At this moment, the little girl named Zhen'er had fallen into a deep sleep, and the wife of the Minister of Works hurriedly handed her over to the maid beside her.
The maid was filled with anxiety. She hadn't kept a close eye on the young lady and was afraid of being punished by the madam.
The wife of the Minister of Works, seeing the girl's alarmed eyes, gently comforted her, "Children are playful and it's inevitable that they will fall. It's not your fault. You have already done your best."
Upon hearing this, the young maid's eyes welled up with tears. She sniffed hard, suppressing her emotions, and solemnly took the young lady from her, saying in a low voice, "Don't worry, Madam, I will take good care of the young lady this time."
After settling Zhen'er in, the wife of the Minister of Works took the white handkerchief from Jiang Luoluo.
She frowned slightly, held the bottle to her nose and sniffed it gently, her expression turning serious: "It smells like sesame oil."
At this moment, Empress Dowager Du and others had also gathered around, their eyes fixed on the sleeping child.
Empress Dowager Du's expression was cold and stern as she spoke in a low voice, "Is the child feeling any better?"
The wife of the Minister of Works hurriedly and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, Miss Jiang has just treated Zhen'er, and the wound has been stitched up properly."
As she spoke, she stepped forward, presented the white handkerchief with both hands, and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, Zhen'er fell not simply because she was being naughty, but because she stepped on a stone that had been slicked with sesame oil."
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Du frowned slightly.
She had informed the monks of her upcoming visit to Yunhua Temple to offer incense, and the entire temple was therefore not allowed to be negligent in the slightest.
Especially the backyard, where we admire the winter plum blossoms, is meticulously cleaned and tidy. How could someone have spilled sesame oil on the plum blossom path for no reason?
After treating Zhen'er's wounds, Jiang Luoluo specifically asked the maid about what had happened.
The young maid, still shaken, recounted the events in detail without hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Luoluo glanced around and noticed some scattered crumbs of pastry on the grass. She picked one up and rubbed it between her fingers; it was still quite crisp, clearly having been scattered recently.
Her eyes darkened slightly, and she already understood somewhat. These debris were clearly scattered intentionally to attract birds to gather.
The sesame oil was spilled on the path near the debris, which was clearly a premeditated act.
Empress Dowager Du also sensed something was amiss. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she casually tossed the handkerchief stained with sesame oil to the guard beside her, her voice cold: "Go and find out what exactly happened."
When Lu Anrou heard that Empress Dowager Du really wanted to conduct a thorough investigation, her heart tightened and she secretly clenched her fingers in her sleeve.
Although she had been prepared, she couldn't help but feel uneasy as things had escalated to this point.
What she feared most was that Empress Dowager Du would investigate thoroughly and that the investigation would eventually lead back to her...
Her father had always disliked her causing trouble. It would have been fine elsewhere, but this was Yunhua Temple.
This place, frequently visited by the royal family for Buddhist worship, has always been quiet and solemn. If her father were to find out that she was causing trouble here, she would surely be punished.
Her father, Lu Tingyue, was a devout Buddhist and always valued his reputation. If she were to cause such a scene, wouldn't it cause her father to lose face among the people of Daqi?
She never dared to offend her father's reputation.
Lu Anrou's mind was in turmoil. Her fingers, which were gripping the handkerchief, tightened slightly, but her face still showed a look of confusion as she pondered a way to deal with the situation.
Yao Shiyu realized that Jiang Luoluo had already noticed something, and a sense of panic arose in her heart.
If Empress Dowager Du were to investigate thoroughly and expose her schemes, the trust she had painstakingly built up in front of Lu Anrou would likely vanish in an instant.
She forced herself to remain calm, slowly walked to the maid's side, leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You still have a bedridden mother, and you need money for her medical treatment and medicine, right..."
The words were brief and to the point, but the quick-witted maid immediately understood her meaning.
She raised her clear eyes, stared intently at Yao Shiyu, and silently mouthed, "I hope Miss will keep her word."
Yao Shiyu gave her a reassuring look, indicating that she could rest assured.
A moment later, the maid took a deep breath, slowly stepped out from the crowd, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed heavily to Empress Dowager Du.
Her voice carried a hint of fear and regret: "Your Majesty, it was my momentary playfulness that led to this terrible mistake. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
She lowered her head and said in a flustered tone, "Miss asked me to add lamps in the palace. When I passed by here, I saw birds of different colors flying in the woods. On a whim, I scattered some pastries to feed them... It was during this process that I accidentally spilled sesame oil, which is why the ground is dirty."
After she finished speaking, she said no more, but simply prostrated herself on the ground and kowtowed heavily.
Seeing this, Yao Shiyu also stepped out from the crowd, knelt beside the maid, her voice choked with sobs, and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, it is my fault for not disciplining the servants properly, which led to her making such a big mistake and causing Miss Zhen'er to be injured."
Everything started with me.
She raised her head, her eyes filled with remorse, and said softly, "I only wanted to add some sesame oil to my mother's oil, so that Buddha would see my filial piety and bless my mother with peace... but I never expected that due to a moment of negligence, my maid would cause such a disaster."
"Your Majesty, it is all my fault. If anyone should be punished, please punish me."
Her voice trembled slightly, and her posture was sincere, as if she disregarded her own safety and only wanted to take full responsibility for the crime.
There is a folk belief that if you personally add oil to the lamps of a Buddha statue, you can protect your family and ensure their safety and health.
To outsiders, Yao Shiyu's words undoubtedly conveyed the image of a filial and compassionate young lady from a prominent family.
However, after hearing her words, and recalling how Lu Anrou had recommended her to treat Zhen'er in front of Empress Dowager Du, Yao Shiyu jumped out and said that she was afraid of blood and could not treat her.
On the surface, it seems like they are protecting her cousin, but in reality, they are trying to solidify her reputation as an ignorant and incompetent doctor.
Jiang Luoluo's eyes turned slightly cold. This was clearly a scheme deliberately set up by Yao Shiyu and Lu Anrou to embarrass her in public and ruin her reputation.
What disgusted her even more was that these two not only plotted against her, but also targeted a young and innocent girl.
To use children as tools in order to achieve their goals, such a vicious and despicable mentality is utterly despicable!
When their plan was exposed, Yao Shiyu and Lu Anrou even sent out a weak and helpless innocent maid to take the blame for them.
Empress Dowager Du coldly glanced at the kneeling maid and Yao Shiyu, a dark look flashing across her eyes.
She doesn't care about the truth of the matter; as long as someone takes the blame, the matter can be easily forgotten.
On one side was an insignificant lowly maid, and on the other was a lady from a noble family. She had already made up her mind about which was more important.
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