"Your Majesty, I really didn't know there were all these messy things in this sachet. If I knew, even if I had a hundred courages, I would not dare to bring it to Mingyue Palace."
When Concubine Zhang entered the room and saw His Majesty and the Queen, her knees almost went weak. When the imperial physician found out that the sachet was poisonous, she knelt on the ground in panic, her mind full of questions: Who was framing her? Can her life be saved?
Oh God, please let some snow fall to prove how wronged I am.
Unfortunately, God did not intend to cooperate with her. Not only did it not snow, there was not even a breeze.
"This... this is a drunken flower. I don't even know what it looks like, so how can I know if it's poisonous or not." Zhang Concubine cried very pitifully: "Your Majesty and the Empress, please understand clearly that I have absolutely no intention of poisoning the Empress."
"That's enough." Emperor Longfeng was dizzy from her crying: "The Queen hasn't spoken yet, why are you so anxious?"
"I dare not. I am innocent." Concubine Zhang sobbed softly, but did not dare to shout anymore.
"Little Pig, did you see that?" Prince Chen whispered in Jiuzhu's ear, "This is one of the three methods that concubines and court officials love to use, the crying method."
"What are the remaining two methods?"
"Sometimes, some people use a combination of the three methods to achieve their goals, including making a scene and committing suicide."
Jiuzhu looked at Emperor Longfeng with pity and sighed deeply: "It's really not easy for my father."
The court and the harem are all filled with people like this. What a miserable life they live.
"Take back your little gaze." Prince Chen whispered, "If you keep looking, half of the memorials from father will be in my hands."
Jiuzhu quickly averted her gaze, saying, "Your Highness is still young and cannot be tortured like His Majesty."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince and his wife have arrived."
Emperor Longfeng had not seen his son for a long time since New Year's Eve. He stroked the teacup in his hand and remained silent.
"Your Majesty." Empress Su smiled: "No matter what happens, blood ties cannot be severed. Let the past be the past."
"I have wronged you over the years." Emperor Longfeng was unwilling to show a gloomy face in front of Empress Su. He held her hand and said, "What does it matter if we are father and son by blood? Under the temptation of imperial power, everything becomes insignificant."
"Father, you can't say that." Prince Chen leaned towards him and whispered, "I have never thought about your position."
"Shut up." Emperor Longfeng became even angrier. It was more infuriating that he didn't care about her than that she did.
Prince Chen sat back beside Jiuzhu silently. Jiuzhu patted his arm comfortingly and whispered, "Don't be sad, Your Highness. Brother Six is often scolded by Uncle at home, but Uncle cares about Brother Six very much."
"Alas." Prince Chen pretended to be sad: "It's my fault that I didn't do well enough."
"Your Highness has done well enough."
Empress Su glanced at her son who was playing pitiful in front of Jiuzhu, coughed dryly, and reminded him to stop: "Call the fourth prince and the fourth daughter-in-law in."
"Xiangjuan, help Concubine Zhang up. Sit down and talk slowly if you have anything to say."
Yun Yanze walked into the palace and bowed in a proper manner: "Your son greets the emperor, father, and the queen mother."
"Everyone, please stand up and take a seat." Seeing that Emperor Longfeng did not speak, Empress Su smiled at the couple and waited for them to sit down before chatting about some family matters.
Yun Yanze answered them one by one, and each answer was thoughtful and appropriate, without any flaws.
Empress Su did not intend to play the mother-son love with other princes in front of Emperor Longfeng. After the polite words, she said directly: "I asked the fourth prince to come here today because the sachet that Concubine Zhang brought into Mingyue Palace contained intoxicating flowers and drugs that cause madness."
Yun Yanze's expression changed drastically, but he remained calm and said, "I am not aware of this matter."
"It is because you are unaware that I asked you to come here." Empress Su raised her hand, and the imperial physician brought the tray containing the poisonous sachet to him: "Fourth Prince, please take a look."
The intoxicating flowers are beautiful when they are in full bloom, but after drying they look like curled up dead leaves, with no aesthetic appeal at all.
Hearing the word "poison", Sun Caiyao subconsciously looked at Ming Jiuzhu.
Being stared at by Sun Caiyao inexplicably, Jiuzhu looked up at her: "Fourth sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
"It's okay." Sun Caiyao looked away in panic: "Nothing happened."
"Your Highness, the intoxicating flower can repel mosquitoes, but its stems and leaves are poisonous and eating too much can cause death. Dried flowers like this are not very toxic, but if mixed with this powder and worn every day, within a month, it can cause the wearer to become insane."
After hearing what the imperial physician said, Zhang Concubine gradually recovered and said, "Someone wants to harm me?"
"Don't worry, I have already sent people to search your bedroom. Any suspicious items will be taken away." Empress Su comforted Concubine Zhang after she was frightened: "Tonight, you will stay in the side hall of Mingyue Palace first."
"Thank you, Queen!" Zhang Pin finally understood that the Queen asked her to come over in order to save her life.
"No other concubines live in Mingyue Palace. Why not let her live in Qingfeng Tower? If you are worried, send a few more people to guard her." Emperor Longfeng, who had been silent, said, "We can't break the rules because of her."
Zhang Concubine: "..."
Okay, she understands, she doesn't deserve it!
"Okay." Empress Su smiled and glared at Emperor Longfeng, then turned to Concubine Zhang and said, "There are no other concubines living in Qingfeng Tower. You can live in the main hall when you go there. It's better than living in the side hall here."
If given a choice, who wouldn't want to live in the side hall of Mingyue Palace?
"Thank you, Her Majesty, for your grace." Concubine Zhang did not dare to object.
Soon, the people who were sent to check Concubine Zhang's bedroom came back.
"Your Majesty and Empress, I, your humble servant and others, found two rosy pink long-necked bottles soaked in cinnabar, a box of incense containing intoxicating flower powder, and... and..." The leading eunuch glanced at Jiuzhu secretly, hesitating and not daring to speak.
"And what?" Su Hou realized that something was wrong and her face darkened.
"And the witchcraft doll with Princess Chen's birth date written on it." After the eunuch finished speaking, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down, Your Majesty, please calm down, Your Majesty, please calm down."
The royal families of all dynasties were very taboo about witchcraft. When they found the witchcraft doll under Concubine Zhang’s quilt, they were almost frightened to their knees.
"Concubine Zhang?!" Anyone could see that Empress Su was angry.
"Your Majesty, I don't know this." Zhang Concubine shook her head blankly: "I have never believed in this stuff."
"Wait." Jiuzhu asked the eunuch, "Where is the voodoo doll? Bring it to me."
"Princess, such filthy things..."
"Bring it to the princess." Prince Chen said expressionlessly, "With my father here and the dragon energy lingering, what dirty thing dares to come?"
The young eunuch who was waiting outside the hall came in carrying a tray. The tray was covered with a red cloth with a slight bulge in the middle.
Jiuzhu lifted the red cloth covering the voodoo doll, glanced at the doll, and laughed out loud: "What kind of voodoo doll is this? It's just a cloth doll. Where did you find the doll in Concubine Zhang's bedroom?"
"Replying to Princess, it's under the quilt that Concubine Zhang is covering."
"If it is really a witchcraft doll, who would dare to hide it between the bed and quilt?" Jiuzhu picked up the silver needle on the doll and poked a few times on the doll with her own birth date written on it: "The witchcraft doll should be made of straw, with the name and birth date of the cursed person tied with a red string. It is best to write down the place of origin as well. This kind of cloth doll is useless."
This doll is soft and fun to poke.
Prince Chen looked at the rag doll that was making a hissing sound from being poked, and obediently put down his crossed legs.
"There are also problems with these silver needles. When practicing witchcraft, it is best to use gold needles, which have the effect of cutting off the breath and sealing the blood." Jiuzhu picked up the doll and shook it twice, then threw it into the tray: "The most important thing is that witchcraft is pure nonsense. If we can solve all our enemies with just a doll, then what order can we have in Dacheng?"
Jiuzhu finished speaking, and seeing that everyone was looking at him without saying a word, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Ahem." Prince Chen glanced at the doll that Jiuzhu had poked several times: "How do you know how to make a voodoo doll?"
"What's the matter?" Jiuzhu pulled out all the silver needles from the witch doll and put them neatly in place. "My two masters are both practitioners. They told me many folk legends."
"Those who have justice in their hearts are immune to all evil. Even if there are monsters and demons, they will give way to the soldiers and runners."
Concubine Zhang, who was crying and protesting her injustice, fell silent, her tears hanging on her cheeks and dried by the wind.
Even Yun Yanze and his wife had somewhat dull expressions.
Especially when they saw Ming Jiuju holding a needle and poking the doll, her expressions were colorful and wonderful.
Who among ordinary people would dare to do such a thing to a doll with their birth date and time written on it?
Doesn't she have any taboos?
Sun Caiyao swallowed and looked at Jiuzhu with a little more awe in her eyes.
"Jiu, Jiuzhu." Empress Su came back to her senses and said dryly, "You mean to say that Concubine Zhang was wrongly accused?"
"Yes." Jiuzhu nodded: "Madam Zhang is not a fool. It is impossible for her to hide the witch doll in such an easy-to-find place and wait for it to be exposed."
Given the Queen's favored status in the harem, if Concubine Zhang dared to hide a voodoo doll in her quilt today, she would be reported by the palace servants tomorrow.
Zhang Concubine looked at Jiuzhu gratefully. All the negative emotions about not helping her daughter and making her daughter lose face disappeared completely. All she could think about was how the Princess of Chen was very observant and meticulous, and would never wrongly accuse a good person.
"Cinnabar is extremely poisonous. Staying with cinnabar for a long time can easily drive people crazy." The imperial physician looked at Concubine Zhang. Who did Concubine Zhang offend that wanted her to go crazy so much?
"Thank you, Imperial Physician." Empress Su nodded and said, "Go to the side hall and rest for a while."
"I'll take my leave." The imperial physician understood that what was to follow was not what he should hear.
After the imperial physician left, Prince Chen looked at Yun Yanze lazily, "I wonder if Fourth Brother understands this play?"
"This is a conspiracy against me and my fifth brother's wife." Yun Yanze looked at Jiuzhu: "Someone wants to use Concubine Zhang to stir up internal fighting between me and my brother's wife."
Everyone in the court knew about his feud with the Ming family. If someone used Concubine Zhang to plot against Ming Jiuzhu, he would be the first person to be suspected.
"Wrong, this prince and the princess are one, so this is a conspiracy against you and us." Prince Chen emphasized the pronunciation of "them" and said with a fake smile: "Fourth brother, don't say it's wrong."
Yun Yanze smiled and said, "Fifth brother is right."
Sun Caiyao said, "Fifth brother is right, it is a conspiracy against us and you."
Your Highness has nothing to do with Ming Jiuzhu, and should not be mentioned together separately.
Yun Yanze turned his head to look at her and smiled gently.
Concubine Zhang sat silently by the side and didn't dare to say a word. Since it was a conspiracy against the two princes, why did they drag her into the water?
Is she only fit to be a brainless tool who deserves to be sacrificed?
Doesn't she have any face?
This is really too much!
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