Seeing this, Songdan also knelt down. She tugged at Fulin's sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, it takes two to tango. If it weren't for Sister Wan'er's signal, how would Agu have dared to come to Chengqian Palace? He is a very timid person."

"Heh." Fu Lin gave a wry smile. "You seem to know your cousin quite well."

His tone was sarcastic, but Songdan didn't catch it.

“Yes!” Agu echoed repeatedly, then took out a handkerchief from beside him. “This was given to me by Consort Xian before the incident.”

Fu Lin took it and examined it; it was indeed the handkerchief Wan'er had used. "That's right." He nodded and added, "Having an affair with a concubine is a capital offense; don't you know that?"

"This servant understands."

"Since you know that doing this is a capital offense, why did you still do it? Didn't Consort Ning say that you are very timid?" Fu Lin looked down at him.

Agu had already done his homework. He said aggrievedly, "This servant also refused in every way, but Consort Xian threatened me because of her high position. She said that if this servant did not comply, she could make a lowly guard die silently with her methods, so... this servant dared not disobey."

Seeing how realistic Agu's acting was, Songdan nodded in satisfaction, and the two even exchanged a smile when Fulin wasn't looking.

But she was too happy too soon.

As soon as Agu finished speaking, a soft laugh suddenly rang out from the crowd, "Hahaha... With your appearance, even I would feel nauseous just looking at you."

Everyone looked over at the sound, and except for Fu Lin, they were all stunned!

"How could it be you?" Songdan looked at the newcomer in astonishment and said in disbelief.

"What's wrong, sister? Isn't the one standing in front of you unharmed? It's me, isn't it?" Wan'er walked step by step to Fu Lin's side, smiling.

"No...no." Songdan shook her head guiltily. "I am naturally happy that my sister is well."

"Is that so?" Wan'er turned her head and looked at her with a cold gaze. "Then why does your face look so pale, sister? It's clear you don't truly care about me."

Since things were going to fall apart anyway, she decided to stop being polite to her.

"Really?" Songdan wiped her sweat guiltily, still stubbornly denying it.

Wan'er's lips curled up slightly, then she tugged at Fu Lin's sleeve, and tears streamed down her face. It was as if, without her noticing, her expression had changed faster than turning the pages of a book.

"Your Majesty, if I hadn't stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, I'm afraid I'd be in a situation I could never clear my name for, no matter what I did." She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke. "You must stand up for me!"

Looking at her, Fu Lin felt a pang of pain in his heart. He held Wan'er's hand tightly and said, "Don't worry, I will seek justice for you."

Upon hearing this, Songdan gasped in shock, her lips agape, "You... you've been in the Hall of Mental Cultivation all this time."

She had originally wanted to say that Wan'er had discovered Fu Lin's arrival beforehand and had temporarily found a palace maid to replace him, but now that explanation didn't work.

"So, you... heard everything I said in the Hall of Mental Cultivation." She pointed at Wan'er and said, "You..."

She suddenly stopped, her face deathly pale. "Are you framing me?"

"Framed?" Wan'er raised an eyebrow. "Am I framing myself for having an affair with an ugly person?"

Songdan bit her lower lip, her eyes flashing with anger, but she dared not say anything more. "No, I was overthinking it."

She knew that continuing the conversation would only do her harm.

"Heh..." Wan'er wiped away her tears and laughed mockingly. She pointed at the naked woman lying on the bed and said to Fulin, "Your Majesty, let me think about who is impersonating me?"

Fu Lin would not refuse, and immediately ordered his men to turn it over.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the woman, admiring her ordinary appearance yet possessing a captivating and alluring figure.

“It’s autumn leaves,” Wan’er said, feigning surprise.

"Is it Qiu Ye, the one who told Consort Ning that you had an affair with the ugly guard?" Fu Lin asked.

Wan'er nodded, "Indeed, I only have one Qiuye in my palace."

Fu Lin's mockery deepened. "She says others are improper, but little does she know that she is the real harlot and whore."

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but cast his gaze at Songdan, since it was she who had uttered the term "harlot."

Songdan panicked even more under Fulin's gaze, so she could only change the subject and say, "This... Qiuye is still unconscious. How about... we ask her about everything after she wakes up?"

But Qiuye had already woken up, but due to the suddenness of the situation, she could only pretend to be unconscious.

But Wan'er was not fooled. Seeing that she couldn't wake her up no matter how she called, she claimed that she knew some medical skills and could wake her up with just a few needles.

Let's do it!

Through the gap in her eyes, Qiu Ye saw Wan'er about to stab her with a thick needle the size of a palm, and immediately sat up in shock.

Seeing everyone's gaze turn to her, she lowered her head, "Your Majesty, Consort Xian..."

"Raise your head," Fu Lin commanded coldly.

Qiu Ye slowly raised her head, trembling. When she saw Fu Lin's eyes, which seemed to want to tear her to pieces, her whole body shook like a leaf.

Wan'er picked up the fine needle and waved it in front of her eyes, then smiled, "It seems I do have some medical skills; the person woke up before I even inserted the needle."

Qiuye trembled with fear, but dared not utter a word, only nodding.

Wan'er put away the needles and looked at her coldly, but she never dared to meet Wan'er's gaze.

Fu Lin had no patience to watch her wavering and said in a low voice, "Speak. If there is even the slightest falsehood, I will chop you up and feed you to the dogs."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his words carrying a strong sense of threat.

Qiu Ye's heart trembled, and she hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, it has nothing to do with me. It was Consort Xian who asked me to go find A Gu, and she also said something about mixing up the royal bloodline. As for why this happened, I don't know. I only remember that after I told Consort Ning, I was knocked unconscious as soon as I returned to my room, and I woke up like this."

Her words were true, but how could Fu Lin believe them? His eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Even now, you're still spouting nonsense. It seems you don't want to live anymore."

Although his tone had softened considerably, his eyes were as cold as an icebox.

“No…this servant is not lying.” She tugged at Agu beside her. “How could this servant possibly be attracted to someone so ugly?”

Indeed, Agu's appearance was unlike any of the other women in the harem. He had deep-set eyes, a flat nose, thick lips, a fierce look, and yellow, dirty, and smelly teeth that would disgust anyone who saw him.

If he weren't a member of the Eight Banners, he probably wouldn't even have been able to become a guard in the Cold Palace.

Despite this, he lacked self-awareness and always fantasized about a toad eating swan meat, and about pinning Wan'er down.

Now, being spoken to like this by a lowly palace maid, he was furious. He glared at Qiu Ye and said fiercely, "You slut, you must have taken a fancy to me and tricked me into coming here in the name of Consort Xian."

It's not that Agu is narcissistic; anyone else would think the same way.