Fu Qianyu was horrified. Seeing the emperor's scrutiny, she immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I don't even know her. How can you say that I ordered her to murder the imperial concubine?"
The Queen looked at Qiuju and said, "You speak."
Qiu Ju was trembling with fear. "Half a month ago, Consort Yi came to me and gave me a lot of silver, asking me to put drugs in the imperial concubine's pregnancy medicine. At first, I was unwilling, but Consort Yi threatened the lives of my family, so I had no choice but to comply."
"That's pure nonsense." Fu Qianyu suddenly stood up and stared at Qiuju. "I've never met you before, so how could I threaten you with the lives of your entire family?"
"Empress Zhaoyi, now that things have come to this, you should admit it. You clearly told me that you resented the Imperial Concubine for punishing you, and that you must make her suffer in order to relieve your hatred. Your Majesty, Empress, every word I said is true. I beg you to examine it carefully."
Peirong knelt beside Qiuju and said angrily, "Your Majesty, Empress, I am your personal servant. I guarantee with my life that you will never do such a thing."
Liu Zhaoyi was calm and composed. "Your Majesty, Sister Fu and the Imperial Concubine have a grudge, but I don't think Sister Fu would do something like murdering the Imperial Concubine. I beg Your Majesty to be clear-headed and not wrongly accuse Sister Fu."
Fu Qianyu was so angry that her whole body was shaking. Under her gorgeous clothes, she pinched her knuckles hard, trying to use the pain to force herself to calm down.
Suddenly, her eyes fell on the gold, silver and treasures in front of Qiuju, and her nervous heart couldn't help but calm down a lot.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Qiuju said that I gave her these yellow and white things to bribe her to drug the imperial concubine. But Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, please take a closer look. These things are indeed suspicious."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes fell on the gold, silver and treasures, but for a long time they couldn't figure out what they were.
Zhao Yuancheng narrowed his eyes and asked, "Tell me what's suspicious?"
Fu Qianyu squatted down and picked up a piece of bloodstone, slowly explaining, "Among the jadeite produced in Dajing, bloodstone is the rarest. This piece in front of me has a bright blood color, evenly distributed blood, and a fine texture. It can be considered the best of the best. I'm afraid you won't find many pieces of this quality in the entire palace."
"I have loved bright colors since I was young, and I have a special liking for jade. Since this bloodstone is of such fine quality, how could I easily give it away as a gift?"
Zhao Yuancheng seemed to be lost in thought. What Fu Qianyu said was indeed true. Although this bloodstone was not big, it was indeed a top-grade item. Even he had not seen many pieces of such good bloodstone, let alone others.
Fu Qianyu had completely calmed down at this moment. "Your Majesty, whether it's treasures from tribute from other countries or things given as rewards, the Shanggong Bureau must have recorded them all. As long as you open the old account books, everything will be clear."
Qiuju's face turned visibly pale, and Liu Zhaoyi, who was sitting next to her, also looked a little unnatural.
Fu Qianyu looked at the expressions of everyone in the hall, but at that moment she caught the tension in Qinfang's eyes.
yes.
Although bloodstone is rare, it is something that can be bought with money. And in the harem, who can compare with Liu in terms of wealth?
A cold glint flashed in Fu Qianyu's eyes. "Your Majesty, although I don't understand medical theory, I have heard that people who come into contact with safflower will have a color on their skin. It's not visible on a normal day, but as long as you soak it in salt water, the color will appear. Your Majesty will know once you try it."
Zhao Yuancheng turned his head to look at Doctor Xun, "Is what Zhaoyi said true?"
At this point, anyone with a discerning eye could see that Fu Xiyu was being wronged, and Doctor Xun could naturally see it as well.
In addition, since Fu Qianyu is favored, Doctor Xun will naturally do her a favor.
"Ancient books record that this method does exist."
Zhao Yuancheng waved his hand, and Zhu Yu immediately went down to prepare. When the brine was brought in, Peirong was the first to roll up her sleeves and put her hand down without hesitation.
Ling Yun followed closely behind, and then came Fu Qianyu.
When he saw Fu Qianyu's clean hands, Zhao Yuancheng slowly exhaled.
"Your Majesty, is this likely to prove my innocence?"
Zhao Yuancheng softened his tone, "I know you've been wronged. Sit down and talk."
After Fu Qianyu sat down, she immediately turned her gaze to Qinfang and said in a nonchalant tone, "Qinfang, why are you shaking so violently? Are you feeling unwell? Concubine Liu is pregnant now, so you have to be careful and don't let her get sick."
Liu Zhaoyi felt her whole body crawl under her gaze, and she tried her best to hold herself together. "Qinfang did catch a cold a few days ago, but she's fine. Thank you for your concern, sister."
These nonsensical words immediately aroused Zhao Yuancheng's suspicion. Qinfang was already afraid, and when she looked up inadvertently, she saw the emperor's cold gaze.
His legs felt weak and he immediately fell to the ground, his shoulders trembling visibly.
The Empress naturally noticed something was going on and said coldly, "Your Majesty, I don't think Qiu Ju would be so bold as to murder the Imperial Concubine. Someone must have been behind this. Since Concubine Yi has proven her innocence, why not investigate the others?"
"The Queen is right. Then let's investigate everyone in the room one by one." Zhao Yuancheng pointed at Qin Fang and said, "Let's start with you!"
Qin Fang froze in place, as if thunder had flashed above her head, "Your Majesty..."
Liu Zhaoyi stood up and stood in front of Qinfang, her heart pounding. "Your Majesty, Qinfang has been with me for many years. I guarantee with my life that she doesn't have the guts to murder the imperial concubine."
"Whether you dare or not is not something you can say with your mouth. You will know after you try it."
Seeing this, Zhu Yu walked over with the salt water. Everyone held their breath and stared at Liu.
The atmosphere in the room was tense, and Qiuju, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, this was all done by this servant. I was resentful of the Imperial Concubine, so I came up with this plan. Please, Your Majesty, please understand!"
"Tell me clearly what's going on. If you say anything false, you will be killed immediately!"
"I dare not, I dare not!"
Qiu Ju kowtowed repeatedly until her head was bleeding. Then she slowly spoke, "The Imperial Concubine has a bad temper and always takes her anger out on us servants. That day, I happened to overhear Aunt Shuqing talking to the Empress, so I spent the night reading medical books and found this method."
"Then how did you get the medicine in?"
"Your Majesty's medicine is brewed by this servant, so it's easy to administer the drug."
The Queen's voice was as cold as ice. "Then where did these yellow and white things come from?"
Qiuju was speechless for a moment. After looking at Liu Zhaoyi again, she hit her head against the pillar and died. Blood splattered everywhere and she died.
Everyone was shocked, except Fu Qianyu who sat in the chair and watched everything coldly.
Qiuju was dead, so there was no evidence. Liu Zhaoyi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
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