"Your Majesty, when this old servant went to Qingwan Palace, I saw this palace maid acting suspiciously." Zhao Zhongquan cupped his hands to Yun Beiye, and the eunuch behind him pushed a palace maid to the center of the hall.
"Greetings, Your Majesty..." A palace maid carrying a brown bundle on her shoulder knelt tremblingly on the ground, her head covered in sweat.
Yu Meiren looked closely and realized that this person was a palace maid from her Qingwan Palace.
【Ling'er?】
Ling'er was originally Consort Yu's personal maid. Today, she was supposed to come with Consort Yu to attend the first birthday banquet and serve her. However, Ling'er said that she was not feeling well, so Consort Yu told her to rest well in the palace and brought other maids to Anqing Palace.
Why is Ling'er in the main hall now? Wasn't she feeling unwell?
[How did he get caught by Eunuch Zhao? And why is he dressed like that? It looks like he's trying to escape in the dead of night.]
"Oh my, isn't this a palace maid from Qingwan Palace?" Consort Wan wiped her nose with a handkerchief and said in a soft voice.
"What are you doing carrying a bundle in the middle of the night? Have you done something wrong?!" Zhao Zhongquan shouted.
Ling'er knelt on the ground, biting her lip tightly, and remained silent.
"Raise your head! Speak quickly and tell the truth, or none of your Qingwan Palace members will escape!" Yun Beiye said coldly.
"Ah, this servant remembers! This lady did come to the Imperial Kitchen today to ask for a plate of pastries!" The eunuch in the Imperial Kitchen looked at Ling'er, pondered for a moment, as if recalling something, raised his delicate fingers and pointed at Ling'er, shouting loudly, pointing at Ling'er and accusing her.
"Speak! What exactly happened?!" Empress Zhaoyuan roared at the palace maid.
“Well, at that time, all these dishes were prepared and placed aside. I suspect that she put the drug on her when I was getting her some snacks!” said the eunuch from the Imperial Kitchen.
"What else do you have to say?!" Empress Zhaoyuan slapped Ling'er across the face.
"You shameless hussy, how could you be so heartless!"
"The little princess is the apple of His Majesty's and the Empress Dowager's eye, the apple of my eye. How could you be so heartless to treat such a young child?!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare my life! This servant was only following orders. It was Your Majesty, it was Consort Yu who ordered me to put yellow fruit powder in the corn soup, and then frame Consort De. This servant had no choice but to go!"
"If this servant does not go, Your Highness will send this servant to the Department of Strict Punishment!"
"You shameless hussy!" Consort De made a move to hit Ling'er, but was pulled back by a palace maid.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, spare my life!" Ling'er pleaded desperately.
Yun Beiye glared fiercely at Yu Meiren, "You have such a cruel heart!"
His lips trembled with anger. He couldn't imagine what he would do if something really happened to Duoduo.
He arranged so many people to protect her safety, but in the end, Duoduo was still repeatedly harmed and ambushed.
"Consort Yu, I have treated you well, how could you do such a thing?!" Consort De was furious. After hearing Ling'er's words, she turned to look at Consort Yu and pointed at her nose, scolding her.
"I trusted you so much that I entrusted you with all the big and small matters of this first birthday banquet, but I never expected that you would have such wicked thoughts!"
"Guards! Drag this vile woman and this slut away!" Yun Beiye interrupted Consort De's words. At this moment, he wished he could tear the poisoner to pieces and rip her apart.
"Here is a cup of poison; take your own life!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Meiren's head buzzed, and her heart skipped a beat.
Am I really going to die like this?
If I had known it would turn out this way, why bother planning all this in the first place? I've only become a pawn, doing all the work for someone else's benefit.
We can't let Consort Rong get away with this!
She suddenly turned her head to look at Consort Rong, and the sudden turn made her feel dizzy.
Consort Rong sat upright at the table, looking as if it were none of her business.
Yu Meiren slumped to the ground. [Yes, what evidence do I have? Accusing the concubines will likely only leave me without a proper burial.]
[Consort Rong, I will haunt you even in death!]
"Your Majesty, today is the little princess's first birthday banquet. Such bloodshed is perhaps inappropriate," Empress Zhaoyuan whispered in Yun Beiye's ear.
"Yes, the Empress is right." Yun Beiye nodded slightly.
"They were lucky this time. They were spared for the sake of the little princess."
"You may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment!"
"Throw Yu Meiren into the Cold Palace, and send this lowly maid to the Laundry Department!" Yun Beiye said coldly, his tone carrying an unyielding force.
"The head of the imperial kitchen and the palace maids and eunuchs involved shall each be slapped twenty times! As a warning to others!" Empress Zhaoyuan continued.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, please spare this servant!"
"We servants will never dare to do it again!"
Upon hearing that they would be punished, the palace maids and eunuchs pleaded desperately.
"What are you shouting about? His Majesty and the Empress have already been merciful. If you shout again, you'll get fifty slaps and twenty strokes of the cane!" Zhao Zhongquan shouted in a shrill voice. As soon as he shouted, the palace maids and eunuchs fell silent.
After all, compared to a slap of twenty, a slap of fifty plus a beating of twenty could really kill them.
Opening your mouth for twenty minutes will only cause your cheeks to be red and swollen for ten days or half a month. The pain is bearable. As long as you survive, everything will be fine.
"Consort De, you are hereby removed from your position as Assistant to the Empress Dowager and placed under house arrest for three months. No one is allowed to visit you without my decree!" Yun Beiye looked at Consort De, his eyes filled with deep disappointment.
"What are you all standing there for? Take them all away." Zhao Zhongquan glanced at the palace maids and eunuchs standing on both sides.
Several eunuchs came over and lifted Ling'er up.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, please spare this servant!" Ling'er cried out.
Yu Meiren remained silent, simply slumped on the ground, glaring fiercely at Rong Pin.
[What a shrewd person! The fertility-granting soup she mentioned in Consort De's bedchamber was probably a deliberate ploy to lure me into this trap.]
I was so stupid!
She clenched her fists tightly.
"Your Majesty, let me escort you back to the palace to rest." Yun Beiye saw that the Empress Dowager's face was pale and stepped forward to help her to her feet.
"Your Majesty, I'm leaving this matter to you." Yun Beiye nodded to Empress Zhaoyuan.
"Your Majesty, rest assured." After bowing to the Empress Dowager and Yun Beiye, Empress Zhaoyuan instructed the palace servants to begin.
Yu Meiren and Ling'er were dragged away by the palace servants, and the entire staff of the Imperial Kitchen were also dragged out. Soon, the sound of a crisp, loud slap and the cries of palace maids and eunuchs could be heard outside.
...
The remaining unrelated concubines walked out of Anqing Palace one by one, some gloating, some lucky to have escaped, their expressions varied.
"Your Majesty's methods are truly brilliant, killing two birds with one stone." Caiyue, the head maidservant beside Consort Rong, helped her walk towards Yong'an Palace, her eyes filled with admiration for her mistress.
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