Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Suspicion

Yun Si never expected there would still be a turning point at this moment.

Sure enough, someone cried out in astonishment upon seeing the lotus-tempered jade hairpin.
“Isn’t this the jade hairpin of Her Ladyship Zhaoyi?!”

As soon as those words were spoken, they dispelled everyone’s confusion, why Rong Zhaoyi had suddenly spoken up to clear herself of suspicion.

Those who hadn’t reacted at first also realized something. After exchanging glances, they all looked toward Rong Zhaoyi in astonishment. Compared to Liu Yunu deliberately plotting to harm Yun Jieyu, clearly, Rong Zhaoyi was the true mastermind behind the scenes, which made far more sense.

After all, the friction between Rong Zhaoyi and Yun Jieyu was practically visible to the naked eye.

While everyone began to suspect Rong Zhaoyi, Yun Si’s heart sank deeper and deeper.

This jade hairpin, Rong Zhaoyi had only worn it before leaving the palace, and now it appeared here, yet Rong Zhaoyi had not noticed anything wrong beforehand.

Yun Si couldn’t help but think of Su Jieyu’s miscarriage, which had also ultimately implicated Rong Zhaoyi.

But no matter which point it was, it could only prove one thing, Her Ladyship Consort De’s infiltration of Changchun Palace had already reached a terrifying extent.

Rong Zhaoyi’s face was ashen. At this moment, she no longer considered whether Yun Si had staged all this herself, because she knew very well Yun Si couldn’t have pulled it off to such a degree.

Who was deliberately framing her?

Or who had the ability to carry this out right under her nose?

A vague suspicion began to form in Rong Zhaoyi’s heart.

After being pushed to the brink again and again, Rong Zhaoyi now hated Defei to the core. She had originally endured Defei because of what had happened with Her Highness the Empress back then, but now, she suddenly thought, Consort De had no scruples in framing her, so was she supposed to just keep tolerating it?

Besides!

She didn’t dare speak the truth about what happened that year, was Consort De, the biggest beneficiary of that incident, any braver?

A vicious glint flashed in Rong Zhaoyi’s eyes. She stepped forward and suddenly knelt down hard.

“Your Majesty, please see clearly, this matter has nothing to do with your concubine whatsoever!”

“If it really was this concubine who had Liu Yunu bribe this servant, why would I use something so conspicuous? Am I that eager to die quickly once the matter is exposed?!”

Rong Zhaoyi’s words made a certain amount of sense, but few present truly believed her. Even if some were a bit shaken, the suspicion in everyone’s eyes remained.

Consort De furrowed her brows, seemingly not expecting this turn of events. After a moment, seeing Tan Yuanchu silent, she asked, “What does Liu Yunu have to say?”

Liu Yunu’s face was deathly pale. She collapsed weakly to the ground, as if she hadn’t expected the jade hairpin to be discovered either. She glanced timidly at Rong Zhaoyi and shook her head with tears.

“Your concubine… your concubine has nothing to say…”

Yun Si narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced toward Liu Yunu without drawing attention.

Liu Yunu frequently went in and out of Yihe Palace, this wasn’t a secret. Yun Si had always known Liu Yunu was one of Consort De’s people, but had never paid her much mind.

First, Liu Yunu’s rank was low. Second, she had always acted under Consort De’s orders and had little favor in the past, few in the palace ever truly regarded her.

But today, Yun Si finally realized why, among so many consorts in the palace, Liu Yunu had gained Defei’s acceptance.

Look at Liu Yunu’s responses each time trouble occurred, whether it was when Lu Cairen miscarried back then or now when she herself fell into the water, Liu Yunu always gave more or less the same explanation.

Seemingly unremarkable words of evasion, yet they worked excellently to clear her of suspicion.

Whatever one does, there must at least be a motive. As Liu Yunu said, the two of them had no grievances or grudges, harming Yun Si brought her no benefit, so why would she help someone else eliminate obstacles?

On the surface, that indeed seemed to be the case. But once it’s established that she was acting under orders, such reasoning no longer holds.

Now that the situation had turned, with Rong Zhaoyi’s personal belonging appearing here, compared to Liu Yunu, people were more inclined to believe that Rong Zhaoyi had orchestrated all this. Liu Yunu didn’t even need to say much,  Rong Zhaoyi already had a hard time clearing her name.

Moreover, the more one says, the more mistakes one makes.

And so, Liu Yunu said nothing at all, yet that very silence made everyone suspect Rong Zhaoyi even more.

Yun Si glanced nonchalantly at Rong Zhaoyi, if she had not even the slightest strength to fight back, then she deserved to be schemed against.

She had to admit, if not for Lu Song, she might have believed that today’s incident was Rong Zhaoyi’s doing. Moreover, even if she didn’t believe it, it didn’t matter, Consort De had laid out a path for her.

The chance to give Rong Zhaoyi a hard time was right before her eyes, should she let it go?

Yun Si had to acknowledge, if today she really couldn’t touch Consort De, she didn’t mind Rong Zhaoyi shedding a layer of skin in this matter.

Rong Zhaoyi suddenly clenched her handkerchief tightly. Of course, she could hear the implication in Liu Yunu’s words. She turned her head coldly to look at Liu Yunu, not giving her any chance to be vague.

“Liu Yunu, are you admitting that it was this palace who ordered you to bribe this servant?”

Liu Yunu cried a few more times. After a long moment of hoarseness, she suddenly broke down. “Your Ladyship! This concubine doesn’t want to say anything, but the evidence is right here, what do you want this concubine to do?!”

Rong Zhaoyi said coldly, “When we were in the palace, who didn’t know you often entered and exited Yihe Palace? Now that something has happened, it’s suddenly me who instructed you?”

“I’d like to ask you, when exactly did I order you to do such a thing?!”

Rong Zhaoyi no longer cared about Yun Ni, nor did she care whether there was any evidence to link this matter to Consort De, she directly dragged Consort De into it and no longer allowed her to hide in the shadows.

As soon as she mentioned Yihe Palace, the hall instantly fell into silence, and everyone couldn’t help but look on in shock.

Yun Si’s body also seemed to stiffen. Tan Yuanchu sensed something and lowered his gaze to look at the woman beside him. Her head was bowed, her expression unreadable.

Tan Yuanchu gradually tightened the arm he had wrapped around her waist.

He couldn’t stop himself from recalling what the woman had said through tears, that the moment he left, they would no longer tolerate her.

Not a single word of it was wrong.

Of the consorts who came to the summer palace this time, only two ranked higher than her, and both were involved in this incident.

Everyone wanted her dead.

And the matter was not yet over. Liu Yunu clearly hadn’t expected Rong Zhaoyi to be so heartless. Her eyes suddenly widened.

“Wasn’t it Your Ladyship who told this concubine to pretend to defect to Her Ladyship Consort De?”

At those words, Consort De furrowed her brows.

Rong Zhaoyi let out a cold laugh.

“In that case, if I truly had you pretend to defect to Consort De, then at such a critical moment, why would you accuse me instead of Consort De?”

“Did I have you go to all that trouble pretending to defect to Consort De just for amusement?”

Every time Zhaoyi said “pretend to defect to Consort De,” she bit the words with particular emphasis, laced with a strange undercurrent of mockery.

Liu Yunu froze under the mocking words hurled straight at her. She shut her eyes blankly, tears falling as she kowtowed to Tan Yuanchu.

“Your Majesty, it’s all this concubine’s fault, it was this concubine who was blinded and harmed Yun Jieyu. It has nothing to do with anyone else!”

At this moment, someone muttered under their breath, “But no matter what, that jade hairpin is Zhaoyi’s personal item. How is she going to explain its appearance here? Could it be that another spy has appeared in Zhaoyi’s hall?”

The voice wasn’t too loud nor too soft, but just right for everyone to hear.

Yun Si glanced over, and when she saw it was An Cairen, she wasn’t the least bit surprised.

That one was just a troublemaker. She might not be deliberately targeting anyone, but she simply couldn’t help sticking her nose into everything.

When it didn’t concern her, Yun Si was quite happy to sit back and watch her add fuel to others’ fires.

Rong Zhaoyi clenched her handkerchief. That single “another” from An Cairen made her feel unbearable humiliation. First it was the incident with Qiu Ning, now it was the jade hairpin, how many of Consort De’s people were still lurking in her palace?!

Rong Zhaoyi glared at her in fury:l, “Shut your mouth!”

An Cairen flinched at the scolding, her whole body trembling. Her face flushed red with shame. She wanted to retort but didn’t dare because of Rong Zhaoyi’s status, so she could only swallow her anger.

Rong Zhaoyi was furious, but what An Cairen said wasn’t wrong. No matter how well she argued with Liu Yunu, the fact that her personal belonging appeared here was indisputable.

Yun Si narrowed her eyes slightly. Suddenly, she looked toward a certain direction and locked eyes with Qiu Baolin.

In the next instant, Qiu Baolin said softly, “Actually, what Ladyship Zhaoyi said does make some sense.”

As her words fell, everyone’s gaze involuntarily turned toward her. But when they saw it was Qiu Baolin, a wave of puzzlement rippled through the crowd. What was going on today?
All these people who were usually quiet and low-profile were suddenly coming forward one by one?

Qiu Baolin pressed her lips together, seemingly a little uncomfortable under all the stares. Consort De took note of this and cast her a discreet glance, then looked toward Liu Yunu. She remembered Liu Yunu had once mentioned this Qiu Baolin to her.

Consort De lifted her eyes. There was no trace of displeasure on her face as she asked gently,

“Qiu Baolin, do you have some insight to offer?”

Qiu Baolin seemed caught off guard by the question and was momentarily mute. After a long while, she finally said in a muffled voice.

“No matter how you reason it, whether it was Zhaoyi or someone else who instructed Liu Yunu, there still had to be an opportunity for this incident to happen.”

She hadn’t said anything explicit, but as soon as her words landed, Consort De lowered her gaze without a word, her expression unreadable.

Rong Zhaoyi’s eyes lit up. “Your Majesty! Have you forgotten? It was Consort De who suggested today’s boat outing. In fact, going to the waterside pavilion was also her idea. If Consort De hadn’t proposed the boating excursion today, Liu Yunu could claim all she wanted that I instructed her, but no matter how capable I might be, if Yun Jieyu didn’t show up by the lakeside, it would all have been in vain!”

She suddenly turned to Liu Yunu, patching up the gap in her argument:

“Don’t say something like ‘even without today’s lake outing, there would’ve been another opportunity’, how could things be that coincidental? It just so happens that Defei proposed the boating today, and with so many palace people present in the summer palace, this servant just happened to show up at the waterside pavilion?!”

Yun Si very subtly tugged at Tan Yuanchu’s sleeve and said softly, “Your Majesty…”

She only called out to him once before her voice suddenly faded. Her brows were gently furrowed, and though she said nothing more, it was clear she had been swayed by Rong Zhaoyi’s words.

Everyone looked at each other in confusion—one moment thinking Consort De was suspicious, the next moment believing Rong Zhaoyi’s evidence was solid. It was impossible to tell who the real mastermind was.

Tan Yuanchu’s gaze landed heavily on Consort De.

Consort De knelt down. There was no panic on her face, and her tone was calm and measured.

“Your Majesty, it is true that this concubine proposed the lake outing, but I truly knew nothing of this matter. May Your Majesty see clearly.”

Consort De’s palace maid, Gui Qiu, also frowned and said,
“The matter of Her Ladyship inviting everyone to the lake outing was ordered yesterday evening. It’s just that the invitations to the noble ladies were sent out today. If someone with ill intent got wind of it and took the opportunity to arrange for someone to be at the waterside pavilion in service, it wouldn’t be all that difficult.”

Zhaoyi snapped coldly, “What are you trying to say?”

Gui Qiu lowered her head respectfully.
“This servant is merely speaking based on the facts. If I’ve offended, I beg Ladyship Zhaoyi’s forgiveness.”

Yun Si pressed her lips together, Gui Qiu’s single sentence had brought Consort De’s level of suspicion down to the bare minimum. In the end, suspecting Consort De of being the mastermind was still just conjecture, completely unsupported by any actual evidence.

And without evidence, trying to bring down Consort De, who bore the Emperor’s eldest son, was as hard as reaching the heavens.

Yun Si gave up on the thought.

She closed her eyes and gently leaned into Tan Yuanchu’s chest, speaking softly in discomfort.
“Your Majesty, this concubine is unwell.”

Tan Yuanchu looked at the three concubines kneeling on the floor. His gaze was cold, and he held the woman in his arms more tightly. But he still remembered her panic when he found her underwater, not fully recovered from the fright, his voice was cold and heavy:
“Drag her out and beat her to death.”

Xu Shunfu gave a look to Lu Yuan, who immediately stepped forward and, along with the palace attendants, dragged out Chuncui.

Chuncui couldn’t believe what she had just heard—“beat to death”.
As she was dragged out, she struggled violently and cried.
“Spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me! This servant knows her wrongs! Your Majesty, have mercy—!”

Chuncui was already dragged outside the hall, no longer in view, but her voice lingered within, full of grief and terror. It made everyone inside unconsciously furrow their brows, feeling unsettled as they averted their gaze.

Tan Yuanchu then looked at Liu Yunu. She met his eyes and shivered all over. The emperor’s gaze was icy cold. For some reason, a terrible sense of foreboding suddenly filled her heart.

But Liu Yunu quickly pushed the thought away. She was, after all, still a palace concubine. When Lu Cairen miscarried, she had only been demoted in rank.
And didn’t Yun Jieyu come out of this unharmed?

She was already a Yunu; there was no further rank to demote to, any lower and she would become just a palace maid.

But what difference was there between a palace maid and a Yunu?

If the Emperor no longer saw her, her only hope for survival in the palace would be to cling to Consort De.

It was just that, for some unknown reason, no matter how much Liu Yunu tried to comfort herself, that sense of unease only grew stronger and stronger.

And very soon, that premonition came true—

“Do you believe that because she’s a servant and you’re a mistress, even if you made a mistake, it wouldn’t warrant death?”

As if sensing what she was thinking, Tan Yuanchu lightly asked in return. But the meaning behind his words made Liu Yunu’s heart suddenly drop with a thud. She looked up in panic:
“…Your Majesty?”

Tan Yuanchu’s gaze was indifferent. He didn’t even look at her again as he said coldly,

“Liu-shi conspired to harm others for personal gain and seize favor. She is to be demoted to commoner status. Since you enjoy the temporary palace so much, you may spend the rest of your life here.”

Liu Yunu snapped her head up in disbelief.
“Your Majesty—!”

Back home, she had heard of families sending disgraced children to countryside estates, and the kind of life they lived there, Liu Yunu didn’t even want to imagine it.

Now the Emperor was ordering her to remain in the temporary palace forever, stripped of all rank and name, just a commoner. Once the servants here knew she had fallen out of the Emperor’s favor, how would they treat her?

Liu Yunu shivered all over.

Her face was full of panic as she grabbed at Tan Yuanchu’s robe hem, bowing and begging over and over.
“Your Majesty, please have mercy! Please forgive me! This concubine knows her wrongs, I truly do, please give me another chance!”

Tan Yuanchu kicked her hand away. Xu Shunfu signaled for someone to drag her out. As Liu Yunu was being pulled away, she instinctively turned toward Consort De to beg for help. But when her gaze met Consort De’s, a sudden wave of clarity came crashing down on her.

All her words got stuck in her throat.

And in the next moment, her body went limp and collapsed to the ground, crying as she was dragged out of the hall.

Compared to Chuncui, at least Liu Yunu was spared her life, but to everyone present, this punishment was the one that truly sent chills down their spines.

Liu Yunu had held the same status as them, which made it all the easier to imagine themselves in her shoes. Just the thought of her future fate was enough to make them shudder.

After two people were dragged out, the hall suddenly fell into a heavy silence.

Everyone was as quiet as cicadas in winter, and their eyes gradually drifted toward the two others still kneeling in the hall.

Yun Si also lowered her head, saying nothing at all, no embellishments, no weeping pleas for Tan Yuanchu to punish the other two more harshly.

But it was precisely this quietness of hers that made Tan Yuanchu take the matter even more seriously.

He knew, she was waiting.
Waiting to see how he would handle this matter.
She had nearly lost her life, would he give her an explanation?

Tan Yuanchu glanced over at the frowning Rong Zhaoyi and the calm-faced Consort De, his gaze gradually darkening.

“Rong Zhaoyi has conspired to harm another concubine, the evidence is conclusive. From this day forth, her title is to be removed—she shall be demoted to Guipin.”

Guipin?!

The hall broke into murmurs of shock.

A direct fall from a Zhaoyi (Third Rank) to a Guipin (Lower-Fourth Rank), a drop of three full ranks. Most importantly, at Fourth Rank, she would no longer be mistress of a palace, and under current court rules, no rank below Third was permitted to raise imperial heirs.

The crowd exchanged discreet looks, many with expressions of subtle confusion.

Guipin, only one rank lower than Jieyu.

Who would believe this punishment from the Emperor was entirely impartial?

Even Yun Si’s almond eyes trembled slightly.

Rong Zhaoyi suddenly looked up in disbelief,
“Your Majesty?!”

Tan Yuanchu met her gaze, but there wasn’t the slightest fluctuation in his expression. He replied coldly:

“Previously, with the matter of Su Jieyu’s miscarriage, I let it go because you had worked hard caring for the imperial heir. But you’ve held a high position for too long and lost your humility. It’s time to reflect on yourself.”

Qi Guipin couldn’t believe it, Lost her humility? Should reflect on herself?

Was this really how the Emperor saw her?

But none of this was her fault!
She hadn’t done anything!

A sharp pain suddenly struck her heart. Her nose tingled, and she couldn’t hold back her tears any longer.
Did the Emperor even consider what she would do after being demoted to Guipin?

And what about the little princess?

There were only a few concubines of high rank. Excluding Consort De and Consort Jing, there were only a scattered few concubines with Third-Rank titles, none of whom were particularly prominent, merely living peacefully in the palace by relying on their seniority.

Qi Guipin had always relied on having the little princess under her care, which gave her a sense of unchecked confidence. She knew deep down that the Emperor cared for the little princess and would not easily do anything to her.

But now it was different, the Emperor had truly demoted her.
What would happen to the little princess?

Who would raise her?

Having lost her title, she was suddenly aware that the Emperor’s tolerance had limits. He could not possibly continue indulging her just because of the princess.
For the first time, Qi Guipin felt real panic.

If the little princess was truly handed over to someone else to be raised, she would have no way to turn things around ever again.

Qi Guipin still wanted to plead, but Tong Yun tightly held her back and shook her head.

Yun Jieyu had just fallen into the water, she was currently the one receiving the Emperor’s favor. At a time like this, for her mistress to beg would absolutely not lead to the result she wanted.

The Emperor valued his offspring. The little princess was the Guipin’s only chance at making a comeback, she couldn’t waste that chance here.

Yun Si’s gaze slowly but surely landed on Qi Guipin. Her breathing grew faintly shallow, and in that moment, she immediately realized, this was the perfect chance to bring Qi Guipin down.

Tan Yuanchu then looked once more toward Consort De. He was silent for a moment.

Everyone was a bit puzzled, things were already concluded. It was clearly Qi Guipin who had orchestrated Yun Jieyu’s fall into the water, so what was the Emperor still considering?

After a long while, Tan Yuanchu finally said calmly,

“Yun Jieyu had an accident during your banquet, you cannot escape responsibility.”

Consort De did not try to defend herself.

Tan Yuanchu nodded slightly. “Take Consort De away.”

He only said that one short sentence, but everyone understood, this was a veiled form of house arrest.

Everyone couldn’t help but be astonished, yet no one dared to voice dissent.

But they all had to admit, the Emperor was genuinely angry over Yun Jieyu’s fall into the water. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to place Consort De, who had little direct connection to the incident, under confinement.

All those involved in Yun Jieyu’s fall had been punished. Seeing Yun Jieyu showing signs of fatigue, the remaining concubines didn’t dare linger any longer. They quickly withdrew from Song Ya Pavilion, and the place gradually returned to peace and quiet.

Qiu Yuan brought in a calming medicinal brew. Yun Si didn’t refuse it, her brows lightly furrowed as she picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go.

Qiu Yuan withdrew. Tan Yuanchu gently stroked Yun Si’s back and asked in a low voice.

“Still feeling unwell?”

It was unclear what exactly he was asking, whether she felt unwell physically, emotionally, or perhaps both.

Yun Si shook her head lightly in his arms, her voice a little muffled, “You’ve cared for her for so long… are you really willing to make her upset?”

Tan Yuanchu replied, “If I handled it too gently, someone would accuse me of favoritism again.”

In the end, someone would have to be upset. But if someone had to suffer, it should never be her.

Yun Si pouted and denied it:

“I’m not like that.”

Tan Yuanchu raised his eyes, speaking slowly and deliberately:

“I never said it was you. Why are you confessing so quickly?”

Yun Si, annoyed, gave him a light punch, though she truly didn’t have much strength left. She was completely exhausted today.

Sensing something, Tan Yuanchu lightly patted her back and said softly, “Sleep. I’ll stay with you.”

The woman shifted a little in his arms, responding softly.

“You should have some ginger soup too.”

At least she still had a bit of conscience, she remembered he had fallen into the water as well.

Tan Yuanchu felt a wave of indistinct, inexplicable emotion stir within him. He lowered his head and gently kissed her on the forehead.

The calming medicine soon took effect, and the woman quickly drifted off to sleep. After a long while, Tan Yuanchu looked down at her one last time, then quietly rose and left Song Ya Pavilion.

Beneath the covered walkway, when Xu Shunfu saw him coming out, he presented a bowl of ginger soup. Tan Yuanchu frowned slightly, he hadn’t planned to drink it, but thinking of something, he eventually picked it up and drank it in one go.

Tan Yuanchu then caught sight of Qiu Yuan and instructed calmly, “Take good care of her.”

Qiu Yuan bowed silently in response.

Only then did Tan Yuanchu turn and leave. Outside, evening was approaching, and the shadows of the trees cast a dim gloom. He walked slowly back to Qinzheng Hall, with Xu Shunfu following closely behind.

Once inside Qinzheng Hall, Tan Yuanchu leaned against his chair, raising a hand to rub the space between his brows as if tired.

Xu Shunfu kept his head low, not daring to speak.

Too much had happened today, and even he couldn’t get a clear read on the Emperor’s current mood, all he could do was serve cautiously.

After a moment of silence, Tan Yuanchu’s voice broke the stillness of the hall.

“Have you found anything?”

Xu Shunfu bowed even lower and replied,

“Replying to Your Majesty, this servant has had people monitoring Baoxiang Tower closely, but there’s been no unusual movement.”

Baoxiang Tower was Consort De’s residence in the Summer Palace.

When His Majesty had ordered Consort De to be taken away, Xu Shunfu immediately understood, the Emperor suspected Consort De.

Naturally so. On the surface, all the evidence pointed to Rong Zhaoyi, but if one looked at who stood to gain the most, it was clear that Consort De could not be completely innocent.

Especially since Rong Zhaoyi had managed to implicate Consort De so directly, that alone said a great deal.

But firstly, there was the matter of the Eldest Prince under her care, and secondly, there was no solid evidence linking her to the incident. So, even if there were suspicions, the Emperor couldn’t say much at Song Ya Pavilion.

Xu Shunfu stole a glance at the Emperor, trying to guess his thoughts, but he couldn’t make anything out.

After a long pause, Tan Yuanchu lifted his gaze. His tone revealed no particular emotion.

“If I recall, Shu’er turns six this year. He should be moving into the Prince Quarters soon.”

Xu Shunfu immediately understood what he meant, and lowered his head even more.

At the end of the day, even without concrete evidence, the Emperor clearly suspected Consort De. After all, there had been several strange incidents in the palace lately. If today’s event really was orchestrated by Consort De, then the matter of Lu Cairen’s miscarriage likely had something to do with her as well.

Tan Yuanchu spoke lightly. “Once we return to the capital, this matter should be put on the agenda.”

Xu Shunfu responded, “Your servant will remember. I will remind His Majesty then.”

Xu Shunfu was just about to withdraw when he noticed the Emperor’s mood was still indifferent, as if there was more left unsaid.

Tan Yuanchu lowered his eyes. Why did Consort De want to harm Yun Si?

Everyone was at the waterside pavilion. Yun Si would have been rescued quickly after falling in. What was the point of Consort De doing this?

The rumors in the palace from back then surfaced once more in his mind, and adding today’s incident, the only thing that could connect Yun Si and water was the incident when Lu Cairen fell into the water.

Tan Yuanchu closed his eyes briefly, his voice still light.

“Investigate the incident of Lu-shi falling into the water back then.”

If his suspicion was true, and Consort De merely wanted to test Yun Si, then the matter with Lu Cairen back then likely truly had something to do with Yun Si.

Back then, the girl’s various feelings toward Lu Cairen did not seem false. What exactly did Lu Cairen do to her?

To have forced her to harden her heart.

—
T/N : Rong Zhaoyi now Qi Guipin is a rank below Yun Si 😂 and Consort De will lose her treasured Eldest Prince if he gets separated from her to be sent to the Prince’s quarters.