"Guess—Does this palace know?"

The queen asked the concubines with a smile.

Some poisoned the child, some bribed the imperial physician, and some asked the maid to drown the child...

Since Concubine Ji has revealed the method, doesn't she know who the murderer is?

Everyone present felt a chill in their hearts, with undercurrents surging.

At this moment, Chang Zai, who was usually timid and cowardly, suddenly knelt on the ground and begged for mercy in a trembling voice.

"My Queen, I was bewitched and deceived by the eunuch in the palace. He advised me to poison the blood-replenishing medicine that Concubine Zhao took after giving birth, intending to harm her."

"My lady, I know I was wrong!" This woman was crying with tears in her eyes.

"When I return, I will beat that eunuch to death to serve as a warning to others. Please, Your Majesty, spare my life because I sincerely repent!"

She supported herself on the ground with her hands and kowtowed continuously.

The queen nodded but still said nothing.

Since the queen didn't say anything, the concubine could only kneel on the ground and beg for mercy in a hoarse voice.

It seems that the Queen will never give up unless she finds those three people today, the concubines thought.

He Fei, who was standing aside, saw that the situation was not good, gritted her teeth, and finally made up her mind.

She lifted her skirt, bent her knees, and knelt down.

Hepin raised her head and said, "Your Majesty, I did bribe the imperial physician who treated Concubine Zhao, but I have never thought of harming the heir to the throne."

"What Concubine He means is that I have wronged you?" the Queen asked calmly.

He Concubine lowered her head and said, "That is not what I meant."

She explained: "Zhao Changzai once took advantage of her pregnancy to speak rudely to me. I was indignant, so I bribed the imperial physician."

"But I swear, my original intention was just to make Zhao Chang suffer after giving birth. I never thought of harming the heir in her belly!"

The queen sneered, "You really didn't intend to harm the heir. You bribed the imperial physician to prescribe an overly strong hemostatic drug to Concubine Zhao, making her mistakenly believe that she was strong and could walk around freely after giving birth."

"When the effect of the drug wears off, Zhao Changzai will bleed to death if he moves a little."

"And the child who lost his biological mother is your real goal!"

Concubine Shu stood up suddenly, her face pale.

Zhao Changzai lived in her palace, and she took good care of her daily life. Now that the Queen had said this, Concubine Shu realized how big her oversight was.

Concubine Shu knelt deeply, and her voice was filled with self-blame: "Your Majesty, I am guilty. All of this is due to my negligence."

The Queen consoled her, "Shu Fei, I don't blame you. After all, it's because I was too indulgent with them."

She paused for a moment, "Besides, this matter is not over yet. There is still one person who has not come forward yet."

yes.

The person who poisoned and bribed the imperial physician have all been found.

The only one left was the concubine who had her maid drown her child.

This one is truly daring! She went straight for the heir to the throne.

"Lu agreed."

The queen's eyes were focused on the inconspicuous figure with a hint of inquiry.

The queen called her name and said, "You are quite patient."

Lu Da Ying stood at the edge of the hall, looking so inconspicuous in the palace full of flowers.

The concubines around were all shocked.

Lady Lu was plain-looking and had seldom been favored by the emperor for many years. She had served him in bed only a handful of times and had little sense of presence.

Her sense of presence these days is still based on the companionship she and Zhao Changzai have had for many years.

"You... Aren't you and Zhao Changzai sisters? How could you be so cruel as to do such a cruel thing to her child?"

Someone asked in surprise.

"Sisterly love? Ha, that's just a joke!"

Lu Da Ying raised his head and said with a ferocious face: "She is just lucky. If she hadn't been pregnant with a dragon seed, how could she have surpassed me!"

"Besides her entering the palace, if I hadn't helped her many times, with her personality, how could she have survived until now? But now that she has gained power, she has drifted away from me. I, her former 'sister', have become insignificant in her eyes!"

Lu Da Ying's ferocious expression scared many people.

Concubine Lin nodded slightly and said with a smile: "So that's how it is."

"I am still wondering how a lowly concubine like you could find a maid who could have contact with the royal heir."

"You took advantage of the sisterly love to make the people around Zhao Changzai relax their vigilance. Thinking about it this way, Zhao Changzai is really unlucky to be tricked by you like this."

A complex emotion flashed across Lu Da Ying's face.

She lowered her head and said sadly, "You are joking, Concubine Gui. Concubine Zhao no longer considers me her sister. Now, in her eyes, there is only Concubine Shu."

Concubine Shu let out a long sigh.

She said: "Lu promised that things are not what you think."

"Zhao Changzai has mentioned you to me many times. In her heart, you are always the one she cherishes most." Concubine Shu said.

"She kept her distance from you because she was worried that if there was any change in the royal heir, it would implicate you and put you in danger."

"It's a pity that Zhao Changzai's sincerity made you mistakenly think that she had a grudge against you, and even made you have more vicious thoughts. In the final analysis, it's because you don't trust her enough."

Shufei's words were like a sharp sword, piercing Lu Da Ying's heart.

Lu Da Ying's eyes widened.

She kept muttering, falling into self-doubt: "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..."

While Lu Da Ying was talking to Concubine Shu, Concubine Lin turned her head and looked at the Queen.

She asked, "Empress, how do you want to deal with these three people?"

She asked the question with great interest.

Concubine Lin always felt that the Queen would give her a big surprise today.

The queen took a deep breath and tried to calm the waves in her heart.

She stared ahead and said firmly and forcefully, "Princess He, Concubine Wang, and Lady Lu have committed crimes that are notorious. They will all be given fifty strokes of the cane as a punishment. When the emperor returns, he will decide whether to let them live or die."

Caning?!

Everyone's expression suddenly changed.

Although the emperor gave the empress the power to punish with a cane, he had never seen her use this method on any concubine in the palace.

Even if a concubine committed a capital crime, the empress would simply report the matter to the emperor and let him make the decision.

At this moment, the queen used caning for the first time, and she used it on three people.

Besides... Fifty sticks!?

How is this different from the death penalty?

Concubine He and Concubine Wang kept kneeling and begging for mercy, but were ruthlessly dragged away by the eunuchs.

When Lu Da Ying learned the truth, her face turned pale and she did not even show any intention of resisting when she was restrained by the eunuchs.

Not long after, bursts of miserable cries and screams of pain were heard outside the hall.

The entire palace was shrouded in a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

The concubines finally looked at the queen with fear in their eyes.

The queen closed her eyes, then slowly opened them, throwing away the last bit of pity in her heart.

In the dark, the invisible shackles on her body broke one after another, and the lingering auditory hallucinations in her ears also screamed and dissipated.

The queen let out a breath of foul air.

She clearly felt that the lotus heart Gu that had tormented her for so long and should have been cured by the magic medicine long ago was completely eliminated at this moment.