Chapter 105 An Lingrong 46
"Those eunuchs and maids are all from your palace, so they'll naturally protect their master. As for Concubine Yi...everyone knows that you two are close friends, so how can her testimony count?"
Ling Rong held her belly and bowed to the three people at the top. Seeing the worry in the emperor's eyes, she smiled at him comfortingly, turned to face Concubine Hua, and resumed her usual cold attitude: "Madam Hua, do you mean to say that the murder of the princess was committed by Concubine Wan, and that I am deliberately shielding her?"
"What I think is none of your business. What matters is that Lady Wan has cassava flour. This is a fact, and you cannot shirk responsibility at will."
"Then may I ask, Your Majesty, how did I manage to put this tapioca starch in the princess's food?" Zhen Huan followed suit. "The princess's food is taken away daily by the servants of Concubine Cao. Considering Concubine Cao's motherly love, even if I had the ability to do it, I couldn't possibly put tapioca starch in her food so easily."
What a motherly heart! This phrase sounds like a compliment, but it is extremely harsh to the ears of those who are concerned.
Concubine Hua got angry when she saw her sharp-tongued look, but fortunately Cao Qinmo was smart enough to anticipate her reaction today.
"Ahem." She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and coughed twice. The two maids who had come in with Xiao Xiazi knelt down. One of the younger ones said, "Your Majesty, I am a maid in Yimei Garden. Not long ago, I saw Concubine Wan and a maid from Concubine Hua's palace talking in Yimei Garden."
The other was a maid who did the rough cleaning in Zhen Huan's palace: "The day before yesterday, I also saw a palace maid sneaking around outside the Sui Yu Xuan. When she saw me, she turned and ran away."
"So, Concubine Wan is actually taking advantage of my sincere feelings for Wen Yi? Concubine Wan, you are so cruel." Concubine Hua's eyes widened in disbelief. "So you wanted to take this opportunity to harm me. Even if you have some dissatisfaction with me, taking advantage of an innocent baby is too cruel."
Zhen Huan looked up at Concubine Hua and suddenly smiled. "What they said is only one-sided. Since this matter also involves Concubine Hua's palace servants, why not call them in for a confrontation?"
Concubine Hua did not retreat: "Since Concubine Wan said so, then take these two palace maids to identify it."
Huichun, who was beside the Queen, quietly retreated with the crowd. After a long while, she returned, exchanged glances with the Queen, and nodded slightly. Only the Queen Mother and Lingrong noticed this scene.
The Queen Mother glanced at the Queen with a warning look, and when she saw Yixiu lowering her head and not looking at her, she felt a splitting headache.
After a while, Xiao Xiazi came in with his men, but his face looked a little ugly:
"Reporting to the Emperor, the person has been found, but, but..."
"What's wrong? Tell me."
"But the maid has drowned in the well in the Imperial Garden." Xiao Xiazi knelt on the ground, buried his head deep in the ground, raised his hands, and in his palms was a piece of light yellow cloth: "I only found this by the well."
The emperor took the handkerchief handed to him by Su Peisheng and twisted the rag through the white handkerchief. After taking a look at it, he shook his head and said, "It's just a piece of rag. I can't tell who it belongs to."
"From my perspective, it looks like the golden brocade that the Emperor gave to Concubine Yi two days ago."
Ling Rong apologized to the emperor, took the material from his hand, looked at it, and nodded, saying, "It is indeed Jinbao brocade. The floral pattern on it seems to be the same as the one in my palace."
"It's good that Concubine Yi admits it. I wonder how this brocade ended up by the well?" Although Concubine Hua didn't know why, it didn't stop her from taking the opportunity to step on it. She looked at An Lingrong with interest.
"I originally intended to make clothes for my child with this material, but I haven't been in good spirits these past two days, so I asked Biqing, who is by my side, to put it away. I don't know why I ended up by the well."
"It's clear to me that Concubine Wan was the first to murder her, and you silenced her afterwards! No wonder you two were trying to prove each other's wrongdoing just now. You're clearly in cahoots!"
Having determined that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong were doomed this time, Concubine Hua could no longer hold back and directly convicted them.
But her words seemed to be a signal. Juqing, the maidservant beside Zhen Huan, suddenly fell to her knees in panic, kowtowed and confessed her guilt: "Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down. I am guilty. Your Majesty, please calm down..."
"You? What crime have you committed?" The emperor waved his hand to stop her. He saw that Juqing's forehead was already broken and blood was oozing out. But the girl seemed unconscious. She lowered her head and trembled in her voice as she answered haltingly:
"That day, after I helped clean up the cassava flour, Aunt Jinxi told me to throw it away, thinking it was a waste. So, I... didn't throw it away. Thinking it was rare, I... kept it for myself... I am guilty, please forgive me, Your Majesty..."
Zhen Huan showed just the right amount of surprise: "Where did you put the tapioca flour?"
"They are all placed in a camphorwood box under my bed."
"Quick, quickly send someone to get it." The emperor hurriedly helped up Ling Rong and Zhen Huan who were kneeling on the ground. It was obvious that he had already determined that this matter had nothing to do with them. It was just that because of the evidence and Concubine Hua, he had to let the two of them prove their innocence.
When Xiao Xiazi weighed the cassava flour he had found, he found it was more than half a pound. He opened it and saw that there was some dust mixed in. But even if he discarded the dust, the remaining amount would not be enough to feed Princess Wen Yi every day.
"In that case, this cassava flour incident has nothing to do with them."
Seeing that they had paid such a huge price and were not harmed at all, Concubine Hua was unwilling to accept it. She immediately pointed at the other party involved and said, "But these servants did find this material by the well. Even if this matter has nothing to do with Concubine Wan, it is hard to guarantee that Concubine Yi is innocent."
"Actually... we just need to send someone to get that piece of brocade for inspection. If there is no damage, it will naturally prove Concubine Yi's innocence." The Queen, who rarely spoke, suddenly spoke at this time. Her words seemed to show that she trusted An Lingrong very much and wanted to prove her innocence.
The emperor was a little hesitant. He looked at Lingrong and saw that she nodded firmly, so he had no choice but to agree with the queen's suggestion.
Poor little Xiazi left again with his men, this time to Chengqian Palace. As soon as he entered, He Ronglu and Xiao Jinzi came out to greet him: "Why is Eunuch Xia here at this time?"
"I've come here on the emperor's orders to pick up the piece of golden brocade that the emperor awarded to Concubine Yi two days ago." Xiao Xiazi spoke politely, but refused He Ronglu and personally led people to the room at the back that was used as a warehouse.
Unexpectedly, a figure flashed past Concubine Yi's room and bumped into them.
"Baojuan? Why are you so jumpy? If you offend your master, can you bear the consequences?"
Before He Ronglu could finish her lecture, Baojuan turned pale and grabbed He Ronglu's arm excitedly, as if she hadn't noticed Xiao Xiazi and his group: "Auntie, there's someone under the young master's bed..."
"What did you say!" He Ronglu and Xiao Xiazi shouted at the same time, their expressions becoming grim.
Baojuan seemed to have just woken up from a dream. She glanced at Xiao Xiazi and didn't dare to speak again.
But what she had just said had been heard by everyone, so Xiao Xiazi could only apologize and take people to Concubine Yi's room. They walked all the way to the bed in a very polite manner. Everyone stared at the bed with bated breath, as if it were a monster.
Xiao Xiazi took a deep breath, opened it, and at first glance, everyone's face turned green.
The person underground is not a living person.
But...it's better to be a human being.
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