"No, no, no! I know nothing! I was flogged and have been bedridden ever since. I was only able to get out of bed a few days ago! None of this has anything to do with me!" Gu Jiangru was terrified.

She thought Gu Jiangli's plan was only to deal with her aunt, but she didn't expect it to be aimed at her as well!

"Unrelated?" the Empress Dowager retorted coldly. "Consort Gu gained the Emperor's favor and stole your exclusive affection. You probably hate her to the core!"

"I didn't..."

"She's pregnant, the first woman in the emperor's harem to become pregnant. As long as the child is born safely, her status will rise rapidly. Can you tolerate that kind of jealousy?"

"No...I really didn't..."

"Only if Consort Gu's child is gone can you regain favor, but you don't dare to do it directly, so you pulled your mother in and asked her for help. You remembered that you had been harmed by the curse, and you thought that the curse was useful, so you thought of imitating it."

"In the entire harem, besides Consort Zhang, who else knows Consort Gu's birth date and time better?"

Gu Jiangru's face was ashen.

As the Empress Dowager said, everyone's birth date and time are not easily revealed to outsiders.

Almost only the elders in the family know the birth dates and times of the next generation.

Even she didn't know what Gu Jiangru's birth date and time were.

A sense of powerlessness crept up her spine.

She had considered dozens of ways Gu Jiangli could frame her mother, but she never imagined that Gu would use this method.

This was a method that would have killed her mother; she should have avoided it at all costs!

Why would you think of using the same method to harm someone?!

Gu Jiangru shook her head silently, tears streaming down her face.

But this did not elicit any sympathy from the Empress Dowager, who continued:

"Aunt Zhang obtained Consort Gu's swaddling blanket and knew that it was her personal item from when she was a child. Using this material to make clothes for dolls can double the effect of the curse!"

"So she continued to help Gu Jieyu repair the swaddling clothes, secretly cutting off a piece from it and using it on the doll."

"By attaching the aunt's birth date and time, this doll will replace Gu Jieyu herself."

"Then use a wooden awl to drive it into the doll's abdomen, precisely cursing the child in her womb."

"I've been acting suspiciously lately, not letting anyone into my room, because I'm afraid of being discovered."

"Later, seeing that Consort Gu's body was becoming increasingly haggard and weak, he knew that the curse had worked, so he took the doll to Lanfang Palace and hid it away."

"If I hadn't realized that Consort Gu's miscarriage was not simple, it would probably have been considered an accidental miscarriage!"

The imperial physicians hurriedly joined in.

"Your Majesty is absolutely right! For more than a month, Consort Gu's health has not improved, but her pulse diagnosis has not revealed any abnormalities. I am starting to doubt my own medical skills."

"Now that we see it, it really was these evil spells that harmed Consort Gu's health."

"It is precisely because of this evil magic that Consort Gu's pulse is normal, and she has not gotten better despite drinking many remedies!"

The Empress Dowager's deductions instantly cleared the imperial physicians of any wrongdoing.

It's not that they lack ability; it's that someone is using evil magic to harm people, and there's nothing these imperial physicians can do about it!

Once it's confirmed that Aunt Zhang was responsible, they can avoid being punished.

Now, almost all the criticism is directed at Aunt Zhang.

Aunt Zhang could do nothing but shake her head and deny it.

"No...Empress Dowager, it really wasn't me..."

Tears in one's eyes are of no use at this point.

In the Empress Dowager's eyes, she had already accepted this conjecture.

"It wasn't entirely your doing; your daughter, Consort Gu, is the real mastermind."

The mother and daughter were completely pale.

Gu Jiangru shook her head so hard her neck almost broke.

"No, no! Your Majesty! It really is your concubine!"

The Empress Dowager snorted coldly:

“Aunt Zhang is greedy and stupid. How could she possibly think of using witchcraft to harm people? Moreover, she has no conflict of interest with Consort Gu and would not intentionally harm her child. Even if she did, it would definitely be for her daughter.”

"And you, with your cunning and quick thinking, have a perfectly reasonable motive for targeting Consort Gu. You orchestrated it, and Aunt Zhang carried it out—a perfect conspiracy."

Aunt Zhang's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.

She hadn't expected that what her daughter said about Gu Jiangli being cunning and calculating was actually true.

Everything Gu Jiangli did for her was fake.

His aim was to deceive her, to make himself willingly make clothes for her, and then fall into her trap.

She was still smugly and foolishly thinking that she had Gu Jiangli's weakness in her hands, but in reality, everything was under Gu Jiangli's control.

From the moment she received that ugly blanket... no, from the moment she entered the palace, she had already become part of Gu Jiangli's scheme.

She believed so much that Gu Jiangli was stupid, but it was just something Gu Jiangli did to impress her.

Now, not only am I being schemed against by her, but even Ru'er is...

no!

Looking at Gu Jiangli, who was still sobbing in the Emperor's arms, Aunt Zhang knew that even if she told the truth, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor would not believe her.

Because the truth about her is known only to her and Gu Jiangli. Gu Jiangli, who intends to harm her, will never admit it.

The practice of witchcraft has become an established fact.

Rather than let Ru'er share the blame, it's better for her to bear it alone.

"Empress Dowager! It was all my doing! I did it all by myself! I couldn't stand seeing Gu Jiangli doing well! She's the one who caused Ru'er to be punished! She's the one who stole Ru'er's rightful favor!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!