"Didn't you say this hairpin was missing?" Pei Yusheng asked harshly, looking at Qu Qiuyan with cold eyes.
“Your Highness, this… this hairpin was indeed broken before. I thought… I thought Fourth Sister took it away. I didn’t expect it to fall here. Your Highness… this matter really has nothing to do with me.” Qu Qiuyan covered her face and cried. She didn’t dare to get up, so she knelt down in front of Pei Yusheng.
Even if she made a mistake in this matter, it was not intentional, so it cannot be blamed on her.
"Tell me, why did you take this hairpin from my study?" Pei Yusheng asked coldly.
"Your Highness, I said before that... because I thought this hairpin was beautiful, I wanted to copy one." Qu Qiuyan didn't expect Pei Yusheng to ask about this. After a moment of hesitation, she hurriedly explained.
She had explained this matter before and thought it was all right, but she didn't expect that the prince still couldn't let it go.
Which bitch does this hairpin belong to, or which bitch is it for? Qu Qiuyan gritted her teeth in hatred, but did not dare to show it on her face.
Her heart moved. Could it be that it was really for Qu Caiyue? There really was a full moon on it. In order to frame Qu Moying, she had said that it was given to Qu Caiyue by King Jing. That was what she said at the time. But now she felt that it made some sense. She felt resentful and anxious.
She had occasionally seen the hairpin in Pei Yusheng's study, but it was placed aside and did not look very important.
The materials used are good, but the craftsmanship is actually very average. The full moon is somewhat interesting, but there is something wrong with it appearing in King Jing's study.
Especially after she picked it up and took a look at it, King Jing immediately asked her to put it down, and his originally smiling face immediately turned displeased.
You really care so much about it
Qu Qiuyan had been keeping it in mind at that time, and secretly took the hairpin from the study. When the time was right, when the hairpin was in Qu Moying's hands, she went to report to King Jing, saying that she liked the hairpin and wanted to take it to have a look, draw the shape, and have someone make one for her.
I didn't expect that it disappeared just after I brought it. After checking, I found that only my fourth sister had time.
That's why King Jing sent people to chase after Qu Mansion's carriage, intercepted Qu Mansion's people, and then forced them to investigate Qu Moying's affairs.
Now that the hairpin has been found, Qu Caiyue thought that she was guilty of not investigating the crime, but she didn't expect that the case would have to be investigated from the source. Her face became flustered.
"You want to imitate one, are you qualified?" Pei Yusheng stared at Qu Qiuyan coldly, his eyes gloomy, "You are just a little concubine, not even a concubine. You don't really think you are the mistress of this prince's palace, right?"
“Prince…Prince…” Qu Qiuyan’s face flushed and tears fell.
Even when she first arrived at the palace, Pei Yusheng did not expose her shortcomings so ruthlessly. This was what she was most worried about. Although she asked everyone in the palace to call her "empress", and Prince Jing did not say anything about it, the title was not right after all, and the palace has not officially stated that she is.
“Qu Qiuyan, I don’t want to say anything and won’t ask about the grievances between you and the fourth lady of the Qu family. However, your current status is much lower than hers. You’d better behave yourself to avoid making mistakes!” Pei Yusheng continued to warn in a cold voice.
After hearing that the hairpin was taken out of the house by Qu Moying, Pei Yusheng was always worried.
How could this hairpin fall into Qu Moying's hands
If the prince knew that the hairpin was in his hand, he would never give up. Besides, he didn't know what the hairpin was used for. He just heard that the prince made it with great care and didn't give it to anyone. He just put it on the desk in the study.
Such a hairpin must have some meaning. King Jing guessed that it might be Ji Hanyue. It is said that the prince is deeply in love with Ji Hanyue, so it is very likely that he made a hairpin in the shape of a full moon and placed it on the desk.
After all, in his public persona, the prince always pretends to express that the person he loves most is the former crown princess.
“Your Highness, I’m not like that. I really thought he was missing and I was scared… I was so scared that I told Your Highness.” Qu Qiuyan burst into tears.
"What do you think?" Pei Yusheng lowered his body, strangled Qu Qiuyan's neck, and sneered, "Don't think of anything. You just need to know that in this palace, you must please this king. This king can make you a concubine, or make you a concubine who is nothing like your cousin."
Qu Qiuyan trembled but did not dare to struggle. She let Pei Yusheng's fingers pinch her tender chin, leaving a bloody mark, and then he pushed her away.
Taking the handkerchief from the eunuch, Pei Yusheng stood up and looked down at Qu Qiuyan. He snorted coldly, turned around and strode away. When he was out of the house, he loudly ordered the eunuch beside him: "Concubine Qu is not allowed to enter the study room again. She has an argument with a concubine and has even disregarded her own status. She is under house arrest."
Pei Yusheng didn't want anyone to know about the hairpin, so he could only use Qu Caiyue's matter to cover up Qu Qiuyan's fault.
"Your Highness, what should we do with Concubine Qu?" a eunuch responded.
"Let her go. She was wrongly accused. Give her a gift." Pei Yusheng said as he walked out. He casually said that Qu Caiyue was just a name to him. He had never seen her since he entered the mansion, and he didn't take her seriously.
He had never taken a fancy to her in the first place, and he was not short of women, so why would he look for a woman he looked down upon
"Yes, Your Highness." The eunuch withdrew and waited respectfully for King Jing to leave. He turned his head to look at the main room behind him, from which came the voice of Qu Qiuyan crying and wailing.
The eunuch took a sip and came to his senses.
The concubine and a lowly concubine competed for favor, and in the end the concubine won. The meaning behind this was enough to make the servants in Prince Jing's mansion have many thoughts in their minds.
It looks like this Aunt Qu is going to be promoted!
Thinking this in his mind, the eunuch did not waste any time, but inquired about the whereabouts of Madam Qu, and went there personally to release her.
In the woodroom, Qu Caiyue stared at the eunuch in front of her in amazement. Such a eunuch was originally out of her reach, but now he spoke to her with a smile. Although he was not extremely respectful, he did not show the contempt and disdain of the past.
But for her, this eunuch who served His Royal Highness King Jing personally was always in a high and mighty position.
She didn't expect that she would see the day when he would truly treat her as his master. Her eyes were red for a moment. She was the only one who knew what kind of life she had led since she entered Prince Jing's Mansion.
Not to mention that no one in the mansion treated her as King Jing's person, even a random maid or old woman in the mansion could bully her and order her around, and her life was even worse than that of a servant.
This is also why she immediately
The reason why he agreed to help Qu Qiuyan plot against Qu Moying.
"Your Highness, don't... don't blame me anymore?" she asked in a trembling voice, wiping away her tears with her hands.
"Of course we don't blame you. The prince has already made the decision for you. How could the concubine blame you? Now the concubine has been under house arrest." The eunuch said with a smile.
Typical of only reporting good news and not bad news.
"What happened to the Concubine?" Qu Caiyue stopped wiping her tears and looked at the eunuch in surprise. The eunuch had just said that she could go back and everything was fine. She thought that Qu Qiuyan had sent someone to release her because her plan was successful and even mobilized the people of Prince Jing because she was favored.
"The concubine has wronged Aunt Qu. The prince is very clear in rewarding and punishing. Even the concubine will be reprimanded." The eunuch laughed, thinking he understood the truth of the competition for favor.
That concubine is indeed useless. She can't even compete with a concubine. She won't be of much use in the future.
It would be better to make friends with the person in front of you as soon as possible. This person's family background is now comparable to that of the concubine. I heard that the concubine is now just a concubine's daughter.
"I was wronged?" Qu Caiyue repeated almost unbelievingly. Although it was indeed the case, she felt very excited when she heard someone say it.
"Yes, Aunt Qu was wrongly accused. The prince has said so. Aunt Qu, please go back and change your clothes first, and then bring some snacks to the prince to thank him." The eunuch smiled and reminded.
There are many young ladies from aristocratic families who know how to make snacks. In the future, when she lives in the inner courtyard, she can at least make them occasionally to please her husband.
These words were completely different from what Qu Caiyue had imagined. She was unable to react for a moment and stared at the eunuch in a daze. After savoring them carefully in her heart for a while, she nodded in ecstasy: "Thank you, eunuch, thank you, eunuch. I will go back and prepare now."
"Okay, then we'll go!" Seeing that she was quite smart, the eunuch turned around and left with satisfaction.
Qu Caiyue stood there in a daze, extremely excited, and felt uncomfortable, as if something was tickling her heart. She pressed her heart hard, and her anger subsided.
Although she was still in a state of disarray at this time, there was an unprecedented brightness on her face, and the words that Qu Moying had asked her before rang in her ears.
If there was a chance, she would never be willing to fall into other people's hands and become Qu Qiuyan's subordinate, let alone let her son be suppressed by Qu Qiuyan's children. Now, hasn't the opportunity come
She had finally waited for this day, and Qu Qiuyan had finally had this day.
Qu Caiyue exhaled forcefully and calmed down the excitement in her heart. This was her chance. She must compete with Qu Qiuyan for favor and take Qu Qiuyan's position.
Although she did what Qu Qiuyue had ordered before, she could now cry to His Royal Highness Prince Jing in another way...
Pulling the casual clothes on her body, Qu Qiuyue went to the courtyard where she lived. The courtyard was far away and she did not live there alone. The people who usually came and went were servants. When they saw her coming in such a miserable state, they said all kinds of things and pointed and mocked her.
Qu Caiyue pursed her lips tightly, telling herself that all this was temporary. She would make these people kneel at her feet in the future. She would replace Qu Qiuyan and become the mistress of these people...