Chapter 29: The Booklet Personally Written by the Marquis of Northern Pacification

Bai Jinxiu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and said in a tearful voice, "I was originally a maid in the household. When the Marquis's manor met with disaster that day, I accidentally struck my head in the panic. When I woke up, I had lost my memory. The Marquis told me I was the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, and I believed him..."

The Empress Dowager looked at her with obvious disappointment and asked, "So, you were unaware of the truth?"

Sheng Yunqing narrowed her eyes slightly and asked, "Bai Jinxiu, have you truly lost your memories?"

Bai Jinxiu lowered her head and replied, "I really do not know much about the past..." She glanced at Sheng Yunqing and added, "Long before Yunqing arrived in the capital, Prince Ye had already come to the Marquis's manor to discuss our marriage. It was just as everything was about to be settled that Yunqing happened to return..."

At these words, whispers broke out among the crowd.

The Empress Dowager frowned at Bai Jinxiu and asked, "Then was it always you whom Prince Ye wished to marry, and you whom the Emperor decreed to be his betrothed?"

Bai Jinxiu lowered her head again, taking it as an admission.

Put that way, it sounded as if Sheng Yunqing had taken advantage of the situation! She gave a soft laugh but said nothing.

"But you are not the daughter of the Marquis's manor after all. How could you possibly be a match for Prince Ye?"

"That's right, with Prince Ye's illustrious status, he should at least be wed to a noble lady of the capital."

Several noble ladies spoke up one after another. Having been repeatedly rejected by their fathers when they begged them to propose a marriage to Prince Ye, they were naturally a thousand times unwilling to accept a woman of slave origin as his wife.

"Silence," the Empress Dowager said in a low, frowning voice.

"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty," the noble ladies said, bowing their heads.

The Empress Dowager looked at Bai Jinxiu, whose eyes were red from crying, and said, "This matter is not entirely your fault. I have been fond of you since you were a child. Even if you are not the eldest daughter of the Sheng family, I will make the decision to have you marry into Prince Ye's manor. However, it will be a grievance to you—you shall be a secondary consort. Are you willing?"

Bai Jinxiu sniffled pitifully and replied, "As long as I can marry Prince Ye and remain by the Empress Dowager's side, I am willing, even without a title."

Bai Jinxiu's heart finally settled; she had managed to bluff her way past the Empress Dowager. Damn it, if she had only succeeded in killing Sheng Yunqing that day, she would be the legitimate eldest daughter of the Sheng family right now, marrying into the manor as the primary consort in glory!

The Empress Dowager sighed with regret, then turned to look at Sheng Yunqing with annoyance. "Since the imperial decree was a misunderstanding, I will certainly explain it to the Emperor and have your engagement annulled."

Sheng Yunqing blinked innocently. "Empress Dowager, the decree has already been issued; there is no precedent for changing it."

The Empress Dowager gestured at her. "You girl, you clearly orchestrated this, blocking Jinxiu's marriage midway. What else is there to argue about?"

As she spoke, she felt a sharp pain in her heart and struggled to catch her breath. "Oh, my heart..."

The noble ladies sensed something was wrong and rose in alarm, their expressions tense. It was over—the Empress Dowager had been so angered by Sheng Yunqing that she had fallen ill.

Sheng Yunqing stepped quickly to her side, pointed a finger toward the Empress Dowager's heart, and closed her eyes to silently recite a spell. The Empress Dowager, who had been about to moan again, gradually fell silent, her brows smoothing out from their painful knot.

"Summon the imperial physician, quickly!" the personal maid shouted anxiously toward the door.

The Empress Dowager blinked and waved her hand. "No need."

"Your Majesty..." the maid supporting her looked at her with hesitation.

The Empress Dowager exhaled softly. The sharp pain in her heart had vanished, and her whole body felt as if it were being irrigated by a warm, clear spring that flowed through her, leaving her feeling incredibly comfortable. She looked up at Sheng Yunqing and asked, "What did you do to me?"

Sheng Yunqing curled her lips. "In reply to the Empress Dowager, this subject once learned mystical arts from Daoist Master Yunsheng on Longyin Mountain. Your Majesty's heart condition was nothing serious, and I have already treated it for you."

"Cured?" The Empress Dowager rolled her eyes, half-doubting, as she felt herself. It was indeed comfortable; her body felt lighter than ever, and her breathing was much smoother. She frowned awkwardly and said, "Very well, for the sake of you curing me, I shall not blame you for your insolence."

Sheng Yunqing smiled faintly. "I previously heard from Jinxiu that the Empress Dowager's heart could not withstand excitement, and I have great respect for your Majesty. Now that I have cured your ailment, may I continue speaking?"

The Empress Dowager sighed helplessly. "Speak, then."

"Sheng Yunqing, you!" Bai Jinxiu gritted her teeth, glaring at her, her heart nearly jumping out of her throat.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager frowned. "Jinxiu, is there something that cannot be said?"

Bai Jinxiu swallowed hard. "Empress Dowager, do not listen to Sheng Yunqing's nonsense. She has always been at odds with me; whatever she says is surely exaggerated..."

The Empress Dowager arched a brow. "It is fine; I shall judge for myself."

Sheng Yunqing cleared her throat and pointed at Bai Jinxiu. "This woman is perfectly clear-headed; there was never any memory loss. To prevent me from reclaiming my identity, she framed me time and again before I could even reveal who I was. Empress Dowager, can this also be considered innocent?"

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes slightly and gave a cold hum. "I know Jinxiu; she would not do such a thing."

Sheng Yunqing turned her head. "Dongning."

Her personal maid, Dongning, stepped to her side and produced a booklet from her robes, handing it to the Empress Dowager. "Empress Dowager, this booklet will explain everything."

The Empress Dowager took the booklet and began to read. As she scanned the pages, her expression turned cold at a visible rate, and her face grew dark, inch by inch. "To think such a thing happened..."

Bai Jinxiu said nervously, "Empress Dowager, you must not listen entirely to Sheng Yunqing."

The Empress Dowager suddenly looked up and glared at Bai Jinxiu, her eyes filled with disappointment and fury. Her voice was colder than ever: "You claimed you broke your leg, but it was actually broken by the hand of the Marquis of Zhenbei himself!"

"Slap!" She grabbed the booklet and threw it hard against Bai Jinxiu's face, showing no mercy.

"Empress Dowager, that booklet..." Bai Jinxiu wept, wanting to defend herself, but when she picked up the booklet and looked at it, she was struck as if by lightning. "My uncle's handwriting..."

The booklet recorded everything Sheng Yunqing knew, including the aphrodisiacs arranged for Ye Jinchen that day.

"How could a booklet written by the Marquis of Zhenbei himself be false? Even now, you still wish to stir up trouble in front of me?!" The Empress Dowager glared at her in anger. "You have such audacity, daring to deceive me like this!"

With that, she gave Bai Jinxiu a hard push. Bai Jinxiu let out a cry of shock, tumbled from her wheelchair, and rolled down the steps, landing in front of everyone.

*Wow, the Empress Dowager's strength has certainly improved!* Sheng Yunqing thought to herself in silent admiration.

Bai Jinxiu tried to push herself up, only to hear the mocking laughter of the crowd around her. She hurriedly felt her face, but her veil was already long gone.