"Yes, Your Majesty, please give me another incense stick of time. I will definitely uncover the truth," Chen Feng said respectfully. His eyes were firm, revealing confidence and determination. The emperor nodded slightly in agreement and waved his hand, signaling Chen Feng to proceed quickly. After receiving permission, Chen Feng immediately turned and left the hall.
At the same time, the Queen, sitting nearby, began to tremble uncontrollably in her hands and legs, unable to even hold the teacup steady. This sudden reaction attracted the attention of those around her, especially Caidie, who was standing next to the Queen.
Seeing the Queen's unusual behavior, Caidie quickly realized the seriousness of the matter and realized that the Queen might be involved. However, since the Queen did not let her participate, she could only pretend to be ignorant and deliberately play dumb so as not to reveal the Queen's secret.
Caidie carefully took the cup from the Queen's hand and asked with concern: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell? Do you want to ask the imperial physician to see you?" Her voice was full of worry and concern, hoping to ease the Queen's tension.
It turns out that this colorful butterfly is actually Caihong's younger sister! They both serve the Empress, but their personalities are completely different. Caidie is kindhearted and intelligent, but she knows the complexities and dangers of palace life, so she plays dumb to protect herself. In contrast, Caihong is more adept at catering to the Empress's preferences, earning her more personal attention. Today, Caihong is away on business, so the Empress has asked Caidie to serve closely.
The Queen clutched Caidie's hand tightly, as if it were her only hope. A fierce desire to survive surged within her. As her emotions gradually calmed, she realized she could no longer sit and wait for death. However, His Majesty's decree prevented her from leaving easily. Her mind raced, trying to find a reasonable excuse. Just then, Chen Feng hurried in, followed closely by a group of guards. They escorted Gu Xiangling and Xiao Guizi into the palace.
Jiang Meiyu's gaze was fixed on Gu Xiangling, a complex emotion flickering in her eyes. She saw Gu Xiangling, covered in scars, her hair disheveled, clearly tortured and struggling to even stand. Yet, Jiang Meiyu felt no pity for her, only disgust. She knew full well that it was Gu Xiangling's collusion with Qin Huaian in her previous life that had led to the catastrophic destruction of the original owner's family. She believed such a villain deserved death.
Xiao Guizi was not in a much better condition. Her clothes were stained with blood and her body was covered with scars. She looked very miserable.
"Your Majesty, Gu Xiangling and Xiao Guizi have both confessed. Here are the confessions. Please review them, Your Majesty." The guard handed the confessions to the emperor.
The emperor took the confession and read it carefully. As time went by, his face became more and more gloomy.
"What? This matter is actually related to the Queen and the Prince. Queen, you are so bold. I ordered you to assist in managing the six palaces, but you actually colluded with the concubines to drug me!" The emperor looked at the Queen angrily, with anger flashing in his eyes.
The Queen immediately knelt, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Your Majesty, I beg you to forgive me. I have loved you since childhood, but you have always distanced me from you. I don't know what I have done wrong to displease Your Majesty. Ever since Noble Consort Xian entered the palace, you have doted on her and loved her, which has made me deeply jealous. Since I cannot receive your love, is it wrong for me to want to keep my position as Queen?"
The emperor looked at the queen coldly, without a trace of sympathy in his eyes. "I chose you as my queen because of your family background, but I didn't expect you to be so unbearable. Not only can you not help me manage the harem, but you also do such a thing."
The queen cried and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please give me another chance."
The emperor said indifferently, "No need to say more. Come, banish the queen to the cold palace and never let her leave.
At this moment, Duke Deng stood up from his seat with a serious face, walked steadily to the center of the palace, knelt down, and apologized to the emperor sincerely: "Your Majesty, I really didn't expect that my daughter would be so unbearable. This is all due to my poor teaching. I hope Your Majesty will punish me!" The emperor naturally understood the deep meaning of Duke Deng's move. He knew that Duke Deng did this to stop him from continuing the investigation, so as not to find out about his son and involve more things.
At this moment, Chen Feng continued to report, "Your Majesty, after an in-depth investigation, I have discovered that the little princess's poisoning is closely related to the Empress. The Empress's personal maid, Caihong, has been captured, but she insists that the poisoning of the little princess was a personal act, intended only to help the Empress, and that the incident has nothing to do with the Empress."
Upon hearing this, Duke Deng's face instantly turned pale as paper. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his lips quivered slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, no sound came out. Despair filled his heart, knowing that his daughter was beyond saving. So, he bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I had no idea that my daughter was so cruel and ruthless that she actually murdered the little princess. Please grant her a cup of poisoned wine to atone for her sin."
When the Queen heard this, her heart went cold. Her eyes widened in disbelief. She murmured to herself, "Father, you..." She finally understood that Duke Deng had completely abandoned her in order to protect her and her brother.
The ministers below sighed, expressing regret and helplessness at Duke Deng's decision. Qin Huaian remained kneeling on the ground, his head bowed, not daring to utter a single breath. He knew that once the emperor dealt with the empress, he would be next.
The Duke of Qin was a wise man. He knew his son had committed a grave error, and if he didn't admit it, the consequences would be disastrous. Therefore, before the emperor could even speak, he knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty, Huai'an has always been well-behaved and sensible. He must have been instigated by someone to commit such an unforgivable crime. Please, for the sake of the late emperor, spare his life." He kowtowed repeatedly, hoping to gain the emperor's forgiveness.
The emperor knew that Qin Huaian was not a threat at the moment, so he said, "Prince, you colluded with the concubines in the harem, which is a serious crime. You also ordered Xiao Guizi to drug me, which is a capital crime. However, considering that your father once made great military achievements for Dayan, I will now spare your death sentence, but you will not be able to escape the punishment of life. You will be stripped of your title of Prince, demoted to a commoner, and you will not be allowed to enter the capital for the rest of your life."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace," said the Duke of Qin gratefully.
"I thank the emperor for not killing me." Qin Huaian kowtowed repeatedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com