Xue Zhiyi looked confused: "Zhiyi doesn't know what mistake I made. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
The imperial concubine did not answer her, but glanced at the trembling Yunshuang: "Yunshuang, repeat your confession."
Yunshuang lowered her head even lower. "This servant... This servant, Yunxue and I, helped Miss Xue San to the west wing. After Yunxue left, this servant wanted to stay and take care of Miss Xue. But Miss Xue was drunk and couldn't control her words and actions. She insisted on getting up and walking around. She even broke into the study and smashed the Baixi bottle. This servant wanted to stop her but couldn't, and was even injured by Miss Xue..."
The Queen Mother looked at her coldly and asked her, "Is what you said true?"
Yun Shuang shrank back: "I dare not lie!"
Suddenly, a deep sigh was heard, and Huo Wuyou's expression was quite sad. "Not only that, you also hid Yunshuang on the couch, causing Miss Ge, who wanted to show her concern for you, to fall and get injured. Miss Xue, you really got into big trouble."
Huo Zhiyu, who was standing by, didn't react for a moment when he heard this and even pushed him.
But Xue Zhiyi understood what she meant. She pretended to be surprised at first: "Miss Ge is injured?"
Then, she said to the Queen Mother with a serious expression, "But this matter was not done by Zhiyi! Regarding Yunshuang's confession, I also have a few questions to ask."
After the Queen Mother nodded, she said to Yunshuang, "Yunshuang, what you mean is that after drinking, I, a person who can't even stand steadily, was able to run all the way from the west wing to the study, smashing the objects in the study, and even you couldn't stop me?"
Yun Shuang explained guiltily, "Miss Third, you don't know that some people become extremely excited after being drunk. Even if I wanted to stop them, I couldn't!"
Hearing this, Xue Zhiyi smiled: "Yes, I was unconscious and extremely excited, but after injuring you, I was able to put you on the bed and cover you with a blanket."
Yun Shuang was speechless for a moment: "This servant... this servant didn't know anything after being knocked unconscious, but this servant dare not lie!"
Xue Zhiyi simply bowed to the Queen Mother and said, "Your Majesty, I know I can't remember anything after drinking. That's why anyone can fabricate my whereabouts during this period. I just don't know why I, who was in the pavilion far away from the study, became the most suspicious person just because of Yun Shuang's words."
But then Concubine Ge sneered, "Could it be that Miss Xue wants to say that these are all Yunshuang's lies? Yunshuang is someone close to me. Do you think that I am harming you?"
Xue Zhiyi bowed his head and said, "Your Highness dare not bring yourself to implicate the Imperial Concubine. What a palace maid does may not necessarily represent the Empress's wishes. Perhaps Yunshuang accidentally broke the Baixi bottle herself, and fearing the Empress Dowager's blame, she is putting the blame on your Highness."
An Zhaoyi sighed softly, "What could a drunk Miss Xue know? Your Majesty, please give Yun Shuang a thorough trial. Otherwise, people will think you're lax in your management of your subordinates, raising such a sinister palace maid. This will only tarnish your reputation."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ge glared at her, her chest heaving with anger. She had already lost Ge Yuanhui today and was also caught by An Zhaoyi's pigtails. If she couldn't prove Xue Zhiyi's guilt, she would be at a great loss!
She looked at Xue Zhiyi coldly: "If it is really as Miss Xue said, then who hurt Yun Shuang? Could it be herself?"
But Xue Zhiyi pretended to be frightened and said, "I was drunk and didn't know about this. I'm afraid we have to investigate thoroughly to find out who committed the crime in the palace."
The imperial concubine said, "Miss Xue, just because you said you didn't know anything doesn't mean you've cleared yourself of suspicion."
Xue Zhiyi knelt, her back straight. She thought for a moment and said, "It is indeed difficult for me to prove myself. I can't even explain where I went after I got drunk. But I believe that there are many palace maids in Jianzhang Palace, and someone must have seen me. If I can get someone to prove that I never went to the study, I can be cleared of the charges."
At this point, even the imperial concubine began to feel a little unsure. Could it be that Xue Zhiyi really had some witnesses?
At this moment, there was a thud and a person fell into the door with a cry.
Everyone looked over and saw that the precious young Master Huo had somehow fallen through the door like this and was lying on the ground, rubbing his butt and crying out in pain.
"What's wrong with you?" Huo Wuyou frowned in disgust.
Huo Wuhui held his waist and climbed up.
Just now, Ge Yuanhui was injured, which scared the Ninth Prince so much that he burst into tears. The Queen Mother had them both taken away, but Huo Wuhui couldn't sit still, so he lay outside the door to eavesdrop. As a result, he lost his balance and fell in.
The Queen Mother asked him, "Are you hurt? Is everything serious?"
Huo Wuyou carried him to her side: "It's okay, grandma, he has thick skin and flesh, he won't be hurt."
Huo Wuhui had no time to respond to his brother's words and quickly said, "Grandma, I just saw Sister Zhiyi."
The Queen Mother, who was furious because of what happened today, finally softened her expression upon hearing this: "You speak."
Huo Wuhui said, "When my ninth brother and I were flying kites, we saw Sister Zhiyi from afar in the corridor. She was walking very slowly and unsteadily, taking short breaks every now and then."
"In the corridor?" Huo Zhiyu asked him hurriedly, "How long has Sister Zhiyi been there?"
Huo Wuhui thought for a moment and said, "I don't remember either..."
Suddenly, he cried out in pain and held the head that was hit by his second brother.
Huo Wuyou pretended to hit him again: "Think about it carefully."
Huo Wuhui's face was wrinkled, and he felt very aggrieved, but he was still thinking seriously: "It took quite a long time. She even leaned on the railing to take a nap for a while. It was not until we asked Yunxue to ask Grandma and the Imperial Concubine to come and watch us fly the kite that we realized Sister Zhiyi had left."
Huo Zhiyu finally breathed a sigh of relief. "So, there's no way Sister Zhiyi, who can barely walk, could have walked from the study to the westernmost corridor of Jianzhang Palace in such a short time. Furthermore, the corridor is close to the West Wing. It's likely that Sister Zhiyi went out alone to sober up after lying down. Therefore, what happened in the study has nothing to do with Sister Zhiyi."
Xue Zhiyi said nothing, just knelt with his head lowered.
After climbing out of the back window of the study, she avoided the palace servants of Jianzhang Palace and left quickly, hoping to find witnesses for herself far away from the study.
It was her first time in Jianzhang Palace, and she was completely unfamiliar with its terrain. Fortunately, there were kites flying in the sky at that time. Since someone was flying a kite, she could look in the direction of the kite, so there must be someone there.
As expected, she saw the most suitable people to testify for her, Huo Wuhui and the Ninth Prince, so she pretended to be drunk and stayed there on purpose.
Listening to Huo Wuhui's testimony, Concubine Ge's teeth were about to break.
Then An Zhaoyi said, "It seems that Miss Xue is truly innocent, while Yunshuang is full of lies. Are you going to let her off lightly, Your Majesty?"
The imperial concubine's eyelashes trembled. She tried her best to keep her tone calm and forced a smile. "Wuhui, tell me, do you really remember that Miss Xue stayed there for a long time? Or was the person you saw really Miss Xue? Or someone dressed similarly? Think about it carefully."
Concubine Ge's smile sent chills down Huo Wuhui's spine. He avoided the creepy gaze and said, "Your Majesty, Wuhui is not mistaken. Ninth Brother also saw it."
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