Chapter 104: I am wronged
The Queen rolled her eyes in her heart. You did something wrong, and I am blamed for it. You almost killed Xiaojiu, and you come to lecture me.
She was unhappy and her face turned cold: "Your Majesty is teaching me that Xue Zhaoyi had a miscarriage and Xiaojiu fell into the water because I did not manage the harem well.
Concubine Zhou is right. I was too soft-hearted in the past, which allowed people with ulterior motives to make trouble again and again. Today, in front of the Emperor, I must get to the bottom of this matter."
After saying that, she folded her hands and said frankly: "Madam Zhang, call all the maids who came to Kunning Palace yesterday, and then check the origin of these oils. "
The Queen kept her word. What if she can't find out the truth?"
The Queen took a deep breath and said, "If she can't find out the truth, it means that I, the Queen, am not capable enough. I am willing to hand over the golden book and the seal and stop being the Queen!"
When the Emperor saw the Queen like this, he knew that he had spoken too harshly. He didn't expect the Queen to be so firm. There are three thousand beauties in the harem, and the Queen is not his favorite, but she is the one he trusts the most. The position of Queen belongs to her. Concubine
Zhou didn't know what the emperor was saying, and said to herself, "Your Majesty, you are too kind. You are the empress appointed by the emperor himself. How can you hand over the golden book and seal for no reason? This is too much of a joke."
The emperor interrupted her and said, "That's enough. Now the most urgent thing is to find the person who lured Xiaojiu to the pond!"
Concubine Zhou shut up in dismay. Then let's check. Yesterday was Gu Huaian's birthday, and almost all the concubines sent people to deliver gifts.
It's like looking for a needle in a haystack to find those two people based on a few words from a child.
Gu Huaian sneezed and said, "Are you looking for the two palace maids who were talking about water hyacinth? Don't bother. I know how to find them!"
Concubine Zhou was shocked. It didn't make sense. Gu Huaian could only see their backs. How could he recognize them?
But she was guilty and didn't dare to show her teeth and claws. She quietly stepped back.
The two palace maids also took the opportunity to hide behind her.
Gu Huaian looked at the maids behind Concubine Zhou and asked childishly, "Find them. I have something else to ask them. The water hyacinth has red color and the other has emerald green color. Which one is better?"
The emperor seemed to understand something. He picked up Gu Huaian and asked, "Xiaojiu, you really saw it clearly. Tell your father, who told you that water hyacinth can absorb the knowledge taught by the master?"
Gu Huaian lowered his head and thought for a while and said, "I only remember that one of them had a black mole on her neck, and the other had a black mole on her neck. The butterfly on her hairpin has a broken wing!"
The Queen glanced at the two nervous maids behind Concubine Zhou with her peripheral vision. She understood a little bit in her heart and said decisively: "Then let's investigate thoroughly, starting with the people present. Last time, there was a problem with the brocade in my palace, and this time let's start with the people from Kunning Palace!"
After that, Nanny Zhang asked the maids who followed from Kunning Palace to turn around and let Gu Huaian identify them. In order to prevent people from gossiping, she also stood at the end of the team.
Gu Huaian looked at them one by one, shook his head and said, "It's not them!"
Concubine Zhou smiled falsely and said, "Your Majesty, I'm not pouring cold water on you. The Ninth Prince is still young, and we don't know whether he has seen clearly or not. It's a joke to ask him to recognize people. Your Majesty, it's the middle of the night, I caught a cold, and I have a severe headache, so I'll take my leave first."
The Queen didn't wait for the Emperor to speak, and said, "Your Majesty is weak, and it's too late to stay for long. In this case, let Xiaojiu recognize the people you brought first, and let others bring the others over later."
"What do you mean, Your Majesty? Are you suspicious of me? The Emperor was in my palace last night. How can I be blamed for what happened to the Ninth Prince in the middle of the night? Your Majesty, you have to make the decision for me!" Concubine Zhou said angrily, and then acted coquettishly to the Emperor.
The Emperor looked at her with pity and said, "Your Majesty is right. You are weak. Let Xiaojiu see the maid you brought with you first, and go back to rest early!"
"Your Majesty, don't you believe me either? Don't you know what I was doing last night?" Zhou said, wiping away tears.
Gu Huaian was in the emperor's arms, smiled at Concubine Zhou and said, "Concubine, Xiaojiu is very fast. I just wanted to find them and ask them how to use the water hyacinth. Also, their secret must have been heard by others, otherwise there were so many water hyacinths in the pond, how could they suddenly become less."
Gu Huaian's words made the emperor and empress feel even colder. The other party wanted Xiaojiu to die. Now there were only a few water hyacinths in the pond, closest to the oil-sprinkled stone. They calculated that Xiaojiu had to go there to pick the water hyacinth. It
was the middle of the night. If it weren't for that dream, Xiaojiu would be dead now.
The emperor said in a deep voice: "Go check where the water hyacinth in the pond is! Concubine Zhou, ask the maids you brought to get ready!"
"Your Majesty!" Concubine Zhou wanted to act coquettishly, but seeing the stern look on Emperor Xiaode's face, she had to ask the servants to turn around.
She only brought four maids with her, and now they all stood with their backs to Gu Huaian.
One of them had her head tilted a little, and Gu Huaian straightened her head with both hands, and then he found the black mole on her neck.
"It's you! And you!" Gu Huaian pointed at one of her maids and said.
Concubine Zhou said unhappily, "It's normal to have a mole. This is too ridiculous. Besides, there's no butterfly hairpin on the other person's head!"
Gu Huaian said slowly, "Isn't that because she just took it off?"
Then he said to the maid, "Don't be sad. As long as you tell me the secret of water hyacinth, I will give you a new hairpin. Three is fine."
Yes, three, no more.
At the emperor's signal, the eunuch Yang Shun ordered people to search, and indeed, a butterfly hairpin was found on the maid.
The Queen gave an order: "Come here, capture these two palace maids and keep them under guard. First, search them for poison to prevent them from being forced to death again. Concubine Zhou, do you want to go back first, or wait for me to find out the truth?"
The Queen's tone was full of pressure. This time, she would not let the villain escape.
"Concubine Zhou, are they your people in the palace, or are they your personal maids? Tell me, what's going on?" The Emperor looked at her with no warmth in his eyes.
Concubine Zhou denied repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I am innocent. I know nothing. I have been waiting for Your Majesty to rest. I really don't know anything about this."
The emperor shook off Concubine Zhou's hand and said angrily: "Your Majesty, I will leave this matter to you. I will take Xiaojiu to rest."
Concubine Zhou chased after him: "Your Majesty, I know. Someone must have deliberately bribed my maid to frame me, just like they bribed Jinxiu who was by the side of the queen."