14. Ask for forgiveness

All the girls who were present were shocked. Even if the Queen seemed kind, she had never been close to anyone like this before except the ninth prince. She was always like someone unapproachable. Even the crown prince, though he was her biological child, she was never so talkative with him. And whenever the Queen interacted with the ninth prince, even though she loved him, she always scolded him as he would always get into trouble.

The seventh princess was raised and indulged by the Queen to some extent, but even she did not get any chance to talk to the Queen as freely as Ming Liao. The Queen was smiling like a silly mother whose married daughter had finally come home after a few years of marriage. Even the Queen's maidservants were shocked.

An Wei, whose face looked pale, was supported by two maidservants as she came to the Queen's residence. She didn't even have the energy to greet the Queen. But the Queen thought that the seventh princess was just faking the illness. She ordered in a shrill voice, "Kneel."

Scared out of their wits, all three people kneeled. The Queen stood up, patted the hands of Ming Liao which she was holding lovingly, and walked to the main seat.

"An Wei, even though you are not my biological daughter, I have brought you up in fame and care. That doesn't imply that you can misuse your power to bully others. And now you are faking an illness to get out of punishment? Hurry up and apologize to Ming Liao."

"But Your Majesty…," said the seventh princess weakly.

The Queen, who was already having a headache because of the incident, upon hearing the weak voice of An Wei, clearly felt it was fake and ordered, "No buts. Just apologize to Ming Liao. And stop acting."

Ming Liao, because of the insights of her previous lives, felt that An Wei was sick. But she also noticed the physical problem was not fatal. Instead, it was a psychological problem, which was haunting An Wei. Even if she wanted to say something, it was not possible as she could not bring too much attention to herself. As the illness of An Wei didn't seem too big a deal, she didn't rebuke the Queen's words. She had indeed suffered a lot because of this girl yesterday. She was not going to be a hypocrite by speaking up for her now. As long as she consumed some cold and fever medicine, she would be fine physically.

An Wei had a fever. The two girls who fell into the water didn't have a cold or fever, but she did. The other girls also felt that the seventh princess was just faking illness. But because of the illness, An Wei was feeling extremely weak. To go back to sleep peacefully, she apologized to Ming Liao without thinking.

Ming Liao knew that An Wei was genuinely ill and didn't want to keep her there any longer. So, she forgave her, "It's okay."

She looked at the Queen and said, "Your Majesty, thank you for standing up for me. But because of the second princess's and Zhao Xiaoli's help, I safely returned to my room and I am fine now. I am sure I will get along well with everyone. And An Wei seems sick; I think it would be better for her to go back to her room. The floor is cold."

Seeing An Wei continuing to act, the Queen's heart turned cold, but since the victim had already forgiven her, she didn't say anything more to keep her there, "Just go back. Don't be an eyesore here."

Sighing with heartache, she looked at Ming Liao, "Don't be so forgiving. Otherwise, others will bully you thinking you are a pushover."

Ming Liao smiled and said, "Alright, Your Majesty."

Looking at the sensible Ming Liao, the Queen's heart ached again. She had grown up without the care of her mother. There were also rumors that she had grown up in the cold palace. She didn't want to think about how hard childhood must have been for her. After all, a stepmother was not like a biological mother.

She signaled her maidservant, who brought another set of tonics and gave it to the maidservant of the second princess. The Queen faced the second princess and said, "Thank you for bringing Ming Liao out of the water. I can't even imagine what would have happened if you hadn't jumped in to save her."

The second princess knew that Ming Liao would be taken care of by the King and Queen. Her gamble didn't turn out fruitless. She still showed humbleness, "Thank you, Your Majesty. But I can't take this credit. It was Zhao Xiaoli who told me about the situation, and even if I hadn't jumped in, Ming Liao would have been safe as she could swim perfectly. And Ming Liao has already expressed her gratitude to me."

The Queen looked at Zhao Xiaoli and asked her to take her seat, "I knew you were a sensible girl. I heard you helped Ming Liao to her residence. I am sure you girls will be good friends."

Others were scared that they would be punished, but the Queen didn't punish them. "Alright, go back. Do not make the same mistake again. If there is something unfair happening in front of you, understand the situation and speak up for the right people if it is within your capability. Don't be a fence-sitter when someone is already dying in front of you."