"She cleaned up all the poisoned water and then committed suicide."
The Queen Mother never expected that a palace maid would dare to do such a heinous thing, and her face looked extremely ugly.
Jun Zechen's lips curled up into an extremely cold smile.
"It's really done perfectly."
Jun Zechen turned the teacup on the table, and his sinister eyes slowly swept over the concubines who all lowered their heads.
"If the truth is not revealed, all the concubines in the harem will be buried with the queen."
Jun Zechen's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting the concubines' hearts hard. They all looked panicked and hurriedly stood up and knelt on the ground again.
His voice trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, please calm down."
The Queen Mother frowned, her face full of dissatisfaction, and said sternly: "Emperor!"
How can such heartless words be spoken so easily?
But Jun Zechen was not moved at all and turned a deaf ear to the Queen Mother's angry shouts.
"Anshun, I give you seven days to discover the cause of the Queen's poisoning. If Anshun can't find the answer within seven days, you will all be buried with the Queen. If the culprit is found after seven days, the entire family will be executed!"
Jun Zechen's eyes were like knives, sharp and ruthless.
"During these seven days, if any of you have any clues or evidence, please submit them as soon as possible. If you have anyone you want to incriminate, please tell Anshun. When the time comes, I will show no mercy!"
His voice echoed in the hall.
The seven concubines were trembling at this moment. Their life and death depended on just a word from His Majesty.
Lin Miaoyin's face was full of surprise and her heart was full of disbelief. Is His Majesty so cruel to them?
She's pregnant with his child!
"Your Majesty, I am pregnant with the royal heir."
Lin Miaoyin's voice was filled with tears and her delicate body was shaking.
Jun Zechen's fierce eyes instantly fell on Lin Miaoyin like a sharp sword.
"So you were jealous of the Queen giving birth to a legitimate son, and therefore you poisoned her?"
"No, Your Majesty, I dare not. It was not my doing."
Lin Miaoyin collapsed to the ground in fear, tears streaming down her face.
Tang Suxi originally thought that she could escape the disaster because of the royal heir, but seeing His Majesty's ruthless and cold-blooded look, her heart sank.
Ye Yaqin never expected that His Majesty would be so desperate.
Many of these concubines are from famous families. Does Your Majesty really not care about his own reputation?
No, perhaps it was just that the Queen passed away suddenly today, and Your Majesty found it difficult to accept it for a while, and was so heartbroken that he lost his mind and said such decisive words.
Once this news gets out, the powerful ministers in the court will definitely not allow Your Majesty to act so recklessly.
In a few days, when His Majesty calms down, he will surely revoke his order.
Ye Yaqin kept comforting herself in her heart, telling herself that she must not panic now, she must be careful and must not let His Majesty find out about her.
Jun Zechen looked coldly at the concubines kneeling on the ground with panicked faces, and felt extremely annoyed.
His eyes were full of disgust, as if he was looking at a group of worthless ants.
"For these seven days, everyone must stay in their own palaces and are not allowed to communicate or have any contact with the outside world."
His voice sounded like a sentence from hell, without a trace of emotion.
"Everyone retreat!"
The empress dowager looked at the emperor's cold and ruthless expression, her lips moved but she didn't know how to speak.
Only after all the concubines had left did the Queen Mother speak slowly, with a hint of worry in her voice.
"Emperor, if you haven't found the real culprit in seven days, are you really going to kill them? Concubine De (Lin Miaoyin) and Tang Ronghua (Tang Suxi) are both pregnant with the royal heir. If you say that, won't you be branded as cruel and merciless right after ascending the throne?"
The Queen Mother advised earnestly that she knew the Emperor was extremely sad at the moment, but the Queen had already passed away, so the real murderer should be found out. How could he kill innocent people so indiscriminately?
"This is my palace. If someone dares to kill the Queen, I wonder if someone will be so bold as to kill me one day."
The voice was suppressed and angry. If the queen mother was not still beside him, Jun Zechen would almost be unable to control his violent emotions.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. I have made up my mind."
His attitude was firm and there was no room for maneuver.
"Mother, please go back."
The empress dowager knew that no matter how she tried to persuade the emperor, he would not listen, so she changed the subject.
"The Queen died so suddenly, but according to the rules, a funeral should be held. Today, I will announce the Queen's death to the court and beyond. What arrangements will the Emperor make?"
When Jun Zechen heard the words "suspended funeral" and "announcement of death", the emotions he had been suppressing erupted like a volcano again.
"The Queen is not dead!"
His eyes were red and his hands were clenched into fists.
"Emperor! If you don't stop the funeral, the Empress's body will rot over time. Do you want the Empress to have no peace even after death?"
The Queen Mother also raised her voice.
Jun Zechen closed his eyes tightly, frowning as if he was in great pain.
"She loves beauty so much, how could she wish for her body to rot? I will build her an ice coffin and place her in an underground ice chamber, allowing her body to remain forever."
His voice trembled slightly, was very soft and low, and was filled with deep attachment and reluctance.
This winter, an underground ice palace will be built for her. She likes luxury and power, and she would be scared to go alone to a gloomy and terrifying place like a mausoleum.
The empress dowager looked at the emperor in shock, not knowing what to say for a moment.
He could only sigh deeply, shake his head, and leave Kunning Palace.
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