Chapter 46 is bad again.
Zhen Huan was still under house arrest, and according to the rules, the palace servants around her were not allowed to go out. Given the weather and the secluded path, how could Huan Bi have made it this far?
Hongzhao held his breath and waited until the figure had hurriedly walked away before pulling Shuer out of the bushes.
With his gaze fixed on the corner at the end of the path, he asked Xiao Dezi, who was catching up, "What's up ahead?"
Xiao Dezi leaned forward and said, "Your Highness, if we go any further ahead, we'll reach the residences of Consort Cao and Princess Wenyi."
Hongzhao nodded thoughtfully. It was obvious what Huanbi and Consort Cao were up to by getting together.
I just hope they're smart enough not to try anything with their mother.
——
Hongzhao has been watching the surveillance footage frequently these past few days. He wants to know why Huanbi is still able to connect with Cao Qinmo even though the plot has been changed to such an extent.
Unexpectedly, he didn't see Huanbi, but he did discover something interesting.
Unlike the Forbidden City, the Yuanmingyuan was not surrounded by high walls. The Biyuan Academy, where Consort Wan lived, was located by the water and a bridge, and the window on the west side of the main hall was directly opposite it.
At seventeen, the girl was at a time when she was prone to melancholy and sorrow, and to make matters worse, Physician Zhang Mi told her that she was poisoned, which was why she was in a deep sleep all day.
The distrust of her beloved left her feeling deeply troubled, and the fierce power struggles in the harem, where one could easily lose their life, filled her with lingering fear.
Looking at the "Longing for You" zither that the Emperor had recently bestowed upon her, she couldn't help but take advantage of the night to gently stroke the strings of the zither on the shimmering water. A series of melodies filled with sorrow and longing flowed slowly from her hands.
The girl wore an outer robe over a middle garment, with two small flowers adorning her temples. Her long, black hair flowed smoothly down her back. Facing the wide-open window, she closed her eyes, absorbed in the fluid movements of her fingers, and softly recited the poem: "Silently I ascend the western tower alone, the moon like a hook, a lonely paulownia tree in the deep courtyard locks in the clear autumn."
Just as the zither music reached its climax, the flute music suddenly joined in. Zhen Huan's hand trembled, and the fine zither strings made a sudden "clang" sound. She opened her eyes and looked outside in a bit of panic.
There was no one around, yet the sound of the flute was exceptionally clear and familiar. In the Yuanmingyuan, there was only one person who could play the flute with such skill and dedication.
She pursed her lips, lowered her head to look at the still slightly trembling strings, and after a moment she placed her hands on them. The flute music was melodious, and the response dissolved the sorrow of the zither music, giving it a touch of the carefree spirit of a bard.
Zhen Huan closed her eyes as before, but her heart could no longer be as calm as it had been.
When the music ended, neither of them spoke, but the small boat swaying slightly in the pond gave away his presence.
For some reason, Zhen Huan was so bewitched that she didn't want to close the window, her gaze drifting to the small boat.
After a while, a pair of hands slowly emerged from the railings by the boat, as if they were holding something and gently tossing it to the shore.
Zhen Huan looked in that direction and saw a pale purple morning glory with winding, twisting vines.
Hongzhao was so engrossed in watching the show that he almost wanted to grab a handful of melon seeds to satisfy his craving for more content.
After he had altered almost everything in the early stages, the two of them were still able to connect through a series of coincidences. It has to be said that there really was a destined connection between them.
But he didn't forget what he was originally supposed to be monitoring. From Zhen Huan's perspective, the monitor hadn't seen Huan Bi for several days.
He pieced together fragments from Liuzhu and Jinxi's conversation that Huanbi had locked herself in her room and refused to see anyone since being scolded by the Emperor. Liuzhu even brought her her meals, and this had been going on for some time.
In their eyes, Huanbi had never even stepped out of her room, let alone left Bitong Academy.
But now Wenyi is still being raised by Consort Cao, so the cassava flour thing doesn't hold water anymore, right?
Before Hongzhao could figure it out, the Empress acted even faster.
Following the clues about Zhen Huan's poisoning, they apprehended Xiao Yinzi and Hua Sui, and imprisoned them along with Fu Ling in the Shenxing Division.
Fuling wasn't exactly a tough nut to crack; knowing she couldn't withstand the torture, she attempted suicide twice, but was stopped each time. Even so, she remained timid and trembling, stubbornly refusing to utter a single word.
But this morning, for some unknown reason, he suddenly started shouting that he had something important to report to the Empress.
Without waiting for further questioning, he spilled out his entire plan.
She said, "I am just the last pawn. I don't know who is in charge. I only know that the person who arranged this for me is Kang Luhai, who is by the side of Consort Wan. He gave me one hundred taels of silver and told me that I only need to appear with the clothes at the right time and not worry about anything else."
The officials of the Imperial Prison dared not delay and immediately reported to the Empress.
As Zhen Huan watched the guards suddenly burst in again, she dragged Kang Luhai and his other apprentice out of the Bitong Academy. Her expression had gradually changed from shock at seeing Hua Sui and Xiao Yinzi to numbness.
She knew that Kang Luhai was not loyal, but since things had come to this point, she was confined to this small place. If she couldn't get any benefits, how could she expect anyone to be loyal to her? She just didn't know what he had gotten into this time.
She was truly surrounded by people who were as careless as a sieve.
Kang Luhai naturally denied the numerous accusations, but the executioner, perhaps on someone's orders, used exceptionally harsh methods. In less than half a day, a confession bearing a bright red handprint was delivered to the Emperor.
Yinzhen held the thin piece of paper in one hand, his expression growing increasingly grave as he read it—"Instigated by Consort Li, poisoned Consort Wan, framed Consort Wan for faking a pregnancy, framed Consort Hui for faking a pregnancy, and drugged Consort Hui..."
He handed the paper in his hand to the Empress beside him and said coldly, "Well, I never imagined that there would be such a vicious woman in my harem. It has truly broadened my horizons."
The Empress finished reading with a troubled expression, then glanced at Nian Shilan below, who seemed completely unaffected. Unwilling to let her get away with it so easily, she hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty, Liu Ben hasn't been found yet. Shouldn't this testimony be reconsidered...?"
"No need." The Emperor raised his hand to interrupt her. "Liu Ben continues the investigation, but Consort Li is indeed despicable. The evidence is conclusive, and I cannot tolerate her either."
"Su Peisheng." He called out without looking to the side, "Issue my decree: Consort Li is to be demoted to commoner status and placed in the Cold Palace. Consort Jinwan is to be promoted to Consort. After this matter is settled, she should be compensated more."
Su Peisheng – “Yes.”
Seeing that the Emperor had made his decision, Yixiu couldn't say anything more, only regretting that this opportunity had been lost...
Before she could finish thinking, she heard the person beside her speak again—"The Empress did a good job. The truth came out in less than half a month. A few days ago, you were not feeling well, so we arranged for Consort Hua to assist you and Consort Hui to learn from you. Now that you are much better, you should take over the responsibility."
"As the Emperor's wife, this is what I should do." Yixiu looked back at the Emperor with gentle relief. Although she had failed to bring down Consort Hua, she had managed to regain control of the harem, so it was not a loss.
As Yinzhen spoke, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally drifted to Nian Shilan below, whose face was full of reluctance. Seeing her gritting her teeth and looking at him with a wronged expression, and ignoring him, she could only reply in a huff, "Yes."
Lu Yingfeng lowered her eyes, concealing the amusement in them; the subtle exchange between the three people above was truly fascinating.
Just then, a young eunuch in red hurriedly entered the hall. Everyone in the hall, each with their own thoughts, looked up—it was Xia Zi, the eunuch in charge of the emperor's court.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"
The Emperor frowned, looking at the person in the hall with great impatience—"What's the rush now?"
He was utterly fed up with that phrase; it always brought bad news and annoyed him in every way.
Xia Zi lowered her head and hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, it's Consort Hui! Consort Hui has done something terrible!"
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