The Queen Mother was furious and slammed the table: "How outrageous!"
But this sound frightened Taohong, who was standing behind Fu Qianyu, so much that she fell to her knees. Seeing her guilty look, everyone started whispering to each other.
Concubine Shu raised her eyebrows. "Hey, what's wrong with the maidservant beside the Empress? Why is she kneeling on the ground for no reason? Could it be that she knows something?"
Taohong waved her hands hurriedly, saying that she didn't know, but her eyes kept looking at Fu Qianyu from time to time.
This is really suspicious.
The Queen Mother looked at Tao Hong with a cold face and asked solemnly, "If you know anything, tell me quickly. Maybe I can spare your life. But if you conceal it and it is discovered later, I will never forgive you!"
Taohong knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she tearfully told the truth: "It was the Empress who ordered it. It was the Empress who did it."
The house became quiet again, so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of the summer breeze blowing along the corridor.
"The Queen?" The Queen Mother frowned slightly: "Are you sure it's the Queen?"
"Yes, I dare not lie!" Taohong was trembling all over. "I saw with my own eyes that the Queen ordered Sister Lingyun to make a doll. I also heard the Queen say with my own ears that Concubine Xian was the reincarnation of Concubine Rou. Such a person must not be allowed to live."
"That's nonsense!" Concubine Lian said coldly, "The Empress has always been served by Lingyun and Peirong. I remember that you were there to tend to the flowers and plants in Fengyi Palace, and you weren't allowed to enter the inner palace. Even if the Empress wanted to curse Concubine Xian, how did you know such a private matter?"
Taohong hesitated for a long time and was unable to come up with an answer. Instead, Concubine Shu said coldly, "Since Concubine Lian said that Lingyun and Peirong served us most in the past, why didn't Miss Peirong come to serve us today?"
Lingyun knelt slightly and said, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, Peirong has been ill for a few days. Your Majesty asked her to rest in the house today, so she didn't come to serve you."
Concubine Shu turned and looked quietly at the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, saying sternly, "I believe that since Taohong is a maid in Fengyi Palace, she would not say such words for no reason. Why not summon Peirong for questioning and then send someone to search Fengyi Palace thoroughly? Perhaps we can find something. Besides, the handwriting on this doll is almost recognized by all the sisters here as the Empress's. It is already clear who is responsible for this."
"Your Majesty, I feel this is inappropriate. The Empress is the master of all six palaces, and this matter has not yet been concluded. If you search the palace so easily, where will the Empress's dignity be?"
As soon as Concubine Shu raised her opinion, Concubine Lian was the first to stand up and refute it. Naturally, Concubine Shu was dissatisfied and said angrily, "Since it wasn't the Queen who did it, why should we be afraid of searching the palace? Concubine Lian, you are trying to stop me like this, do you know something?"
Concubine Lian's eyes were calm, showing no fear at all: "I am upright and honest, so I am naturally not afraid. I also believe that the Empress would not do such a thing."
"People's hearts are hidden in their stomachs. You are not a worm in the queen's stomach, how would you know..."
"Shut up!" The Queen Mother saw the two arguing and coldly scolded them, "How can you quarrel in front of the Emperor and me?"
The two of them knelt down and pleaded guilty. The Queen Mother looked up at Fu Qianyu with a complicated expression: "Queen, do you have anything to say?"
Fu Qianyu remained calm and composed, only bowing slightly to the Queen Mother and saying, "I have never done anything like that."
Concubine Shu sneered, "Even someone who kills someone may not admit to it. Your Majesty, how credible do you think this statement is?"
Fu Qianyu still smiled calmly: "Since Concubine Shu wants to search Fengyi Palace, then search it. If you really find something, I am willing to accept the punishment. But if there is nothing, the crime of slandering the Empress, Concubine Shu, can you bear it?"
Concubine Shu was slightly stunned. Faced with Fu Qianyu's calmness, she suddenly lost her confidence.
Obviously...
Obviously everything is ready, as long as the emperor orders someone to search the palace, the queen's good days will be over.
But facing the Queen's questioning, she suddenly couldn't say a word!
What is she afraid of?
Seeing that Concubine Shu didn't answer, the emperor raised his eyes and looked at her coldly: "Concubine Shu, the Queen is asking you a question, why don't you answer?"
Looking at Zhao Yuancheng's cold eyes, Concubine Shu's breath was choked, as if something huge was pressing on her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe.
But the fear was only temporary. At this time, Concubine Shu had already determined that the Queen's time was up. Now that the time, place and people were all right, how could she miss such a good opportunity?
"The Empress can naturally bear the responsibility for plotting to murder the Emperor, and I, a concubine, can bear the responsibility for slandering the Empress."
"Okay, very good. Since you are so sure, I will do as you wish. I hope you will not regret every word you said today in the future."
Zhao Yuancheng raised his hand and ordered Zhu Yu: "Take your men to search in person, and then bring Peirong in for questioning."
“Yeah.”
Zhu Yu took the order and left. As time passed, Concubine Shu became increasingly anxious.
Half an hour later, Zhu Yu brought Peirong in with a tray in her hands. Peirong even nodded at her, and Concubine Shu's anxious heart calmed down again.
Zhu Yu bowed to Zhao Yuancheng and the Queen Mother, then slowly spoke, "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, when I was searching the small Buddhist shrine in Fengyi Palace, Miss Peirong kept blocking my way. I didn't dare delay, so I ordered someone to pull Peirong away, only to discover a box underneath the shrine."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the box was dark red all over. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary box and there was nothing strange about it.
But the box was placed under the Buddhist shrine. The key point was that when Zhu Yu was searching, Peirong stopped people from looking at it. This was a bit strange.
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes and looked at Peirong coldly, "What's in this?"
Peirong said nothing, but knelt in front of everyone. Seeing this, Concubine Shu became even more proud: "If it's not something shameful, why would they stop us from looking at it? There must be something strange."
Fu Qianyu pretended to be anxious and said, "Your Majesty, it's just an empty box. There's nothing inside."
The queen, who had been calm and noble just now, suddenly became anxious. Such behavior was really suspicious.
Without waiting for the empress dowager to speak, Concubine Shu had already raised her hand and opened the box.
They originally thought it was something shameful, but when they peeled off the yellow silk, they discovered that it contained scrolls of scriptures copied with blood!
Concubine Shu was stunned and said in disbelief: "How, how is it possible! It's obviously...it's obviously..."
"What is it?" Peirong, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised her face towards her, looking at Concubine Shu with a terrifying look: "Your Majesty, you don't think that this servant will really betray the Empress according to your orders, right?"
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