"Your Majesty, it was this servant!"
Just as the eunuch was about to pronounce the name of Consort Lin,
Lin Zhaoyuan was so scared she almost fainted.
At the critical moment, her maid Chunyu suddenly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly with tears in her eyes.
"It was me! Your Majesty, I confessed, I was the one who had these eunuchs order the glass beads..."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Lin Zhaoyuan furtively, then quickly lowered her head again.
It's as if they're saying this to Lim So-won.
She took all the blame.
Mi Shan raised an eyebrow slightly.
She knew perfectly well that this maid must have stepped forward voluntarily to take the blame for her mistress.
It seems that Consort Lin must have some kind of leverage that the Empress has fallen into, which is why she has no choice but to follow the Empress and do things for her.
This little maid is quite loyal and devoted; there aren't many people these days who are so devoted to their master.
Upon hearing this, Achan and Xun'er behind her exchanged a glance.
I've noticed something's amiss.
"It was you?" Li Shengyuan frowned, his imperial face slightly angry. "How dare you! Why did you do this? Did your master order you to assassinate Consort Mi Hui?"
"No! It was me. My master was completely unaware!"
Chunyu clenched her fists tightly, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes. She looked up at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you only have eyes for these new concubines. Do you still remember my mistress? Consort Zhaoyuan, when she first entered the palace, you also favored her! She even conceived two children for you!"
"Although each pregnancy ends in miscarriage, Your Majesty, you are far too heartless!"
"In the past, when you met Consort Zhaoyuan, you could remember who she was and exchange a few words with her. But now, you probably haven't even forgotten her name!"
"That's why I hate you and Consort Mi Hui. To stand up for Your Highness, I specially spent money to have this bead made by a eunuch. I don't want anything else, I just want Consort Mi Hui to be embarrassed in public!"
Mi Shan was slightly taken aback.
The little maid's words were three parts false and seven parts true.
It also contained a determination to die.
This is incredibly audacious; it dares to directly accuse the emperor of being heartless and ungrateful.
But it must be said that she was right; Li Shengyuan was indeed such a heartless man.
"Ha, why should I remember her name? I have three thousand beauties in my harem, am I supposed to remember all of them by name?" Li Shengyuan's expression froze, already somewhat embarrassed.
But soon, he regained his imperial dignity and coldly rebuked them.
"You lowly maidservant, how dare you criticize me! Guards, drag her out and beat her to death!"
Consort Lin covered her mouth, fear making her almost vomit. She glanced pleadingly at the Empress, only to find the Empress with an indifferent expression.
In a moment of impulse, he knelt down with tears in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, we beg you to rescind your decree!"
"It is my fault. I failed to take good care of the palace maid, which led her to commit such a mistake... Please do not sentence her to death."
"Your Majesty, don't worry about me. It would be my honor to die for you. I am willing to treat you well."
"no……"
"You two seem to have a deep bond between master and servant," Li Shengyuan sneered. However, what he hated most was anyone challenging his authority.
"If you're so afraid of death, you should behave yourself!"
"Guards, drag her away! Lin Zhaoyuan, if you dare to obstruct me again, I will execute you along with me!"
"Your Majesty, please let go. This servant will take her leave first."
After Chunyu finished speaking, she was dragged out by several guards.
The emperor had given the order, and no one dared to utter a single word more.
Mi Shan frowned, unable to bear watching the bloody scene.
Yet from within the flowerbed, screams and heavy thuds echoed, each blow striking flesh and bone.
Lin Zhaoyuan was so frightened that she burst into tears, knelt on the ground, rushed over, and tightly grasped Chunyu's hand.
"Stop hitting! Stop hitting!"
However, Chunyu had already lost her breath. Her pale face was covered with bloodstains, and blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.
The splattered blood and flesh stained the pure white daisies and roses red, exuding a scent of blood and sorrow.
Everyone present was deeply moved.
However, the emperor remained unmoved, and instead felt his mood had been spoiled. He snorted coldly and walked past them, announcing the end of the banquet.
He strode forward without looking back.
He didn't see Lin Zhaoyuan tightly holding Chunyu's still warm body. Her red eyes were filled with hatred and resentment as she stared intently at his departing figure.
Damn it, so what if he's the emperor? He deserves to die!
After recovering from her shock, Mi Shan glanced at Empress Rouci, whose face was slightly pale as she gazed at the pitiful master and servant clinging to each other. A hint of guilt seemed to flash across her eyes.
But she still forced herself to remain calm, showing no sign of anything amiss, as if she had sensed Mi Shan's gaze.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Mi Shan looked at her, then clenched her fist tightly, her clear eyes flashing with intense condemnation.
She knew?!
Empress Rouci was taken aback.
Mi Shan actually knew that she was the mastermind behind it all? This girl is incredibly clever.
Mi Shan pursed her lips, watching the Empress calmly withdraw her expression and pass by her. She could no longer hold back and coldly called out to her, her voice filled with vehement condemnation:
"Halt! Your Majesty, just to humiliate me, you have implicated innocent people and needlessly lost your lives! Was it really worth it!"
Her face was pale, but her eyes held an unprecedented resolve.
"If you hate me and want to kill me, just come at me directly! Why always have to use someone else?"
"If you do this, aren't you afraid that in the dead of night, the wronged souls of those you harmed will all come to haunt you and demand your lives?"
"Why should I be afraid?"
Unexpectedly, the Empress stopped and took an inch closer to her. "Mi Shan, you don't understand. These people's lives are nothing. Compared to what I really want to do, their sacrifices are insignificant! And you are nothing but a substitute. I just despise you and want to embarrass you. Who told you to have a face that is almost exactly the same as hers!"
—I'm not afraid. The one who should be afraid is Li Shengyuan!
He is ungrateful and disloyal.
The people he has wronged are not just Lin Zhaoyuan.
These people were all killed by him. She was just a figurehead behind the scenes.
The Empress coldly withdrew her gaze, led Granny Shen forward, and walked away, coldly stepping over the blood-soaked petals, looking straight ahead.
It was as if she had followed the path her sister had taken. Nourished by countless drops of blood, she had long forgotten what kindness and original intentions were. Her heart, now devoid of light, had become as hard as a rock, leaving only slaughter.
The emperor and empress have both left.
No one looked back, no one cared.
The woman, consumed by grief and filled with overwhelming hatred, still knelt amidst the blood-stained flowers, tightly embracing a lifeless corpse.
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