Chapter 88 A war without gunpowder

Perhaps... maybe... for example...

Concubine Li's child was not born in the first place!!

So if she hadn't brought Concubine Shu as a scapegoat with her today, Concubine Li actually wanted to use this child who was not going to survive to frame her.

This lady was eager to have a child, and everyone in the palace knew it. Who would believe that she would use her own child to harm others?

Jiang Xinyue couldn't help but shudder.

The Song family was powerful, and if a mere fifth-rank official of the Jiang family was accused of murdering the heir to the throne, even a hundred Jiang Xinyues would not be enough to save her life.

Although the emperor is willing to protect her now, if Li Guifei's maternal grandfather Pei Zhongshu, grandfather Song Shoufu, father Song Chengxiang, and many court officials from the Pei and Song families jointly write a letter to the emperor, asking him to severely punish the murderer who murdered the heir, even if the emperor loves her, he will have to consider the consequences.

Li Guifei is preparing to kill her in one fell swoop!

Fortunately, she runs fast.

As long as she runs fast, no conspiracy can catch up with her.

"That was a close call!"

Jiang Chuan shook his head and looked at Jiang Xinyue with conviction in his eyes: "Your Majesty is so smart. She knew that this was a trap set for our Hexi Palace. If she had really listened to me and attacked Concubine Li, I'm afraid we would all have died."

Under the dim candlelight, Jiang Xinyue's beautiful face looked a bit abnormal and charming: "Even if we want to take action, we can't dirty our own hands. Isn't Concubine Shu good at killing people with a borrowed knife? We still have to learn more from her."

But Jiang Chuan didn't think Concubine Shu was powerful. On the contrary, his own queen was more powerful, who could smile at the enemy in front of him and then turn around and stab the other person with a knife.

Of the eunuchs who were separated from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was the only one who chose Master Zhen of Hexi Palace. The others all chose those with stronger family backgrounds.

And now?

Among the concubines and harem, the only ones who can have a few words with the eunuch Wang who is beside the emperor and can have a good chat with him are the palace maids of Hexi Palace.

After a quiet lunch in the palace, Wang Dequan came to summon Jiang Xinyue: "Empress Li has had a miscarriage. The imperial physician said that she has damaged her foundation and will probably not have children in the future. Empress Zhenpin, you are the only witness who was at the scene at that time. The Empress Dowager and Empress Consort are waiting for you!"

Concubine Shu and Concubine Li are the parties involved. What their palace maids said all helped their masters and is not credible. Only Concubine Zhen can testify.

Jiang Xinyue had already made preparations. She stood up calmly, brought Xi Que and Shuang Jiang and followed Wang Dequan: "Is the Royal Concubine okay?"

Wang Dequan sighed: "My Royal Concubine Zhen! Don't worry about others. Xizhu who is beside the Royal Concubine Shu said that you insisted on dragging the Royal Concubine Shu to release paper irises, and the Empress Dowager got very angry, saying that you had ill intentions and deliberately framed the Royal Concubine Shu. She wanted to hand you over to appease the anger of the Pei and Song families!"

So, the Emperor asked him to notify Royal Concubine Zhen and tell her in advance what risks she would face in a while, so as not to be caught off guard by the Empress Dowager after she went.

"Ah?"

Jiang Xinyue had a look of ignorance: "I...I was listening to the conversation between Concubine Shu and Concubine Rong last night...I was thinking...I was thinking of asking her out to meet me, so that if there is any misunderstanding, it can be resolved in time. I don't want the emperor to be caught between us. How could I know that the paper icicle would fly into Changxin Palace? Concubine Li herself didn't know she was pregnant, how could I know? And how could I design it so carefully?"

No!

Jiang Xinyue had measured the wind direction when releasing the paper icicle. When it was released from the Yu Garden, the westerly wind blowing over could blow the paper icicle into Changxin Palace.

She also knew that Concubine Li was pregnant, and she came here to test it on purpose.

But she didn't design for Concubine Li to have a miscarriage!

It wasn't her who did it, so the Queen Mother shouldn't try to accuse her without any basis.

"Don't worry, Concubine Zhen."

Wang Dequan comforted her, "As long as the Emperor believes in you, no one can touch you."

This Concubine Zhen is already the number one person in the harem. If he does her a favor, he believes that if he violates the Emperor's taboos in the future, Concubine Zhen will be able to repay his favor.

After hearing his words, Jiang Xinyue's tears were finally held back, but her eyes were red and looked extremely pitiful.

The main hall of Changxin Palace was quiet, but the atmosphere was very solemn and serious. The serving palace servants all watched with their eyes and noses, and even though Jiang Xinyue came and knelt in the main hall, no one dared to raise their heads to look.

Presumably before she came, this place had experienced a very fierce war without gunpowder.

"Your concubine..."

"Enough, stop talking nonsense."

The Empress Dowager Wu interrupted her greeting: "Concubine Zhen, tell me, was it you who dragged Concubine Shu to the Yu Garden to release paper irises today?"

Jiang Xinyue raised her head, her clear eyes showing some confusion, and looked at the Empress Dowager Wu: "Your Majesty, I don't quite understand what you said. I invited Concubine Shu to go release paper irises together. If Concubine Shu didn't want to, I couldn't force her. So how could I have dragged her?"

"Stop making excuses."

The Empress Dowager Wu slapped the table. The loud noise scared Jiang Xinyue, and her body shook as she kneeled on the ground.

"If you hadn't forced Concubine Shu to go with you, she would have been injured on her neck. How could she have gone with you? Tell me, did you know that Concubine Li was pregnant and deliberately set them up to kill two birds with one stone? Besides their children?"

"I didn't!"

Jiang Xinyue frowned, with a little flame of anger burning in her eyes: "Empress Dowager, I respectfully call you the Empress Dowager, but please don't distort the facts and slander me. When the Royal Concubine and the Shu Concubine had a conflict, I was five meters away. I want to ask you, what kind of monster am I, that I could make the Shu Concubine sit on the Royal Concubine from a distance? Or did the Shu Concubine tell you in person that I forced her to release the paper ibis? She is a Shu Concubine, but she was forced by a small concubine like me, Zhenpin. Do you believe this, Empress Dowager?"

Not to mention that the Queen Dowager herself didn't believe it, no one here believed it.

Concubine Li Guifei's mother, Lady Pei, was also there. She glared at Empress Dowager Wu with an unpleasant expression: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Concubine Shu is your niece. You need to protect her feelings, and I understand that. But if you want to find someone to take the blame, don't you have to prepare a statement in advance? Concubine Guifei can't be a mother in the future. Logically, shouldn't the custody of the child born by Concubine Shu belong to Concubine Guifei?"

Empress Zhu was able to adopt a prince, so her daughter was no different. Since she couldn't give birth herself, she might as well adopt one.

The quarrel was between Pei and the Empress Dowager, while the Emperor stayed out of it.

He held Jiang Xinyue's slender waist, took her behind him and hid her, quietly listening to the two old foxes fighting.