Chapter 124 : Complaints (Part 1)

A moment later, Ning Que returned to Master Lin’s side.

Master Lin couldn’t help but ask, “What was Mr. Ning talking about just now?”

Ning Que replied, “He mentioned the matter of the Taishan stones.”

Master Lin suddenly understood, “Oh, I need to gather the craftsmen quickly when I return.”

Ning Que turned and glanced at him, “Brother Lin, will you be coming tomorrow?”

“Well…” Master Lin hesitated for a moment. Should he go or not?

For a while, he didn’t know how to respond.

After thinking carefully, he remembered that the side Concubine of King Xuan had done such a great favor for him. He felt he should come in person to oversee things. “I will come tomorrow,” Master Lin finally said.

Ning Que: “…”

Ning Que then asked, “Since your wife passed away many years ago, Brother Lin, have you considered remarrying?”

Master Lin was surprised and thought, Mr. Ning truly cares!

He sighed and replied, “At my age, what is there to remarry?”

Ning Que responded, “You have many friends from all over, surely some of them are close confidantes?”

Master Lin blushed, “Yes… there are two such people.”

Two?

In that case, it was nothing to worry about.

Ning Que turned away and stopped asking further questions.

Master Lin was left puzzled.

However, as he lifted the window curtain, he felt lighter, as if the wind blowing in had carried away his worries.

The next day.

Before Xue Qingyin could ask to enter the palace, the Fourth Princess sent someone to invite her.

To be honest, she didn’t really want to go near Concubine Wan’s palace.

But then she thought, if Concubine Wan saw her, it would only make Concubine Wan more upset. Xue Qingyin immediately realized what to do.

“Let’s go,” she called for the royal guards and headed towards the palace.

Once they entered the palace gates, Xue Qingyin had a change of heart and called back the Fourth Princess’s messenger, saying, “Please wait for me a moment.”

The palace servant was puzzled, “What is it?”

Xue Qingyin replied, “I want to meet His Majesty.”

The servant was startled. Could this be a complaint about the Fourth Princess? After all, the Fourth Princess had such a notorious reputation that if she weren’t a princess, she might even be described as “infamous.”

But Xue Qingyin ignored the servant’s expression and directed the bearers to head in another direction.

The palace servant stood still for a moment before quickly running towards the inner palace.

Xue Qingyin was already very familiar with the Taihe Hall.

She lifted her skirt and ascended the steps, soon arriving at the entrance.

The inner servant, upon seeing her, showed a surprised expression. “Why is King Xuan’s side Concubine here…?”

Xue Qingyin wearily asked, “Is Father Emperor in the hall?”

The inner servant replied, “Yes, Your Majesty is busy with state affairs…”

The servant muttered to himself.

Yes, although King Xuan had told them to come to him directly if there was an issue, he hadn’t expected her to really show up!

She really had no fear, and wasn’t the slightest bit hesitant!

Not even the wives of ordinary families would dare to easily go find their father-in-law, let alone the royal family’s Concubine. They’d fear being seen as weak.

Xue Qingyin showed a troubled expression, “Is Father Emperor really too busy to see me?”

The servant sighed inwardly.

Does she have no sense of the situation?

The servant reluctantly said, “Yes, they’re in a meeting inside.” He emphasized, “It’s a very important matter.”

Xue Qingyin took half a step back, “Then I’ll wait.”

The servant: “…”

Xue Qingyin already found a place to wait, “I’ll wait in the side hall.”

The servant hesitated, then said, “Yes, I’ll send someone to escort the side Concubine there.”

The servant called two palace maids, who then escorted Xue Qingyin to the side hall.

One of the maids walked a few steps, stopped, turned around, and walked back to the inner servant. “Shouldn’t someone go inside and inform them?”

The inner servant frowned, “You know what kind of people are inside today. How could anyone just go in and disturb them? What if the Emperor punishes us…?”

The maid whispered, “This lady isn’t a concubine in the palace, don’t forget that King Xuan is at the border. This matter is just as serious.”

The inner servant sighed, “I’ll trust you this time.”

Afterward, the servant bowed and went through the side door.

Inside, the atmosphere was solemn.

The servant, gathering his courage, quietly approached Emperor Liang, but didn’t dare speak.

Emperor Liang noticed and asked, “What is it?”

The servant exhaled, then said, “King Xuan’s side Concubine requests an audience.”

Emperor Liang was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Xue Qingyin to come so quickly.

He asked, “What happened?”

The servant replied, “I’m not sure. She didn’t say. I’ve sent her to the side hall to wait.”

Emperor Liang asked, “What did you tell her?”

The servant was startled. He didn’t expect the Emperor to care so much about her.

He quickly repeated the conversation, explaining her expressions and actions in detail.

Emperor Liang said in a low voice, “It seems like she’s facing some difficulty, she must have suffered some grievance to wait here for hours without leaving.”

The servant began to panic.

Was the Emperor upset with him for not reporting it sooner?

“Be careful and attend to her,” Emperor Liang said.

The servant nervously replied and withdrew.

Soon, the chief steward of the Emperor followed quietly.

The servant turned and saw him, startled. “Master Wu.”

Master Wu smiled and said, “Lead the way. I’ll go serve by the side Concubine’s side.”

The servant’s heart skipped a beat. He never imagined that Xue Qingyin would require the Emperor’s own steward to attend to her.

Flustered, the servant led the way, his mind racing to recall his previous conversation with her.

What had her expression been? Had he shown any signs of disrespect or disdain?

At that moment, the side hall arrived, and when Wu Shaojian entered, he immediately frowned.

He asked, “The concubine has not had any tea or snacks. Is she not hungry?”

Xue Qingyin looked up at him, hmm, she looked a bit familiar. Was she one of the close attendants to the emperor?

Xue Qingyin replied, “I’m not hungry.”

Mainly because she had eaten well before coming.

Wu Shaojian sighed inwardly, feeling that something was wrong. Normally, the side Concubine of King Xuan should be leisurely sitting here enjoying some snacks.

“The emperor truly cannot leave. If the Concubine has something to say, perhaps she could talk to me first?” Wu Shaojian quickly suggested.

Xue Qingyin shook her head without speaking, but her eyes quickly filled with tears.

Those tears were about to fall but didn’t.

She was indeed an unparalleled beauty, and even Wu Shaojian couldn’t bear to see her in such a state.

Something big must have happened! Wu Shaojian thought.

Unable to sit still, Wu Shaojian tried to hide his concern. He stood up and called a maid: “Please bring some other snacks according to the Concubine’s preferences.”

The maid answered hesitantly.

Wu Shaojian sighed lightly and said, “I’ll go check on the Concubine again. It might not take long.”

Xue Qingyin weakly nodded.

Wu Shaojian turned and left.

An eunuch hurriedly entered and approached Xue Qingyin, attempting to remedy the situation. He smiled and said, “If the Concubine has anything to say, just tell us.”

Xue Qingyin, however, didn’t even look at him.

At the same time, Wu Shaojian, having just stepped outside, saw the Fourth Princess rushing over with people.

He couldn’t help but mutter quietly, “What is going on today? Everyone seems to be in a hurry to see the emperor, each with some grievance to express?”

“Fourth Princess.” Wu Shaojian greeted her.

The Fourth Princess seemed slightly startled and instinctively took a half-step back. But when she remembered her purpose, she steadied herself and softly asked, “Xue Qingyin… no, I mean, did the side Concubine of King Xuan come here?”

Wu Shaojian nodded in confusion, “Yes, Fourth Princess, you…”

The Fourth Princess forced a stiff smile, “I… I came here to wait for her. I originally sent someone to bring her to my place, but somehow, she rushed to see the emperor first.”

Wu Shaojian nodded and had someone escort the Fourth Princess to another hall to rest.

Afterward, he went back into the palace and quietly returned to Emperor Liang De’s side, reporting the situation outside.

“Should I have gone to the Fourth Princess first?” Emperor Liang De pondered for a moment, sensing that something serious might have happened with Xue Qingyin.

He immediately said, “Let her in, take her to the back room.”

Wu Shaojian wasn’t surprised by the decision.

Emperor Liang De looked at his ministers and said indifferently, “You all continue your discussions.”

With that, he stood up and headed toward the back room.

The ministers, standing behind a thin screen, watched as Emperor Liang De’s figure blurred, exchanging glances with one another.

Wu Shaojian went to the side hall to invite Xue Qingyin in.

He smiled and said, “The emperor invites the Concubine to speak.”

Xue Qingyin responded and followed him.

After she left, the eunuch sank onto the ground with a thud.

It’s over! The big event has paused, and now they’re inviting her in!

A maid beside him sighed, “Luckily you listened to me, there’s still hope for things to turn around…”

The eunuch nodded numbly, “Yes, yes…”

Inside the back room, Xue Qingyin saw Emperor Liang De and softly called, “Father Emperor.”

Emperor Liang De ordered someone to pour her a cup of hot tea and then asked, “What happened? Why are you so rushed?”

Xue Qingyin wanted to speak but tears started to flow first. “Father Emperor, someone is bullying me…”

If it were anyone else crying, with tears and snot everywhere, it would be quite annoying.

But Xue Qingyin was so beautiful.

With her tears and delicate appearance, it naturally evoked sympathy.

Emperor Liang De pressed his temple, feeling a bit of a headache at first, but as he watched her, he found himself lost in thought.

The Empress had indeed been right about one thing.

Xue’s daughter resembled King Xuan’s birth mother from back in the day.

No wonder Concubine Wan immediately lost her composure and made foolish decisions when she heard that Prince Wei liked her…

“Who bullied you?” Emperor Liang De asked, “Doesn’t that person know your identity?”

Xue Qingyin pouted, “Maybe they know. But what does it matter? I’m just a side Concubine. They probably don’t take me seriously.”

Emperor Liang De: “…” She really dares to say that.

However, hearing this, the emperor couldn’t help but feel a bit unsettled. He looked away and asked, “From what you say, that person must have some significant background?”

Xue Qingyin choked, “It was Princess Wei.”

Emperor Liang De: “…”

Just a few days ago, they had discussed at the “family banquet” how sisters-in-law should get along more.

And now they’re already in conflict?

Before Emperor Liang De could speak again, Xue Qingyin began recounting the events at the manor.

“I went to the shed to look at those horses. They were so pitiful, their hooves injured, and… they were near death. There was no veterinarian at the manor. The old man who raised them was terrified, and if I hadn’t gone, he might have hit the wall in panic… You see, this could have cost a human life, and so many horses’ lives…”

Horse lives.

Emperor Liang De’s lips twitched.

So, all of this was about that?

Just for horses?

He had thought that Princess Wei might have dared to poison King Xuan’s house.