Dong Ling? That's the Empress's head maid! Li Yu was shocked. She wondered if the Empress, such a dignified and self-possessed person, would actually plot against Consort Chun.
However, the deep palace is like a mirror that reveals true nature; the longer one stays there, the more easily evil thoughts arise...
Li Yu was unsure whether the matter was related to the Empress. All he could do was report it truthfully and leave the rest to the Emperor to decide.
When the Emperor finished his business and arrived at Jingren Palace, Li Yu reported the results of the interrogation in detail.
Upon learning that Dongling was connected with the eunuch in charge of the lanterns, Hongli's expression became very serious. He immediately sent someone to Changchun Palace to summon the Empress and her servant.
When Yu Ying heard Wang Jinbao's order, she was quite surprised. It would be normal for the emperor to summon her to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but why was he suddenly summoning her to the Jingren Palace?
Could it be that Su Yushan is talking badly about her behind her back again, trying to drive a wedge between her and the Emperor?
This woman was always up to no good, and Yu Ying had a vague sense of foreboding. Wang Jinbao called her name again, and she finally came to her senses and said she needed to change her clothes.
Wang Jinbao waited outside for half an hour before the Empress finished changing her clothes and leisurely went to Jingren Palace.
Wang Jinbao was sweating profusely with anxiety, but the Empress said she felt dizzy and specifically instructed the palanquin bearers to slow down. The anxious Wang Jinbao couldn't help but remind her:
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is still waiting for you! Could you please ask them to hurry up a little?"
"Insolence!" Dong Ling glared at him and scoffed, "Her Majesty the Empress is unwell, and the imperial carriage cannot travel too fast. If Her Majesty is injured, can you bear the responsibility?"
Dong Ling was, after all, someone close to the Empress, so Wang Jinbao dared not confront her directly. He sighed helplessly, thinking to himself, "Just keep being so smug! If it turns out you're involved in the poisoning of the lampshade, you won't even have time to cry!"
Wang Jinbao remained silent and followed quietly to the side. Just as he expected, as soon as the Empress arrived at Jingren Palace, the Emperor's face turned ashen, and his dark eyes burned with raging anger!
Yu Ying, unaware of anything amiss, curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Hongli raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust. "With such venomous people like you by my side, when has Consort Chun and I ever had a single day of peace?"
Yu Ying looked bewildered. "Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean by that. I live deep within Changchun Palace and rarely go out except to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I have never caused any trouble. Why is Your Majesty accusing me like this?"
Su Yushan sat quietly to one side, remaining silent while secretly observing the expressions of the Empress and her servants. Hongli withdrew his gaze and looked directly at Dong Ling.
"Dongling, let me ask you, do you know Xiao Xunzi from the Imperial Household Department?"
Upon hearing Xiao Xunzi's name, Dong Ling's heart skipped a beat. She looked around and noticed that Xiao Xunzi was standing in a corner with her eyes downcast.
Unaware of why the Emperor suddenly asked this question, Dong Ling nodded, "This servant knows Xiao Xunzi. Before I entered the palace, he lived next door to this servant's house. He was my neighbor."
As expected, the two knew each other! Hongli asked in a deep voice, "Two days before the Lantern Festival this year, did you go to the lantern-lighting area to look for Xiao Xunzi?"
How could the Emperor even know about this? Did Xiao Xunzi tell him? Dong Ling looked at Xiao Xunzi in surprise, but saw that Xiao Xunzi was standing to one side with her eyes downcast, her expression solemn, and she did not meet her gaze.
Li Yu lowered his voice and reminded him, "The Emperor is asking you a question, so answer quickly!"
Dong Ling didn't dare hesitate any longer and answered truthfully, "This servant... has been there."
"Why did you go to the lamplighter's place for no reason?"
Dong Ling bit her lower lip tightly, her voice barely audible, "This servant was thinking that since it was almost a festival, I sent some Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) to Xiao Xunzi."
Hongli narrowed his eyes and stared intently at Dong Ling.
"Before the Lantern Festival, all palaces need to replace their palace lanterns. There's a problem with the lanterns in Jingren Palace. Someone has poisoned the lantern shades. You happened to be there at that time, which is extremely suspicious!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying's face stiffened. "Your Majesty, what do you mean by that? Do you suspect that Dong Ling plotted to harm Consort Chun?"
"Otherwise what?" Hongli glanced at Yuying and questioned indifferently, "Empress, explain why Dongling would send something to Xiaoxunzi?"
“They’re neighbors! Giving them a gift isn’t unreasonable, is it?” Yu Ying thought it was perfectly acceptable, but Hongli directly criticized the Empress for always being too lenient with her palace servants.
"It is forbidden for palace maids and eunuchs to exchange gifts privately. Doesn't the Empress know this rule? Or is Dongling unaware of palace rules? Or perhaps she went to the lamp-lighting area for some other purpose!"
Dong Ling looked anxiously at Xiao Xunzi, "Xiao Xunzi, I only came to you that night to bring you food. You must explain this to the Emperor!"
Xiao Xunzi was caught up in this, and he knew the gravity of the situation; one wrong move and he could lose his life! Therefore, he had to tell the truth.
“Your Majesty, Dongling did bring me food, but she said she didn’t have any wine and wanted to have a couple of drinks with me, so I went out to get some. I didn’t have any good wine in my room, and I didn’t want to neglect Dongling, so I went to borrow a bottle of good wine. I was delayed for about fifteen minutes before I came back.”
Su Yushan frowned slightly, her gaze shifting to Dong Ling, and said meaningfully, "A quarter of an hour is enough time to tamper with things."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying flew into a rage, "Su Yushan, what do you mean? Don't frame Dong Ling!"
Su Yushan didn't want to frame anyone; she only wanted to find the murderer who killed her. Now, all the evidence pointed to Dong Ling, forcing her to suspect him.
"She went to find Xiao Xunzi out of nowhere, and then made an excuse to send Xiao Xunzi away. Her intentions were all too obvious."
The testimonies match, yet the Empress still dares to be so arrogant. Hongli slammed his hand on the armrest and sneered loudly:
“The witnesses are here. Everything Xiao Xunzi said is true. Dong Ling was indeed present. The timing of her appearance was too strange. Who else could it be but her?”
The Empress was speechless. In a panic, she turned to Dong Ling and asked, "Dong Ling, tell me the truth, did you do it or not?"
Dong Ling vehemently denied it, saying, "This servant does not understand what Your Majesty means by the problem with the lampshade. This servant swears that I have never plotted against Consort Chun. I beg Your Majesty and Empress to see the truth!"
"Stubborn to the end!" Hongli frowned and pressed, "Then explain yourself clearly: why did you go to find Xiao Xunzi that night?"
“That’s because…this servant…” Dong Ling stammered, unable to answer for a long time, which only made people more suspicious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
