The palace attendants who were about to fetch the imperial physician immediately stopped and looked hesitantly at the Empress Dowager.
The palace maid half-holding Wei Yu was Ying Hua. Upon hearing this, she quickly handed Wei Yu to another maid to support her and scrambled to Wang Qingyao, kowtowing and pleading, "Princess Consort, I beg you to let Imperial Physician Lu examine our Fengyi first! I know you are angry, but our Fengyi is with child..."
She cried as she spoke, tears and snot flying, her voice mournful, shocking and saddening all who heard.
Even the Empress Dowager glanced at Wang Qingyao with displeasure.
At this critical juncture, Wei Yu's fetus was the most important thing. What need was there to rush to distinguish whether Wang Qingyao had tripped her?
Everyone felt that Wang Qingyao was being rather insensible.
Just as the Empress Dowager was about to signal the attendants to continue fetching Imperial Physician Lu, Wang Qingyao spoke first, "There's no need to fetch any imperial physician. I can cure Consort Wei."
Saying this, she stepped forward and reached into Wei Yu's skirt, pulling out the blood bag tied to her abdomen—Wei Yu had not tied it too tightly for fear of harming the child, so Wang Qingyao easily pulled it off.
Wang Qingyao forcefully flung the blood bag onto the ground.
With a "bang," a lot of blood splattered out.
Ying Hua, who was kneeling nearby, was covered in blood on her body and face.
All this happened extremely quickly, from Wang Qingyao speaking to her removing the blood bag, it was but an instant.
Wei Yu didn't even have time to react, let alone Ying Hua.
The mistress and servant stared blankly at the blood bag gushing blood on the ground, their eyes wide with fury, their mouths agape.
They had never expected Wang Qingyao to see through their scheme at a glance.
"You say I tripped Consort Wei just now?" Wang Qingyao looked down at her. "Tell me, did I trip her with my left foot or my right foot?"
Ying Hua, her face deathly pale, trembled on the ground.
Seeing this, everyone understood.
The Empress Dowager cast a look of disgust at Wei Yu: "Still unrepentant."
Wei Yu was stunned, her skirt and underskirt stained brown, utterly humiliated.
Since Wei Yu was pregnant, the Empress Dowager could not do much to her, so she took her anger out on Ying Hua.
"Drag this lying, wicked slave out and beat her to death."
Ying Hua trembled violently and could no longer hold back.
"Empress Dowager, spare my life! Empress Dowager, spare my life, Your Majesty, spare my life..."
The Empress Dowager didn't want to see her, and Chief Steward Huang reprimanded the eunuchs, "Hurry and drag her out. Don't dirty the eyes of their majesties."
Ying Hua was quickly dragged out, her screams echoing endlessly.
Wei Yu lay on the ground, her face ashen.
Suddenly, she seemed to go mad, shouting at Wang Qingyao, "How did you know? How did you know? Why can you always know?"
Wei Yu was driven to the brink of madness by Wang Qingyao's "special abilities."
"Did someone tip you off? Who, who betrayed this consort?"
Wang Qingyao ignored her.
The Empress Dowager glanced at her with distaste, contemplating how to deal with her.
After all, she was pregnant, and it was as if she had a golden tablet of exemption from death. Everything would have to wait until she gave birth before she could be dealt with.
"Someone, send Consort Wei back to Changning Palace and attend to her well." The Empress Dowager then looked at Lu Peishan. "Crown Princess, Consort Wei is now your responsibility. Don't let her out unnecessarily."
"Yes," Lu Peishan replied respectfully.
Wei Yu was half-dragged and half-pulled back to Changning Palace. Lu Peishan found four sturdy women to guard the palace gates and ordered people to clean up the bloodstains on the ground.
At this point, there was no mood for further drama. Wang Qingyao cried to Lu Peishan, "I told you before not to come to the Eastern Palace, not to come to the palace. Crown Princess, you insisted I come, and you said you would protect me. If I hadn't been sharp-eyed today, I would have been blamed for harming the imperial heir."
Lu Peishan repeatedly apologized awkwardly.
She was actually quite curious how Wang Qingyao had seen through Wei Yu.
In winter, with many layers of clothing, no matter how sharp-eyed Wang Qingyao was, she couldn't possibly see the blood bag hidden beneath the clothes, could she?
"Wuwuwu," Wang Qingyao cried sorrowfully, though it was all dry sobbing without tears. "I just don't understand. I've never provoked Wei Yu actively, and I don't know who she listened to, but she's tried to harm me repeatedly? Oh, my life is so bitter..."
"Princess Ding'an, please stop crying!" Lu Peishan comforted her. "It's all my fault. It's my fault for not managing Consort Wei properly. If the Princess Consort is still angry, you can scold me!"
She then said to the Empress Dowager, "Your Majesty, please help persuade Princess Ding'an. She listens to you the most."
The Empress Dowager said coldly, "What, she's been wronged and isn't allowed to cry?"
Lu Peishan was greatly embarrassed and hastily apologized, "Your concubine did not mean that."
Crying in the Eastern Palace alone was meaningless. After crying for a while, Wang Qingyao took the Empress Dowager and went to Ninghui Hall to complain.
The Empress Dowager listened to her wail until her voice was hoarse, and thoughtfully had a pot of tea prepared for her. She would stop to drink a cup every now and then, and the people coming and going in the palace couldn't quite figure out what she was doing.
Upon arriving at Ninghui Hall, Wang Qingyao recalled all the sad events of her life and finally managed to shed two lines of tears.
She cried and recounted how Wei Yu had plotted against her.
The Empress Dowager also chimed in, "Consort Wei is indeed too wicked. Time and again, even a clay figurine would be provoked to shed blood."
The Emperor hated these schemes and stratagems. Wei Yu was already disliked by him because of these matters. For the sake of the imperial grandson, and with Wang Qingyao pleading, he had let her off for the time being. Who knew she would not repent and, not long after coming out, would start causing trouble again!
In fact, these past few days, Noble Consort Wei had been trying to persuade the Emperor to promote Wei Yu's rank.
Originally, the Emperor, for the sake of the imperial grandson, was about to agree to promote her to Crown Prince Liangyuan and had even indicated that after giving birth, she could be made Crown Prince's Consort.
With this incident, whether it was Liangyuan or Consort, it was all over.
Noble Consort Wei, who had already received wind of this, rushed to plead.
All she said was that Wei Yu was young and ignorant, and begged Wang Qingyao not to hold it against her.
Heh.
Wang Qingyao just kept crying, as if she had truly been bullied.
The Emperor, who already disliked Wei Yu, was unwilling to show favoritism any longer. He directly issued a decree demoting Wei Yu to the status of a mere palace maid, confining her to Changning Palace, and would deal with her after she gave birth. Furthermore, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were reprimanded for their inadequate supervision.
As for Noble Consort Wei, she was also scolded by the Emperor and warned not to privately arrange for people to look after Wei Yu.
As for Wang Qingyao, she naturally received the Emperor's kind words of comfort and a pile of rewards.
Wang Qingyao was satisfied. Xiao Yun, still immature, blamed her, "Why didn't you send someone to notify me back then? I could have stormed the Eastern Palace immediately! No one in the Eastern Palace has good intentions. Don't go there again no matter who invites you."
Of course, after this incident, no one in the Eastern Palace felt it appropriate to invite Wang Qingyao anymore.