July 2nd
Xu Lejin sat upright in the main seat, looking down at the group of concubines below.
His gaze shifted, finally settling on Consort Ji, who was bowing her head slightly and looking smug. His expression darkened. "I heard that Consort Ji was the one who served the Emperor the most last month?"
"Since giving birth to the twenty-sixth daughter of the Emperor, Consort Ji has been well-behaved and obedient. Now, she is not one to remain silent, but when she does speak, she is astonishing."
After a pause, Xu Lejin continued, "Yesterday, I reviewed the records of the Imperial Household Department. In June, Consort Ji served the Emperor seven times, which is the first such record in the harem."
Consort Ji slowly raised her head, her face flushed.
"Your Highness, the Emperor enjoys my service, and I cannot refuse him. Serving the Emperor is my duty, and I do not find it arduous."
Xu Lejin's eyes darkened slightly as she stared intently at Consort Ji.
Consort Ji, with a charming face and a soft, sweet voice, said, "Your Highness, the Imperial Noble Consort, please allow me to report that all the concubines in the palace hope to receive the Emperor's favor, and I am no exception."
"This concubine is foolish and thinks that as long as Your Majesty is happy, I would be willing to serve and attend to Your Majesty every day."
Xu Lejin paused, a sarcastic look on her face as she stared at Consort Ji.
Consort Que raised her eyes and gave Consort Ji a meaningful look, wondering to herself if Consort Ji had taken the wrong medicine.
Is it appropriate to say these things in front of the concubines in the harem?
Consort Duan lowered her head, a dark and ambiguous sneer flashing across her eyes.
Consort He was young and could not completely control her emotions. At this moment, she was filled with jealousy and resentment as she glared at Consort Ji, cursing her in her heart as a vixen who had bewitched the Emperor.
Consort Hui glanced at Xu Lejin, then looked at Consort Ji, and said in a deep voice, "Consort Ji is young, and it's understandable that the Emperor likes her, but..."
“Consort Ji, His Majesty is busy with affairs of state every day, which is exhausting. If he were to summon Consort Ji to his side every day, how could His Majesty’s health possibly withstand it?”
With a slight upturn of her eyes, Consort Hui curled her lips and looked at Xu Lejin.
"Your Highness, I have heard that His Majesty has visited Consort Ji's palace on several occasions, in broad daylight, and engaged in illicit relations with her. His Majesty is always mindful of propriety and would never lose his senses like this."
"Consort Ji's methods are truly remarkable."
With a few casual words, Consort Hui exposed what Consort Ji had done in front of all the concubines in the harem. Xu Lejin exchanged a glance with Consort Que with a solemn expression.
At this time
Consort Ying, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, exclaimed in surprise and stood up.
Stepping forward with trepidation, Consort Ying glanced timidly at Consort Ji, then knelt down with a thud, trembling as she spoke, "Your Highness, I suddenly remembered something."
"Once, after serving the Emperor, Consort Ji instructed her personal maid, Miaoxin, to burn her clothes. That day, I happened to be going out and overheard Miaoxin saying something about incense..."
Consort Ying's trembling words were like a boulder thrown into a still pond.
Xu Lejin and the others all turned their gazes toward Consort Ji, who suddenly raised her head, then lowered it again, looking as if she were sitting on pins and needles, her eyes darting around nervously.
Inside Yikun Palace, there was complete silence.
Consort Hui covered her mouth and spoke coldly, "So, the Emperor favors Consort Ji because of that fragrance?"
"Your Highness, I am very curious about what kind of incense could help Consort Ji gain the Emperor's favor."
After a pause, Consort Hui continued.
“Consort Ji, you have such a good thing, why don’t you share it with your sisters in the palace? There are quite a few sisters in the palace who are out of favor and haven’t seen the Emperor for years.”
Consort Ji felt extremely guilty after hearing Consort Hui's words.
Xu Lejin pondered for a long time, then said coldly to the outside of the palace, "Xiao Jiangzi, go and search Consort Ji's palace. I want to see what kind of incense Consort Ji used that made the Emperor lose his mind."
"Your servant obeys."
Xiao Jiangzi, who was outside the hall, respectfully agreed and quickly left Yikun Palace.
Consort Ji slumped into a chair, her face filled with fear, her voice trembling, "Your Highness, Imperial Noble Consort, this concubine... this concubine only used ordinary spices, this concubine..."
With her eyes fixed intently on Consort Ji, Xu Lejin spoke in a deep voice.
"Since it's just ordinary spices, why not let me and my sisters in the palace take a look? Today, in front of all the concubines in the palace, would I possibly falsely accuse you?"
With a cold snort, Xu Lejin continued, "I am an Imperial Noble Consort, and you are a Concubine. I have absolutely no reason to frame you."
Consort Ji was extremely flustered, and the handkerchief in her hand was almost twisted out of shape.
A minute later, a quarter of an hour later, Xiao Jiangzi returned, carrying a tray of spices in his hands, followed by eunuchs and several palace maids from Xianfu Palace who served Consort Ji.
"Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, Your Highnesses, Your Highnesses, this servant has discovered these spices in the high pavilion of Consort Ji's palace, and... and..."
Xiao Jiangzi hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Xu Lejin said in a deep voice, "What else is there, Xiao Jiangzi? Just say it all at once, don't stammer."
"yes."
Xiao Jiangzi gritted his teeth and said respectfully, "This servant also found several rag dolls in a hidden compartment under Consort Ji's bed. They had birth dates and times pasted on them and were covered in needles."
He waved behind him, and two eunuchs entered the hall carrying trays on which were several rag dolls.
"suck,,,"
The concubines in the harem all gasped, while Yan Jing stared intently at the rag doll on the tray.
Consort Que stepped forward tremblingly, picked up one of the rag dolls, and her gaze fell on the birth date pasted on it. Her face instantly turned pale, and she staggered a few steps.
"Your Highness, these are my birth dates and times."
Consort Duan paused for a moment, then picked up another rag doll.
Then she put it down, picked up the second one, put it down again, and picked up the third one. This time, Consort Duan's face turned deathly pale. The usually dignified and gentle Consort Duan had a gloomy expression and spoke coldly, "This is mine..."
Consort Hui's heart skipped a beat, and she went to check the rag doll as well. What she found was shocking: Consort Hui also discovered a rag doll with her birth date and time pasted on it.
Xu Lejin narrowed her eyes, looking at the remaining two rag dolls, guessing that one of them must represent her.
Consort Ji is incredibly audacious; the incense hasn't even burned out yet, and she's already concocted this witchcraft doll.
She herself, being from the new society, didn't really believe in these things. However, from the changes in the expressions of the ancients, such as Consort Que, Consort Hui, and Consort Duan, she could tell that Consort Que and the others were deeply convinced of these beliefs.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Lejin said in a low voice to the imperial physician who was already waiting beside her, "Imperial physician, take a look at what kind of incense was found in Consort Ji's palace."
"yes."
The imperial physician respectfully agreed, stepped forward to examine the spices, and took a light sniff. He was immediately intoxicated and his eyes glazed over.
Xu Lejin's face darkened, and she spoke in a cold voice, "Nongying..."
Nongying immediately took a cup of tea and splashed it on the imperial physician's face, which restored clarity to the physician's eyes.
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