Chapter 10 Preventing her from leaving the palace
Chapter Ten: Preventing Her from Leaving the Palace
Seeing his reaction, the Empress Dowager already understood somewhat, but she remained calm and said, "The list of those to be released was presented to the Emperor a month ago. Does Your Majesty not know? Su Su should already be at Shenwu Gate, her carriage ready to depart. If Your Majesty wishes to..."
Before the words were even finished, Li Qianche had already strode out, a wave of panic washing over him. He had been busy with state affairs these past few days and was unaware of this matter. She actually wanted to leave the palace? Why? Could it be that the punishment last time was too severe, breaking her heart?
He called out loudly for Shen Gaoyi to prepare the carriage, his only thought at that moment being that he could not let her leave!
He headed straight for the Shenwu Gate. Upon arriving, he saw palace maids beginning to leave the palace and immediately ordered, "Close the palace gates! No one is allowed to leave the palace today!"
Inside the side hall, Su Su waited quietly for a long time, but still no one returned. She moved to the window and looked at the setting sun gradually sinking in the west. The noise at the palace gate gradually subsided, and a sense of unease rose in her heart. This silence seemed unusual.
As dusk settled, An Dekang hurriedly returned, wiping his sweat and whispering, "Your Highness, the Emperor has suddenly issued an edict sealing off the palace. It seems you cannot leave today. Perhaps something has happened in the palace. Please return to Changxin Palace and wait until tomorrow to see how things develop."
Su Su lowered her eyes and remained silent, not knowing what had happened. She could only nod gently.
As dusk deepened, she walked along the palace path, and the last glimmer of hope in her heart sank. This time, she felt she might not be able to get out.
Back at Changxin Palace, Chunlan saw that Su Su remained silent, so she walked quietly to her side and gently comforted her, "Your Highness, perhaps an urgent matter has occurred in the palace, which is why the palace gates were temporarily closed."
Su Su frowned in deep thought. Why were the palace gates suddenly closed? Was it Zhuang Shuning who was stopping her? But she was eager for her to leave the palace; last time she even pretended to persuade her to go and pray for her nephew. There was no reason for her to obstruct her now. Was it the Emperor? Why wouldn't he allow her to leave the palace? Was he afraid of losing her as a pawn to keep the Empress Dowager in check? No, that didn't make sense either. If she left, he would lose an informant, and besides, he had always disliked her. Who was it? What had happened?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and her head began to throb. Finally, she sighed softly and said to the two of them, "Never mind, since we don't know the reason, let's wait and see tomorrow. Qiuju, go to the imperial kitchen and find Xiao Anzi to see if there is any food left."
Upon hearing that they were looking for food, Qiuju immediately obeyed and ran out the door.
In the imperial study, Li Qianche learned that the palace gates were closed and Su Su was unable to leave the palace, and his tense nerves finally relaxed slightly.
Shen Gaoyi strode inside and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort Su has returned to Changxin Palace."
Li Qianche remained silent for a moment, his gaze deep. He pondered to himself: If she was only disheartened by her demotion due to the matter of the Prince of Ning's heir, and that's why she had the idea of leaving the palace... then promoting her rank would at least allow her to stay in the palace with peace of mind for the time being. He then said, "Tomorrow, draft an imperial edict to promote Su Ying to Su Pin."
Seeing that the Emperor paused slightly, as if he was thinking, Shen Gaoyi quickly realized that the Emperor was probably thinking that the case of the Prince of Ning's heir was still unresolved and that Consort Su was still the biggest suspect. Promoting her at this time might attract criticism from the court and the harem. He cleverly said, "Consort Su previously copied scriptures to pray for the soldiers, which shows her sincerity. This great victory in the southwest may well have been due to her merits."
Li Qianche nodded slightly: "On this basis, we hereby issue an imperial decree that Consort Su is specially promoted to the rank of Consort Su for praying for the soldiers and protecting our country."
Shen Gaoyi bowed and accepted the order: "Your Majesty is wise. This servant will go and draft the decree immediately."
After Shen Gaoyi withdrew, Li Qianche addressed the empty hall in a deep voice: "How is the investigation into the matter of the Prince of Ning's heir progressing?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark figure appeared like smoke. The guard, Night Shadow, knelt down and reported: "Since the night of the Winter Solstice Banquet, I have discovered a suspicious point. When Consort Su went to change her clothes, there was no one on duty in the side hall. All the palace servants who were supposed to be on duty were transferred by Consort Su's former maid, Fuqu, on the grounds that there was a shortage of people for the banquet. Fuqu was also on the list of those to be released today, but she was not old enough to leave the palace. As soon as she left the palace, she was murdered in a dark alley not far away."
Li Qianche's eyes turned cold: "Who assigned the palace maid who led the way? Was she someone from Su Su's side, or someone else?"
“She is a maid in Consort Song’s palace. I have already interrogated her, and she confessed that she was sent by Consort Song to lead the way.”
Li Qian immediately ordered Shen Gaoyi to summon Song Liuzheng.
Song Liuzheng was overjoyed upon hearing the news. She was thrilled to hear that the Emperor had summoned her alone. She had not yet served the Emperor since entering the palace, and she was determined to seize this opportunity.
She meticulously dressed herself, repeatedly admiring herself in the mirror. Before long, she gracefully entered the Imperial Study, her voice like a nightingale's song: "Your Majesty, may you be well!" As she bowed, her eyes darted around, secretly glancing at the Emperor's face. She thought to herself, even General Pei, who was renowned in the capital, could not compare to the Emperor's majestic and elegant bearing.
Li Qianche didn't even glance at her, only ordering the palace maid who had led the way to be brought in, and coldly asked, "Does Consort Song recognize this person?"
Before Song Liuzheng could recover from her reverie, she caught sight of the palace maid and her face turned deathly pale. She twisted her handkerchief tightly in her hand and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I don't recognize her..."
Li Qian slammed his fist on the table and roared, "She's a maid in your palace! How dare you say you don't recognize her?!"
Song Liuzheng was so frightened that she knelt down, her voice trembling: "There are so many people in the palace, I really can't remember them all..." In her heart, she thought that the person had clearly promised that as long as Su Su was led to the side hall, the rest would be handled properly, and that Su Su would definitely lose power, and that she would not be implicated.
The palace maid cried out, "Your Majesty! I am Tinghe! On the night of the Winter Solstice, you ordered me to guide the Imperial Concubine to the side hall!"
Song Liuzheng trembled and blurted out, "Your Majesty, please understand! I did not harm the Prince of Ning's heir!"
Li Qianche sneered: "I haven't even mentioned the deaths of the side hall master and the crown prince, and you've already admitted it yourself?"
Song Liuzheng collapsed to the ground, her face soaked with sweat and her makeup disheveled, sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, I only saw that the Imperial Concubine was drunk, and kindly sent someone to guide her... I knew nothing at all!"
"Just now you vehemently denied it, and now you're offering to help?" Li Qianche's eyes flashed with even more cold light. "Even now, you still dare to deny it?"
Song Liuzheng kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I truly only ordered someone to lead the way! I know nothing about what happened after Consort Su went in! She has always been arrogant; she must be the one who killed the Prince of Ning's heir!"
Li Qianche coldly glared at her: "I ask you, there are many side halls in the palace, why did you specifically lead her to that one? You clearly have ulterior motives and are deliberately framing her!"
"Your Majesty, I didn't! You're being unfair!" Song Liuzheng cried, tears streaming down her face. "I have no grudge against the Prince of Ning's family, why would I harm him? But Consort Su and Consort Zhuang have a long-standing feud; it was she who plotted to harm Consort Zhuang's nephew!"
Li Qianche rubbed his temples, his tone icy: "I'm asking about your responsibility in guiding the way. What does this have to do with the Ning Prince's Mansion? The evidence against you for participating in the plot to murder the imperial heir is irrefutable. Confess now!"
Song Liuzheng's eyes darted around in a flustered manner: "Your Majesty, I didn't know the Prince of Ning's heir was in the side hall... I just felt that it was quiet there, suitable for the Imperial Concubine to rest."
"There are many side halls near the Qianqing Palace," the Emperor said with sharp eyes. "Why did you choose the furthest side hall instead of leading her to the nearest one? What are your intentions?"
"Your Majesty, I truly had no intention of harming you," Song Liuzheng said, tears streaming down her face as she closed her eyes, the taste of blood seeping into her teeth.
Only now did she realize that from the moment she agreed to lead the way, she had stepped into this deadly trap. Now that the witness was here, even though she hadn't personally harmed the prince, she couldn't escape the crime of "framing a concubine." She bit her lip tightly, the man's warning still echoing in her ears: "If you dare to divulge even a single word, three people in your Ministry of War's household will die suddenly tomorrow..." As long as she refused to confess, at least her father's official position would remain, and her family could still survive.
Seeing that she had no further intention of confessing, the last trace of warmth vanished from the Emperor's eyes. It was undeniable that Lady Song had framed the concubines and disrupted the palace, but the death of the heir still needed to be investigated thoroughly. The Ning Prince's residence urgently needed an explanation, and the officials of the previous court were also watching. Even though Su Su's suspicions were not cleared, Lady Song's crimes were undeniable. To appease everyone for now, he waved his sleeve and said, "Lady Song's framing of the concubines is despicable. From this day forward, she is demoted to commoner status and imprisoned in the Cold Palace! As for the case of the Ning Prince's heir, I will continue to investigate thoroughly and will not allow the truth to be obscured!"
Song Liuzheng nearly fainted, and as the eunuch dragged her away, she still cried out hoarsely, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! It was Consort Su... it was Consort Su..."
The screams faded into the distance, and the hall returned to deathly silence. Li Qianche's eyes were deep and dark. With Song Liuzheng's foolish and cunning mind, there was no way she could have set up such a scheme. She wanted to kill the Prince of Ning's heir silently and then seamlessly shift the suspicion onto Su Su. This person must be of high status and be meticulous and ruthless.
He then asked Ye Ying, "Song Shi has always been very close to Consort Zhuang, yet she is now involved in the plot to murder Consort Zhuang's own nephew. This is truly strange. Moreover, Consort Zhuang has not shown any signs of grief recently. She and Princess Ning are sisters; what is their relationship like usually?"
Night Shadow pondered for a moment and said, "Princess Ning is indeed Consort Zhuang's half-sister, and she was raised under her stepmother's name since childhood. On the surface, the sisters are harmonious, and I have never heard of any discord between them. I will certainly investigate the matter carefully."
Are there any other clues?
"That night, there seemed to be a very faint, strange fragrance in the side hall. This fragrance was extremely peculiar; I had never smelled it before, and I couldn't immediately identify its source or purpose. I am still investigating."
"Continue the investigation," Li Qianche pinched his brow and waved his hand, and the Night Shadow disappeared without a trace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com