Chapter 63 Killing Two Birds at Once
"Your Majesty, forgive me."
Fang Zhi stepped forward and knelt on one knee: "Madame Li and the two officials' wives took advantage of the chaos to sneak into Huilan Palace through a dog hole, attempting to assassinate Consort Xian and set the palace on fire. When I noticed, I put out the fire, but Consort Xian was still stabbed with a pair of scissors by this old madam."
“Chen Qinrong!”
The Queen Mother blinked in astonishment: "You killed Concubine Xian to silence her because you wanted her to die without any evidence and let her take the blame for all your sins!"
"No!"
Nanny Li struggled and yelled, "It wasn't the Empress, it was my own decision! I hated the virtuous concubine for treating me harshly in the past, and the Empress was powerless to avenge me, so I killed her myself! It had nothing to do with the Empress... Uuwu!"
Fang Zhi shut the man up.
"Your Majesty, the virtuous concubine is seriously injured. Should we call the imperial physician?"
"The case is not yet clear, so he can't just die like this."
Xuan Yi's eyes darkened. "Madam Qin, imprison Wei Xiuyuan and Wu Chongyuan in the Suning side hall. Ask them what they have done. If they confess, they will be treated leniently. If they don't want to talk, don't come out again."
"yes."
"Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Wei Shuangyun and Wu Chongyuan knelt down, their faces pale. "Your Majesty, the Empress forced me not to tell you about the bead! If I tell you, not only my life but also the lives of my family will be in danger!"
"The Empress and the Shen family are so cruel and ruthless. I dare not risk the lives of dozens of my family members. I can only be forced to help her do those evil things against her will. Please spare my life, Your Majesty!"
Nanny Qin waved her hand, and the two of them were dragged away by the eunuchs crying.
The officials and their families around were terrified and dared not breathe.
Judging from His Majesty's behavior, he is not prepared to defend the reputation of the royal family...
Xuan Yi raised his eyes to look at the queen whose face was ashen, and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"The Empress has a lack of moral integrity and a perverse mindset. She has repeatedly refused to change and has failed to discipline herself strictly. She is no longer capable of fulfilling her responsibilities as the Mother of the Nation. She will be immediately relocated to the Suning Main Palace and confined there until summoned."
“…”
Shen Qinrong raised her head suddenly, as if struck by lightning.
"All servants of Zhaohua Palace and Huilan Palace will be detained and severely tortured. Those who confess will be spared and sent to the imperial treasury. Those who remain stubborn will be strangled."
Xuan Yi stood up with a flick of his sleeves, glancing coldly at the people around him who had their heads bowed tightly.
"I'd like to trouble you, Queen Mother, to inquire about everyone who will be attending the poetry gathering today and make a final decision."
…
The next afternoon.
Guyu walked quietly into the dormitory, his face a little pale.
Su Ci had slept all afternoon and was now lazily leaning against the pillow drinking milk.
"Did my grandmother and the others leave the palace safely?"
The old lady and Lin Sulan were worried about her, so they violated the rules and spent a night in Yufu Palace.
"Yes, he has been sent out of the palace safely. Fulu asked Xiao Wuzi to follow him."
Gu Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "My Lord, the Empress has been banished to the cold palace, Suning Palace. Wei Xiuyuan and Wu Chongyuan were also imprisoned in the Suning Side Palace because they knew the beads they were wearing did not contain musk and did not report it. The Concubine Xian is still in Huilan Palace. I heard that Nanny Li stabbed her with a pair of scissors yesterday and she hasn't woken up yet."
"What?"
Yanyu was startled: "Why did Madam Li want to assassinate Concubine Xian?"
"Shhh, keep your voice down."
Guyu shook her head. "Of course, she killed him to silence him for her master. The Queen wanted to pin all the blame on the dead man. Fortunately, Commander Fang stopped her in time. Now, not only the Queen, but also her aunt and cousin have been convicted and can't escape."
Su Ci tutted her tongue and shook her head. "This method is really stupid. The Queen panicked and lost everything. She deserves it. Have all the officials' wives left the palace?"
Guyu nodded. "I heard the Empress Dowager was furious and questioned and searched everyone one by one. But except for the Empress's aunt, cousin, and the two aunts of the Concubine Xian, no one else was unusual. They all left the palace safely last night. The Empress Dowager must have been so angry that she had a headache, and it didn't get better today. His Majesty took Xu Lizhi there after the court session."
Su Ci put down the empty bowl, let out a breath and raised the corners of her mouth.
Although it is a bit risky, it is worth it as it kills two birds with one stone.
"Master, Nanny Qin just gave this servant a message in secret."
"Hmm? What did Nanny Qin say?"
Guyu bit her lip slightly and moved closer. "Madame Qin has been ordered to interrogate Wei Xiuyuan and Wu Chongyuan. They were so scared that they told everything, including the poisoning in the other courtyard."
"Also, the nanny said that His Majesty had long known that Concubine Xian had instigated the Master's poetry gathering for some ulterior motive, and he secretly removed the poisoned wine prepared by the Empress and Concubine Xian. Therefore, the Master's food and drink at the banquet yesterday were the same as everyone else's, without poison."
“…”
Su Ci turned her head in surprise, then sat up thoughtfully: "Madame Qin is telling you something quietly. Does that mean she hasn't told the Queen Mother and His Majesty yet?"
"This servant thought so too. Nanny Qin is here to remind us to prepare how to explain to His Majesty, right?"
Guyu frowned nervously as she spoke: "Mammy also said something meaningful. She said, Master, don't underestimate His Majesty. The sharp wisdom of a king is not in vain."
"Well, Nanny Qin really loves me. She even reminded me of this."
Su Ci nodded slightly. "But she doesn't know that I have never underestimated Your Majesty. I know everything that can and cannot be concealed. I guess she has already guessed that the poetry gathering was just a trick I played on her."
"So what should we do now?"
"What are you afraid of?"
Su Ci raised the corner of her mouth slightly and touched her flat belly: "Even if Her Majesty the Queen Mother knew my plan, the Queen, Consort Xian and others had the intention to harm others. They deserved the punishment and no one else can be blamed. Besides, I still have the golden medal of immunity from death."
"When the master says this, the slave's legs go weak."
Yanyu clutched her chest with lingering fear: "When I heard the imperial physician say you were pregnant, I almost fainted."
Guyu's face was filled with fear. "It was all due to our negligence that we didn't realize that the master was pregnant. Fortunately, there was no danger. You and the little prince are fine. Otherwise, we would never be able to atone for our sins even if we died a thousand times."
“It’s really scary.”
The plan was set, and Su Ci had no intention of revealing that she had long suspected she was pregnant.
"I didn't expect this, but it's worth the risk. At least from today on, I can rest assured and take care of my baby, right?"
"Then, Master, have you thought about how to explain this to His Majesty?"
"Hmm... the matter of the other courtyard is simple. I just said that I found something wrong with the old nanny, but I was afraid that a commotion would ruin the imperial mausoleum ceremony, so I secretly poured out the bowl of meat soup and got away with it. I don't know what kind of poison it was."
"As for the poisoned wine at the poetry gathering, since His Majesty secretly replaced it for me, we can just pretend we didn't know anything. If you ask us, we won't know anything. If you keep asking, we can use my son as a shield."
Su Ci smiled lazily, holding her cheek in her hand. "Don't forget my personality. I'm innocent. I pretend to be ignorant and innocent. The Queen Mother might blame me for being ignorant, but for the sake of the child, she won't delve into it. As for His Majesty, he's easy to appease."
Guyu relaxed completely, his face full of admiration.
"When it comes to understanding people's hearts, this servant is not even one ten-thousandth as good as the master."
"Understanding people's hearts is secondary. The main thing is that I, your master, have a beautiful face. I can tell at first glance that I am not someone who would do evil."
Su Ci smiled and waved her hand. "Grandmother and father are both smart people. I'm not worried about the Su family, but the imperial physicians and the Imperial Household Department have all come to our place these past few days. There are so many people and so many mouths. We should take care of our own people and be careful with our words and actions so as not to make any mistakes."
"Yes, I understand."
"Yanyu, send some soft and light pastries to Baorong Palace and tell them that I can't visit the Empress Dowager right now, as a token of your appreciation."
"yes."
…
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