"Your Majesty, please calm down. It was all my fault for not keeping a close watch on her. I will have her escorted back right away," Ulanara said in a humble voice.
Zeng Kang, who was behind her, stepped forward with two eunuchs, intending to take Li Shi away, but Duan Wu, who was still holding Li Shi down, refused to budge, glaring at her with his bull-like eyes and not allowing anyone to get any closer.
"Your Majesty..." Ulanara wanted to say something more, but Green Willow came in at this moment, bowed first, and then whispered something in Qian Shengyan's ear.
Qian Shengyan gasped, her eyes immediately reddening when she met Yinzhen's gaze: "Consort Qi... had arsenic hidden under her fingernails, a deadly poison, she... she..."
As she spoke, tears began to fall.
If she hadn't been careful, it would have been one thing if Li had choked her today, but what if she had actually scratched her with a fingernail? What would have happened to her children then!
Qian Shengyan's tears were real, and so was her fear. Yinzhen could see it, which only fueled his rage: "Investigate! Investigate for me! How could this kind of poison appear in the Forbidden City!"
"Where are the guards of the Cold Palace? Are they all dead?!" Yinzhen kicked over a round-backed chair. "How dare they commit murder and poison in my palace! I really want to see how many heads they have!"
When the emperor was enraged, everyone in the hall knelt on the ground. Ulanara, who was already in a curtsy posture, lowered her head and waist even further.
For a moment, the West Warm Hall was quiet, with only Qian Shengyan's sobbing voice remaining.
Yinzhen closed his eyes, turned around, took Qian Shengyan's hand, walked over and sat down, then glanced at Su Peisheng: "Go investigate."
"Yes, sir!" Su Peisheng hurriedly replied.
"Send Li to the Censorate to investigate the source of the poison and the guards in the Cold Palace," Yinzhen continued.
Ulanara trembled and instinctively said, "Your Majesty! How can a concubine of the harem be sent to the Censorate!"
"This commoner, Li, attempted to murder the Imperial Noble Consort. She is now handed over to the Censorate for interrogation. Does the Empress have any further questions?" Yinzhen said, his expression unchanged. Ulanara could no longer contain her panic: "Your Majesty..."
"What? Is the Empress so afraid that Li will say something?" Yinzhen's cold gaze fell on Ulanara, who trembled and dared not utter another word.
Qian Shengyan glanced at Li Shi, who was being dragged away with her mouth covered, then looked at Yinzhen and called out, "Wait."
Duan Wu stopped. Li Shi looked at Qian Shengyan with heavy breaths, terrified and uneasy. Qian Shengyan leaned forward slightly, looked into her eyes and asked, "I believe that you cannot get out of the Cold Palace on your own, and it is not your intention to harm me. If you tell me now who released you from the Cold Palace and gave you arsenic, I will plead with the Emperor to spare you from suffering in the Censorate."
Li gritted her teeth and stared at Qian Shengyan without saying a word, trying her best to control herself and not to look in Ulanara's direction.
Qian Shengyan tapped her fingers lightly on the table and said, "Even if you keep it from me now, it won't make a difference... Duan Wen, why don't you introduce the Shenxing Division to the Li family?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duan Wen replied, then bowed to Yinzhen. Seeing that the Emperor had no objection, he grinned and said, "To be honest, I once helped out at the Censorate. The most famous place in the Censorate is the torture chamber. Let me tell you about it..."
As he spoke, Li trembled violently, her teeth chattering, and she began to shake her head nervously, stammering, "No, no..."
"...and that hot branding iron..." Before Duan Wen could finish speaking, Li Shi suddenly lunged at Ulanara's feet as if she had gone mad: "Save me, Your Majesty, save me, Empress, save me! I can't go to the Ministry of Punishments, I can't go...ah!"
Ulanara was a ruthless woman; she kicked Li aside and said, "Come on, Li has gone mad. Cover her mouth for me!"
"Wait a minute!" Qian Shengyan also stood up angrily, "Li Shi! Who ordered you to plot against me? Who gave you arsenic poison?"
"She's gone mad!" Ulanara's eyes widened in fury. "How can you believe the words of a madwoman?!"
"Enough!" Yinzhen knocked a teacup to the ground with a wave of his hand. He stood up and his cold gaze swept over Ulanara, making her heart tremble. Then his gaze fell on Li. "Li has behaved improperly. Take her away and send her to the Department of Punishments."
"Yes, ma'am!" Duan Wu dared not linger any longer and dragged Li Shi away.
Lady Li was also quite provoked and kept shouting incoherently, calling out "Your Majesty," then "Your Majesty," and then seemingly calling out "Your Highness," which made Yinzhen's face grow increasingly gloomy. He then kicked over a small table.
"This is the Hall of Mental Cultivation, not a marketplace! What's all this noise about?!" Yinzhen roared. "Empress!"
Ulanara's body trembled, and she knelt down directly. Qian Shengyan was also a little scared when she saw that he was really angry. She was about to kneel down when Yinzhen pulled her up forcefully.
He stood before Ulanara, looking down at her, and said, word by word, "If the arsenic poison is related to you..."
Ulanara trembled involuntarily, then clenched her fist tightly, trying to keep her voice steady as she said, "I know nothing about this matter!"
"Li Shi always has something to say, Empress. I don't want to depose you, but it's not that I can't." Yinzhen's tone gradually calmed down, yet he spoke words that were anything but calm. "You were the primary consort chosen for me by my late father, and you were quite diligent in your filial piety towards the Empress Dowager. I'm willing to give you that face, but, Empress..."
His voice grew even lower: "I hate most the secret possession of medicines by women in the harem, let alone poisons. You should know best why."
Ulanara was bewildered for a moment, then suddenly felt a pang of pain in her heart: "Honghui..."
“If you remember, it’s best not to do it,” Yinzhen said in a deep voice.
Ulanara closed her eyes in despair.
She didn't have time to kill Li Shi, and Qian Shengyan even sent Li Shi to the Shenxing Division... She's such an idiot, she'll be able to spill the beans tonight.
The Emperor's meaning was clear: if the arsenic was hers, then...
Deposed empress?
No, no, she can't! She absolutely cannot be crippled!
Kill Li Shi, kill her before she can say anything!
But what can she do? How can she do it? What should she do...?
Ulanara was in a state of panic, not knowing what to do, when she heard a thud behind her. She turned around in surprise and saw Yanru kneeling behind her with tears streaming down her face, kowtowing deeply to Yinzhen.
In an instant, Ulanara felt uneasy. She opened her mouth, about to say something, but Yanruo spoke up, "Your Majesty need not interrogate the Empress. I found the arsenic poison."
"Yanruo!" Ulanara's eyes widened, but her voice was hoarse and unpleasant. "Do you know what you're saying?"
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