Su Lijin looked back at her and naturally saw her hatred, but she was not afraid at all.
This rhetorical question choked Qin Fei, and she couldn't even utter a word of rebuttal. She could only glare at her fiercely.
After a long while, she said, "You are the only one closest to my tent here. Who else could it be if not you?"
"First of all, you are just a concubine and must use honorifics when addressing me."
Su Lijin sat down in the main seat, her eyes fearless. "Secondly, you must provide evidence when you speak. You can't just make false accusations without any evidence."
Concubine Qin was furious: "Your Majesty, you are so sharp-tongued. I really underestimated you."
"Please produce the evidence. I'm waiting for your evidence." Su Lijin raised her eyebrows.
But where does Concubine Qin have any evidence?
The bug ran from Su Lijin to her, how could she prove it?
This is something that is difficult to prove. Moreover, once we really investigate, who knows...
Concubine Qin didn't dare to investigate, but she felt choked by this secret and felt short of breath. She was almost mad at Su Lijin.
The noise here had already alarmed many people, and the other concubines, palace maids and eunuchs all gathered around.
"What happened?"
Everyone asked, looking at the two curiously.
"Last night in the middle of the night, a swarm of insects came into my tent, and I was so scared that I almost died."
Walking up to the crowd, Concubine Qin stared at Su Lijin.
"Why are there bugs?"
Everyone was puzzled, but they were frightened by the appearance described by Qin Fei, and their scalps went numb.
"I live next to the Empress. My tent was infested with bugs, and I was frightened all night. But the Empress said she didn't see any bugs and slept soundly. Can you tell me why?"
Qin Fei's words were full of meaning.
"Could it be that the Queen placed it there?"
Someone whispered.
Everyone couldn't help but look towards Su Lijin.
Su Lijin's eyes showed understanding, and she thought that Concubine Qin was quite good at using public opinion.
He thought to himself, but remained calm on the surface.
"If someone didn't deliberately put them there, how could there be so many insects, and why did they only appear in my tent?"
Seeing that the guidance was effective, Concubine Qin continued, "The Empress is the head of the harem, and I naturally cannot afford to offend her. If the Empress says no, then what can I say?"
There were hidden meanings in these words, both explicitly and implicitly, all hinting that Su Lijin wanted to frame her.
For a moment, everyone was incited to believe it to about 60%.
After all, Concubine Qin looked haggard and pale, and it seemed that she had been frightened all night.
And Su Lijin was indeed in high spirits, which was exactly in line with what Concubine Qin said.
Everyone looked at Concubine Qin, then at Su Lijin, and started talking among themselves.
Su Lijin stood up and said, "I have already said that Concubine Qin should produce evidence first and then confront me face to face. I am not someone who can be wrongly accused for no reason."
After she finished speaking, she looked at Concubine Qin and said meaningfully, "If you don't do anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking on your door. I'm not afraid, but some people may not be."
As soon as she finished speaking, she left the tent, too lazy to waste any more words.
…
The hunt was nearing its end, and a large number of prey had been caught. They had all been cleaned up and placed in one place, under the care of a special person.
"According to the tradition of previous years, the hunt will end after the prey is sacrificed." A palace maid said, holding a basin of water.
"Yes, it looks like it's today." Another palace maid nodded.
"Alas, I didn't expect it to end so soon and go back to the palace."
"Yes, although it's not as luxurious as the palace, it's much more comfortable."
The two palace maids sighed and finished speaking, their figures gradually walking away.
Su Lijin took a sip of tea, and all these words fell into her ears. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "The palace is indeed very confining."
She got up and went to find Xiao Shengxing. In front of Xiao Shengxing stood several people in charge of sacrifices, and it seemed that they had already arranged the sacrifice.
"The Queen has arrived just in time. Please accompany me to the ceremony outside."
After Xiao Shengxing finished speaking, he walked out first.
Su Lijin followed him and arrived in a few steps.
The place was filled with officials and their wives, and a huge pile of firewood had been piled high in the middle, waiting to be lit.
"Your Majesty, the torches are ready and the ceremony is ready."
A man knelt on the ground, held up a torch and handed it to Xiao Shengxing.
Xiao Shengxing took it. The torch in his hand burned brightly, and the blazing flames made his face hot.
In previous years, the emperor would light the bonfire, and when the bonfire was lit, everyone would celebrate the end of the hunt.
Under the gaze of everyone, Xiao Shengxing took two steps forward and walked to the campfire.
Su Lijin had a smile on her lips, but suddenly her brows furrowed. The faint smell in the air made her suddenly alert.
Xiao Shengxing pointed the torch downwards, and when it was about to light the bonfire, someone suddenly pulled his hand up.
"Your Majesty, don't order." Su Lijin faced him and stopped him with her eyes.
She held Xiao Shengxing's hand holding the torch tightly, not daring to let go.
Xiao Shengxing sensed the fear in her eyes and glanced at the bonfire: "What does the Queen mean?"
Su Lijin was so scared that her palms were sweating.
If she had grabbed Xiao Shengxing's hand a little later, once the torch ignited the bonfire, they would all be injured or even killed!
"There's a smell of gunpowder, something's going on inside the bonfire," she said in a voice only the two of them could hear.
When these words came out, even though Xiao Shengxing was mentally prepared, he was still slightly shocked when he heard the words "gun smoke".
He didn't expect that someone would be so bold as to set things like saltpeter in the bonfire!
"The bonfire ceremony is cancelled. I declare the hunting over directly," he said.
The smile on Xiao Zhaolin's face faded a little, and he said unhappily, "Your Majesty, lighting a bonfire to celebrate the end of hunting is a tradition. Canceling it hastily would be a violation of tradition."
The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Tradition cannot be abolished. Your Majesty must not make such a decision arbitrarily. In my opinion, we should light the bonfire as usual."
Su Lijin frowned and shook her head almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Shengxing patted her hand and said firmly, "Traditions can be modified. I declare that there is no need to light a bonfire today."
Seeing that he was determined, the Queen Mother shook her head helplessly: "Since the Emperor doesn't want to order, let someone else order."
As he spoke, he took the torch and handed it to Xiao Zhaolin: "Zhaolin, come here."
A deep look appeared in Xiao Shengxing's eyes.
Su Lijin's heart sank. The bonfire to celebrate the end of the hunt could only be lit by the emperor. The empress dowager's action was clearly a challenge to the imperial power.
Xiao Zhaolin's eyes were filled with excitement as he reached out to take it: "I will light the bonfire right away."
Glancing at the genuine excitement on his face, Xiao Shengxing's eyes flashed with deep thought.
It seems that Xiao Zhaolin didn't know that there was gunpowder and explosives in the bonfire.
A hint of surprise also flashed in Su Lijin's eyes. If Xiao Zhaolin knew that there were explosives, he would not even have time to hide, so how could he volunteer to die?
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