Chapter 217 Pretending to be pitiful
He looked terrified, obviously not knowing what was going on.
As soon as he saw Emperor Xuanyuan and the many concubines, he immediately knelt down with his head bowed.
Defei asked sternly.
"Xiao Guizi, have you helped this eunuch guard the dishes being sent to Yonghe Palace today?"
Xiao Guizi was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes... yes, Madam Defei. Today this eunuch was in a hurry to go to the bathroom, so he asked me to help watch over him for a while."
Defei continued to ask.
"Did you see any suspicious people or things during your time on guard?"
Xiao Guizi thought about it.
"In reply to Her Majesty, I didn't meet anyone."
After hearing this, Concubine De slapped the table.
"How dare you poison Zhaoyi Yao? Tell me, who ordered you to do that?"
Xiao Guizi was so frightened by Defei's questioning that she trembled all over and kowtowed repeatedly to deny it.
"Your Highness, I am wronged! I was just helping to watch over the dishes for a while. I did not poison them, and no one instructed me to do so."
At this time, Emperor Xuanyuan spoke coldly.
"Since you said you didn't poison anyone and didn't see anyone suspicious, then why was arsenic found in Lipin's palace?"
Xiao Guizi answered with a sad face.
"Your Majesty, I really don't know! I'm just a little eunuch, how could I possibly come into contact with something like arsenic?"
Emperor Xuanyuan pondered for a moment and turned his gaze to Concubine Li.
"Lipin, do you have anything else to say?"
At this time, Concubine Li was already crying uncontrollably, and she kowtowed and begged repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, I am truly wronged. I don't know why the arsenic appeared in my dressing table. I know nothing about it! Please investigate!"
The Queen also spoke at this time.
"Your Majesty, this matter is suspicious and requires further investigation. Although Concubine Li has a feud with Concubine Yao, that doesn't mean she's the murderer. Furthermore, the presence of arsenic in her palace could be a deliberate frame-up."
The Queen actually made excuses for Lipin again and again, and Defei looked at the Queen.
"Your Majesty, you are the ruler of the six palaces. You should be fair and just. You keep making excuses for Concubine Li. Are you trying to protect the person who poisoned her? Or perhaps, Your Majesty, you also want Concubine Yao to die?"
The queen's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. She slowly stood up and glanced at everyone present, especially Concubine De, with a firm and solemn gaze.
"Sister Defei, your words are wrong. As the ruler of the six palaces, I must uphold justice and will not tolerate any treacherous acts within the palace. I requested a thorough investigation because this matter is riddled with doubts and conclusions cannot be drawn hastily."
"The presence of arsenic in Concubine Li's palace is certainly suspicious, but we cannot rule out the possibility of a frame-up. What I hope is that the truth can be made public, rather than hastily convicting and wrongly accusing an innocent person."
Lipin hurriedly kowtowed to the queen.
"Your Majesty is wise, Your Majesty is wise. I beg Your Majesty to investigate. I am truly wronged. If my substitute had the courage and wisdom to drug my child, I wouldn't have waited so many years for my child to die before discovering the murderer."
Seeing this, Concubine De was about to make a sarcastic remark.
The sound of Cuizhu came from inside.
"Your Majesty, our queen has woken up."
Prince Rong hurried towards the inner room.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Xuanyuan stood up and walked in.
Yao Zhaoyi was lying on the bed with a pale face. When she saw Emperor Xuanyuan come in, tears suddenly fell from her eyes and she spoke in a weak voice.
"emperor!"
Struggling to stand up and salute.
Upon seeing this, Prince Rong hurried over to support him.
Emperor Xuanyuan spoke slowly.
"Stop bowing and lie down."
Prince Rong hurriedly made way, and Emperor Xuanyuan sat next to Concubine Yao.
"How are you feeling, my dear?"
"Is it better?"
Yao Zhaoyi reached out and grabbed the emperor's sleeve.
Tears rolled down from the corners of my eyes.
"Your Majesty, I thought I would never see you again in this life, but now that I can see you again, I will have no regrets even if I die."
This was the white moonlight of his youth! Originally, she should have been the queen, but because he needed the support of the Chen family back then, he chose to marry the daughter of the Chen family. Emperor Xuanyuan reached out and held Yao Zhaoyi's hand.
"My beloved, please don't talk nonsense. I still want to grow old with you."
After hearing this, Yao Zhaoyi turned her head away, tears rolling down her face even more violently, and spoke with a sad face.
"Given my current situation, I don't know how many days I have left to live. How can I possibly have the chance to grow old with Your Majesty?"
"I know that I have angered the Emperor. He will never forgive me in this life. If I hadn't been unable to let go of Prince Rong, I would have wanted to end my life. But I am greedy and don't want the child to be without a mother."
"So I have been staying in Yonghe Palace all these days, not leaving the house. Even if the food delivered to me is spoiled, even if the charcoal delivered is of poor quality, even if there are no quilts to keep me warm in winter, I dare not complain."
"I just didn't expect that even though I've fallen into such poverty, like a concubine in the cold palace, there are still people who want to kill me."
Emperor Xuanyuan patted her hand.
"I was negligent. Don't worry, my beloved concubine. I will order that no one dares to be harsh in the arrangement of the Yonghe Palace again."
Concubine De also spoke from the side.
"Sister Yao, don't be sad. The most important thing right now is for you to recover. The person who poisoned you has been found out. It's Concubine Li. I believe the emperor will definitely give you justice."
The queen who followed in glanced at Concubine De and frowned.
"Yao Zhaoyi, you should get some rest first. I have already ordered a thorough investigation. The poisoning will be thoroughly investigated."
Defei spoke from the side.
"Empress, there is already evidence, why do you still blindly protect Concubine Li?"
Yao Zhaoyi struggled to get up.
"Is it Lipin?"
Defei spoke hurriedly from the side.
"The Imperial Guards have already found arsenic in Lipin's palace. Furthermore, the food delivered to Yonghe Palace today was touched by Xiao Guizi from Liping's palace. The truth is now clear, but for some reason, the Empress insists that Lipin was framed. Do you wonder if the Empress is trying to cover up something?"
The queen frowned when she heard this.
"I was only speaking a fair word."
Yao Zhaoyi lowered her head and tears fell on the back of Emperor Xuanyuan's hand.
"So it's Concubine Li. It's only natural that she wants to kill me. After all, she always thought I was the one who killed her child. And that day in the Empress's palace, she also whispered in my ear that she would make me apologize to her child. I originally thought she was trying to scare me, but I didn't expect her to act so quickly."
"I was able to save my life today thanks to the visit of my sister, Concubine De. Otherwise, I would have never seen my husband and son again."
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