The Empress Dowager frowned.
The Empress continued, "It was An Xue who said she saw Princess Weiyang knock her and Consort Xiao unconscious."
The Empress Dowager was startled and looked at Feng Anxue, "Xue'er, are you sure you haven't mistaken her for someone else?"
Feng Anxue stepped forward, curtsied, and calmly said, "Your Majesty, I cannot be mistaken. The person I saw before I was knocked unconscious was Princess Weiyang."
The Empress Dowager looked at Mu Chenshuang with a deep gaze and asked, "Shuang'er, what is your explanation?"
Mu Chenshuang replied calmly, "Your Majesty, yesterday Granny An came to me and said that Your Majesty summoned me."
The Empress Dowager glanced at Granny An with surprise.
Granny An looked puzzled and panicked, and hurriedly explained, "Princess, the Empress Dowager did not summon you yesterday, and I have been in Cining Palace the whole time and have not gone out."
An Mama's words secretly pleased Xiao Qingyu, but her eyes were filled with extreme grievance as she said, "Princess, I know you have always been dissatisfied with me. You can scold me to my face as you please, but how could you frame me and ruin my reputation? You might as well just kill me with one blow."
Xiao Qingyu's shoulders trembled slightly, her eyes glistening with tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Her words dampened the atmosphere.
Feng Anxue looked at Mu Chenshuang and said sternly, "Princess Weiyang, what other excuses do you want to make? How dare you spread rumors in front of the Empress Dowager? Tell the truth, why did you frame Consort Xiao?"
The Empress Dowager's gaze toward Mu Chenshuang became serious.
Mu Chenshuang remained unfazed, her calm and composed demeanor unchanged despite Feng Anxue's aggressive advances.
She slowly began to speak, “Your Majesty, it was indeed Granny An who took me to Nuanxin Pavilion yesterday. She said that Your Majesty’s legs have been uncomfortable recently, and the imperial physician suggested that you take more natural medicinal baths. At the time, I did not suspect anything, so I went to Nuanxin Pavilion. But when I arrived at Nuanxin Pavilion, I did not see you. Instead, I was drugged and knocked unconscious by a sleeping potion.”
An Mama was filled with fear because of Mu Chenshuang's words. She hurriedly knelt in front of the Empress Dowager and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, this old servant has never left Cining Palace. The palace maids can testify for this old servant. How could this old servant have taken Princess Weiyang to Nuanxin Pavilion and drugged her?"
After all, this involves whether she has framed the Crown Prince's concubine, a responsibility she cannot afford.
Feng Anxue sneered and looked at Mu Chenshuang, "Princess Weiyang, you made excuses first, and now you're framing others in front of the Empress Dowager, trying to drag others down with you. You really don't respect the Empress Dowager and the Empress. When did the people of the Jingbian Marquis's Mansion become so arrogant? Will they not even respect His Majesty in the future?"
"An Xue," the Empress interrupted sternly, "watch your words!"
Feng Anxue raised her eyes to meet the Empress's gaze without fear and said, "Your Majesty, I am telling the truth. I have long heard that Princess Weiyang has been bullying others and acting arrogantly and domineeringly by relying on her military merits. Now she has disregarded the law and framed Consort Xiao, ruining her reputation. If she is not punished severely today, wouldn't the dignity of the royal family and the law become a joke?"
As Feng Anxue finished speaking, her tone became more forceful and imposing, determined to make Mu Chenshuang pay the price she deserved.
The Empress had no reason to refute her explanation.
The Empress Dowager's expression was also unpleasant. She asked, "Shuang'er, Granny An said she had been in Cining Palace the whole time, but who can testify that Granny An took you to Nuanxin Pavilion?"
Not many people saw Granny An take Mu Chen Shuang away yesterday, and besides, not everyone knows which palace she belongs to. Unless you are paying special attention to Mu Chen Shuang, it would be hard to notice that Granny An took her away.
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