“These… are all gifts you bestowed upon your servant.” Xiao Yanzi persisted in pestering Hailanzhu.
"Hahaha!" Hailanzhu could no longer contain her laughter and burst into loud laughter. "Are you saying that I spent a hundred taels of gold to harm myself?"
Xiao Yanzi was completely confused. When he looked up and saw that Namuzhong was safe and sound, he began to panic. Then he turned his gaze to Sang'er, wanting to ask for help.
"How could I use an idiot like you? Couldn't you have looked around when you came in?" Sang'er cursed inwardly, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
In truth, Xiao Yanzi didn't want to stay and observe, but the palace rules were strict, and when she saw her master, she could only bow and lower her head.
"What, you're not going to talk anymore?" Hailanzhu slowly walked up to Xiaoyanzi, her face full of contempt.
Her personality is such that she repays kindness with kindness and avenges wrongs. If anyone tries to hurt her, she will never let them get away with it.
"This servant..." Xiao Yanzi was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Hailanzhu narrowed her eyes and said slowly, "Slandering me is a capital offense, but I am not willing to pursue the matter further. If you tell me the whole story, I may spare your life."
"Um..." Xiao Yanzi was still hesitating.
But Huang Taiji didn't want to waste time waiting for him, and once again ordered sternly, "Take him away quickly."
"No..." Xiaoyan shook her head with all her might. She was so scared that her lower body was already soaked and left an unpleasant smell.
"Then hurry up and speak." Huang Taiji's voice was deep and terrifying.
"Yes," Xiao Yanzi kowtowed forcefully, "It's the Imperial Concubine..."
Upon hearing that it was her, Namuzhong rebuked him sharply before he could finish speaking, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? I don't even know you." Her helpless expression was somewhat comical.
"This servant hasn't finished speaking yet," Xiao Yanzi replied weakly. "It was Miss Sang'er, who serves the Imperial Concubine, who instructed me to do this."
"Sang'er?" Namuzhong asked in confusion, turning to look at Sang'er.
"You're talking nonsense!" Sang'er naturally denied it.
To save his own life, Xiao Yanzi naturally had to pin all the blame on Sang'er. "I'm not lying. You gave me a hundred taels of gold and told me to tamper with the Imperial Concubine's chair and then frame Consort Chen." He paused. "As for why it turned out this way, I really don't know."
Upon hearing this, Dayuer suddenly realized what was going on. Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, she whispered in Hailanzhu's ear, "Sister, did you know about Sang'er's plan all along?"
Hailanzhu did not deny it, and nodded slightly.
Da Yu'er chuckled and said, "I almost misunderstood you again."
"It's alright." Hailanzhu felt even more relieved.
Sang'er still refused to admit it, and knelt on the ground, wailing and begging Namuzhong to believe her.
Sang'er was, after all, Namuzhong's strategist, and Namuzhong trusted her quite a bit, so he once thought that she was being slandered.
But Sang'er really underestimated a person's ability to survive. Xiao Yanzi discarded all the silver and revealed an empty purse to everyone.
"This purse smells exactly like the scent on Miss Sang'er!" Xiao Yanzi said, grasping at the last straw.
"Nonsense!" Sang'er continued to argue, "Maybe other people's tastes the same."
“No…” Xiaoyanzi shook her head, “You are different, something that others don’t have.”
“What’s different?” Sang’er was already flustered.
"You have body odor, so you used very fragrant jasmine to cover it up, so the smell is hard to describe; it can only be described as both fragrant and smelly," Xiaoyanzi explained.
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician, who had not yet taken his leave, hurriedly stepped forward to sniff it. Indeed, as Xiao Yanzi had said, it was both fragrant and foul.
Knowing she couldn't escape, Sang'er collapsed and knelt down.
"It really is you?" Of all those present, Namuzhong was the most shocked.
“That’s right, I did it all,” Sang’er said coldly.
Now that things have come to this, she has no choice but to take all the blame upon herself.
"Why? I have treated you well, why did you want to harm me?" Namuzhong's eyes were bloodshot.
"You've treated me well? I really don't know who gave you the courage to utter such an unrealistic lie." Sang'er looked up at Namuzhong. "You're easily angered and often take your anger out on us servants. I've long been dissatisfied with you and wish I could transfer ten times the pain I have to you."
Seeing Sang'er's gritted teeth, Namuzhong reached out and slapped her hard across the face. "I am the master. You have a servant, so it is only right that I suffer. Besides, which servant has not suffered from the master's temper?"
“Yes!” Sang’er ignored her swollen face and continued to refute Namuzhong, “That’s right, every servant will suffer from their master’s temper, but none of them will be punished like you, kneeling under the scorching sun for three hours. That’s the least of your worries. If it were more serious, it would be like cutting open a wound and rubbing salt in it.”
"You wretch, you're about to die, and you're still spouting nonsense." Namuzhong was enraged and was about to slap Sang'er's face again, but Huang Taiji stopped her.
"Your Majesty, she is trying to harm your child. Are you going to let her go?" Namuzhong asked, puzzled.
Her hand was already partially fractured by Hailanzhu, and now that Huang Taiji squeezed it so hard, her hand would be crippled if not completely useless.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"
Hearing her scream, Huang Taiji initially thought she was faking it, but seeing her face turn unusually pale from the pain, he couldn't help but let go.
He wasn't heartbroken for Namuzhong, but for his unborn child, since the child was innocent.
“She must die, but the culprit is you. If you had treated others better, would she have had to do this?” Huang Taiji retorted.
"Why? She's just a servant girl, why should we fawn over her?" That was the thought in Namuzhong's mind, and she wouldn't listen to anyone else's words.
“Stubborn to the end! If you continue like this, aren’t you afraid of a next time? You won’t be so lucky next time!” Huang Taiji said sternly.
"emperor…"
Namuzhong was unconvinced and wanted to reply, but was interrupted by Hailanzhu: "I have heard that the child will have the same temperament as the mother during pregnancy. If you are like this, aren't you afraid that your future child will be the same? If you really quarrel, will the child punish the mother, or will you punish the child?"
In just a few words, Namuzhong, a person with distorted values, was immediately rendered speechless.
There is indeed a difference in rank between master and servant, but one should not mistreat others without cause.
In fact, Hailanzhu did not want to blame Namuzhong, but she was afraid that if she continued to talk, everyone would only feel that Sang'er was even more innocent, and with Yunxian taking the lead, they might even let Sang'er go.
Therefore, Hailanzhu had to stop it. She was determined to kill Sang'er. If she let the tiger return to the mountain, she would be in even greater danger, and how could she possibly fulfill the original owner's wish?
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