Chapter 91 Evidence
Yixiu sat dejectedly in Jingren Palace, watching them take Jianqiu and Jiang Fuhai away. The vast palace was silent, with only her own heart pounding like a drum in her ears.
"It's alright...it's all alright...I still have the Empress Dowager, and my sister. As long as the Emperor still cares about my sister, I will definitely have my day." Although she said this, her incoherent and flustered appearance did not seem very convincing.
Yikun Palace is in a similar situation.
Nian Shilan paced back and forth around the incense burner, her face pale with anxiety, and she didn't even feel like putting on makeup.
“Brother, you’ve gone too far this time. The people in the Imperial Workshop are all freeloaders. How could you leave no one alive? Such a big thing as a fire in the palace, and there’s not even anyone who can put it out. What if the Emperor gets hurt?”
Recalling how Zhou Ninghai and Songzhi had been taken away, a wave of panic washed over her—"The Emperor has already punished my brother, why is he taking Songzhi and the others away?"
She paced back and forth, but unfortunately, Songzhi, who had been able to keep up with her conversation, had already been taken away. The only response she received was Wenyi's loud sobs from the side hall.
"Scream! How are you servants taking care of the princess? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" She turned around in annoyance and started cursing at the little maid standing at the door.
"If the princess cries, just give her a calming soup! Do I have to teach you this?"
The little maidservant quickly bowed and hurried off to prepare the calming soup. The princess was not used to being in a different palace and leaving her mother, and often cried. This calming soup was prepared almost every day.
——
The methods of the Imperial Penal Division are always efficient, and Xia Yi of the Blood Droplets is certainly not someone who does things for the Emperor for nothing. In just two days, he has already found some clues.
That day, Yinzhen was sitting in front of Hongzhao's bed, who was half asleep, awkwardly writing comments on a memorial in red ink. Even so, he still stayed by the child's bedside.
Su Peisheng stepped forward, paused for a moment, and lowered his voice to say, "Your Majesty, Xia Yi requests an audience."
Upon hearing the sound, Yinzhen turned around and looked at the unconscious child lying on the bed before tiptoeing out of the inner palace.
Xia Yi held several large, yellowed sheets of Xuan paper covered in writing, each with a bright red fingerprint at the corner. Upon the Emperor's arrival, he respectfully and silently presented two of the sheets.
The Yangxin Hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The only sound was the rustling of the Emperor turning the pages. Su Peisheng watched the Emperor's increasingly somber expression and secretly worried for Consort Nian.
Yinzhen knew that Nian Shilan was lawless because of his favor and indulgence, but he never expected that the evidence he gathered would be so shocking—"Drugging Consort Wan, framing Consort Wan for faking a pregnancy, framing Consort Hui for faking a pregnancy, pushing Consort Chun into the water, causing Consort Wan to miscarry, accepting bribes, buying and selling official positions..."
Seeing that the Emperor's voice was gradually weakening, Xia Yi promptly added, "Your Majesty, Songzhi stubbornly refused to say anything, but Zhou Ninghai couldn't withstand the severe torture and revealed some information."
Yinzhen frowned deeply, looked up at Xia Yi, and couldn't help but slam his hand heavily on the table in front of him. Just as he raised his hand, he remembered that Hongzhao in the side hall was sleeping soundly, and he suddenly pulled his hand back.
"Some? There are others! Hasn't she committed enough sins?"
He raised his hand and wearily rubbed his temples. Her influence had gone too far; she even dared to engage in buying and selling official positions. He couldn't let her off easily. But then, he thought again and asked, "What about the matter of Hongzhao this time..."
Xia Yi knew what the Emperor wanted to investigate, and he had been particularly concerned about this matter and had already asked about it beforehand. "Your Majesty, according to my investigation, this matter has nothing to do with Consort Nian. Consort Nian was completely unaware that Nian Gengyao had transferred the people from the machine department without authorization."
Yinzhen nodded, tossed aside the two pages in his hand, looked at the two sheets Xia Yi was holding, and said nothing more.
Xia Yi never had to consider anyone's feelings when doing things for the Emperor, but he couldn't help but hesitate when it came to these two pieces of paper in his hand.
"Your Majesty, Jianqiu would rather die than speak, but Jiang Fuhai spilled everything out like beans from a bamboo tube after only two rounds...Your Majesty, please take a look."
Yinzhen took the Xuan paper with suspicion. His eyes narrowed sharply as soon as he saw the first line of text. He didn't even see what was written on the next two pages before he got angry. His chest heaved violently, and he gritted his teeth to force himself to read on.
"Empress Ulanara Yixiu replaced the almonds with peach kernels in the almond tea that Empress Chun Yuan used every day, which led to the death of Empress Chun Yuan and her unborn child."
"How dare you!"
He finally lost control of his voice and threw the white jade scepter in his hand. He stared wide-eyed and breathed heavily, unable to calm down for a long time.
Almonds and peach kernels... He remembered that Consort Hui's pregnancy also ended because peach kernels were mixed into the almond cake...
"Great... really great!" he said ironically, feeling a wave of dizziness before his eyes, his eyes churning with anger as he stared at the two thin sheets of paper in front of him, continuing to read on.
Xia Yi chimed in softly, "The rest are minor matters. Consort Fang suffered a miscarriage, Consort Fucha suffered a miscarriage, Consort Hui suffered a miscarriage, and during the plague, it was the Empress who plotted to kill Consort Qi and take her child. And then there's this fire..."
"Continue," Yinzhen said coldly, setting down the evidence in his hand and staring at him with a murderous gaze.
Xia Yi whispered, “The Cold Palace was doused with oil beforehand, and the fire was also set by the Empress. On one hand, she told people to say that Consort Xian had fallen and lured the Crown Prince to go there, and on the other hand, she told Consort Xian to go see the Crown Prince in the fire.”
"The Empress ordered Consort Rou to replace the stones in front of Zhongcui Palace beforehand, so that Consort Xian would trip and fall heavily in her panic. However, Consort Rou disobeyed and replaced the stones with rough ones, which saved Consort Xian from disaster. And..."
"Go on," Yinzhen said, his patience almost completely worn thin.
"Outside the palace, Nian Gengyao happened to transfer the Qing troops at this time, which was caused by the clansmen of the Uya clan secretly making the move..."
Ulanara clan, Uya clan, generational...
One thing after another seemed to be coming at him. What he hated most in his life was the entanglement between the court and the harem in trying to scheme against him. After Chun Yuan's death, Hong Zhao was repeatedly in danger. She was truly a good empress.
"Su Peisheng, go and retrieve the Empress's imperial seal and register!" he ordered coldly.
Su Peisheng's knees buckled, and he immediately knelt down again. These words clearly implied an intention to depose the Empress. "Your Majesty, what about the Empress Dowager..."
With such a commotion outside, Hongzhao could no longer pretend to be asleep. He got up, put on his clothes, rubbed his eyes, and went out. Seeing that Yinzhen looked like he was about to explode at any moment, he walked up to him seemingly oblivious to the commotion.
"Father." His voice was still a little hoarse from just waking up, and he skillfully took his father's hands, which were hanging at his sides.
Looking at the child in front of him, Yinzhen couldn't help but let out a long sigh, dispelling all the resentment in his heart. He led the child back to the table, bent down, and held the child in his arms as they sat down.
Looking at the sheets of paper in front of him, he suddenly didn't know where to begin. How could he tell a young child with a heart full of filial piety that his stepmother had repeatedly tried to kill him and his mother?
But now that Hongzhao has stepped out of the inner palace, he has no intention of pretending to be stupid anymore.
He nestled in his father's arms and whispered, "Father, are you worried about Grandmother's affairs? I don't know what it is, but the principles of the world are generally the same. If one thing is missing, another can always make up for it."
"Father knows what Empress Dowager has always wanted but has never obtained. Getting it from here will surely put Empress Dowager at ease."
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