"Your Majesty, Concubine Xi has served you for many years. I don't believe she could do such a thing!"

Mi Fei sneered anxiously, "You still don't believe that we caught the criminal red-handed?"

Lian Jieyu ignored Concubine Mi and only looked at the emperor: "Your Majesty, this matter is quite suspicious. This kind of thing should be done secretly. Why would they choose to do it in public, in a place like the garden where people come and go?"

"The Yun family has been instrumental in suppressing the rebellion. Punishing Concubine Xi at this time would only dampen General Yun's resolve to fight on the battlefield. Your Highness is a concubine, after all. Kneeling like this is unbecoming. It would be better if I could take you back to the bedroom to change clothes. We can return to you later."

When Zhao Yuancheng and Qin Yan saw Concubine Xi's disheveled clothes, they were already furious at that moment. Now that they calmed down, they felt something was wrong, so they agreed with Concubine Lian's words.

Lian Jieyu and her personal maid helped Concubine Xi down, one on each side, and gave Fu Xiyu a reassuring look before entering the room.

Not long after, a palace servant brought the guard in. The guard was covered in wounds and had obviously been tortured.

Fu Qianyu sat beside the emperor and asked him coldly, "Are you working in the imperial palace, or did you come here from the capital? How did you get to know Concubine Xi?"

The guard shifted slightly, seemingly twitching his wounds. He practically gasped in pain, "Your humble servant entered the palace at the age of sixteen, and have known Concubine Xi since childhood. I have admired you for years. What happened tonight was all because I couldn't help myself. It has nothing to do with you. Your Majesty, Your Royal Highness, I beg you to examine yourselves."

Fu Qianyu sneered at this and said, "Since you said you and Concubine Xi have known each other since childhood, then you should have proposed marriage long ago. Why do you want to work in the palace?"

The guard lowered his head and said thoughtfully, "I come from a humble family and know I am not worthy of the Empress. I just want to protect her silently!"

"As I expected." Fu Qianyu pulled a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and echoed the guard's words, "The Japanese palace witnessed Concubine Xi's grief with her own eyes. She said she entered the palace not for love with the emperor, but for someone else. I guess the someone else she was referring to is you? This handkerchief is the one Concubine Xi accidentally lost that day. Do you recognize it?"

At this time in the bedroom, in order to wake Concubine Xi up, Concubine Lian ignored the etiquette and directly poured cold water on Concubine Xi to wake her up.

At this time, the two of them were hiding behind the door and listening to the movements in the main hall. When they heard the Imperial Noble Concubine say that she entered the palace for someone else, Concubine Xi could no longer sit still.

It was Concubine Lian who reached out and pulled the person back, saying in a low voice, "Your Majesty, please wait a moment. The Imperial Concubine will prove your innocence."

Concubine Xi said bitterly, "She's already siding with that bitch Concubine Mi, and she still says she'll defend me? I think she's just trying to take this opportunity to crush me to death."

Lian Jieyu said sternly, "Your Majesty, I believe the Imperial Concubine is absolutely not such a person. If she wanted to take this opportunity to crush you to death, why would she have sent me all this way? Please be patient, the Imperial Concubine will definitely save you."

Concubine Xi looked into Concubine Lian's eyes, and her anxious heart slowly calmed down.

Inside the main hall.

The guard took the handkerchief, tears welling up in his eyes, and caressed it lovingly: "This handkerchief is the token of love between you and me, Your Majesty."

Concubine Mi was very pleased. "So that's how it is. It seems that the two of them have been secretly in collusion for a long time. That's why they dared to defile the harem."

Fu Qianyu ignored Concubine Mi and only asked, "Look carefully, is this really the token of love between you and Concubine Xi?"

"Yes, this handkerchief was originally bought by this humble servant as a gift to Concubine Xi. I will never make a mistake."

Fu Xiyu remained silent, but Zhao Yuancheng snorted coldly, "Even I can see that this was embroidered by an embroiderer in the palace. How dare you claim that this is a token of love between you and Concubine Xi?"

The guard looked up in disbelief. He was a man, so naturally he didn't know these girls' things.

At that time, Concubine Mi said that the Imperial Noble Concubine and Concubine Xi had always had a feud, and this was a rare opportunity, so the Imperial Noble Concubine would definitely use it to crush Concubine Xi to death.

So, he just said what the Imperial Noble Concubine said without thinking, but it turned out that the Imperial Noble Concubine had dug a big hole for him to jump into.

The guard's ears were buzzing, and he subconsciously looked at Concubine Mi, as if he wanted to seek her help, but Concubine Mi didn't even look at him. She just tilted her head and looked away, her eyes filled with panic.

"Even if you two are truly in love, Concubine Xi has been in the palace for many days, and you've always behaved properly. Why did you find it so hard to control your feelings tonight? And what a coincidence that the Emperor and Concubine Mi just happened to catch you there? Don't you think this is too much of a coincidence?"

The guard lowered his head, his shoulders trembling visibly.

Fu Qianyu looked up and saw Haining nodding at her. She knew that Eunuch Zhu had also found out something, so she continued, "Before coming here, I had someone go to your residence and conduct a thorough investigation. You're just a guard, but you've managed to amass such a large fortune. You're truly capable."

Zhu Yu came forward, carrying the bundle, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I, under the order of the Imperial Concubine, have thoroughly searched this guard's residence. Unexpectedly, I discovered a large amount of gold, silver, and jewelry under his bed. This is definitely not a guard's share. Furthermore, I have also investigated this man's background. He only entered the palace a few days ago as a servant and has no connection to the Yun family at all."

Seeing that the matter was exposed, the guard had no choice but to confess everything in order to save his life: "Your Majesty, please spare my life. What happened tonight has nothing to do with me. It was Concubine Mi who ordered me to do this."

Concubine Mi was as if struck by lightning. She slammed the table and cried out, "You bastard! When did I ever instruct you to do this? How dare you frame me?"

Concubine Mi knelt before the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I have no grudge against Concubine Xi. Why would I harm her?"

Fu Qianyu watched the scene coldly. Not long after, Peirong came in and bowed to report, "Your Majesty, the maid named Si'er from Guangling Palace has confessed. She said that Concubine Mi instructed her to drug Concubine Xi's dinner. Concubine Xi knew nothing about it and was carried to the Imperial Garden without knowing what was going on."

Mi Fei became visibly panicked.

She calculated every step accurately, but she never expected that Fu Xiyu had no intention of using this incident to kill Concubine Xi.

But before she could explain anything, Concubine Xi had changed her clothes and walked out angrily. She slapped Concubine Mi mercilessly in front of everyone.

"You are a princess of a country, but you behave so shamelessly. You actually want to destroy me with this kind of thing. How cruel you are."

Concubine Xi was still not satisfied. After she finished scolding him, she wanted to hit him again, but Fu Qianyu stopped her coldly: "Concubine Xi, you should be more careful in front of the emperor."

"Property?" Concubine Xi gritted her teeth. "She almost killed me, and you still want me to be more careful?"

Concubine Xi used all her strength to slap Concubine Mi, which made her dizzy and her ears buzzing. She didn't even have the strength to speak.