The arrogant imperial concubine arrives, the favorite of the regent

The emperor stepped on Yun Xiang's back with one foot, and his movements became more and more powerful.

Yun Xiang gritted his teeth and tried his best to endure the pressure from the emperor, not daring to make any sound of pain or groan.

Finally, the emperor glared at Yun Xiang harshly, then stepped on Yun Xiang's back and stopped exerting pressure.

Yun Xiang took a deep breath, lowered his voice, and cried, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

The emperor responded with a "Humph!"

Then, the emperor said coldly: "Tell me! What's going on?"

Yun Xiang cried, "Your Majesty, I have always been loyal to you and obeyed your orders in everything! A few days ago, I did trick Yun Mujiu back to the Yun Mansion under the pretext of a follow-up visit. I originally wanted Yun Mujiu to help the Yun Mansion and persuade Yun Mujiu to stand on the side of the Yun Mansion against the Ye Mansion. I made a plan in advance, but I didn't expect that there would be a sudden change!"

"The change is that Yun Mujiu still has leverage over the Yun Mansion! I never thought that Yun Mujiu would sort out the previous account books of Herb Hall, and even put all the fake medicines into the warehouse! Yun Mujiu threatened us with the reputation and future of the Yun Mansion. I really have no choice but to compensate Yun Mujiu with a sum of money to prevent future troubles!"

Yun Xiang felt the pressure on his back slowly reduced, and continued to explain: "Your Majesty, this is also my fault. It is my fault that I did not discipline my wife, Ye! Ye was a woman with short-sightedness and failed to manage the Herb Hall well. This is why Yun Mujiu caught the handle and harmed the Yun Mansion!"

Yun Xiang's words sounded high-sounding. On the surface, he claimed that he was wrong in discipline, but in fact he was implying that the Ye family was ultimately at fault and he was just innocently implicated.

The emperor frowned, recalling the information reported by the secret guard to Ye. Ye had arranged for his relatives to manage the Herb Hall, and even allowed them to cheat others, nearly bankrupting the Herb Hall. Thinking about it carefully, it was not Yun Xiang who made the main mistake.

However, even so, Yun Xiang cannot be absolved of his guilt.

The emperor raised his foot and stepped on Yun Xiang's back again.

Yun Xiangxin brought it up and said carefully, "Your Majesty, Yun Mujiu has returned the medicines from the Herb Hall to the Yun Mansion, and I have also compensated Yun Mujiu on behalf of Ye. From now on, Yun Mujiu will never threaten the Yun Mansion with the matter of the Herb Hall again! As for that stupid Ye, I will punish her severely when I return to the mansion!"

Then, Yun Xiang's tone became somewhat gloomy, "As for that evil girl Yun Mujiu, after the Ye Mansion is unblocked, I will find a way to see her..."

Yun Xiang said nothing more, trembling with fear, waiting for the emperor's reaction.

The emperor lowered his eyes, moving his gaze from Yun Xiang's back down to Yun Xiang's buttocks. He said quietly, "How is your injury? Was the ten strokes of the cane I gave you last time too severe?"

When the emperor mentioned his hip injury, Yun Xiang immediately felt a dull pain in the wound. Speaking of which, the last time he was punished with a stick after the palace banquet was also because of Yun Mujiu, the evil girl.

Yun Xiang cried out: "Your Majesty, my injuries have improved a lot, but I still feel pain from time to time. Your Majesty should punish me, and I have to thank Your Majesty for the punishment. As long as Your Majesty does not punish me for my mistakes, I will not be at peace!"

Yun Xiang spoke in a humble tone, revealing his strong admiration for the emperor.

The emperor paused and his expression eased a little. It was obvious that Yun Xiang's flattery hit the mark.

The emperor snorted and withdrew his foot from Yun Xiang.

First, Yun Xiang's explanation made some sense. Yun Xiang had never run the Herbal Hall. It was not just Yun Xiang's fault that the Yun Mansion was cheated by Yun Mujiu. The Ye family was the main reason.

Secondly, the relationship between Yun Xiang and Yun Mujiu is getting more and more tense, and Yun Xiang is Yun Mujiu's father. No matter what, Yun Mujiu can't get rid of Yun Mansion easily. Therefore, if he wants to use Yun Mujiu to attack Ye Mansion, Yun Mansion is one of the effective springboards.

Yun Xiang, this person, is still useful if he is kept...

The emperor took a few steps forward, then turned and looked at Prime Minister Yun. "I understand. However, I still have to punish you and Ye."

"Your Majesty!" Yun Xiang raised his head and felt a sharp pain in his buttocks. He had just been beaten! Seeing the fierce look in the emperor's eyes, he lowered his head and said, "I will obey your majesty!"

"Lord Yun, you will be punished with ten strokes of the cane. Ye, your behavior is bad and your reputation is ruined. You will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane."

Yun Xiang was shocked, but he also knew that the emperor was already very generous by punishing him with ten strokes of the board. As for Ye, he wondered if she could survive a full thirty strokes of the board.

Yun Xiang kowtowed: "I thank you for your grace, my Lord!"

"Yes." The emperor was satisfied and waved his hand: "Withdraw. I will send someone to your residence..."

Yun Xiang's heart skipped a beat, realizing that the emperor had sent someone to the Yun residence to punish Ye, but he didn't dare to say anything more. At least it might not be him who was beaten to death...

Another regret is that the emperor did not give money to the Yun Mansion this time. How will the Yun Mansion survive next?

In Fengyi Palace, the Queen's face was solemn and her eyes were thoughtful.

She stared at the kneeling man in black and asked again, "Can't you find out anything about the Ye Mansion?"

The man in black nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I have mobilized many forces, but the Ye Mansion was well prepared and well guarded. No one entered or left the gates of the Ye Mansion. I cannot find any information related to the Ye Mansion."

The queen pursed her lips and did not ask any more questions. What kind of disease did Yun Mujiu have? Was she really ill, or was she pretending to be sick?

Thinking about this, the Queen recalled seeing Yun Mujiu's illness at the palace banquet. Yun Mujiu's expression did not look like he was pretending at all. Then she thought about the time when Ye Chufeng, Shi Taiyi, Li Gonggong and others went to the Ye Mansion and happened to see Yun Mujiu's illness. According to their description, Yun Mujiu's illness happened suddenly, and the panic of the people in the Ye Mansion did not seem fake.

Considering all these factors, Yun Mujiu is very likely to be ill, and it is an incurable disease.

The Queen waved to Nanny Pei and asked, "I remember that Madam Meng is in good health and has no history of illness, right?"

Nanny Pei thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, Queen, Meng has not suffered from any strange illness in the past few years."

The Queen was puzzled: "Yun Mujiu's disease should not be inherited from her parents, so it may be an acquired disease..."

Nanny Pei continued, "The Ye family has been poisoning Princess Ye for many years, causing her to be poisoned by many kinds of poisons. I think it is very likely that this has also affected Princess Ye's body. After all, if the toxins are disordered, the symptoms will also increase."

"Well," the queen pinched her temple, "After some time, I will personally talk to Yun Mujiu and find out more about her illness..."

"Empress, Princess Ye asked the people from the Herb Hall to return the fake medicine to the Yun Mansion. It seems that the relationship between Princess Ye and the Yun Mansion is getting worse."

The queen didn't care. "She is a smart person. She knows that the Yun Mansion is unreliable and is determined to break with the Yun Mansion. As for the Yun Mansion, just keep an eye on their movements."

Nanny Pei nodded in agreement.

The man in black spoke at the right time, "Empress, the Crown Prince has asked Miss Wu to help treat his illness. Do you want to specially assign some people to send Miss Wu to the Crown Prince's residence in the future?"

The queen's eyes flickered, and she said calmly, "Well, you decide on the arrangements. But—"

"— —I doubt whether Wu Mingwei is really capable of curing the prince's illness. After all, even the great doctor Wu was helpless against the prince's illness..."