Chapter 485: Xiao Yan and Queen Lu's Private Correspondence
Madam Xuan knelt on the ground, her face full of fear. When she heard Emperor An's question, she suppressed her fear and trembled as she said:
"After entering the palace, I went to Shoukang Palace and spoke with the Empress Dowager for a while. Seeing that the palace banquet was approaching and the Empress Dowager was also tired, I was led back to Zichen Palace by Tan Xia from the Empress Dowager's palace. But who would have thought that when passing through the Imperial Garden, I ran into two palace maids discussing the dethronement of the Empress."
"I was extremely shocked at the time, thinking they were just some chatterbox palace maids, so I tried to stop them, but who knew they would start talking about Your Majesty..."
When Emperor An heard her mention Empress Lu, his face darkened. "What are you talking about me?"
Madam Xuan's body trembled violently and her face turned pale.
"They say...they say..."
"say what?"
Emperor An was filled with impatience when he saw her timid look: "If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you hesitating?!"
Madam Xuan lowered her eyes, huddled in her huddles, and trembled as she spoke, "They say the fire in the cold palace wasn't caused by the deposed empress herself, but was set by His Majesty. They say His Majesty has long harbored a ruthless desire to annihilate the Lu family, and has long known about the affair between the empress and Prince Cheng, yet he has held back, allowing it to continue unchecked."
"You deliberately fostered the Lu family's ambitions, arranged for Xiao Yan to set up a trap to frame the Lu family, and after wiping out the entire Lu family, you burned the Queen alive to silence her..."
"presumptuous!!"
Emperor An slammed the table, spilling the wine all over the floor.
Everyone in the Zichen Palace was shocked by Madam Xuan's words.
Madam Xuan's face turned increasingly pale, and she knew how disrespectful her words were. She knelt on the ground, trembling.
Cui Lin said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Those palace servants who dared to slander Your Majesty deserve death, but Madam Xuan is listening. Why not let Madam Xuan finish her words first?"
Emperor An's face turned ashen, and after a long while he said coldly, "Go on!"
Madam Xuan rested her forehead on the ground. "That palace servant said he was from the Imperial Kitchen, previously responsible for delivering meals to the Cold Palace. The day before the deposed Empress set herself on fire, he pleaded with her, saying he wanted to see His Majesty."
"Before the deposed empress was sent to the cold palace, she had hidden some gold and silver items on her body. She gave him a gold ring and begged him to pass on a message to His Majesty, saying that the Fourth Prince was His Majesty's bloodline and that someone had murdered her. The palace maid, out of greed, took the gold ring but never passed it on."
Madam Xuan seemed extremely frightened and swallowed before continuing.
"The palace servant said that after the deposed empress was sent to the cold palace, he could see her every day through the small door where food was delivered. Although her body was severely burned, she showed no intention of dying."
"That day, before the fire in the cold palace started, he happened to be delivering food there. From a distance, he heard the deposed empress, as if in a state of shock, screaming that His Majesty couldn't execute the Fourth Prince. She also shouted that Governor Xiao must come to see her. She said that Governor Xiao had said His Majesty would spare the Fourth Prince's life, and he couldn't go back on his word. But as soon as she said that, she was knocked unconscious by the guards in front of the cold palace."
"The palace servant was terrified at the sight of this, and fearing he might stumble upon the harem, he fled in a hurry. But not long after he returned, he heard the news that the deposed queen had set herself on fire and burned down the cold palace."
Madam Xuan spoke in a trembling voice, for fear that her words would not be clear, and her voice was very low, but to the ears of everyone in the hall it was like a loud bell, deafening.
Yu Yanfeng was furious: "Don't talk nonsense! How could a mere eunuch hide it from the imperial guards and accept the bribe from the deposed empress?"
He personally selected the guards of the cold palace, and he was the one who escorted Empress Lu to the cold palace.
He knew that Emperor An was angry with the Empress, and he also knew that the Lu family could never make a comeback. In order to protect Empress Lu from talking nonsense and angering His Majesty, he sent the people he trusted most to guard the cold palace.
But Empress Lu not only had a golden ring on her body to bribe the palace maids, but also openly avoided the sight of the guards. Later, the guards in the cold palace even knocked the empress unconscious, and then a fire suddenly broke out in the cold palace...
Isn't this clearly saying that the fire in the cold palace is inextricably linked to the Imperial Guards?!
Madam Xuan seemed frightened and shuddered violently. She quickly defended herself, "I'm not talking nonsense. Tan Xia and I heard those two people say these words with our own ears."
"The palace servant in the imperial kitchen said he knew a fire in the cold palace had killed the deposed empress, and that all the guards on duty that day had been executed. He was afraid someone would find out he'd been there and heard something he shouldn't have, so he paid someone to smooth things over and fake his own death to escape the palace and save his life."
"He was worried that his eunuch brother would be in danger if he stayed in the palace, so he wanted to take him away with him. That's why we met in the Imperial Garden. Who would have thought that Tan Xia and I would run into us while we were talking."
"I was startled by what they said and accidentally made a noise that startled the two of them. When they saw me and Tan Xia, they immediately looked fierce."
"Tan Xia took me and ran towards the Purple Palace, but... but those two were chasing us relentlessly. I finally managed to escape, but in order to hold them back, Tan Xia was beaten by them and her head and face were covered in blood..."
"Your Majesty, everything I said is true. I am not lying. Please send someone to rescue Tan Xia...save her!"
Madam Xuan was obviously really frightened. She burst into tears as she spoke. The only sound in the entire hall was her extremely frightened crying.
But the others couldn't help but change color because of her words.
Rong Yue grabbed Tang Ning's hand and watched her lips move.
Tang Ning...
Tang Ning's body was stiff. She could feel Rong Yue's fear. She put her hand on Rong Yue but didn't say a word. She looked up at Xiao Yan, who was frowning in front of the platform, her heart beating wildly.
She knew that her brother would take action tonight and would let Prince Zan start the trouble, but she had never heard him say that he would expose his private relationship with Queen Lu in public.
The sudden appearance of Mrs. Xuan and Cui Lin's eagerness to try were all my brother's plans.
Or did Cui Lin really find out something?
Will something unexpected happen tonight?!
When Tang Ning pressed Rong Yue's hand, her fingertips turned white, and her heart was also tense. She couldn't help but bite her lips lightly, and the worry in her eyes could not be suppressed.
Emperor An was a suspicious man. After hearing Madam Xuan's words, he immediately grasped the key point: "You said that the palace maid said that the deposed queen wanted to see Xiao Yan before she died?"
Madam Xuan cried, "That's what he said."
Cui Lin suddenly spoke up, "That's strange. Empress Lu was deposed by His Majesty himself, and the death sentence for the Fourth Prince was also issued by His Majesty himself."
"Since Governor Xiao took charge of the Privy Council, he hasn't lived in the palace for long. Even if the Empress truly wanted to plead with His Majesty, she should have gone to Eunuch Feng and his men who serve before His Majesty. Why would she go to Governor Xiao?"
"Yes, it is strange."
Princess Ji pretended to be surprised and said, "The Queen has committed the grave crime of deceiving the emperor. Her affair with Prince Cheng has caused a great uproar."
"The royal family has lost face because of her. Although His Majesty is merciful, he will not tolerate such an offense. The palace has long since ordered the Fourth Prince's death. How could it be possible for Governor Xiao to say that he would spare the Fourth Prince's life? Who told Empress Lu this?"
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