Chapter 65
Magnolia Pavilion.
"They're all a bunch of sycophants. When we were in our heyday, they were all fawning, smiling, and trying to please us. Everything they sent to Magnolia Pavilion was top-notch.
"Now that the master is in trouble, they've immediately changed their attitude. I just asked a few more questions about food, but they became impatient and blamed me for being nosy and giving me a cold shoulder."
The maid Xueqing was cursing while serving food to Lady Wang, looking angry.
Mrs. Wang stopped her and said, "Forget it. The palace flatters the powerful and bullies the weak, and it's always been like this. There's no point in saying more."
Xueqing opened her mouth, glanced at Mrs. Wang's expression, and finally shut up and quietly handed her the bowl and chopsticks.
Mrs. Wang took a bite and immediately spat it out with a frown on her face.
"What's wrong?"
Xue Qing was suspicious. Seeing that she looked uneasy, she picked up a piece of tofu from the side of the dish and put it in her mouth. She immediately spat it out, "Pah. It's sour. Yesterday, it was just that there were not enough vegetables and the quality was not good. Today..."
"How dare they use this kind of thing to fool the master! Do they really think that we have lost power and anyone can step on us? No, I will go and talk to them."
"Stop!" Mrs. Wang pulled the man back. "You're not allowed to go."
"My Lord, you haven't been convicted yet, and His Majesty hasn't said you'll be punished. You're still a lady, and you must receive your due. Yesterday's meal wasn't quite as good, but it was still edible. If you won't let me, I promise we'll endure it. But how are we supposed to eat today? I don't mind, but you won't tolerate such an insult!"
Mrs. Wang shook her head: "Who do you want to find, and how do you find them?"
Xueqing froze, suddenly remembering that Madam Wang was under house arrest, and the entire Yulan Pavilion was also under house arrest. Food could only be brought in; they couldn't leave.
Xue Qing lowered her head dejectedly, but gritted her teeth unwillingly: "We have to get word out. We can't just let it go like this. Otherwise, if it keeps going on like this, the food will get worse day by day. We had meat two days ago, but yesterday we only had vegetable and wheat porridge. Today is even more ridiculous. Who knows what will happen tomorrow."
Mrs. Wang didn't answer, but sighed softly, "Let's leave it this way for now. At least the porridge is edible, so I'll make do. I don't have much of an appetite anyway."
Why do I have no appetite? Because I have something on my mind and I can’t help but worry.
Xueqing understood what she was worried about. She squatted down and held Madam Wang's hand. "My Lord, His Majesty still has feelings for you. He's only confining you because he's angry. We'll be fine once the truth is revealed."
"As long as you can get out of this, we can make detailed plans with the Wang family. You still have the Second Prince. After all, the Second Prince is the emperor's biological son. The emperor has few children, so he must be taken into consideration."
Mrs. Wang looked worried and noncommittal. She had thought so too, but now she was suddenly uncertain.
The current situation was too unusual and completely different from what she had imagined.
She had expected to be under house arrest, but no one from the Magnolia Pavilion was allowed to enter or leave, and she couldn't get any news from the outside world. This was a little beyond her expectations, and made her a little nervous.
In addition, Liu Hong was moved away two days ago, and the servants from all sides showed neglect, which made him even more uneasy.
Although she claimed that collusion was commonplace in the palace, the palace was also shrewd. She was merely under house arrest, not stripped of her position or banished to the cold palace. With the situation still undecided, why would they reveal their shameful behavior now? Aren't they afraid of revenge after she's released safely?
besides……
Just as she was thinking about it, someone came to report: "Madam, Zhang Tingwei sent someone to take Xueqing away. He said that there are some matters that require her cooperation in the interrogation."
Madam Wang's eyes trembled, and Xueqing's face turned pale immediately. However, she knew that she could not escape this matter, so she quickly responded, "Please wait a moment, I will be out soon."
She looked at Madam Wang with a firm expression: "Master, don't worry, I know what to say and what not to say."
He bowed and said goodbye, then walked out the door.
Mrs. Wang got up and chased after her, intending to keep her. However, when she saw that the person coming was a guard of the imperial guards, she stopped, opened her mouth, and swallowed back the words that were meant to protect her.
The Imperial Guards represented His Majesty's will. How could she disobey His Majesty's order? She had no right to disobey now; it would only backfire.
Mrs. Wang pursed her lips and just stared at Xueqing being taken away, her hands clenched tighter and tighter.
Two days ago, several servants from the Magnolia Pavilion were taken away, and none of them have returned yet. Now Xueqing is here too. This is not a good sign. Madam Wang's heart sank.
The people around her had served her since entering the palace, and they were completely unaware of what had happened six years ago. They were naturally not being taken away for an old case, but for a new one that had recently targeted Wang Wanyi.
What Liu Ju pointed out was correct. His brother has been coming here too often recently.
Mrs. Wang wasn't afraid of being betrayed; after all, it involved past events, so she was very careful in every conversation with her brother, so no one else could overhear. At most, Xueqing, the gatekeeper, had vaguely sensed something was going on, but she trusted Xueqing not to betray her.
But even so, it couldn't bring her any comfort.
Because it was too unusual. Everything that had happened was telling her that her plan was wrong and things were slowly getting out of her control.
What exactly happened outside? How far has Zhang Tang investigated? Does he have any other evidence or clues?
Mrs. Wang didn't know, and precisely because she didn't know, she was even more anxious. She stepped back a few steps and sat on a chair, feeling uneasy and uneasy, her eyes a little glazed.
She sat like this for most of the day.
I don't know how long it took, but the door creaked open.
Mrs. Wang subconsciously called out, "Xueqing!"
She sincerely hoped that it was Xueqing who had been sent back, but it wasn't. Seeing who it was, Madam Wang forced herself to regain her composure, unwilling to let the other person notice even the slightest sign of her abnormality. She glanced over calmly, "Is it you?"
Madam Li took off her cloak and nodded. "It's me. I came specially to see you, sister. How have you been these days?"
"It's okay." Mrs. Wang said in a light tone.
Mrs. Li glanced at the leftovers on the table, then quickly looked away, tactfully not exposing the truth.
She chose a seat opposite Lady Wang and sat down, saying, "Sister, I went to see the Second Prince. He now lives alone in a hall, and is still cared for by the same people who served him before. He has everything he needs for food and is not mistreated by anyone.
"But because you're in trouble, rumors are inevitable in the palace. Even if the servants try to be cautious, the Second Prince will eventually hear some of it.
"The Second Prince was worried about you and asked His Majesty a few more questions, which made His Majesty look cold. When I went to pay my respects to the Queen, I overheard her discussing with Li Ji that they wanted to find a foster mother for the Second Prince."
Mrs. Wang clenched her hands even tighter.
With her biological mother still around, why would she need a foster mother? Unless...
She pursed her lips: "What's the situation outside now?"
Mrs. Li did not hide anything and told everything she knew, including the conversation between Liu Ju and Shi Yi.
It matched her situation perfectly. Mrs. Wang's expression changed, and she took a deep breath. "What's the progress of the investigation? What evidence has Zhang Tang found?"
Madam Li lowered her head: "I don't know. But it must be the key."
"No... Impossible."
Mrs. Wang didn't believe it, and was even more unwilling to believe it.
It's true that she planned the incident, but her brother executed almost every step of the way, leaving her with few traces. Even if they investigated, they would only find her brother, not her, let alone key evidence. How could this be...
Mrs. Wang tried hard to recall whether she had missed anything or had any evidence.
Madam Li glanced at her, her eyes flickering. "Sister, some things don't require conclusive evidence. It all depends on whether Your Majesty believes it or not. If the Crown Prince hadn't intervened, Sister wouldn't have ended up like this."
"But sister, you also know how much His Majesty values the Crown Prince, and how much influence the Crown Prince has on His Majesty. The Crown Prince has agreed to Zhao Guo's request and has been closely monitoring the investigation these days. It is obvious that he is determined to see this through to the end and get to the bottom of the matter. How could he give up so easily?
"Children are straightforward. If they say yes, they mean it, and if they say no, they mean no. How can we allow ambiguous terms like 'maybe,' 'estimate,' 'perhaps,' or 'probably' to exist?"
Mrs. Wang's face turned pale.
These words struck directly into her heart, revealing what she feared most.
Zhang Tang was in charge, the Crown Prince was in charge, and the Emperor tacitly approved. What clues could not be uncovered, whose mouth could not be pried open?
Can my brother really hold on? Can my family hold on?
Mrs. Wang didn't dare to think about it, but she couldn't help but think about it. Her throat moved up and down twice, and she looked at Mrs. Li: "So what are you going to do?"
Mrs. Li knew what she meant by this and lowered her head and sighed softly, "Sister, I am incompetent and cannot help you."
Mrs. Wang frowned: "What do you mean?"
"It's not that I don't want to help you, but the situation is so serious right now that I can't do anything."
Madam Wang scoffed. "That's your problem. You have to find a solution. Don't forget, it was me who painstakingly found opportunities for you to be seen by His Majesty, helping you maintain His Majesty's favor and maintain your unrivaled status. Without me, would you be where you are today?"
"I asked you at the beginning if you would do anything for me as long as I could help you gain favor. You answered: Yes.
"Now you have become His Majesty's favorite concubine. I have done everything I could to help you. You promised me, and now it is time for you to fulfill your promise and play your role. Don't forget, you and I are one. If I can't get better, how can you get better?"
The last sentence was filled with threats. Mrs. Li could not help but hear it, but she remained calm and said in a calm tone, "Why not?"
Mrs. Wang was stunned, her expression was surprised and suspicious, and then her eyes became fierce.
"Don't forget your own identity. If I'm cornered, I can't guarantee what I'll say. After all, the cold palace is lonely, and the road to the underworld is even lonelier. It wouldn't be bad to have a good sister to accompany you, right?"
Madam Wang stood up and approached Madam Li. She bent down and looked down at her, gently pinching her chin. "So, don't try to play tricks on me. Don't talk about what you can and can't do. Do you think I've never been a favorite concubine?"
"Given the Emperor's current fondness for you, you can't intervene in the case and protect me. But you can speak a few words for me, save my life, and prevent my punishment from being too severe. It all depends on whether you are willing to do so."
"What if I don't want to?" Mrs. Li looked straight ahead without panic or fear.
Madam Wang scoffed, "Then I'll have no choice but to speak to His Majesty. Then we'll see if your fake Li Xiaomei's identity can withstand scrutiny."
Mrs. Li's expression changed slightly.
This performance pleased Mrs. Wang very much: "So why bother to go against me and force me to say such harsh words? You have no other choice but to help me."
"Not necessarily!"
As soon as these four words were spoken, a dagger suddenly appeared and pressed against Madam Wang's neck. Madam Wang froze, her eyes filled with fear: "You...what do you want to do?"
"I just want to tell you that I have another way to go."
The situation immediately reversed. Madam Li stood up, and Madam Wang was forced to retreat step by step. Her face turned pale and blue. "You want to kill me to silence me?"
Mrs. Li smiled without saying a word. She pushed the dagger forward. Mrs. Wang subconsciously leaned back, stumbled, and fell back onto the chair, her body trembling.
After scaring her, Madam Li took back the dagger and played with it in her hand: "If you are knowledgeable and know how to make choices, I certainly don't want to stain my hands with blood again."
Again?
Mrs. Wang's eyelids twitched: "Have you ever killed anyone?"
Madam Li did not answer. She sat back down opposite and said sternly, "This is not important. Sister, can we talk about this now?"
Although they were talking, the sharp blade of the dagger was always pointed at Mrs. Wang. If she made any movement, her life would be taken immediately.
Mrs. Wang took a deep breath and asked, "What do you want to talk about?"
"Sister, how about you give yourself a ride? That way you can choose the way you like."
Mrs. Wang's face turned pale: "You...you want me to commit suicide?"
"Sister, you should understand that the situation is hopeless. If you don't commit suicide, are you waiting to be put to death by His Majesty?"
Madam Wang pursed her lips and said, "Even if I am guilty, Your Majesty may not necessarily sentence me to death."
Indeed, it is more likely that one will be stripped of his position and imprisoned forever.
"So what? What's the point of living then?" Li Xiaomei chuckled. "Besides, you know my secret. You know I'm not Li Xiaomei, and you know I have a different identity. If you get into trouble, you're so uncontrollable and could drag me down with you at any time. Do you think I'll let you live?"
Mrs. Wang's expression was grim. "I'm not the only one who knows your identity. Even if I die, my brother and parents are still here. What's the point of killing me?"
"Who said it was useless? You committed suicide and left a confession. The culprit is you, not your brother Wang Dalang.
"Once you die and the tragic news breaks, what do you think your family will be most worried about? It's not about whether they'll expose me and let me perish with them. It's about whether you can escape the blame and whether they can survive.
"What will they do then? They will have no choice but to use this secret to negotiate with me, just like you did, and ask me to save them. Because in that situation, I am their only hope.
"Guess what? If I promise to do my best to rescue Wang Dalang, and even if I fail, I'll still save your parents. What will they choose? Will they expose me and die together? Or will they keep this secret, use me to survive, and then let me continue to work for them?"
Mrs. Wang's expression changed several times and her heart tightened.
No doubt it's the latter.
So... so the other party had taken all of this into consideration. She came here prepared to die.
Thinking about this, Mrs. Wang broke out in a cold sweat.
"Sister, what did you do to persuade Wang Dalang back then? Oh, you said this was the best plan. Now I'm giving you the best plan too. As long as you die, I can not only promise to protect your family, but also promise to treat the Second Prince well."
Your Highness...
"Hong'er... Hong'er... what have you done to him?"
"Sister, are you stupid? How could I possibly do anything to him? I just want to remind you of what I told Wang Dalang that day: even if he doesn't care about you or himself, he should still think about his parents, his wife, and his nephew.
"What about you? You should also think about your parents and your son.
"Given the current situation, your actions have most likely been exposed. Even if His Majesty doesn't sentence you to death, you'll be stripped of your rank and imprisoned in the Eternal Lane. Do you want the Second Prince to have a mother who is a convicted concubine imprisoned in the Eternal Lane?
"As long as you're still alive, His Majesty will probably think of you and your cruel deeds when he sees the Second Prince. How can he remove this thorn in his heart?
"If you truly care about the Second Prince, you should give yourself a quick death. Only with your death can the matter be resolved with you. Even if His Majesty recalls this in the future, he will feel that you have paid the price with your life and atone for your sins with your death, and he will no longer vent his anger on the Second Prince.
"After all, the Second Prince is Your Majesty's biological son. Now that his biological mother has passed away, Your Majesty will definitely choose a foster mother for him.
"In the future, he will become one with his adoptive mother. She will speak for him, help him to ease the father-son relationship, and strengthen the father-son relationship. Over time, in the eyes of Your Majesty, he will become his adoptive mother's child, and he will no longer be associated with you.
"And if you were still alive, even if we chose a foster mother, with you standing in the way, it would be impossible to achieve this result. Especially when the time comes, you'll ask the Second Prince whether to recognize you or not. He's wrong to recognize you, and he's also wrong to not recognize you. How are you going to let him deal with it?"
"Adoptive mother..." Madam Wang looked at Madam Li, having already guessed her plan.
Madam Li confessed without hesitation, "Sister, in the palace now, apart from the Empress, you and I are the highest-ranking and most favored. Once you die, I will be the only one most qualified to raise the Second Prince. I will go to His Majesty and ask for help. It won't be difficult."
"Sister, I can swear that as long as you let me go and are willing to die, I will treat the Second Prince well and treat him as my own son. If you don't believe me, I can drink the sterilization soup right now, and I will never have a biological child in this life. The Second Prince is my biological son."
Mrs. Wang slumped in her chair, a dazed look on her face.
She suddenly felt a little ridiculous. She had used this method to convince her brother, and now Madam Li was using it to convince her.
She naturally understood that if her behavior had been exposed, what Madam Li said was indeed the best solution. But had she really been exposed?
Judging from the current situation, it seems to be true, but there is no solid evidence. Everything is just their speculation.
She was unwilling to accept this. She had spent several years and had finally climbed to this position. How could she be willing to accept this?
Most importantly, she didn't believe Mrs. Li.
Madam Li is not her. She has no blood relationship with the Wang family, let alone good relations. Instead, she has resentment of being threatened and hatred of being exploited.
How could she believe that Mrs. Li would treat her parents and Hong'er well?
Once she died, even if Madam Li reached a "cooperation" with her parents, it would only be a delaying tactic. The next step would definitely be to eliminate her parents and everyone in the world who knew of her identity. Only then would she be truly safe.
Therefore, she couldn't die. She absolutely couldn't choose this path. If she did, she would put her parents, family, and Hong'er in danger.
Mrs. Wang lowered her head, her eyes rolled, and she glanced at Mrs. Li in the afterglow. She saw the right moment, suddenly stood up, pushed Mrs. Li, turned around and ran out.
She didn't dare shout, for fear that outsiders would come in and witness the scene, exposing Madam Li and herself as well.
But as long as she rushed out of the door and placed herself under the gaze of others, Madam Li would not dare to chase her out or take action again.
Mrs. Wang thought she could do it at a distance of a few steps, but before she took the second step, Mrs. Li ran over, grabbed her wrist directly, and pinned her to the ground with a grappling move.
Mrs. Wang was very surprised: "You... you know Kung Fu?"
"I can't claim to be a master of kung fu. My training doesn't focus on that. It doesn't emphasize physical prowess. If I were to be discovered to be skilled, it would be disadvantageous to me. That's why I haven't learned it properly. I've secretly taken a few peeks and practiced a few moves in private. They're just fancy moves, not very effective, but they're enough to deal with you."
What I learned...
What did she learn? Not only was she skilled, but judging by her previous words, she seemed to have killed someone before.
Who is she!
She had known that her identity must be questionable and that she would not be allowed to be seen in public. But Mrs. Wang never expected it to be so outrageous.
At this moment, her heart and liver were trembling. She regretted provoking the other party and wanting to mold him into the handle of her sword.
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in the world, and it is too late to talk about this now.
"Someone come...hmmmm"
Mrs. Wang could no longer care about many things. She could not bear the risk of exposing Mrs. Li, as it would also bring herself into trouble. There was no hope of escape, so she could only think about resolving the current crisis first.
But just as she opened her mouth to shout, Mrs. Li seemed to have known she would do so. She reached out and covered her mouth, leaving her with only sobs in her throat and unable to utter complete syllables.
"I didn't want to do it myself, in order to avoid leaving traces and potential hidden dangers. But unfortunately my sister is too disobedient, so I have to do it myself."
Madam Li shackled Madam Wang's feet, covered her mouth with her left hand, and forcefully stuffed the dagger into Madam Li's hand with her right hand, then held her hand high up.
There's a difference between someone else killing someone with a knife and committing suicide yourself. She still remembers this, taking precautions.
Seeing that heavy weight was about to fall, Mrs. Wang's pupils widened, and she thought she was going to die.
bite.
A stone flew over, Mrs. Li groaned, and the dagger fell to the ground.
The next moment, there was a loud bang, and the door was kicked open from the outside.
At the door, Liu Che's face was ashen, Liu Ju looked indifferent, and the guards looked at their noses and their hearts, not daring to breathe.
Before Mrs. Wang could fully appreciate the joy of surviving the disaster, she was shocked by the scene and her face turned pale again.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Her voice trembled, her whole body shaking. If she had previously held onto hope, thinking that the so-called "all is lost" might not be true, now she deeply understood that she was finished.
Lady Li collapsed to the ground, looking even worse than her. What had she done? She had let Liu Che hear her confession that she was not Li Xiaomei, and she had even let Liu Che witness her murder of Lady Wang.
Boom.
She slumped to the ground, looked at Liu Che, then at Liu Ju who was calm and composed beside her. A light bulb went off in her head, and she understood everything in an instant.
"So...so this is a game?"
Liu Che's face was as gloomy as water, and he remained silent. Liu Ju replied with great good humor, "Yes. Otherwise, how do you think you could have sneaked in so smoothly without being discovered? And how could it be so coincidental that most of Madam Wang's servants were away, and even Xue Qing was taken away."
Madam Li's face paled even further. She had thought she had been careful and had found a flaw in the patrolling guards outside Magnolia Pavilion. It turned out to be...
She gritted her teeth and said, "It was you...you deliberately made me think that Madam Wang was finished, that His Majesty would not let her go, and that no one could save her?"
"right."
"That...that day in the pavilion..."
"I told you this on purpose."
Haha. Madam Li pulled the corners of her mouth, trying hard to pull out a hint of ridicule, but the result was uglier than crying.
Who would have thought that all this was designed, and designed by a seven or eight-year-old child.
If it had been someone else who spoke that day, she would have believed it 50% but would have also been skeptical. But it was two children who spoke. She had never considered that they would deliberately frame her and tell her the truth.
She looked up again: "So... so you already knew that I wasn't Li Xiaomei, and even knew who I was?"
Liu Ju shrugged: "I guessed a little, but I wasn't completely sure. Now I'm sure. You are Caiqin's sister."
Mrs. Li closed her eyes, her heart dead.
Mrs. Wang's eyes widened and her pupils trembled.
Cai... Caiqin's sister... isn't she Liu Ling's person?
"At first, Caiqin said that she and her sister were being trained in different directions. I asked her, if she was a spy, what was her sister, and where did Liu Ling intend to use her. She said she didn't know, but now I know.
"You are the one Liu Ling prepared to send into the palace to serve my father. Who could be better at gathering information and providing more assistance than my father's favorite concubine?
"To become a palace concubine, you don't have to have a good family background, but you must be innocent. So she found an identity for you, wanting you to become Li Xiaomei and enter the palace through the Li family.
"This way, you two will appear to have nothing in common, and no one will connect you or suspect your relationship. You can better conceal your identity and work for her.
"After Liu Ling committed suicide, her maidservant betrayed some people. She mentioned that Anling Town had several women kept as concubines for our father. You must have been one of them. And you must have been the most outstanding among them, otherwise you wouldn't have been chosen by Liu Ling to become the final candidate for 'Little Sister Li'."
Mrs. Li turned her head away and remained silent.
The answer was obvious. Liu Ju looked at Liu Che, who suppressed his anger and ordered: "Take them all away and order Zhang Tang to interrogate them carefully!"
Take Zhang Tang away for interrogation...
Upon hearing these words, Madam Li's face turned pale.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong, I..."
She struggled to crawl over, wanting to beg for mercy, and also wanting to use the friendship they had over the years to arouse Liu Che's pity and win a glimmer of hope. But just as she opened her mouth, before she could finish her words, Liu Che raised his foot and kicked her hard.
Madam Li flew more than a meter away and fell to the ground.
Puff, a mouthful of blood came out.
Liu Che flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.
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