He looked at the emperor with questioning, even mocking eyes, and the emperor was surprised.
The emperor frowned and said sternly, "Call the queen!"
The emperor shouted angrily, and the palace maid immediately retreated to pass on the message.
Miao Qinghua soon approached the emperor and knelt before him, her face filled with fear and trepidation. "Your Majesty, I had no idea such a commotion would occur in the palace, but digging a tunnel would take more than a day or two! Perhaps someone had already begun digging before I even moved into Kunning Palace!"
Upon hearing this, the envoy snorted, "So that was the former empress's doing? The former empress and the emperor have been married for many years. She followed your orders and dug a tunnel in Kunning Palace. That's perfectly normal. Your Majesty, you and the former empress have really put on a good show!"
The envoy stood up and said, "I will report everything here to the king truthfully. I will not linger any longer."
He said and walked out, too lazy to stay any longer.
The emperor, however, said with a serious expression, "Your Excellency, wait a minute. This is completely irrational. If I had built the tunnel in Kunning Palace long ago, what would I have wanted? Was it to save space in the national treasury? Wouldn't that be a thankless task for me?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know what you're thinking, but I've seen it with my own eyes. This tunnel leads to Kunning Palace and the Cold Palace. You said the Cold Palace is unattended and someone tampered with it, so it's undetectable. I believe you, but what about Kunning Palace? Forget it, I'm going back to Tufan!"
As the envoy said this, he waved his sleeves and was about to leave. The emperor immediately stopped him, saying, "Wait a minute, my lord! You've already been staying in Xianchang for quite some time. It would be better if you investigate thoroughly before you leave, so as not to be taken advantage of by those with ulterior motives!"
The envoy suppressed the sinister glint in his eyes and suggested, "If the Emperor feels she is wronged, why not summon the former Empress and let me observe the interrogation?"
Afterwards, the deposed queen was supported by someone and came over.
Although she was deposed not long ago, the cold palace was too cold in winter. In just a short period of time, her cheeks were covered with frostbite and she could only go out to see people wearing a veil.
He had a high fever and was seriously ill. He was very weak and had to be supported by someone. He then bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty!"
The voice was so weak that it made people frown.
"Let me ask you, when you first lived in Kunning Palace, did you hear any unusual noises? Did you ever have a palace servant build a cellar that was later used by someone else, making it a perfect spot for digging a tunnel?"
Upon hearing this, the deposed empress, who had been somewhat dazed, immediately perked up a bit: "Your Majesty, I do not know what you mean by this, but I do know that the land within the palace cannot be arbitrarily altered or rebuilt. I have always adhered to my duties and have never altered it!"
This answer sounded very unfair and aggrieved. The envoy stroked his beard, listened silently, and finally snorted, waiting for the emperor to continue explaining.
The emperor's face was slightly gloomy: "You don't have it, don't the palace maids around you have it either?"
"Your Majesty, who is trying to frame me? If you want to accuse me of something, you can always find a pretext. I have none!"
Seeing the queen's firmness, the emperor's expression became more solemn.
Miao Qinghua couldn't help but cry out in injustice: "Your Majesty, that tunnel couldn't have been dug in such a short time. It must have been dug before I moved in!"
Both of them pushed the responsibility completely, and the emperor felt annoyed when he heard it.
The envoy snorted again and again, obviously not hearing a satisfactory answer, and felt proud in his heart.
The emperor's face was gloomy. "Call everyone in Kunning Palace here. I will interrogate them one by one and give the messenger an explanation! I will not admit to anything I didn't do!"
The envoy looked at the emperor and sighed helplessly, "Your Majesty, this cold palace is not under your supervision. You can't see it and don't care about it, which is understandable. But I won't watch the show in Kunning Palace anymore. It's boring!"
The envoy's words clearly showed that he did not believe him. The emperor's face was stern: "I am proving it to you. Why don't you believe it?"
The envoy said indifferently, "The facts are before our eyes. Some things cannot be trusted. If the emperor truly feels wronged, it is actually very simple. Just check whether this gold comes from Tufan!"
The emperor also wanted to understand everything, so he finally gave in and said, "Then let's investigate thoroughly!"
With the emperor's words, the smelting furnace was soon brought in, and the goldsmith also came.
After some inspection, the goldsmith accurately reported: "There are many impurities in this gold. Your Majesty, this gold contains too much rock. It is too mixed. It needs to be refined. Do you need me..."
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