Chapter 140 No Way to Defend
Just at this moment, Liang Yao entered the hall to report.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the guards guarding Linde Hall today have all been recalled to the palace and are now waiting in the courtyard!"
You came at the right time!
Xie Chen, who was sitting in the main seat, waved his hand towards Yun Shu, "Go and identify them. See if you can find the guard who conspired with that little palace maid."
"yes."
Yun Shu stood up.
She knelt for so long that her legs became numb and she limped out of the hall.
The biting wind and snow woke Yun Shu up, and she closed her eyes and reminisced.
She was almost unconscious at that time. After hearing someone talking, she used all her strength to half open her eyes.
She vaguely saw a scene: the guard was tall, his armor reflecting a cold light. Beyond that, she had no memory of him.
Yun Shu exhaled and walked towards the courtyard.
The guards in the palace are all young talents selected from hundreds of miles away, and many of them are tall.
Yun Shu frowned and looked around, feeling dazzled and unable to match the figure in his mind.
She was a little discouraged and was about to go back to report, but suddenly she caught a glimpse of a hint of pink.
This touch of powder successfully made Yun Shu stop in his tracks.
Yes, yes, she also saw a pink tassel on the hilt of the guard's sword. The tassel was shaking, and she fainted completely after just a few glances.
Yun Shu gritted his teeth and looked at the person in front of him. He carefully compared their stature. The person in front of him gradually overlapped with the figure in his memory. "It's you."
The guard was nervous and looked like he didn't understand.
Yun Shu sneered, pointed at him and shouted, "Catch him!"
Two young eunuchs immediately stepped forward, escorted the guard, and followed Yun Shu into the hall.
As the door curtain was lifted, everyone in the hall looked over.
Yun Shu knelt again, this time excitedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have found the guard."
Before the Emperor and Empress began their interrogation, Lin Zhaorong, who was also kneeling in the palace, cried out, "Qinglan?!"
After she realized what was happening, she immediately shut up.
But compared to just now, her breathing was obviously disordered, and her face was no longer as calm as before.
Upon hearing this, Empress Cui narrowed her eyes and asked, "Lin Zhaorong, do you know this guard?"
Lin Zhaorong wanted to deny it outright.
But it can't be concealed.
The relationship between the two people can be found out with just a check.
Among the concubines, a former member of the Eastern Palace recognized the guard and covered her mouth in surprise.
"Isn't this Lin Zhaorong's distant cousin?"
"I remember that he entered the palace thanks to Lin Zhaorong's connections and guarded the back door of our East Palace."
"After the Emperor ascended the throne, he actually went to guard the Linde Hall? The Linde Hall is a great place. This guard is really enjoying the shade under a big tree. Because of Lin Zhaorong, he has risen to heaven in one step!"
One concubine rolled her eyes and whispered, "Can you stop saying such foolish things? The most important thing right now isn't to enjoy the cool breeze! It's not to ascend to heaven in one step, but to have Lin Zhaorong's cousin guard the Linde Hall and conspire with the little palace maid!"
The old man from the East Palace reacted and suddenly took a breath of cold air.
The guard who conspired with the palace maid was Lin Zhaorong's cousin, and he kept telling her not to worry.
All this is irrefutable evidence.
There was almost no need to interrogate the guard to confirm that everything was ordered by Lin Zhaorong.
After everyone in the hall realized this, they looked at Lin Zhaorong again.
Empress Cui's face was filled with fatigue. She raised her hand and rubbed her brow. "Lin Zhaorong, do you have anything else to say?"
Lin Zhaorong's heart choked, and she was almost speechless. After a lot of effort, she managed to steady herself. "Lin Qinglan is indeed my cousin, but I did not instigate any of this."
Queen Cui said coldly: "Then tell me, what is going on?"
Lin Zhaorong bit her lip and cried. The blood oozing from her lips was as bright as the pomegranate red palace dress she wore today. "I really don't know."
Empress Cui was furious at her lack of resistance and said bitterly, "You're trying to shirk responsibility just because you didn't know anything? Lin Zhaorong, do you think the Emperor and I are easy to fool?!"
Lin Zhaorong cried and shook her head.
Empress Cui stopped looking at her and stood up, kneeling before Xie Chen. Her voice was cold, "Your Majesty, the murder of Pei Zhaoyi has been personally attested by a palace maid, and the evidence is sufficient to prove that it was done by Lin Zhaorong. I, your Majesty, boldly request that you order Lin Zhaorong to be placed under house arrest in the palace. Once you have interrogated Lin Qinglan, the facts will be in black and white, and there will be no room for rebuttal. Then you can convict Lin Zhaorong!"
Hearing Empress Cui's cold words, Lin Zhaorong collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Empress, I always thought I was respectful to you. How could you be so cruel to me?"
On weekdays, she tried her best to please the queen.
Not only does he put the Queen first in everything, he also doesn't allow anyone to say anything bad about her.
The previous few times when the situation escalated to the point of searching Fenghe Palace, she was the one who jumped out to speak for them, even at the risk of offending others.
I didn't expect that after she did so much, the Queen would directly convict her today without a single plea for mercy.
It's really ruthless.
Queen Cui snorted coldly without answering.
The concubines now had more to say, "You did such a shameful thing, and you still expect the Queen to show mercy?"
"You really don't have any shame at all. How can you say such words..."
“…”
Xie Chen glanced at them coldly, and the concubines immediately fell silent.
He decided on the ending of this farce. "Just as the Queen said, Lin Zhaorong will be placed under house arrest in the palace. After Lin Qinglan confesses his guilt, we will issue an imperial decree to punish him. Come, take him away."
Lin Zhaorong wanted to go forward and grab the hem of Xie Chen's clothes to beg for mercy. She knelt and crawled halfway when she was grabbed by the eunuchs and dragged away.
Many concubines watched with satisfaction.
The moment the palace door was opened, a cold wind mixed with snowflakes blew into the palace.
In the silent snow, Empress Cui knelt before Xie Chen and said, "I have failed to exercise proper discipline and have disappointed the Emperor."
The concubines followed suit and knelt down.
Xie Chen glanced at her, said nothing, and left.
*
Xie Chen returned to the bedroom.
Pei Tingyue hasn't woken up yet.
Her brows were furrowed, and she looked very uncomfortable.
Xie Chen sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to slowly smooth the frown between her brows.
He stayed with her for a long time, until it was dark and the accumulated government affairs had to be dealt with, then he got up and left.
This decision made Xie Chen regretful.
Especially when he saw Pei Tingyue running towards him barefoot with tears on her face, he regretted it to the extreme.
He thought, even if he had to deal with government affairs, he could place a desk in front of the couch so that she could see him as soon as she opened her eyes. Why bother coming to the imperial study?
He was wrong.
Pei Tingyue rushed into his arms in panic with tears in her eyes. She was shaking unconsciously and muttered, "Does the emperor not want Tingyue again?"
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