Chapter 177 Concubine Duan Comes to Testify
"Xipin?"
The emperor's eyebrows were as red as a mountain, and he was folding his Buddhist beads in his hands. "How could it be her?"
This matter was so strange that he was completely confused.
Xipin Niuhulu was appointed by the Emperor to enter the palace, and had nothing to do with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had no concerns and questioned her seriously:
"Can you see it clearly?"
"Xipin has just entered the palace, and she seems to be very gentle and steady. She doesn't seem like someone who would do such a thing." The Queen expressed the Emperor's doubts, "Is there some misunderstanding here?"
Zhou Ninghai shook his head, "I dare not lie. At that time, there were only the Imperial Concubine and the Concubine Xi in the pavilion..."
If Sun Miaoqing were lucky enough to be alive today, she would probably be able to react immediately to this familiar scene and save Concubine Xi for the emperor.
It’s a pity that the person who held the script is gone.
In this world, there is only one person left who is changing the question with the answer.
The emperor was puzzled: "Only the two of them?"
"In reply to the emperor, originally, it was Lady Tian and Lady Yu who were accompanying our queen for a walk today. Later, Noble Qi came over and said a few words, then left with Lady Tian and Lady Yu."
"The queen felt a little tired, and Xipin happened to come over, so she accompanied the queen to the pavilion in the center of the lake. Songzhi took the palace maids to get some hot water for snacks. Xipin said she wanted to talk to the queen alone."
"Our queen also saw that Concubine Xi had just entered the palace and was not interested in worldly affairs. She thought that it was clear sky and bright sun, and there was nothing to worry about, so she asked the servants to wait outside the pavilion."
"Who would have thought that after a short while, the queen would sit on the ground with constant abdominal pain."
There were many concubines in the harem who used their own unborn children to compete for favor.
The Queen Mother frowned and asked Zhou Ninghai, "So, with your backs to the pavilion, no one saw Xipin pushing the Imperial Concubine?"
What she meant was that Nian Shilan was the one who did it herself, and then she framed Xipin for it.
If the emperor didn't know what Shilan was thinking, his first reaction would have been the same. However, he knew that Shilan had always been on guard against Concubine Qi and didn't take Concubine Xi seriously.
The Queen Mother looked towards the door, "Where is Concubine Xi now?"
Su Peisheng stood at the door and bowed, "Replying to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, Concubine Xi has taken off her hairpins and is kneeling in the yard waiting for punishment."
"Send her in."
Concubine Xi was dressed in plain clothes and had long hair that reached below her waist, without a single embellishment. She entered the palace and knelt in the center.
"What happened at the Lakeside Pavilion today? Tell me in detail. If there is any misunderstanding, I and the Emperor will definitely make the decision for you. If you dare to say anything false, you will have to think for yourself!"
The Queen Mother's words seemed neutral, but they were very obviously biased.
Concubine Xi bowed deeply and recounted what happened today. The content was almost the same as what Zhou Ninghai said, except that she denied that she had pushed the Imperial Concubine.
When Concubine Li looked at Concubine Xi, her eyes clearly said: You bastard, how dare you make excuses?
"There are only the Imperial Concubine and Xipin in the pavilion in the middle of the lake. The Imperial Concubine loves her unborn child the most. She needs the help of palace maids even to stand up. There is no way she can sit on the ground by herself. Does Xipin think we are all fools?"
Xipin kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please understand. I just wanted to help you get up, I didn't push you."
"If an ordinary person is pushed unexpectedly, they will be startled and lose their balance. Your Majesty is so pregnant, won't you fall down?"
Compared to Concubine Li's impatient tone, Cao Qinmo was gentle and did not mention Xipin's intentional harm. She only confirmed her actions of pushing it.
Xin Guiren has also given birth to a child and knows the dangers of this seemingly normal action.
She recalled the recent rumors in the harem, "The Empress just said that Concubine Xi is gentle and steady, but she doesn't know what Concubine Xi is like in private."
The Queen looked in the direction of the voice and asked sternly, "My dear Xin, what do you know?"
"To reply to the Empress, I don't know what happened today, but I heard that Xipin has always been complaining about the people in the harem in her own palace, and she is not as gentle as she appears."
Mr. Qi already regretted his rash kneeling just now, fearing that he would get into trouble, and said:
"I can testify that I entered the palace on the same day as Xipin. The emperor simply favored me a few times, but I didn't expect Xipin to curse me in private. I didn't want to make enemies, so I went to her palace to pay my respects several times, and I heard her insulting the Royal Concubine at the door."
"They said things like, 'I'm trying to curry favor with the Imperial Concubine, or 'The Imperial Concubine is playing tricks on me so that the Emperor will favor me and not favor her.' Many cups, plates, and teacups were smashed."
Concubine Jing was always taciturn. "Could it be that we were all deceived by Concubine Xi's appearance?"
For those who are reluctant to speak, when they occasionally say a few words, the weight of their words will naturally be different from those of others.
The women in the harem were always willing to compete for the emperor's favor. The emperor suspected that Concubine Xi was too young and had lost her sense of proportion.
The Queen Mother couldn't help but glance at Concubine Jing: She had suffered so much from Nian Shilan in the past, she wouldn't be the one to speak up for Nian Shilan, right?
It is true that Concubine Xi never said anything bad about anyone in front of anyone, but there were indeed rumors in the harem that Concubine Xi was dissatisfied with Concubine Qi's favor and had many complaints.
No one knows where the rumor came from, but everyone has heard it.
The concubines were talking about it, and Concubine Xi cried out for justice.
The Queen stopped them in a stern voice: "What the noble lady said has no solid evidence. You just follow what others say. I will not allow you to gossip about others."
The emperor swung his Buddhist beads and said, "Just following the crowd? Are you saying that what the noble Xin said has already been discussed in the palace?"
The empress always had to be virtuous. The overall situation had been decided, so she took a step back to advance. "The women in the palace have been idle for a long time, so they often make up stories and spread rumors. Your Majesty, don't take it to heart."
Zhou Ninghai knocked his head loudly at this time: "The Empress was ordered to look after our Empress's baby. You should know that our Empress attaches great importance to this baby."
"The pregnancy-maintaining medicine prescribed by the imperial physician must be taken at the designated time and place without dropping a drop."
"The queen usually loves to eat crab cakes, but after she found out she was pregnant, she refused to eat a single bite."
The emperor understood this point very well.
"The doctor said that walking more is good for the baby. As long as the weather is fine, the queen will go to Yu Garden for a walk and never delay for a moment."
"Your Majesty! Please make the decision for our queen!"
Nian Shilan's painful wail came out again.
The Queen Mother suspected that what happened today was done by Concubine Xi under the order of the Emperor, and she also suspected that the Queen was behind it.
The incident happened so suddenly that no one was prepared.
But no matter who was behind it, the Queen Mother was happy to see that she could solve the problem of Nian Shilan. Seeing that the Emperor was determined to protect Xipin, she said:
"Listen, this matter has been all speculation so far. There is no evidence. It is better to wait until the Royal Concubine gives birth to the child before making a decision."
The emperor thought this was a good idea. He nodded and said, "Everything has to wait until the Royal Concubine wakes up..."
Concubine Duan came out of the crowd coughing.
The emperor took a look and said, "You are not feeling well, but do you want to go back first?"
"Didn't the emperor just ask me why I came here? Ahem..." Concubine Duan bowed, "Because I saw what happened in Yu Garden, so I had to come here."
The queen, who was always as steady as a rock, was sweating inside.
Concubine Jing's heart beat faster.
Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang held each other's hands tightly.
The Queen Mother was overjoyed: the mortal enemy had taken action, and the Royal Concubine's life or death was really in danger this time.