"Impossible! Impossible!" Consort Lan exclaimed, suddenly pushing away the maid's knife-wielding hand.
During the scuffle, Consort Lan's arm was slashed, but at least she escaped the situation of having a knife to her neck.
The palace maid hurriedly followed. Consort Lan couldn't find anything to use as a weapon, so she turned around and said, "You can't kill me! I am the most favored in the harem. If I die, you will also suffer a terrible death."
The palace maid approached step by step, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred. Her smile was sinister and terrifying: "Die a horrible death? Did you think I came here with the intention of leaving alive? I am alive now only to kill you. As long as you are dead, it doesn't matter whether I live or not."
"You're crazy! Help! Someone help me!" Lan Fei suddenly rushed out recklessly.
Seeing the situation was turning against her, the palace maid's eyes flashed with madness: "I will definitely kill you today!"
Unfortunately, she did not get her wish. A group of palace maids and eunuchs rushed in from outside the hall and hurriedly swarmed around her, causing chaos in the hall.
In the chaos, the woman wielding the dagger stabbed several people, but failed to harm Consort Lan in the slightest.
Then the Emperor arrived with his guards, and the woman was quickly subdued and forced to kneel before the Emperor and Consort Lan. Her wrist tightened in pain, and the dagger fell to the ground.
"How dare you openly attempt an assassination in the inner palace? Who sent you?" The Emperor was furious. He looked down at the woman and connected her with the black-clad man who had previously tried to assassinate Consort Lan.
The woman remained motionless for a while, then suddenly moved, attempting to pick up the dagger from the ground. The guards nearly failed to restrain her.
The emperor was startled, then his anger intensified: "Even now you still dare to act recklessly! Guards, bring the torture upon me!"
Consort Lan sat to the side, gently patting her chest, her breathing gradually becoming steady. Upon hearing this, she looked at the woman with a disdainful smile.
The woman suddenly looked up, her face burning red, her eyes wide as bronze gongs. Her ferocious and terrifying expression made even the emperor take two steps back.
"You dog emperor, you vile woman, you're all in cahoots!" the woman said through gritted teeth.
The emperor, however, had no time to be angry. A hint of doubt appeared in his eyes as he looked at the woman.
Consort Lan flew into a rage: "How dare you, you dog servant! It's one thing for you to insult me, but you even dare to insult His Majesty! Guards, drag him away and beat him to death!"
"Wait!" the Emperor suddenly said, his eyes filled with even more doubt.
The woman looked directly at the emperor with a mocking expression and said, "What? Does Your Majesty find me familiar? Can't remember me?"
Consort Lan also became curious and couldn't help but take a second look at the woman, but she didn't know who she was.
"Tell me who sent you! His Majesty is benevolent; he might even spare your life!" Consort Lan shouted.
However, when the woman and the emperor looked at each other, one was full of doubt and deep thought, while the other was full of resentment and wished he could tear the person in front of him apart.
Neither of them paid any attention to Consort Lan, which made her feel uncomfortable. She got up and walked between the two of them, saying, "Your Majesty, it seems that we have no choice but to use torture to extract a confession. Please don't be fooled by her."
The woman laughed and asked, "Your Majesty, Consort Lan," she said sarcastically, "does she still remember Consort Xu?"
Consort Lan's face changed instantly, and her voice betrayed her panic as she quickly said, "Drag her away and beat her to death! She broke into the inner palace, attempted to commit adultery, and even insulted the Emperor. Her crime deserves death!"
The Emperor's favor towards Consort Lan was common knowledge. The eunuchs obediently followed Consort Lan's orders to escort the woman out, but the Emperor called them back.
"You mean... Consort Xu?" The Emperor's doubts finally dissipated. He pushed Consort Lan aside, stepped forward, and said with emotion, "So it's her. I was wondering why your features looked so familiar. It turns out you take after her. She told me that she has a younger sister."
The woman suddenly lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes instantly. She clenched her teeth, but the tears still streamed down her face.
Consort Lan's face turned pale again, even paler than when she was nearly stabbed earlier, and her eyes showed panic.
"Your Majesty, Consort Xu is long dead. Now that her sister has committed such a heinous crime, she must be severely punished as well!" Her crimson lips trembled slightly.
The Emperor's tone suddenly turned cold and hard: "That's true. Consort Xu has been dead for so many years, and I have sent people to take good care of you. What are you doing now? Is there anything else you're not satisfied with?"
The woman suddenly laughed, arrogant and unrestrained. Consort Lan grabbed the Emperor's arm and said, "Your Majesty, why waste words with her? This whole family is greedy and doesn't know how to thank you for your grace. They deserve to die."
"Jing Lanrong! I can't kill you, but I'll come back for you even as a vengeful ghost!" the woman screamed hysterically. "Your Majesty, didn't you ask me what I was dissatisfied with? What do I have..."
"You actually dare to refer to yourself as 'I' in front of the Emperor! Don't you even know who you are?!" Consort Lan said, slapping the woman across the face, leaving a bright red handprint on the woman's fair face.
"Drag him away and beat him to death!" Consort Lan said impatiently.
"Why won't you let me speak? What are you hiding? You wicked woman!" the woman struggled and cursed.
The Emperor suddenly felt that Consort Lan's reaction was a bit strange, and said sternly, "Let her finish what she has to say."
The eunuch dared not move again, but Consort Lan immediately threw herself onto the Emperor, saying weakly, "Your Majesty, she almost took my life just now, why don't you order her to die?"
She wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face. The Emperor gently stroked the back of her hand and comforted her, saying, "She can't do anything to you now. Don't you want to know who instructed her, so as to prevent future troubles?"
Before Consort Lan could speak, the woman sneered, "I was not instructed by anyone. I am here to avenge my sister who died innocently!"
Consort Lan was shocked. Seeing that the truth could no longer be concealed, she panicked and actually bent down to pick up the dagger on the ground, intending to stab the woman.
Unfortunately, she was powerless. The emperor gently squeezed her wrist, and the dagger fell to the ground. She was also pushed aside.
The Emperor looked at her coldly and said, "My beloved concubine, are you feeling guilty? Are you hiding something from me? What are you afraid of?"
"No, I didn't... Your Majesty, please listen to my explanation! She was ordered to kill me! You must do justice for me! It must be the Empress!" Consort Lan knelt on the ground, tightly gripping the hem of the Emperor's dragon robe.
The woman sneered, "The Empress? Back then, the Empress must have helped you, which is why you were able to kill my sister so easily. She was such a pure and kind person, and you killed her, taking two lives with her unborn child!"
Silence fell for a moment. After a while, Consort Lan tried to salvage the situation, saying, "Your Majesty, this is slander! Please let me explain. This happened so many years ago, and you're still bringing it up to smear me. This is a scheme set up by the Empress because she can't tolerate me!"
The Emperor looked at the naked hatred on the woman's face, and then at the pitiful Consort Lan, and was unable to make a decision.
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