"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... Something terrible has happened... I heard that His Majesty and Consort Xi are on their way to Yikun Palace... The little eunuch who came to deliver the message said that His Majesty is very angry, and it seems that he is coming because of Hongli's matter... Your Majesty, should I go out and inform General Nian?" Cui Ling rushed in and said to Consort Nian.
Consort Nian suddenly stood up, her mind in turmoil, muttering to herself, "How did they find out about me? No... it's too late... even if I go to inform my brother now, it's too late..."
Bai Zhi peeked out from outside the door and anxiously advised Consort Nian, "What should we do? Consort Xi must have whispered a lot of bad things about the Empress in His Majesty's ear. His Majesty must have come prepared this time..."
Consort Nian patted her chest to catch her breath and said blankly, "Don't panic, let it come... Without evidence, how can she, a mere concubine, arbitrarily frame me? Besides, the Emperor is currently relying on our Nian family. I don't believe the Emperor would harm me for the sake of this vile woman."
After saying that, the Fourth Prince led Lanqin toward the main hall of Yikun Palace.
Consort Nian was startled and looked at the Fourth Prince and Lanqin with feigned surprise. She gave a slight bow and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you. I wonder if Your Majesty..." As she spoke, her eyes swept over Lanqin.
Lanqin didn't care; all she wanted was for the Fourth Prince to thoroughly investigate Yikun Palace as soon as possible. After the Fourth Prince sat down, he said to Consort Nian, "Consort Nian, I ask you! Is Hongli's poisoning related to you?"
Consort Nian was stunned, and exclaimed loudly, "Poisoning? How is Hongli's poisoning related to me? I know nothing about it..."
In her haste, Lanqin blurted out angrily, "Don't pretend! What kind of poison is Hongli using?"
Consort Nian knelt down abruptly and said to the Fourth Prince with a wronged expression, "Your Majesty, you have wronged me! I know nothing about the source of the poison that Consort Xi mentioned. I have been in Yikun Palace the whole time and have not been anywhere else. Hongli was in the Prince's quarters, how could he have been poisoned by me?"
After speaking, Consort Nian turned to Lanqin and cried, "Consort Xi, you can't wrong me like this! How can you prove I'm involved without any evidence? My child died from poisoning. I understand a mother's pain, and I would never harm your child..."
Lanqin guessed that Consort Nian wouldn't admit it easily, and Hongli didn't have much time left. Lanqin couldn't wait any longer, so she pleaded with the Fourth Prince, "Your Majesty, a search of Yikun Palace will reveal that Hongli is still in critical condition. Your Majesty, please make a decision quickly..."
Consort Nian stepped forward to stop the Fourth Prince, hugging his leg and crying, "Your Majesty, I have done nothing. You cannot search Yikun Palace. I am Your Majesty's Consort. If Your Majesty leads people to search Yikun Palace without any evidence, what will others think of me? What will my family think?"
"Imperial Consort, are you sure you didn't do it?" The Fourth Prince lowered his head, his gaze locked on Imperial Consort Nian's eyes, and asked, word by word.
Consort Nian replied with tears in her eyes, "I did not do it, I did nothing..."
Lanqin knelt beside her, saying in grief and indignation, "Your Majesty, I beg you to thoroughly investigate Yikun Palace. If Consort Nian is found to be unrelated to this matter, I am willing to demote myself to a lower rank to atone for Consort Nian's sins... Hongli cannot wait any longer. If Hongli dies, I cannot go on living either..."
Nian Guifei stared at Lanqin in disbelief. She was actually using her position as a concubine to threaten the Emperor, forcing him to thoroughly investigate Yikun Palace. Sure enough, the Fourth Prince gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and loudly ordered, "Su Peisheng! Take men and search Yikun Palace thoroughly, inside and out, leaving no place unchecked." Su Peisheng received the order and led his men to disperse to every corner of Yikun Palace…
Seeing that the Emperor was determined to search, Consort Nian had no choice but to step aside and let Su Peisheng's men search the place. The Fourth Prince sat patiently in the main guardhouse, while Lanqin waited anxiously for the results.
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