Tao Yuan stumbled into the bedroom.
Su Man was still wearing pajamas when she sat up. The next second, Tao Yuan covered her with a wet cloak and dragged her out.
Because the fire was discovered in time, only the side hall was burned.
Su Man, wrapped in a cloak, looked at the palace maids and eunuchs kneeling on the ground.
She straightened her collar and said, "Who's on duty tonight? Come out."
A young eunuch came out and said, "To answer the Queen, yes, it is my servant."
"How did this fire start?"
The young eunuch was terrified, "I don't know..."
Su Man's eyes grew colder, and Tao Yuan scolded her, "Stupid thing, you are so careless, I must punish you severely!"
"Please spare my life, this slave didn't mean it, Queen, please spare my life!"
The young eunuch banged his head on the ground and kowtowed continuously.
Amidst the chaos, a shrill voice came from far away, "The Emperor has arrived! Imperial Concubine Li has arrived!"
Just as Su Man was about to bow, she was embraced in his arms.
Murong Hong supported her back with one hand and stroked her face with the other, "Man'er, are you okay?"
In the firelight, Murong Hong's eyes were full of concern, making it hard to tell whether he was sincere or not.
Concubine Li, on the other hand, pinched her waist and cursed the palace maids and eunuchs, "You good-for-nothings! How did this fire start?"
The palace maids were silent, and no one dared to be the first to speak out.
Murong Hong lowered his eyes to look at the eunuch on guard duty kneeling on the ground and said, "You have neglected your duties so much that you have frightened the Empress. Drag him away and give him eighty lashes."
Eighty lashes of the cane are enough to take a life.
The young eunuch was so frightened that his face turned pale. He knelt a few steps and came to the front of Concubine Li, "Concubine, save me! Concubine, save me!"
Concubine Li came in a hurry, and her hair was hastily tied up. The tilted hairpin made her look a little more delicate and innocent.
She was confused. "I want to save you? Why should I save you?"
The young eunuch grabbed the hem of Concubine Li's skirt and said, "Concubine, I obeyed your orders. I set fire to Kunning Palace. Now I am in trouble. You can't just stand by and watch me die!"
“…”
Hearing this, everyone had different expressions.
Could it be that the fire in Kunning Palace was not caused by a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster?
Concubine Li was immediately furious after being smeared like this. She kicked the eunuch away, pointed her slender finger at him and cursed, "Nonsense! When did I ever tell you to set fire?"
But the young eunuch pulled something out of his bosom and said, "My Lady, you were the one who used this jade pendant to tell me that if I could help you accomplish this, you would definitely use me when you ascended to the throne of Empress. Have you forgotten?"
The jade pendant made of mutton-fat white jade is particularly conspicuous in the night.
When Su Man saw the jade pendant, she felt something was wrong.
This is indeed Concubine Li's favorite thing, how could it fall into the hands of this little eunuch.
Sure enough, after Murong Hong saw the jade pendant, there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes when he looked at Concubine Li.
After all, Concubine Li had been at odds with the Empress for years, and she had always wanted to replace her. So, the young eunuch's words were indeed worth pondering.
Murong Hong said in a deep voice, "Noble Concubine Li, was it you who did this?"
When Concubine Li heard Murong Hong's question, she was stunned. She couldn't believe it, "Your Majesty, are you doubting me?"
Murong Hong stood with his hands behind his back, "The evidence is irrefutable, so I have no choice but to ask this question."
“…”
At this moment, Murong Hong made Concubine Li feel unfamiliar.
Just now, the two of them were whispering to each other, and Murong Hong said that she was the only person in the harem to whom he could confide his true feelings.
But in the blink of an eye, because of a few words from a eunuch, he thought that she was obsessed with power and wanted to murder the queen.
For no apparent reason, Concubine Li suddenly felt that this matter was quite boring.
She no longer had the heart to explain, and said in a bad tone, "I didn't do it. If the emperor thinks I did it, there is nothing I can do."
"Empress Li, are you disobeying me?" Murong Hong's eyes were deep and without a trace of emotion.
Su Man knew that Murong Hong was angry.
The emperor had this privilege: he could say and do anything. Even if the other party was unwilling, they had to obey, otherwise it would be considered disobedience to the emperor.
Seeing that Concubine Li was stiff-necked and silent, Su Man understood that this little ancestor was going to have a fight with him.
She quickly smoothed things over, saying, "It's really hard to trust the words of a mere eunuch. Imperial Concubine Li was also frightened. It would be better for her to return to her palace and recuperate."
Concubine Li wanted to say something, but Su Man just shook her head slightly.
Suddenly, Aunt Zhao, who had been hiding far away during the fire, emerged and shouted, "This little eunuch has Concubine Li's jade pendant on him. With all the evidence, how can we let him go so easily?"
Murong Hong, having been reminded, said coldly, "Noble Concubine Li, you are suspected of plotting to murder the Queen, and then disrespecting me. From today on, you will be demoted to a concubine and will assist in managing the six palaces. You will be confined to the palace and not allowed to leave unless summoned."
Su Man pleaded, "Your Majesty, there are many suspicious points in the arson incident. Please..."
"Her Majesty the Queen."
Imperial Concubine Li interrupted her, raising her head proudly. "The innocent are innocent. I will take my leave."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Murong Hong didn't even look at this favorite concubine whom he had doted on for several years. He put his arm around Su Man's shoulders and comforted her in a soft voice.
Facing his affectionate face, Su Man felt a chill in her heart.
Murong Hong must be aware that there are many doubts in this matter, but at the moment, compared to Concubine Li's family, he needs Prime Minister Gu to work for him more.
So in this matter, he did not hesitate to punish Concubine Li for her. As for why he was so ruthless, it was because Concubine Li's attitude was too disrespectful.
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