Inside the main hall of Zhaochun Palace, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could drip from it.
On the first seat, Jun Zechen's handsome face was full of majesty. He closed his eyes slightly, as if suppressing his inner anger.
In the huge hall, only the rhythmic tapping of his slender fingers echoed in everyone's heart.
At this time, Anshun had already brought all the relevant people over.
The palace maid Ying'er fell down for no reason on the high platform, and Li Shangfu, who was responsible for the palace dress of Concubine Chunshu.
Anshun also called Chen Shangfu over. Although she was not responsible for the concubines' palace attire this time, she was a female official sent by His Majesty to assist the imperial concubine.
The imperial concubine, An Zhaorong and other concubines of higher status have been waiting in the main hall of Zhaochun Palace, and currently they don’t know what is happening with Concubine Chunshu.
Lin Ronghua, Ye Ronghua and other new concubines were waiting in the side hall.
His Majesty has ordered that no one be allowed to leave.
Li Shangfu on the side was at a loss. When her eyes inadvertently swept towards His Majesty, she would swallow her saliva constantly, and she felt uneasy as if she had done something wrong.
In contrast, Chen Shangfu was calm and composed, just watching everything with a slight sidelong glance.
Although the imperial concubine, An Zhaorong and other high-ranking concubines were in a high position, they could not hide their nervousness at this moment.
Miaoyun walked slowly over, pushing a hanger with palace dresses on it.
She knelt on her knees and bowed respectfully to the imperial concubine.
Then he raised his head, his face full of grief and anger.
"My Lady, my master has always been kind and generous in the harem and has never hurt anyone..."
"This palace dress was designed by the master herself for the Queen Mother's birthday banquet. She even sent the brocade gifted by His Majesty to the Shangfu Bureau to be used for the production of the dress, just to celebrate the Queen Mother's birthday. But now the fabric of this palace dress has become ordinary brocade."
Her voice trembled with anger and her eyes began to moisten.
After a pause, she continued with a choked voice, "That's fine, but why is the embroidery on the palace dress mixed with poisonous juice?"
The imperial concubine opened her eyes wide, looked innocent, and kept shaking her head.
The imperial concubine turned to look at Jun Zechen, but she only saw his deep eyes filled with coldness, which made her shiver involuntarily.
Sensing his indifference, the imperial concubine quickly explained, "Your Majesty, I absolutely did not tamper with Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress! I would never do such a thing!"
Then, the imperial concubine turned to Li Shangfu and questioned him harshly.
"Li Shangfu! I gave you the opportunity to prepare Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress. Why did this happen?"
When Li Shangfu heard the question, his whole body began to tremble.
She lowered her head, swallowed, and tried to calm her inner panic.
"Your Majesty, your Majesty, your Majesty..."
Li Shangfu's voice trembled a little. She took a deep breath and tried to make her tone sound calmer.
"When Concubine Chun Shu's palace sent the brocade to the Shangfu Bureau, a young palace maid took it over. The young palace maid may have forgotten to record it, and the palace maid who made the brocade for Concubine Chun Shu later was another one."
"Unbeknownst to her, she didn't use the brocade sent by Concubine Chun Shu, but instead used the brocade that came with Concubine Chun Shu's allotment."
After saying that, Li Shangfu's knees softened and he knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. I failed to manage the palace servants properly, which led to this mistake."
"But! The embroidery on Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress is poisonous, and this humble official had no idea!"
Jun Zechen's eyes were cold. Did she mean that Concubine Chun Shu's use of Yunjin exceeded her allowance and was extravagant?
When the imperial concubine heard this explanation, she couldn't help but feel relieved. As long as it was an unintentional mistake, it was fine.
Chen Shangfu, who looked calm on the side, pondered for a moment and said, "Li Shangfu, the brocade sent by Concubine Chunshu is recorded in the Shangfu Bureau. Is it possible that Li Shangfu didn't check it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Shangfu's body stiffened.
She didn't expect that Chen Shangfu would directly ruin her plan.
Although Chen Shangfu has not been in the Shangfu Bureau for long, she is well-known for her ability to organize account books and records.
What's more, for a concubine of such high rank as Concubine Chunshu, how could there be no record of the brocade she sent to the Shangfu Bureau?
If it is true as Li Shangfu said, that there is no record of the young palace maid who took over, then wouldn't all the responsibility be placed on that young palace maid?
Chen Shangfu naturally would not let such a thing happen.
Li Shangfu's heart was pounding and his eyes couldn't help but flicker.
Because Concubine Chunshu was a high-ranking concubine, the brocade in her allowance was already of the best quality. In addition, Li Shangfu felt that Concubine Chunshu would never offend the imperial concubine, so even if he knew that the Shangfu Bureau had swallowed up the Yunjin, he would not interfere.
The Imperial Concubine would care even less about the fabric of Concubine Chun Shu's palace dress. After all, the Imperial Concubine had clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with Concubine Chun Shu in front of Li Shangfu.
Use ordinary brocade instead of brocade, so that Concubine Chunshu's palace dress will not steal the limelight from Concubine Gui.
Li Shangfu was nervous and stuttered a little, "Chen Shangfu, your humble servant...your humble servant has never seen the record book."
Jun Zechen's cold gaze fell on Li Shangfu. He no longer wanted to listen to her explanation.
"Take him to the Ministry of Punishment!"
Li Shangfu opened his eyes wide, his body trembling uncontrollably, and cold sweat dripped down.
"Your Majesty, I plead guilty. I only gave the order to dress Concubine Chun Shu. I don't know how the subordinates did it."
Li Shangfu argued incoherently, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have not committed any crime against the Ministry of Punishment. It is only a crime of negligence!"
However, Jun Zechen was as cold as ice, showing no signs of wavering.
The eunuchs stepped forward and prepared to take Li Shangfu away.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
