Sure enough, there were large wine stains on his collar.
The emperor naturally agreed and asked someone to lead Helian You to change his clothes.
Before leaving, Helian You and Wu Lifei's eyes met quietly, making it difficult to notice.
Accidents happened one after another, making people feel an indescribable strangeness, as if there was some undercurrent surging, but they couldn't put their finger on it.
Concubine Li's expression was serious, and she acted like a chaplain, saying, "As Marquis Lin'an said, what is there to worry about while you're in the palace? It's just that the girl got a little carried away playing around, and she might be back soon."
Concubine Ge also said, "Xue Zhiyi, who usually stays by the Empress Dowager's side, is also missing. I believe she is currently serving the princess. This servant is loyal. She once risked her life to save the princess when she fell into the water. Having her around makes us feel more at ease."
These little incidents did not attract much attention and the banquet continued.
But Helian You did not return for a long time, and the emperor was worried, so he asked Peng Hui to send people to look for him.
Seeing this, Concubine Ge smiled maliciously and said, "Princess Anle hasn't returned yet, so even if we met her, we can't say for sure where she is."
An Zhaoyi took advantage of the situation and said, "So, there's no guarantee that we'll meet Miss Yuan Hui, right?"
Concubine Ge remained silent, feeling that she was asking for trouble.
From an angle where no one could see, Concubine Wu Lifei twisted her fingers under her sleeves, a flash of guilt in her eyes: I'm sorry, Princess, if she had no other choice, she wouldn't want to do this...
But at this moment, a commotion broke out. Several eunuchs were seen pinning down a palace maid dressed as a servant, shouting and cursing, "You lowly creature! How dare you barge into the banquet without permission!"
The servant was still screaming heartbreakingly: "Your Majesty, help! Princess Anle is in trouble! This servant dare not hide it!"
As if by thunder and lightning, everyone looked in that direction.
The Queen Mother stood up anxiously: "Let her in!"
I saw the servant palace maid being brought forward.
The emperor asked her coldly, "You said the princess is in trouble? What kind of trouble is that? If you don't tell the truth, I will sentence you to death."
The maid huddled together, her voice trembling, "I... I found a pearl flower belonging to the princess by the Taiye Lake. I'm worried that she has already fallen into the water!"
"It's just a pearl flower." Concubine Ge's face was serious, but her eyes showed understanding. "How can you conclude that the princess fell into the water and it wasn't lost by accident?"
The maid kowtowed heavily and said, "Reporting to the Imperial Concubine, this is what I originally thought, but I just heard that the person following the princess is Xue Zhiyi. I am worried that she will attack the princess again!"
"Xue Zhiyi is from Jianzhang Palace. Why would she harm the princess?"
It was Huo Wuyou who spoke. His still lazy tone was tinged with a rare, undisguised murderous intent. He sneered, "I'm afraid life in the imperial court was tough, and he got mad but couldn't see a doctor in time. Now he's even gone crazy at the banquet."
Concubine Ge only glanced in his direction, then said to the maid, "What do you mean by 'once again'?"
The maid quickly recited the following words, as if receiving some instructions: "In the past, when the Xue Mansion was still in existence, Xue Zhiyi saved the princess from drowning, earning her the Empress Dowager's favor. But this servant knows that all of this was done deliberately by Xue Zhiyi. She pushed the princess into the water and then rescued her, hoping to gain merit in the eyes of the Empress Dowager!"
As she spoke, she kowtowed again: "I dare not lie, everything I said is true!"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Ge responded with a righteous tone, "How could a mere servant like you know what happened in the Xue Mansion? I'm afraid you're trying to frame someone close to the Empress Dowager!"
The maid raised her head at this moment and said, "I know this because I saw it with my own eyes. When Xue Zhiyi was plotting to murder the princess, I happened to see it, but I didn't dare to say anything at the time!"
The moment she raised her head, the women at the table were already exclaiming in surprise.
The imperial concubine asked her sternly, "Who are you?"
The maid's lips trembled as she shouted, "I am Xue Panrou, a maid in the Ye Ting Palace. My father is the criminal Xue Zhentong, the second sister of Xue Zhiyi!"
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