraceful behavior? Lady Liu vented her anger on Liu Susu, but seeing her daughter’s battered face and haggard appearance softened her heart.
"Alas, what a sin! What a sin!" Lady Liu paced back and forth at Liu Susu's door but ultimately did not step inside and turned to leave.
Her heart had been cold for half a year. That night when Liu Susu was brought back, she had vehemently blamed Ye Xiaohan for everything. In a fit of rage, she even went to confront him.
But it turned out that all of this was just a lie fabricated by her daughter! The thought that Liu Susu could maintain a straight face while spinning lies even more convincing than the truth left her unsure of what to believe anymore.
Liu Susu lay in bed; though her face was ruined, her ears were still intact.
The whispers and rumors outside could not be completely shut out; they reached her ears to some extent.
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