Chapter 84: Failure of Good Intentions

Before Pei Tingyue could refute anything, Concubine Shen Liang reacted immediately. She looked at Pei Tingyue with tears in her eyes.

"Pei Jieyu, I have no grudge against you, why are you trying to harm me?"

"Could it be that you saw that the Emperor was fond of me and felt resentful, so you bribed the imperial physician and did such a wicked thing?"

Originally, this was the time when the concubines in the six palaces liked to encircle and attack the person the most. They would just talk, add fuel to the fire, and pin the person down so that he could not turn over.

But this time the situation is special.

First, if she watched coldly, she would still be favored for a long time. What if there was a reversal and she was ignored in the future? Second, the person who had taken advantage of Pei Jieyu's misfortune last time was slapped in the face by Concubine Song.

Therefore, the concubines now dare not act rashly or say a word, and plan to wait and see.

Concubine Shen Liang burst into tears: "Your Majesty, you must make the decision for me!"

Xie Chen's eyes flashed with coldness, and veins popped out on his forehead. He said to Concubine Shen Liang in a serious tone, "Yuyao, don't jump to conclusions."

Concubine Shen Liang’s whole body froze, and she looked up in disbelief.

Ah Chen, are you refuting her for Concubine Pei?

The evidence is all there, isn't that enough to convict someone? What does it mean to jump to conclusions?

Ah Chen trusts Concubine Pei so much?

The cold air surged up from Concubine Shen Liang's limbs and bones, and her hands and feet were extremely cold.

At this moment, no matter how much she disbelieved it, she had to admit that this Concubine Pei had indeed won Ah Chen's heart.

This fact made Concubine Shen Liang stunned on the couch.

For a moment, all thoughts disappeared from her mind, leaving only a blank. Her heart felt like it was being gnawed by thousands of insects and ants, and she was almost in excruciating pain.

After Xie Chen finished speaking to Concubine Shen Liang, he looked at Pei Tingyue who was kneeling in the hall. His voice softened slightly, "Pei Jieyu, what do you want to say?"

After being attacked by Concubine Shen Liang, Pei Tingyue's face turned pale, but she still knelt straight, which made people feel even more distressed.

"Empress Liang was so sure it was me. Wouldn't you allow me to explain myself?"

"The medicine was sent by the Empress Dowager after I fell into the water after an argument with Concubine Qin. She said she was worried I might get scared and wanted to prevent a high fever caused by heart palpitations."

"I previously admitted that the medicine entered Changle Palace, but I deny the charge of murdering Concubine Liang."

Concubine Shen Liang came back to her senses from the excruciating pain. She suppressed the trembling of her whole body and when she looked up at Pei Tingyue, a flash of disgust flashed in her eyes.

"During this period of time, you are the only one in the palace who has access to cassia twigs and pinellia tubers. Someone has also accused you of being the real murderer. I really don't know what you have to complain about."

"It wasn't my fault, so I'm going to protest."

Pei Tingyue stood up under everyone's gaze. She walked to the side and gave Yun Shu a few instructions. Then she stood in front of Imperial Physician Gao and asked calmly, "Imperial Physician, please tell me what benefits I gave you and how I instructed you."

Doctor Gao's lower body was beaten to a bloody mess, and he lay on the ground gasping for breath. "After hearing that the Emperor wanted me to make ointment for Concubine Liang, the Concubine called me over under the pretext of asking for her pulse. She first promised me some money, but when I refused, she threatened me with my life. To save my life, I had no choice but to go along with the Concubine.

"Please take my pulse?" Upon hearing what Imperial Physician Gao said, Empress Cui flipped through the booklet.

According to the common practice in the imperial harem, the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau would check the pulse of the empress and concubines on the first and fifteenth day of each month.

So Empress Cui flipped through a few pages and quickly found the record of a safe pulse. She said in a complicated tone, "On the fifteenth of last month, Imperial Physician Gao did indeed check Concubine Pei's safe pulse."

This undoubtedly adds authenticity to Doctor Gao's identification.

The concubines began to whisper.

But Pei Tingyue did not panic. She looked carefully at Doctor Gao's appearance and found that he did look familiar.

So the person behind the scenes had planned this trap so early on?

What a good plan.

What a pity...

Pei Tingyue retracted his gaze and condescendingly ordered Doctor Gao,

"Go on."

Imperial Physician Gao trembled as he spoke, "After I had no choice but to collude with the Imperial Concubine, she asked me what medicinal herbs could cause wounds to fester and not heal. I told her a few of the following herbs, but she remained silent. She then asked if they could have been taken from the Imperial Hospital. After I explained that there were records on file, the situation became increasingly uncertain."

"Just then, I happened to see you taking medicine and smelled cassia twigs in it, so I offered a suggestion. Later, I discovered pinellia in Concubine Concubine's medicine, so I picked out the pinellia and cassia twigs from Concubine ...

"Your Majesty, I was coerced and bribed by Concubine Pei into doing this wrong thing. Now I truly know my mistake. I beg you to spare my life!"

If it wasn't inappropriate, Pei Tingyue would have wanted to applaud him.

He was able to fabricate so many unfounded things.

It's hard for him to memorize the lines word by word.

Pei Tingyue asked him coldly, "Since you said I bribed you, how much silver did I give you?"

Doctor Gao said, "Five hundred taels."

Pei Tingyue sneered in her heart. It seemed that the person behind the scenes was only thinking about the words and did not understand her financial strength clearly.

Seeing Yun Shu return to the palace and nod at her, Pei Tingyue took a deep breath and knelt down again in the palace: "Your Majesty, this person is talking nonsense!"

"Let me start with my doubts. Imperial Physician Gao keeps saying that I used coercion and bribery to bribe him. First of all, I said coercion, but my mother's family is still in Jiangnan, and I have no influence in the capital. I am not in a high position, so how could I coerce him? What could I use to coerce him? Could it be that I really have such great power that I can kill him just by saying so?"

"As for bribery, my father was only a minor official. When I first entered the palace, I only brought a small amount of silver with me. We have always lived a tight life. The Emperor and the Empress knew this, so they subsidized me. Silver is hard-earned. Imperial Physician Gao asked for 500 taels of silver. Even if I had that much, I wouldn't be so foolish as to give him almost all of my belongings."

"As for what Imperial Physician Gao said, all my conspiracies are sheer nonsense. I have evidence to present."

Xie Chen's eyes were filled with surprise. He had not expected her to explain things so clearly. "Just present it."

Pei Tingyue nodded behind him, and Yun Shu presented all the medicinal herbs in his arms to the emperor and empress.

Pei Tingyue knelt on the ground, her voice filled with guilt, "Before asking Xia Yuan to inspect these herbs, please ask the Queen to punish me."

Queen Cui asked in confusion, "Why is this?"

Pei Tingyue straightened up, her eyes clear and bright. "Because the medicine given by the Empress Dowager, I didn't use it at all. I really failed the Empress Dowager's kindness."

Ever since the Empress Dowager sent the medicine and Yun Zheng found out that the cinnamon twigs and pinellia ternata in it were not good for Concubine Shen Liang's burns, Pei Tingyue realized that someone was targeting her.

So when faced with such a situation again, she had already prepared herself. Not only did she want to get out of it, she also wanted something else!