The palace maids and eunuchs lowered their heads, hesitant to speak.

The Emperor asked in a cold voice, "You answer the questions Consort Gu has asked!"

He had little patience, and his angry questions made the palace servants tremble.

Finally, Lotus stepped forward. "Your Majesty, we servants are aware of the insect infestation in the main hall. Almost all the maids and eunuchs in Lanfang Palace know about it. I think Consort Gu should... know about it too..."

The other palace maids and eunuchs behind her nodded in agreement with what Lotus had said.

Gu Jiangli was not surprised at all by Hehua's actions.

All the palace servants in Lanfang Palace knew that the main hall was infested with insects and ants. Hehua was not lying, because Gu Jiangli had told them everything.

The palace servants here already avoided Gu Jiangru like the plague, so to avoid causing trouble for themselves, they naturally wouldn't bring up this matter in front of Gu Jiangru.

Gu Jiangru clearly couldn't hold back any longer. She couldn't stand this "framing" and immediately stood up from beside the emperor.

"What do I know? Nobody has ever told me! If I knew this, I would have ordered you to clean it!"

"Besides, shouldn't you servants take the initiative to clean up the insects and ants in the main hall? Do you need me to give you orders for everything?"

She looked at Gu Jiangli with a hint of anger, but then she saw a faint smile on Gu Jiangli's lips.

In an instant, she had a bad feeling, but she didn't know where it came from.

But she soon understood.

Lotus was scolded and said somewhat aggrievedly:

"But... it was Consort Gu who forbade us from cleaning Consort Gu's room! We servants dared not disobey orders. Since Consort Gu arrived at Lanfang Palace, no palace maid or eunuch has dared to step into Consort Gu's room..."

"I......"

Gu Jiangru's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

She would try to defend herself on other matters, because they were all false.

However, she really couldn't explain this. When Gu Jiangli came to Lanfang Palace, she deliberately prevented the palace maids and eunuchs from serving her in order to make Gu Jiangli feel uncomfortable. She just wanted to make Gu Jiangli suffer.

I never imagined that this matter would become evidence against her today!

The emperor's face darkened, and he asked the palace servants behind him, "Is what this palace maid said really true?"

The eunuchs and servants didn't dare to raise their heads, nodding repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice.

Gu Jiangli seized the opportunity, pulled the lotus flower behind him, and said to the emperor:

“Your Majesty, they must be mistaken. My sister treats me very well. How could she possibly refuse to let anyone serve me? I was the one who said I didn’t need anyone to serve me. Please don’t blame my sister.”

While seemingly pleading for Gu Jiangru, they were actually smearing her once again.

Isn't this the kind of trick Gu Jiangru excels at?

She has now mastered it.

The emperor's face was cold, and his gaze toward Gu Jiangru was filled with displeasure.

Gu Jiangru didn't care about any of that anymore; she absolutely refused to take the blame!

"Your Majesty! Sister, you have really disregarded my good intentions! I saw that you had lost your birth mother and were heartbroken every day. I was worried that those ignorant servants would disturb your rest, so I didn't let them disturb your peace."

"Is it wrong for my sister to have such good intentions?"

"Also, my sister really didn't know that you moved to the side hall."

"If I had known you weren't comfortable in the room in the main hall, I would have been willing to let you stay in my room!"

"How could I possibly let you share a room with those lowly servants?"

Gu Jiangru kept referring to her as a lowly servant, which made Gu Jiangli laugh.

Could it be that Gu Jiangru was completely oblivious to the emperor's extremely unpleasant expression?

The emperor spoke with anger: "You say you don't know, but Consort Gu says you do. So, who is lying?"

The emperor's tone was unfriendly. Gu Jiangru paused, about to speak, but the emperor didn't give her a chance. He walked past her and asked the palace servants:

"Besides knowing about the insects in the main hall, what else do you know? Do you also know that Consort Gu was forced to live in the side hall?"

Lotus suddenly knelt down, almost burying her head in the ground, and respectfully replied:

"Your Majesty, Consort Gu lived with me in the side hall, and we servants would talk about it in private. Therefore, all the servants in Lanfang Palace knew that Consort Gu lived in the side hall."

The emperor's eyes darkened. At that moment, a palace maid suddenly rushed to the emperor from the crowd, kneeling down alongside Lotus. She spoke in a sweet, delicate voice to the emperor:

"Your Majesty, I am Manxiang, a maid who sweeps the floor in Lanfang Palace."

“This servant can testify that Consort Gu is not lying, because this servant personally heard Consort Gu and Consort Gu talking about moving to the side hall.”

Upon hearing this, Gu Jiangru flew into a rage, and her voice became much sharper.

"What nonsense are you spouting! Gu Jiangli never told me any of these things! Where did you hear them from? To speak nonsense in front of His Majesty is to deceive the emperor! Can a servant like you bear such a crime!"

Manxiang's shoulders trembled slightly, but she still mustered her courage and said:

"This servant is merely stating the truth. Consort Gu did indeed mistreat Consort Gu in Lanfang Palace, as witnessed by all the servants in the palace."

Gu Jiangru was so angry she felt dizzy, and she almost slapped Manxiang across the face.

However, they dared not act recklessly in front of the emperor, so they could only squeeze out tears and complain to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I truly did not. I have no idea where I have offended my sister that she would try to frame me like this! I also don't know how much my sister has benefited from these servants, yet they speak such nonsense before Your Majesty..."

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