Chapter 126 He's actually treating me better.

Chapter 126 He's actually treating me better.

Xue Qingning looked at her and said, "Nanzi, you must have something to say to me since you've come here today. Now that no one is around, please speak freely."

Shen Nanzi took a sip of tea, put down the cup, and recalled the jealous look in Xue Qingning's eyes that day.

"Ever since that day at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, Xie Yan has been staying in my courtyard every night."

“It’s every day!” she emphasized, deliberately showing a smug look in her eyes.

Xue Qingning's face turned pale, and the wooden chopsticks in her hand suddenly stopped, her fair fingertips turning white.

"Have you two drifted apart?" Shen Nanzi stared at her intently.

"Princess Jing, you mustn't speak carelessly," Xue Qingning said softly.

"Which sentence are you referring to? Are you saying Xie Yan stays by my side every day, or that you two have drifted apart?"

Xue Qingning raised her eyes, her anger barely contained, and her tone carried a warning: "Princess Jing!"

Shen Nanzi chuckled softly, her voice extremely low, "Do you think Xie Yan has feelings for me? Even though my relationship with Xie Yu is ambiguous, he won't let me go and stays by my side night after night!"

"What you did didn't push me away; instead, it became a driving force in our marital relationship."

"You've made Xie Yan possessive of me, Second Sister-in-law, aren't you very angry?"

Xue Qingning slammed her chopsticks on the table with a loud "smack," the force causing the vegetarian food to spill out and onto the table.

Looking at each grain of rice, Shen Nanzi continued to fan the flames, saying, "All your efforts will probably end up benefiting me in the future."

"Second sister-in-law, it would be too pitiful if everything were to fall apart!"

Xue Qingning gritted her teeth, remaining silent in a sullen silence, the rise and fall of her chest revealing her current mood.

Shen Nanzi's lips curled up slightly, "Didn't expect to end up shooting yourself in the foot, did you?"

"By the way, how did you mobilize General Lie? How did you arrange so many people to deceive me?"

"Your goal is to let me be with Xie Yu, to make Xie Yan divorce me, or to kill me in a fit of rage, isn't that right?"

Xue Qingning stared at her, her voice seemingly calm and even, "Nanzi, you must have misunderstood. My relationship with Prince Jing is that of uncle and sister-in-law, nothing more."

Shen Nanzi looked incredulous. "Oh? So Xie Yan only has feelings for you?"

“In his house, I saw a wedding dress that was only half-finished and almost finished.”

"You two were going to get married, right?"

"You two were so in love, yet you were separated by an imperial decree to marry. You must be extremely unwilling to accept this!"

"Only if he ascends to that supreme position will you have any chance of being together, which is why you are trying so hard to frame me."

"Nonsense, I didn't!" Xue Qingning was a little angry, her face as cold as ice.

"No?" Shen Nanzi fiddled with her fingers. "That day, that shimmering robe attracted Lady Sun and the Emperor. If it wasn't you, then who else could it be?"

"Where is your evidence?" Xue Qingning asked indifferently, but her eyes held a hint of sarcasm.

Shen Nanzi said, "Even if the Fourth Imperial Concubine wanted to cause trouble, she wouldn't sacrifice her own mother-in-law."

"The Fifth Princess Consort is proud and arrogant, and would never stoop to such a sordid act."

"Only you, Second Sister-in-law, benefited the most. If not you, then who else would it be!"

Xue Qingning remained silent.

Shen Nanzi: "It's something we all know perfectly well. Now that it's just the two of us in this room, let's speak frankly!"

Xue Qingning looked around and, finding no one else, gave a cold smile. "Indeed, the matter of the radiant robe was my doing."

"Your improper relationship with Xie Yu as uncle and sister-in-law should have been made known to the world long ago."

"However, there is another matter that has absolutely nothing to do with me."

"At most, I just gave them a heads-up, letting them know where you two meet in secret."

"As for the other things, they were all done by others." Xue Qingning smiled smugly. "At most, I was just an instigator."

"Xue Qingning!!"

A shrill cry came from behind, and Xue Qingning instinctively turned her head.

Before she could react, she was slapped twice across the face.

The "snap snap" sounds were exceptionally crisp.

Xue Qingning's cheeks instantly burned, and she looked at the newcomer with surprise and fear.

Then she turned her head and glared at him angrily, "Shen Nanzi, you tricked me?"

"Trying to scheme against you? That's better than your dirty, underhanded methods."

Shen Nanzi chuckled: "This is because you've become complacent and arrogant. You thought your scheme was flawless and no one could see through it, which is why you look down on me."

"They think they can laugh at my incompetence just because I can't produce evidence."

"But you're wrong. Once a person gets too arrogant, they'll stumble and fall, like right now."

Shen Nanzi looked at Consort Wei and said, "Did you hear that?"

Then, several more "slap" sounds hit Xue Qingning's face.

Her usually aloof and arrogant face was instantly covered with red handprints.

"Xue Qingning, my Yu'er, was he really harmed by you?"

"You treacherous and cunning person, you have ruined my Yu'er's reputation and now you have ruined his marriage."

"I will report the truth to His Majesty and let him make a decision."

Xue Qingning panicked and quickly grabbed Consort Wei's sleeve, kneeling on the ground.

"Consort Wei, please listen to me. I was also implicated innocently. There is someone else who framed my sixth brother!"

"Do you think I would believe what you say?" Consort Wei roared, a sight Xue Qingning had never seen before.

He grabbed her hair and yanked it haphazardly.

“You yourself have admitted that you instigated it, and you still dare to argue in front of me.”

"You've framed them time and time again, you're really daring as the Empress's sister-in-law!"

Xue Qingning was somewhat flustered, protecting her makeup and hair. She clearly hadn't expected that the usually gentle and understanding Consort Wei would personally hit her.

"Consort Wei, please let go! Your son knows he was wrong, please forgive him!"

"If I spare you, who will restore my innocence? Today, I will resort to my own punishment."

Consort Wei has been furious these past few days. The things she has been trying so hard to keep hidden have now become known to the whole world.

She couldn't bring herself to talk about rules and etiquette with the culprit; at that moment, all she wanted was to tear her to pieces to vent her anger.

Shen Nanzi watched as Consort Wei wrestled and struggled against Xue Qingning, completely losing her composure, but she felt no joy at all.

Her affair with Xie Yu has become uncontrollable, and the Emperor will surely punish her severely.

"Guards, take the Second Imperial Consort back to the palace!"

Consort Wei, exhausted from the beating, sat on a stool to the side, panting heavily.

Xue Qingning, lying on the ground, had her hair disheveled, and her clothes had torn seams at the collar and cuffs.

Several guards entered with swords and surrounded Xue Qingning.

Xue Qingning calmly straightened her clothes, as if what had just happened was not real.

She straightened her clothes and slowly smoothed her disheveled hair.

At this moment, a palace servant hurried over, knelt on one knee on the ground, and clasped his hands together.

"Consort Wei, His Majesty has ordered that the two imperial consorts be summoned to an audience immediately."