Chapter 154: Concubine Yi’s Old Hatred
"Oh? Why do you say that? Have you ever heard of this?" The emperor had no expression on his face and his eyes swept over the concubines.
The concubines looked at each other, and none dared to speak. Finally, the imperial concubine said softly, "Your Majesty, don't take this to heart. It's just the palace servants gossiping about nothing. Just catch them and punish them. Why get angry about it?"
"This rumor is strange. After they returned home, they became unable to speak. The rumor also said that I poisoned them to avoid future troubles. Your Majesty, today I will settle the case and find out who is behind this."
The Queen swept her eyes over everyone's faces with a smile on her face.
"Empress, I heard that the maid who called away the wife of Marquis Wuning and Zhiqing died of a cold after choking on water when she returned to the palace. Now there is no evidence. This matter will be discussed for two days and it is over. Don't worry about it."
Concubine Xiao advised gently.
"Although Zhiqing is my sister's adopted daughter, she and I get along very well. But I don't know what strange disease she has contracted that has made her unable to speak."
Concubine Xiao choked up when she said this.
"I have heard that many years ago, there was a poison called Moci in southern Xinjiang. After taking it, people gradually lost their speech and died of exhaustion after a few months. Could it be..."
"Shut up! Sister Yipin is also an old lady in the palace. How can you say such things? How do you know that it is poison? How could there be such a strange poison in the palace?" Concubine Xiao scolded harshly.
"I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Queen, and Your Majesty the Imperial Concubine!" Concubine Yi was so scared that she kept apologizing.
"I'm afraid Yipin didn't say something wrong, but there's something stuck in her throat that she can't get rid of. Why don't you just talk about it? Where did you hear this silent speech?"
The queen chuckled and said, everyone's eyes fell on Concubine Yi, who was kneeling on the ground and hesitating: "Your Majesty, I heard the gossips of the palace people...!"
"Princess Yi, I have been waiting for these few days just to make you believe that it was me who poisoned the wife of Marquis Wuning and Miss Xue. The rumors spread everywhere and the harem was talking about it. Even the emperor heard about it. For the sake of my face, you pretended not to know. Are you satisfied?"
The Queen said softly.
The color on Yipin's face gradually drained away. She gritted her teeth and said, "Empress, you are the master of this harem. My life is in your hands. Why do you have to find such an excuse to kill me? It's just a cup of poisoned wine! My sister did this back then, why do you have to do this today?"
After hearing this, the concubines in the palace only wished they hadn't been sick in the palace. They could only lower their heads and pretend they didn't exist. The timid ones were trembling all over.
"Concubine Yi really resents me. She ordered the death of Concubine Yuan back then." The Queen turned her head slightly. The Emperor remained silent, quietly looking at Concubine Yi who was kneeling on the ground.
[It was the Emperor who ordered the death of Concubine Yi, and the Empress even pleaded for Concubine Yi. 】The system ate a melon first.
"I dare not! I am still alive in this palace, and I have to thank the Queen for sparing my life. But why do you want to kill me today? How did I offend the Queen?"
Concubine Yi has already burned her bridges and will cling to the Queen even if it means death.
"You thought that the maid Xiuchun was dead, and I couldn't produce any evidence, so no one would know that it was you who ordered her to push Miss Lu into the water and frame the wife of Marquis Wuning, right?
Once Xiuchun dies, I will have no way to defend myself, and I will be charged with poisoning the wife of Marquis Wuning and Miss Lu. In the future, Prime Minister Xue and Marquis Wuning will both have deep hatred for me. This move is really well calculated! ”
The queen clapped her hands.
"Your Highness, you are making a fuss out of nothing by making up a story like this just to find an excuse to kill me."
Concubine Yi was not panicked at all at this time, and her eyes were full of mockery when she looked at the Queen.
"Bring Xiuchun." The Queen ordered in a gentle voice. Everyone in the palace except the Emperor was shocked. When Concubine Yi saw the person who came in, she screamed in fear: "There is a ghost!"
"You saw her swallow the poison with your own eyes, but you didn't expect that she only took a stomach-nourishing pill, right?" the queen asked kindly.
"Impossible, impossible!" Concubine Yi murmured with trembling lips.
Xiuchun recounted how Yipin used her sister and family to threaten her, asking her to trick Su Qianqian and Lu Zhiqing to the lake and then push Lu Zhiqing into the water. Later, the Queen ordered her to pretend to take poison and die so that Yipin would not feel at ease.
[It turns out that the figure standing by the lake that day was Concubine Yi. 】Su Qianqian said in her heart.
Xiuchun was taken away and Yipin was already on the ground.
"Princess Yi, I want to ask you, who instigated you to do this? As long as you tell the truth, I will give you a lighter sentence considering that you were bewitched by someone."
The Queen's voice was calm and majestic. The concubines sitting on the throne couldn't help but panic, fearing that they would be blamed for offending Concubine Yi in the past.
“No one instigated me. I was just looking for an opportunity to frame the Queen because I was resentful about the Queen’s order to execute my sister.” Concubine Yi was completely desperate and confessed her guilt.
[She lied!] The person who instigated her was sitting there. 】The system said angrily.
Madam Xiao's fingers holding the handkerchief trembled slightly, and she looked towards the main hall, as if she could see through the partition and see the people sitting in the hall.
[Don't spoil the plot, just watch the Queen solve the case. 】Su Qianqian stopped the system from eating melons.
"How ridiculous and pitiful! Don't you know what Concubine Yuan did back then? She dared to kill Prince Jing with witchcraft, so what's wrong with granting her death?
The Emperor, mindful of the merits of your Wu ancestors, only executed your father and brother and spared the entire family. Yet, you were ungrateful and instead held a grudge, listening to others' instigation and seeking your own death! ”
The Queen told her what happened word for word, and Concubine Yi just loudly refuted: "No, no, my sister would never do such a thing back then, she already has..."
"Concubine Yi, you were the first to frame the Queen and stir up disputes among important officials in the court. Your crime is unforgivable. Come, remove Concubine Yi from her position as a concubine and send her to the palace to be investigated and sentenced." The emperor suddenly issued an order.
"No, Your Majesty, I didn't poison you. It was..." Yipin suddenly came to her senses and asked the emperor for help in shock. But before she could finish her words, the emperor looked at her coldly: "What else do you want to say?"
Yipin stopped talking and sat on the ground dejectedly.
"Empress, Concubine Yi coerced the palace maids to frame the ladies of the royal family and framed the Empress. She is to be executed. The Ministry of Justice is to investigate her family members and punish them separately. Let's handle this matter this way." The emperor made the final decision.
"Your Majesty, what should we do about the rumor that the wife of Marquis Wuning and the adopted daughter of the Xue family were poisoned?"
The Queen asked gently.
"Perhaps they really did get sick after falling into the water. Let's put this matter aside for now. I will order the imperial physician to treat them." The emperor said with his eyes lowered.
"Your Majesty, why don't you summon the wife of Marquis Wuning and Zhiqing to the palace? I am also very worried. Wouldn't it be better to let the imperial physician examine them today and clear the Queen of suspicion?"
Concubine Xiao spoke softly at this time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
