When the oilcloth was lifted, one could see that the fruit tree, which was as tall as a person, was full of red, furry fruits, one bunch after another, with three or four bunches on each tree.
However, when the young eunuch who was lifting the oilcloth next to him saw the fruit, his face suddenly turned pale with fright.
I saw that the red fruits were starting to rot. Some were only a little rotten, while others were more than half rotten, and there were even bugs crawling on them.
At this time, everyone who had been staring at the fruit also noticed something was wrong. Someone exclaimed in surprise: "Wow, why are these fruits rotten?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone started to discuss them. The Emperor's face darkened, and the Empress also looked surprised and suspicious, and then she said angrily:
"What's going on? How could the people who take care of these fruit trees let the fruit rot like this? Do you know how precious this elixir fruit is? I'm afraid even if you had ten of them, you wouldn't be able to afford to pay for a single fruit!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the palace servants were so frightened that they immediately knelt on the ground, crying out for mercy.
Concubine Xin and Concubine Rong on the side were also panicked when they saw this. They were the ones who organized the banquet and were responsible for taking care of the elixir. Now that such a thing happened, they could not escape punishment.
As expected, the Queen suddenly changed the subject and sternly rebuked the two, "How did you two do this? The Emperor trusted you with such a valuable item, and this is how you kept it?"
"What's going on?" Gu Qilan asked in a deep voice.
Concubine Xin was frightened by the successive shocks from the Emperor and Empress. Concubine Rong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I know the preciousness of the Dan fruit, and I have always asked people to take good care of it. This fruit is afraid of cold.
They have been kept in the greenhouse, with the charcoal fire burning continuously for twelve hours, and have been under constant supervision. Yesterday, I and Concubine Xin checked on them, and the fruits are still in good condition. Your Majesty, please take a closer look."
Concubine Xin also realized at this moment: "Yes, yes, Concubine Rong is right. Concubine Rong and I went to check yesterday, and the fruits were all fine. It's impossible for them to rot overnight."
The emperor ordered someone to call the palace maid who had been guarding the fruit trees. After a while, two palace maids walked into the hall with their heads lowered and trembling.
After the two exchanged greetings, the emperor got straight to the point: "You've been guarding the elixir tree, but why did you see the fruits rot overnight?"
The two maids had been informed of the incident before they arrived, so when they heard the emperor's question, one of them hurriedly replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I checked the elixir yesterday before I went to bed, and it was intact."
Hearing this, the emperor frowned and said nothing.
Upon seeing this, the Queen said in a stern voice: "Xin Fei, Rong Fei, what crime have you committed? This fruit is worth a thousand gold coins, and such a precious thing has been damaged due to your improper supervision.
The Emperor cherishes his concubines and wanted to share them with everyone, but you have ruined his kindness. How can the Emperor put his face to shame?"
As soon as the emperor said this, everyone's face was filled with resentment, and the emperor's expression became even colder.
Ning Yuxi was amazed. It was indeed the Queen. Her words made everyone in the harem blame Concubine Rong and Concubine Xin for ruining the Emperor's love for them. The last sentence hit the nail on the head. The Emperor valued his reputation the most.
Concubine Xin and Concubine Rong were both feeling flustered by the emperor's increasingly cold gaze.
The Empress turned and bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, Concubine Xin and Concubine Rong failed to supervise the property properly and destroyed such a valuable item. This is a disgrace to Your Majesty. Your Majesty must not let this go lightly."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Xin and Concubine Rong knelt down before the Emperor, their voices filled with shock and anxiety: "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Please investigate..."
Gu Qilan frowned in thought, then suddenly looked at the palace maid and asked in a deep voice, "You said you checked it before you went to bed yesterday, so did you check it again this morning? Did you check it again before the elixir was delivered here?"
Upon hearing this, the palace maid who had just answered looked at the other palace maid beside her and motioned her to answer, because it was not she who checked it this morning and before it was delivered.
Another maid took the hint from the other maid and gulped, stammering, "Your Majesty, I've seen it. It was intact then, too. I personally covered it with the oilcloth."
Hearing this, Gu Qilan's deep eyes narrowed slightly. "You said you checked it before sending it here and it was still intact. Then how could it be so rotten on the way from the Imperial Household Department to Changle Palace, just a short journey of two quarters of an hour?"
He suddenly raised his voice: "Tell the truth!"
The maid was frightened and bowed her head to the ground, trembling all over: "Your servant... Your servant..."
Seeing her hesitant and unable to explain, the emperor was filled with impatience: "Come here, take her away and beat her to death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guard at the door responded quickly and came in immediately to take the person away.
The maid was so frightened by this that tears streamed down her face. She kept kowtowing, “Your Majesty, spare me, Your Majesty. I will tell you…I will tell you now.”
Hearing this, the queen was shocked and confused. She stared at the palace maid on the ground with a warning look, but the palace maid avoided her sight.
"Your Majesty, someone asked me to destroy the elixir fruit on purpose."
Upon hearing this, not only the concubines were shocked, but the little palace maid who came with her was also filled with surprise.
When Concubine Xin heard her words, she asked excitedly, "Who is it?!"
Upon seeing this, Concubine Rong frowned tightly. Although she also wanted to know who wanted to harm her, the emperor was still here. It was inappropriate for her to speak before the emperor and make such a loud noise.
Sure enough, the emperor's face became even gloomier. He glanced at Concubine Xin unhappily, and she was so scared that she shut up.
Before the young maid could speak again, the Queen suddenly said sternly, "Think carefully before you reply. Any wrong response will result in the genocide of your entire clan!"
The little palace maid shuddered at the words. After a moment, she gritted her teeth as if making up her mind, and said, "Yes...it's the Empress!"
As soon as these words came out, there were bursts of gasps in the hall. It was obvious that everyone was shocked by her answer.
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