Chapter 117 Chapter 117
[Chapter 117]
Su Shengfu slammed the wooden box shut, "How dare you! You bitch! You are full of lies, not even a single word of truth!"
Nianqin shook her head desperately, tears falling from her eyes, and even her legs felt weak:
"I dare not, this thing really belongs to the Majesty."
Wei Maoyuan said in a stern voice: "At first you said it was yours, but now you say it's Ying Chongrong's. And you say you're not trying to defile Ying Chongrong?"
Su Shengfu smiled and said, "Perhaps Ying Chongrong gave it to this maid to keep it safe. At first, under pressure from Ying Chongrong, this maid didn't dare to tell the truth. It's possible that she's panicking now."
"Besides, the style of the silver hairpin is simple, and even the material is not good. I heard that Ying Chongrong was originally a palace maid, so it is not impossible that it belongs to Ying Chongrong."
Su Shengfu waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Take it away!"
Wei Maoyuan tried to stop him but failed and could only watch Su Shengfu take the person away.
Su Shengfu entered the palace earlier than him and had always been serving the Queen Mother. Now he was ordered by the Queen Mother to search the palace, and he had no way to stop him.
Little Muzi was also very anxious, "Master, what should we do?"
Wei Maoyuan said, "What else can we do? Let's see who the silver hairpin belongs to."
That being said, Wei Maoyuan still felt that the silver hairpin looked very familiar, as if he had seen it on someone before. But after thinking about it, it definitely was not on Ying Chongrong.
Seeing Su Shengfu and his men forcing the palace maids to go to Jiefang Pavilion, Wei Maoyuan, with a heavy heart, also took Xiao Muzi to Jiefang Pavilion.
Nothing related to witchcraft was found, but the appearance of this palace maid was too coincidental to be an accidental thing.
…
Jiefang Pavilion
When Su Shengfu led his people in, he first paid his respects to the Queen Mother who was sitting on the high throne:
"Queen, I followed your orders to search Ying Chongrong's palace, but I did not find any items related to the witchcraft."
For a moment, everyone's eyes fell on Li Guiren, and Li Guiren was startled:
"My concubine... My concubine..."
She was so flustered that she couldn't speak. She suddenly said, "Maybe Ying Chongrong knew that the palace was going to be searched and hid or burned all the things."
Ruan Yun said slowly, "Such a big thing happened in the palace today, I'm sure everyone knows about it. I can't leave the palace while I'm pregnant, so I just sent someone to see what's going on. Although I don't know what it is, I just know it's related to me, so I hurried to Jiefang Pavilion."
"What Noble Li said is so unreasonable." Ruan Yun choked up a little after saying this and looked at the Queen Mother pitifully.
The Queen Mother had never expected this to happen. Her eyes fell on Li Guiren and she asked sharply, "Do you have anything else to say?"
Li Guiren was so flustered that she wanted to look somewhere, but she stopped herself abruptly, "I was just guessing. It was my fault that I defiled Ying Chongrong."
Ji Zhaoyi opened her lips and said, "Just because of a simple guess and slander, Concubine Li ordered people to search the Linxuan Palace with great fanfare. According to Concubine Li, even if it disturbed Ying Chongrong's pregnancy, it would not matter? Or was Concubine Li thinking from the beginning not to search the palace, but to disturb Ying Chongrong?"
Li Guiren bit her lower lip and said, "I dare not, I have never thought of this before!"
There was a hint of sternness in Ji Zhaoyi's eyes, which made Li Guige particularly frightened.
Su Shengfu added: "Although we did not find any evidence of the witchcraft, I did catch a suspicious palace maid in Linxuan Palace."
Shouting behind him, "Bring it up!"
Ruan Jun glanced towards the door and saw Nianqin thrown to the ground crying, and she couldn't help frowning.
Tingxu had never expected it to be Nianqin, and said bluntly: "Nianqin is a palace maid who manages the small kitchen utensils. What did she do to cause the eunuch to bring her here with such fanfare?"
Su Shengfu glanced at the eunuch beside him, and the eunuch immediately placed the wooden box on the table between the emperor and the empress dowager.
Yan Shiyu did not move, and said coldly: "It's just a wooden box, what's so special about it?"
Su Shengfu said with a smile: "The wooden box is nothing special, but the things inside are unusual. That's why I concluded that there must be something wrong with this palace maid."
Aunt Jingqiao walked forward and opened the wooden box, and the silver hairpin inside soon appeared in front of the emperor and the empress dowager.
Yan Shiyu stared at the silver hairpin with his dark eyes. The empress dowager raised her chin. Aunt Jingqiao picked up the thing and placed it first in front of the empress and then in front of Ruan Yun.
When Yingning and Tingxu saw the silver hairpin, their breathing became heavier. Yingning hurriedly held Tingxu's hand, which brought Tingxu back to his senses.
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes trembled slightly, and it turned out to be because of this.
The reason of using witchcraft was just a cover, what was really waiting for her was this silver hairpin.
Looking at Nianqin kneeling on the ground, Ruanjun's eyes turned cold. Nianqin noticed Ruanjun's gaze and shrank her shoulders, which happened to be seen by the Queen Mother.
"What is this thing? Is it worth your efforts to keep it?"
Nianqin glanced at Ruan Yun, biting her lower lip without saying much. Seeing this, Ji Zhaoyi smiled and said, "Why? Is it that you can't say it or is it that this is totally unfounded, which makes you so nervous?"
Nianqin immediately retorted, "No! This is the Queen's stuff!"
Ruan Yun said indifferently, "You are in charge of the kitchen utensils. First of all, let me tell you about this silver hairpin. I have never seen it before. Even if I have seen it, it was placed in the makeup box in the inner hall. How did you get it?"
Nianqin's eyes were filled with disbelief. She knelt forward with a sad look on her face:
"Your Majesty, are you trying to put the entire thing on me?"
He turned around and kowtowed to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, his eyes firm:
"What I said is absolutely not a lie. If I say even a single word of falsehood, I will be punished by thunder and the wrath of heaven."
Ji Zhaoyi glanced at Ruan Yun and saw that although she was the same as usual, her lips were slightly pursed. He immediately understood and sneered:
"Can swearing an oath prove the truth? Then there would be no need to set up the Dali Temple and the county government. Everyone would just swear an oath in court, and see whose oath is more vicious. There would be no need for that."
Nianqin looked at Ji Zhaoyi and smiled sadly, "Ji Zhaoyi is on good terms with the Empress, so naturally he would speak on the Empress' side."
The queen frowned and said, "What do you want to say?"
Nianqin took one last look at Ruan Yun, kowtowed and said, "This silver hairpin is definitely not Ying Chongrong's, but it is not the one Ying Chongrong picked up either. The silver hairpin was worn by Chen Lu, a palace maid who served Du Xuanshi in the past. Ying Chongrong got rid of Chen Lu and pushed her into the well, and got the silver hairpin!"
After he finished speaking, Yan Shiyu said in a cold voice: "What nonsense! Where do you get the evidence?"
Nianqin said, "I was a palace maid sweeping the grounds in Yu Garden at that time. It snowed heavily that day and I was stuck, so I could only wait in the pavilion of Yu Garden. Unexpectedly, I saw voices in the distance. I was so panicked that I blew out the lantern. Then I heard a vague sound, and then there was the sound of someone being pushed into the well. Although I was scared, I thought that it was a life, so I went closer and saw Ying Chongrong picking up the silver hairpin and then leaving."
The Queen said in a harsh voice, "It's been so long since the incident happened, why did you only tell it now? Did you just make up a lie to curry favor with her? Since you said you were stuck that day, did anyone know about it?"
Nianqin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she shook her head and said, "No."
Yan Shiyu looked at Ruan Jun, who was sitting there feeling extremely aggrieved at the moment. He did not say a word, but sadness emanated from his whole body.
"It's you!" Lady Zhang pointed at Ruan Yun, "It was Ying Chongrong who harmed Chen Lu and framed me!"
She would never forget the look the emperor gave her at that time, which was filled with disappointment and coldness. He was certain that Chen Lu's death was related to her. She couldn't figure out why Chen Lu had fallen into the water near her palace.
During the days when she was demoted and confined, she thought every day that it must be that bitch Du Xuanshi who was causing trouble. She couldn't tolerate that maid, so she wanted to kill two birds with one stone. She didn't expect it to be Ruan Yun. It was all Ruan Yun! If it weren't for Ruan Yun! She would still be the high and mighty Shufei. It was that bitch Ruan Yun who was jealous of her and designed to do this!
Concubine Zhang knelt in front of Yan Shiyu and grabbed the emperor's clothes tightly. "Your Majesty, I am innocent. Even though I disliked Concubine Du, I never thought of harming her unborn child. I grew up with you since I was a child. Don't you know what kind of person I am?"
"Does Your Majesty think that I am a bloody person? When I was a child, I wouldn't even step on an ant to death, so how could I hurt others?"
There was sadness in Lady Zhang's beautiful eyes. She originally thought that the emperor would be moved, but Yan Shiyu had absolutely no affection for her. His black eyes were deep and dark, like a deep pool that was hard to fathom.
"Your Majesty..." Lady Zhang called out to the Emperor with trembling lips, "Your Majesty, don't you believe Rongrong?"
Ji Zhaoyi's eyes were filled with sorrow and she clenched the handkerchief tightly in her hands. If it weren't for Concubine Zhang, how could she have lost the baby in her belly? How could Concubine Zhang say such things?
Yan Shiyu turned the white jade ring in his hand, "How do you know that it was Ying Chongrong who did it?"
As soon as the emperor said this, everyone understood what he meant. Seeing Ying Chongrong sitting quietly, they felt unwilling. They could just ask the people who had served Du Xuanshi in the past and they would know. Even if the concubines didn't remember, the palace ladies might not forget.
Seeing this, Concubine Zhou said to Lady Liu beside her, "Sister is an old lady in the palace. Do you still remember her?"
Lady Liu never even looked at Concubine Zhou and was not willing to get involved in this matter at all.
Concubine De looked at the silver hairpin and said, "This palace does find this hairpin familiar. When Concubine Du was pregnant, this palace went to see her several times. Although I feel that I have seen her before, I dare not make any rash inferences."
Ruan Yun's clear eyes fell on Concubine De. It was actually Concubine De. In the past, Concubine De kept everything secret so well. Not only did she appear to be familiar with her, she also sent her all kinds of rare fabrics and things. Unexpectedly, she turned out to be a person with a hypocritical heart.
"Sister Defei, are you sure that this silver hairpin belongs to my palace?"
Concubine De was startled when she heard this, and then she quickly said, "My sister has misunderstood me. I have absolutely no such idea. After all, it is unknown where this maid got the silver hairpin from, but she is my sister's maid, and she keeps saying that it belongs to my sister. I just think that my sister is afraid that it is difficult to explain this matter."
Ruan Yun still smiled and said, "Does it mean that if someone brings something to me in the future and says it belongs to me, I will have to claim it as my own?"
Concubine De did not change her attitude at all because of Ruan Yun's words. She just bowed and said, "There are still a few palace maids who used to serve Concubine Du together with Chen Lu in the palace. Why not let them come and recognize her?"
When Lady Zhang heard what Concubine De said, she kowtowed and said, "The death of Chen Lu had nothing to do with me."
When he looked at her from the side, he couldn't suppress the anger in his eyes:
"Ying Chongrong used Chen Lu's death to frame the concubines. She had ulterior motives and was vicious. Now that she has been discovered, she still wants to deny it."
The Queen Mother spoke up at the right time, "Du Xuanshi's death was strange. Although she was guilty, she was the daughter of the Pingyang Marquisate after all. If this matter were to spread, I'm afraid the noble families would have complaints. Emperor, it's just a matter of looking for someone, how difficult is that?"
Yan Shiyu withdrew his gaze from Ruan Jun and saw that she was still with her head down, thinking about something and hadn't spoken for a long time.
The Queen stood up and said softly, "This is just what this maid said. According to what she said just now, if she really saw Ying Chongrong killing Chen Lu, why did she give the silver hairpin to this maid? If it wasn't Ying Chongrong who gave it to her, how did she get it?"
Nianqin clenched her hands a little tighter, then quickly loosened them.
She said, "It is true that I found the silver hairpin when I entered Ying Chongrong's inner hall, but I did it to protect myself. Ying Chongrong, she wants to kill me!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the empress dowager, who had always been fasting and chanting Buddhist scriptures, touched her chest and said "Amitabha".
Nianqing cried and said, "There was a palace maid who worked with me before, her name was Hongyuan. She and I had always been good friends, so I told her about this matter. I don't know how the queen knew that Hongyuan knew about this matter. She wanted to get rid of Hongyuan, but Hongyuan naturally refused to accept her fate, so she gave all her money to me and took the risk..."
Nian Qing didn't finish the next words and looked at Yan Shiyu with a somewhat frightened look.
Lady Su covered her lips in surprise. "I heard earlier that Ying Chongrong's palace sent a maid to the Ministry of Punishment. Could it be... Hong Yuan?"
Ruan Yun sneered in her heart, everything could be linked to her. She was lazy because of her pregnancy, and she had not taken care of many things in the palace, which allowed them to take advantage of the loopholes. The truth and falsehood were mixed together, making it seem that the truth was not that important.
The Queen Mother hated fighting and killing the most, so she asked in a sharp voice, "Ying Chongrong, is what she said true?"
Ruan Yun raised her arm, and Ying Ning supported her. Ruan Yun stood up and said, "Hong Yuan was sent to the Ministry of Punishment, but..."
The Queen Mother stopped Ruan Yun from speaking and turned her face away, unwilling to look any further.
"You were the one who sent the person in. I already understand."
After saying this, the Queen Mother stood up, and everyone followed suit. Yan Shiyu said calmly, "What do you want, Mother?"
The Queen Mother did not want to get involved in this matter and said, "I believe in Buddhism and cannot bear to hear such things. Concubine Xian has nothing to do with this matter. Please let Concubine Xian accompany me back to the palace."
Yan Shiyu ordered in a deep voice: "Send the Queen Mother back to the palace."
Wei Maoyuan personally escorted the empress dowager back to the palace. The emperor and the empress were both sitting at the top. The empress said gently, "Ying Chongrong, you should sit down too. Don't get tired."
Ruan Jun cast a grateful look towards the empress and sat down leisurely.
Concubine Zhang knelt down again with a heavy heart and said, "I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my name."
She looked at Ruan Yun with anger and said in a stern voice: "Ying Chongrong, the person is in your palace, and the things were also searched out of your palace! With all the evidence, how dare you deny it?"
Ruan Yun sneered, "Evidence? Lady Zhang wants to convict me based on Nianqing's one-sided statement alone? Nianqing was holding the silver hairpin, but I don't know where she got it from. She is here to frame me."
Nian Qing looked up in disbelief, knelt forward and grabbed Ruan Yun's skirt.
Ying Ning was startled and hurriedly tried to step forward to separate Nian Qing, but Nian Qing said, "Do you still remember Hong Yuan, Madam? You killed her, Madam. You killed her with your own hands and sent her to the Ministry of Punishment. Do you still dream of Hong Yuan? Will she ask for your life in your dreams?"
Ruan Yun was unsettled by Hong Yuan's words. She was worried a lot during her pregnancy, and her mental state was not good to begin with. Nian Qing's sharp voice lingered in her ears.
Seeing this, the Queen frowned and said, "Drag her away! Send her to the Ministry of Punishment! Find out who ordered her to do this!"
Concubine Zhang's eyes were filled with confusion, and her voice was not as gentle as usual, "Order? Can the Queen explain why the silver hairpin appeared in Ying Ronghua's palace?"
"In my opinion, Tingxu and Yingning, who are by Ying Chongrong's side, must be sent to the Ministry of Punishment and tortured severely, and they will definitely tell the truth!"
"How dare you!" Ruan Jun stood up, and the former gentleness in her almond-shaped eyes was completely gone. Such a calm gaze made Lady Zhang a little scared for no reason. "There must be injustice under torture. Even if we get a confession, how can Lady Zhang guarantee that they were not tortured into confessing?"
"I am the head of a palace, and I am also pregnant with a dragon. What is Lady Zhang thinking? Do you want to see me and my unborn child die together?"
Lady Zhang fell to the ground and was about to speak again when Yan Shiyu shouted, "That's enough!"
Lady Zhang was unwilling to give up and still wanted to speak. Yan Shiyu's dark eyes flashed with annoyance, "It seems that you haven't reflected on yourself during the confinement."
Upon hearing the emperor's words, Concubine Zhang collapsed. Liu Jin, who was behind her, quickly supported Concubine Zhang. With tears in her eyes, Concubine Zhang said, "Your Majesty, I have never done this before. Why are you unwilling to investigate now that the truth is known? It was Ying Chong who framed me. I am innocent, Your Majesty."
After saying this, Concubine Zhang couldn't bear the blow and fainted. Ruan Jun looked indifferent, and couldn't feel any sympathy for Concubine Zhang as she looked at her.
Ji Zhaoyi, who had not spoken a word, suddenly said, "First, Li Guiren slandered Ying Chongrong, saying that Ying Chongrong used witchcraft to harm the dragon in her belly. After searching the palace, she found the silver hairpin. She wanted to pin the blame on Ying Chongrong without any evidence. It seems that she was targeting Ying Chongrong from the beginning. If Ying Chongrong is mentally weak, will it be a good thing for her and the dragon in her belly?"
Ji Zhaoyi stood up and knelt in front of the emperor and the empress. "I beg you to find out the truth about this matter. We must find out who is behind this and who wants to frame Ying Chongrong. This will also allow the concubines in the harem to rest assured."
The Queen looked at Ji Zhaoyi with approval and nodded, saying, "Ji Zhaoyi is right."
However, Li Guiren, who had been motionless just now, suddenly got up from the bed and wanted to pounce on Ji Zhaoyi.
Ji Zhaoyi noticed Li Guiren's slightly bulging belly and became particularly cautious.
Ruan Yun also quickly grabbed Ji Zhaoyi's arm and asked her to stand beside her.
Seeing Ji Zhaoyi's face turn pale, Ruan Jun looked at where Ji Zhaoyi was looking, and immediately understood, and said softly: "Close your eyes, don't look."
Ji Zhaoyi's lips were trembling, and he suppressed the fear in his heart and said, "I'm fine."
Even though it has been so long, and she can't forget it, she has to remind herself all the time how she lost that child.
The back of her hand accidentally touched Ruan Yun's lower abdomen. Ji Zhaoyi thought of the baby that had already grown. Her fingertips dug into her palm, and the pain made her sober.
She must stay awake and make everyone who has hurt her and her children pay the price.
Noble Li shouted, “Ji Zhaoyi and Ying Chongrong are good friends. If that thing is not in Ying Chongrong’s palace, it might be in Ji Zhaoyi’s palace. I…”
Before he could finish his words, an expression of pain suddenly appeared on Li Guiren's face. He covered his lower abdomen with his hands, and the pain on his face did not seem fake.
Ye Man saw the blood under Li Guiren's feet and shouted, "My lady... My lady is bleeding."
Everyone looked down at Li Guiren's body, but Yan Shiyu looked at Ruan Yun first. He strode to Ruan Yun's side and placed his palm on Ruan Yun's eyes. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
However, the bloody scene just now had already been reflected in Ruan Yun's eyes. She was inexplicably frightened and took a step back. The blood color on her little face disappeared and turned pale.
As her eyes became dull, she inexplicably recalled the fire in her home. That was the last time she saw her father and mother.
Yan Shiyu saw that something was wrong with Ruan Yun, so he picked her up and said with a hint of discontent in his usually calm voice, "Imperial Physician!"
The Queen saw the Emperor taking Ying Chongrong away. She knew that Li Guiren still needed her presence here, so she said in a cold voice, "Hurry up and help Li Guiren go in, so that the imperial physician can see what's going on."
On the other side, Yan Shiyu walked a few steps with Ruan Jun in his arms, but Ruan Jun's hand suddenly grabbed the dress in front of her, and the other hand tightly grasped the emperor. She cried out, her face full of pain, and her consciousness was taken away by the pain just now:
"Your Majesty...I am in so much pain...Xiaoxiao is in so much pain, my child...my child."
Upon seeing this, Ji Zhaoyi immediately said, "Sister Ying should be giving birth soon. Please ask the widow and the female doctor to come and prepare."
Naturally, she couldn't go back to Linxuan Palace in this situation, so she could only carry Ruan Yun into the side hall next to Jiefang Pavilion.
Yan Shiyu kissed Ruan Yun on the forehead and whispered, "Xiaoxiao, don't leave me, you said so."
Ruan Jun held Yan Shiyu's hand, and the pain made her cry out. She wanted to go back to the emperor but she had no energy to do so.
The midwives came quickly, looked at Ruan Yun's condition and said, "I'm afraid Ying Chongrong will give birth prematurely. Your Majesty should leave first."
Yan Shiyu, however, remained where he was, as if he had not heard anything.
Ji Zhaoyi gritted her teeth and said, "Sister Ying is about to give birth. Your Majesty, please let the widow take a look, okay?"
Yan Shiyu's eyes were red, and he left after saying, "If Ying Chongrong is in trouble, you all don't have to live."
After saying this, he let go of Ruan Yun's hand. Ruan Yun also pushed the emperor, her hair wet with sweat sticking to her face, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please go out and wait for me, I..."
Feeling the pain, Ruan Jun clenched the bed rails and arched her body.
Ji Zhaoyi knelt beside him with red eyes and asked, "How is Ying Chongrong?"
The midwives looked at the situation and sweated profusely. They said, "I'm afraid Ying Chongrong needs to drink labor-inducing soup. It's only now that her period has begun, so it will take a long time."
Tingxu immediately went out to tell the imperial physician outside. Imperial Physician Sun wrote down a prescription for labor-inducing soup according to Ruan Yun's constitution and said, "Send it over immediately after it's cooked."
In the inner hall, Ruan Yun's screams gradually faded away, and she lay exhausted on the bed.
The old lady said, "It doesn't hurt now. Your Majesty, please eat something first to conserve your strength."
The meal was passed to Ruan Yun's lips, but she shook her head and said weakly, "I can't eat it."
The old lady said quickly, "Your Highness, you should eat more so that you can have more strength and the delivery will be smoother later."
Ruan Yun ate a little tastelessly and shook her head. Ying Ning immediately stepped forward to wipe the sweat off the queen's head and face.
Ruan Yun placed her hand on Ji Zhaoyi's side, but because she had no strength, she was unable to hold Ji Zhaoyi's hand.
Ji Zhaoyi quickly handed her his hand over, and said with a sour throat, "Sister Ying, don't worry, everything will be fine."
Ruan Yun gasped for air and said with great effort: "The female doctor said that if I give birth prematurely, it will be extremely dangerous. I will not trust anyone in this palace. If only one of me and the baby in my belly can survive, I must save my child. Then, I will ask the emperor to give the child to you to raise. You must treat him well and raise him..."
"Grow up well."
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