Today, Empress Dowager Qi came to the East Palace with a large group of people with

great fanfare. Those people behind her had guessed some clues, but they didn't expect to find such shocking news as soon as they entered the door. Concubine Lian had a miscarriage for no apparent reason, and this child who was the focus of everyone's attention turned into a pool of flesh and blood. In the flower garden of the Crown Princess, a wooden box that looked very strange was dug up.

This situation does not require any imagination. Anyone with eyes can see that this is a fight between the Empress and the Crown Princess. However, it seems that the Crown Princess is a little behind, and she is afraid that she will be in trouble.

Zhao Lanhui glanced around, secretly exchanged a look with Concubine Shu, and then lowered his eyes with a gloating look, waiting for things to develop. The Empress and the Crown Princess are fighting, and this situation is very favorable to the line of Prince Su. Concubine Shu hopes that the two will fight to the death, and it would be best if both sides fall together.

The restless sound behind her continued, and even the servants of the East Palace were suspicious. Others were scared to death, but Chu Jinyao, the person involved, was very calm. She even smiled and said, "Empress, you didn't ask what this is, but asked me what's going on. This is really strange. How can I know what's going on if you don't even open it?"

Only then did the little Queen Qi realize that she had accidentally sold a flaw. Seeing that everything was as she expected, the little Queen Qi questioned loudly, but neglected that the wooden box had not been opened yet, so how could she know what it was? The Empress passed the topic calmly and said with a stern face: "This box looks strange. Someone, open it."

The people in Kunning Palace protected the Empress and said: "Your Majesty, please stand back. This wooden box is strange. Your Majesty, please do

not approach it." The other concubines also hid away. Chu Jinyao retreated under the crowd of palace people. After clearing a space in the center, an eunuch carefully opened the wooden box. The Empress was ready, but she waited for a while and saw the eunuch standing there with a strange look on his face.

Empress Dowager Qi frowned: "What's wrong?"

The eunuch holding the wooden box raised his head and looked at Empress Dowager Qi: "Empress Dowager, this wooden box... is empty."

"Empty?"

Not only Empress Dowager Qi, but also other concubines were surprised. Concubine Shu looked at the wooden box suspiciously. It was obvious that the Empress was setting a trap this time. However, the Empress went to great lengths to do something in the East Palace, but she just buried an empty box?

Obviously, Empress Dowager Qi would not do such a stupid thing. She frowned tightly and took two steps forward to look at the wooden box in person. The wooden box was covered with mud on the outside, and broken roots and leaves were stuffed in the cracks. It was obvious that it was newly buried. However, it was empty inside.

As they got closer, Lan Yu could see some flaws. She slowly frowned. Why did she feel that the pattern of this wooden box was not right?

Before Lan Yu could figure it out, she heard Chu Jinyao speak: "Empress, you are frowning. Could it be that it is not this wooden box? The matter of the royal heir concerns everyone. If you are not satisfied, you can continue to dig."

After hearing this, the people behind hurriedly lowered their heads and covered their lips with handkerchiefs to hide the smiles on their mouths. Seeing this, Empress Qi had already sensed that something had changed. She calmed down and said, "I had never expected this, so I was just distracted."

Lan Yu quickly thought of a plan to deal with the situation and said with a smile, "I have heard that the Crown Princess is clever and deft. Today I see that her reputation is indeed true. She buried wood in the flower garden. I guess it is some new flower-growing technique."

"I don't know whether it is a flower-growing technique or not." Chu Jinyao stood on the corridor with her hands in her hands and glanced at Lan Yu lightly. "If Aunt Lan Yu really wants to know, you might as well ask the person who buried the wooden box."

Everyone was shocked. Concubine Li couldn't help but asked, "This was not buried by the Crown Princess?"

"Not entirely." Chu Jinyao nodded and smiled, and said, "A few days ago, I saw a flower in the flower garden withered. I felt sorry for it, so I asked the servants to take care of it. Who would have thought that before the soil was loosened, a wooden box was dug out from the soil. I was young and didn't know what it was, so I didn't dare to touch it. The Empress Dowager is knowledgeable, so it's just right for her to take a look at it. Palace Madam, take the thing out."

Palace Madam responded and brought out something from the back. It turned out to be another wooden box of similar size. Palace Madam stood far away and took a long silver needle to pick the key on the box. When Palace Madam saw the thing inside, her face changed immediately. The eunuch holding the wooden box at the back exclaimed, let go of it, and threw the wooden box down.

The wooden box hit the ground with a bang, and a strange-colored puppet rolled out from it. The puppet was covered with strange paint, and its eyes were huge, staring blankly in one direction, which was very creepy. The most terrifying thing was that its abdomen was bulging with something, and it was covered with a yellow talisman paper with many long and thin needles stuck on it.

The concubines screamed in fear, and someone in the crowd had already called out its name: "Wu Su!"

Chu Jinyao frowned, put her hands in front of her eyes, and turned her face to avoid it. Linglong and several others quickly blocked Chu Jinyao and said, "How could there be such a thing in the palace, and how could it be buried in Qide Hall? These servants are really derelict in their duty, allowing such an ominous thing to stay under the nose of the Crown Princess." The Queen of Qi

tilted her head to look at the wooden box buried in the soil, and then looked at the other one that fell to the ground. She knew that it was replaced by Chu Jinyao. Chu Jinyao didn't know why she found something in the soil. After digging it out, she didn't make a fuss, but replaced it with another box of similar color and size, and actually deceived the Queen of Qi. The Queen of Qi was angry in her heart, but she remained calm on the surface: "Crown Princess, Wusu is a taboo in the palace. Why is there such a thing in your palace?"

"I don't know about this either." Chu Jinyao said, "I accidentally found some flowers withered in the flower garden, and asked my servants to take care of it. They accidentally dug this thing out. I didn't know what it was, so I left it intact, intending to ask the Empress Dowager someday. It was the first time I opened this wooden box, and I found out that it actually contained witchcraft items. Obviously, someone wanted to use this item to murder Concubine Lian and frame the East Palace."

If this thing was dug out in front of everyone today, Chu Jinyao would be speechless. But if she took it out herself, the same thing would have a completely different meaning. Chu Jinyao could certainly say that it was a frame-up by someone else. In this way, Queen Qi, who dug things up with great fanfare, became subtle instead. Empress Xiao Qi spent a lot of effort to bribe people, but she didn't expect that it would backfire. The traitor buried the witch doll in the East Palace late at night. In a panic, he dug up many roots. The purple jade flower is the most delicate, but it showed signs of withering within a few days. Chu Jinyao was sharp-eyed and found that when someone was taking care of the flowers and plants, it was found that the soil nearby was loosened. Chu Jinyao had a hunch that something was wrong, so he asked someone to dig carefully nearby, and indeed found a small wooden box containing the witch doll.

Although Chu Jinyao had little experience in the palace, she also knew that witch dolls were a taboo in all dynasties, and countless princes and concubines died from them. Chu Jinyao hated the evilness of Empress Xiao Qi, but she still covered it up quietly and buried it in another box. Empress Xiao Qi's plan was insidious, but Chu Jinyao didn't know how Empress Xiao Qi would attack, so she didn't make a move, but pretended to be unaware of it.

Until today, Concubine Lian had a miscarriage, and Empress Xiao Qi brought everyone to Qide Hall on a false ground, trying to frame the East Palace for using witches in front of everyone. Chu Jinyao felt both disgusted and relieved when she saw this. She hated Queen Xiao Qi for her evil intentions and sinister means. Not only did she kill an innocent life, but now she wanted to use this crime to drag the Eastern Palace into trouble. At the same time, she was also relieved that she discovered it early. Witches were a taboo in the harem, and being caught and presenting it personally were obviously two different concepts.

Xiao Qi was originally confident of victory, but unexpectedly something went wrong at the most critical link, and now the situation is actually unfavorable to her. Queen Qi calmed herself down and said, "The Crown Princess is eloquent, but based on what her family says alone, who can know whether she really didn't know anything or just found out that the matter had been leaked, so she just took the opportunity to take the things out."

This was extremely shameless. Chu Jinyao's eyes were cold and she said, "If these things were really made by me, why would I take them out in front of everyone? Wouldn't it be better to destroy them in private? What's more, there are traces of soil on the outside of the wooden box, which shows that the witch doll was indeed buried in the soil. If this was all directed and acted by me, then why would I go to the trouble of burying it in the soil and then digging it out?"

"Yes, the harem avoids witches and dragons, and there is really no need for the Crown Princess to keep such things with her." Someone in the crowd said.

Empress Xiao Qi sneered and looked down at everyone. No one dared to speak. Empress Xiao Qi said, "It's possible that the Crown Princess had this in mind. She deliberately did the opposite to dispel the suspicion on herself. Someone, go check the material of the doll and find out which palaces it came from."

A brave palace maid went to check the fabric on the doll. After a while, she replied, "Reporting to the Queen, Crown Princess, and all the ladies, this evil thing is made of the new Lake Silk that was donated this year. There is not much of it. We can find out where it went by checking the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

When the concubines heard this, many of them came out to testify that there were only a few palaces that were qualified to get Lake Silk. Empress Xiao Qi asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to send the account book over, and Concubine Shu and Concubine Life also asked people to take the creation books in their own palaces. They all had everything they needed, so they had not had time to use the Huxi silk. After Empress Xiao Qi compared them one by one, she could prove that the fabric for making the dolls did not come from Concubine Shu, Concubine Life, or Kunning Palace. Chu Jinyao frowned. The East Palace also received the latest Huxi silk, but she had already cut half of it to make clothes for her little nephew, which was a bit embarrassing.

Chu Jinyao said, "The fine silks from the Eastern Palace are kept here by me. My sister gave birth to a baby boy, so I cut half of it to make small clothes for the child. It is inevitable that some of it was damaged during the cutting process, but I can guarantee that the fine silk used for this thing did not come from the Eastern Palace."

Empress Qi sneered and said, "Your Majesty, it is hard to convince me. You took the things out, and your palace is also short of the corresponding fabrics. You still insist that you know nothing about it. How can I believe you?"

Chu Jinyao also felt that this reason was weak. It is impossible for a person to prove that he or she has not done something until proven guilty. Chu Jinyao uncovered the evil plot of Queen Xiao Qi, but Queen Xiao Qi argued and insisted on blaming her for the incident. Chu Jinyao could not prove that she had not been a puppet.

The two parties were deadlocked for a while, and in the end, neither of them got the upper hand. Queen Xiao Qi failed to "catch the adulterer in pairs", and Chu Jinyao could not prove that it was not hers. Queen Xiao Qi knew that this matter needed to be further investigated. She stayed for a while and then returned to her palace with a bad face. After Queen Xiao Qi left, the others also left one after another.

After everyone left, Chu Jinyao led the people into Qide Hall, frowning and thinking. Linglong comforted Chu Jinyao after seeing her: "Crown Princess, you should take a rest. You stopped that person's evil plan today and made her return empty-handed. She should be the one frowning. Why are you still worrying?"

Chu Jinyao sighed: "You can't say that. Although I noticed the clues in advance and avoided the fatal blow, I can't completely clear myself. I was too passive to be chased and beaten by her all the time. I can't be so lucky forever."

Linglong and several attendants disagreed with this: "Crown Princess, you have done a lot today. Very good, if you hadn't discovered it early, today would never have ended like this. That person had planned this for a long time, and you were able to tie with her even under such a disadvantage, which was already very impressive."

Chu Jinyao shook her head: "It's far from enough. Passive defense is not a solution, I have to take the initiative. Of course, I can't prove that the puppet was not made by me, so I will find evidence that someone else did it."

This is obviously Queen Qi abusing her power again. In this way, it seems that Concubine Lian's miscarriage was also caused by Queen Qi. Chu Jinyao frowned and thought for a long time, and finally said: "It seems that we have to start with Concubine Lian. Linglong, prepare the gifts, and also, have you found the traitor in the palace?"

The plan of the Queen of Qi was cruel and vicious. She placed great hopes on Wu Gu, so she did not hesitate to use her old tricks and plant something in the East Palace. Unfortunately, the Queen of Qi failed again today, and the traitor she had buried in the East Palace for many years was exposed.

Chu Jinyao was merciless in dealing with these people. After hearing the news, the Queen of Qi was in pain and angry, and she smashed several vases in the palace.

Her move was a desperate move. Empress Xiao Qi thought she had it all figured out, but it failed again. Empress Xiao Qi was furious. Chu Jinyao's interruption did not confirm the Donggong's use of witchcraft. Empress Xiao Qi could only try her best to save the situation and persuade the emperor. However, ever since the incident with Wang Mingci, the emperor had become much colder towards Empress Xiao Qi. At this time, the emperor's long-awaited child had a miscarriage. How could the emperor have the heart to flirt with Empress Xiao Qi? It is said that when the emperor heard that it was a prince, he sighed deeply.

While Empress Xiao Qi was hitting a wall, Chu Jinyao also went to visit Concubine Lian with some tonic things.

"My Lady Concubine, I want to ask you something."