Chapter 68 Death Proof of Innocence
"What on earth is going on?"
Empress Zhu looked at Xi Que with a cold face: "Tell me, Zhen Zhaoyi was fine when she came out of Changxin Palace, how come she suddenly fell into the water and became like this?"
It has been a while since Jiang Xinyue fell into the water, and the concubines in the harem who should know have already known about it. They stood in the main bedroom of Hexi Palace one after another and saluted the emperor and the empress.
Concubine Shu arrived early and had already heard Xi Que report the whole story to the emperor.
The Queen asked, and before Xi Que could answer, she stepped forward and said, "Xi Que and Shuang Jiang insisted that it was the maids in my palace who pushed Zhen Zhaoyi down, but today is the day when the Queen Mother worships Buddha. I went to Kunning Palace early, and the people who served me also followed me to the small Buddhist temple in Kunning Palace. All the maids and eunuchs in Kunning Palace can testify to this."
Jin Zhaoyi couldn't stand the fact that Shufei always looked so cold and aloof, and whispered, "The Queen Mother is the aunt of Shufei, so she naturally sides with Shufei. The maids in Kunning Palace may not be enough to testify."
"Does Jin Zhaoyi mean that the Queen Mother can't distinguish right from wrong and will favor evil people?"
"I didn't mean that. It was just a reasonable guess."
It was no secret that the Queen Mother and the Emperor were at odds. What if she disrespected the Queen Mother?
The Queen Mother herself was not here.
Emperor Xuanwu looked at Concubine Shu with a heavy eye, and it was obvious that he was suspicious of her.
Last night, she first turned over Concubine Shu's name card, but went to Hexi Palace halfway. Anyone who was interested would know that it was Zhen Zhaoyi's prayer lamp that attracted her.
The Queen Mother wanted to support Concubine Shu to regain the emperor's favor and restore the Wu family to its former glory, so she made a lot of efforts and arrangements for this.
But after waiting for Concubine Shu to accept the Emperor again and make peace with him, Zhen Zhaoyi suddenly appeared out of nowhere and always interfered between the Emperor and Concubine Shu. The Empress Dowager was naturally fed up with Zhen Zhaoyi.
Last night, Zhen Zhaoyi ruined Concubine Shu's good deeds again. Even if Concubine Shu didn't care, what about the Empress Dowager?
Emperor Xuanwu also thought the same as everyone else.
Every time...
every time he had something he loved, as long as his mother found out, she would either ask him to give it to someone else or forcibly take it away from him.
He understood that as an emperor, he should not let others guess his preferences, and he should not let his beloved make him lose his reason and judgment.
But...
he was no longer a child. He had the ability to protect his beloved things or people, and he would not be led by others. He knew how to distinguish between true feelings and false ones.
Why?
Why must she always control his life?
He is the emperor, the Son of Heaven. Even the empress dowager must act according to his wishes.
Gnashing his teeth again and again, Emperor Xuanwu said sullenly, "Pass on my decree. I want to confer the title of Zhen Concubine to Zhen Zhaoyi."
Didn't the empress dowager want to kill Zhen Zhaoyi?
He insisted on protecting her under his wings, giving her supreme honors and favors, making everyone envious and jealous, but not daring to take action against her.
Let’s not talk about how the Empress Dowager felt when the news of the appointment of Zhen Zhaoyi as Zhenpin reached Kunning Palace. Concubine Shu fell to the ground and cried like a wolf: “Your Majesty, has this upset me?”
“How outrageous!”
Emperor Xuanwu glared at her: “Are you questioning me?”
Concubine Shu stood up and stood straight: “This is not the first time I have been outrageous. Your Majesty always indulged me in the past, saying that my true nature is very rare. Now I am true to my nature again, and ask on behalf of Yelang and Ronger, do you…don’t believe me?”
If you are deeply in love, you will definitely believe it.
But if a man no longer loves you, asking such a question is just asking for humiliation.
Emperor Xuanwu's brows flashed with tenderness, but when he caught a glimpse of the unconscious Jiang Xinyue, he turned cold again: "Why should I believe you? Believe that you are not deliberately trying to please me for the sake of the Wu family? Believe that you have never been moved by me? Believe that you are just like the Queen Mother, and only have the Wu family in your heart?"
Concubine Shu is just another Queen Mother.
His repeated questions made Concubine Shu's confidence bleed.
Maybe she didn't love him before, but how could she not be moved by the gentleness and pampering for ten years?
After all, she is just a weak woman.
The Queen Mother gave her the burden of the rise of the Wu family. The revenge for her father's murder tortured her, and she was already exhausted physically and mentally.
"Ah ah..."
A concubine screamed.
With a determination to die, Concubine Shu pulled out a golden hairpin from her hair and inserted it directly into the side of her neck. The sharp hairpin pierced into her flesh without hesitation, and blood spurted out. Emperor Xuanwu rushed over, snatched it away and threw it on the ground: "Are you crazy?"
Concubine Shu smiled bitterly: "I am willing... willing to die to prove my innocence. I have never... never harmed Zhen Zhaoyi..."
"Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Empress Zhu's face was full of concern: "Your Majesty, please take Concubine Shu back to Jingren Palace! Zhen Zhaoyi is here with me, nothing will happen to her."
The emperor had just said that Zhen Zhaoyi would be named Zhenpin, but Concubine Shu and the empress only called her Zhen Zhaoyi. Neither of them wanted to agree to the emperor's promotion of Zhen Zhaoyi!
Except for Concubine Rong, Concubine Shu's younger sister, no one else in the Dayan harem was given such treatment as being promoted to concubine without having a child.
Concubine Rong relied on the then-prosperous Wu family and the empress dowager, while Zhen Zhaoyi relied only on herself.
All the concubines in the harem thought that they only hoped that the emperor was just angry for a moment and did not really want to promote Jiang Xinyue.
Emperor Xuanwu looked at Concubine Shu, who was bleeding profusely, and then looked at Jiang Xinyue, whose face was as pale as gold paper. He had no choice but to let go of Concubine Shu's hand and push her into Empress Zhu's arms: "No, the Empress, take Concubine Shu back to Jingren Palace for treatment. I have to stay here with Zhen Zhaoyi. She is timid. If she wakes up and can't see me, she will be scared."
Empress Zhu opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
Not daring to delay any longer, Empress Zhu immediately asked Fenyunru to invite the imperial physician to Jingren Palace, helped Concubine Shu onto her own sedan chair, and hurried to Jingren Palace.
In fact, if the emperor really wanted to, he should not move the seriously injured Concubine Shu.
There were three imperial physicians in Hexi Palace who treated Zhen Zhaoyi. If one of them came out to treat Concubine Shu, and they stopped the bleeding and bandaged her in the side hall, it would better ensure Concubine Shu's safety.
Why go far away?
It was nothing more than that they felt that Concubine Shu committed suicide in front of Zhen Zhaoyi's bed, and seeing blood was unlucky, so they were angry at Concubine Shu's behavior.
Their emperor would keep someone alive if he loved them, and would want them dead if he hated them.
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
A few drops of rain dripped into the water tank where seven or eight koi were kept. Soon, the sky darkened, and heavy rain fell. The cold air enveloped the entire palace.
"What a pity, she is always lucky."
A palace concubine in gorgeous clothes was sitting in the hall, with her back to the hall door, her tone without any frustration or excitement: "Have you dealt with it all?"
The palace servant kneeling on the ground replied: "It has been dealt with all, and it will definitely not be traced to you."
The palace concubine chose a gold hairpin and put it on her head: "She won't... be so lucky every time."