"Aunt, wasn't all of this... wasn't it all at your behest?! You made me do it!"
Consort Hui's desperate and reckless pleas were like a black lightning bolt, cleaving the seemingly settled sky at the silkworm-rearing ceremony!
This is absolutely shocking!
The entire mulberry grove fell into a deathly silence once again.
If the revelation that Consort Hui was the mastermind was already shocking enough, then the fact that it was revealed earlier was already enough to shock everyone.
Now, Consort Hui's accusation has instantly escalated the nature of this conspiracy from "concubines vying for favor" to an unimaginable and terrifying level!
Empress Dowager...
The current Empress Dowager is actually... the mastermind behind this vicious conspiracy?!
This realization was like a magnitude 12 earthquake, stirring up a tidal wave in everyone's heart!
Everyone's gaze unconsciously shifted from the seemingly insane Consort Hui to the Empress Dowager, who had been sitting upright the entire time but whose face was now so dark it could drip water!
Those gazes were no longer filled with the respect and fear of before.
Instead, it was filled with... doubt, shock, and... a hint of barely concealed fear.
Empress Dowager Wang felt all the blood in her body rush to her head in that instant!
Her mind went blank, almost exploding!
idiot!
What an absolute idiot!
She was so angry that she trembled all over, her nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms, but she felt no pain at all.
She never imagined that the pawn she had carefully chosen, the one she thought was the most docile and obedient, would turn around and bite her at the most crucial moment!
And it was such a fatal bite!
In front of all the civil and military officials, as well as members of the imperial family and nobles, she openly and ruthlessly revealed herself as the mastermind behind it all!
Now, all his previous attempts to distance himself and stay out of it have become a huge joke!
"Aunt! Please speak to me! Please save me!"
Consort Hui was still on the ground, crawling frantically toward her like a maggot, trying to grasp at her last straw.
"You said it yourself! As long as the Empress is overthrown, you will promote me to the rank of Imperial Concubine! You will also request that my daughter be granted the title of Princess! These... these are all promises you made to me personally! You can't go back on your word!"
With each word she spoke, the Empress Dowager's expression grew increasingly grim.
Every time she called out "Aunt," it was like a resounding slap across the face of the Empress Dowager, making her hypocritical mask tremble and crumble.
The atmosphere inside the main hall was extremely oppressive.
Everyone held their breath and waited.
The question remains: how will this powerful empress dowager deal with this most fatal betrayal from "her own people"?
At the heart of this storm, the emperor who had remained silent until now, Xiao Che, finally moved slowly.
He didn't look at Consort Hui, who was completely insane, lying on the ground.
He simply turned his cold, emotionless phoenix eyes quietly toward his mother, who sat in the main seat with a livid face and a stiff body.
He remained silent.
But his eyes said it all.
Lin Wanwan secretly glanced at the top of his head.
As expected.
That familiar, mischievous "eating melon.jpg" meme has resurfaced.
This time, however, the content of the emojis has been upgraded.
It was a tiny figure, sitting in the front row of the movie theater, carrying a small stool. In its hands were not only popcorn but also a super-sized cup of cola. Its face wore an expression that said, "I'll just quietly watch you show off."
Next to it was a line of flashing large text.
[Let's see how you act this time.gif]
Lin Wanwan almost burst out laughing.
She knew that Xiao Che, like her, was waiting.
Just wait and see how this arrogant empress dowager will... carry out her second "tearful execution of Ma Su" after being cornered.
Under Xiao Che's cold, oppressive gaze, and amidst the inquiring and suspicious stares of the surrounding officials, Empress Dowager Wang finally, slowly, slowly closed her eyes.
She knew she had no way out.
admit?
No, absolutely not!
Once she admits it, she will not only be disgraced, but she will also completely lose the emperor's trust and all her power in the palace and even in the court!
She absolutely cannot ruin everything for such a foolish and useless pawn!
When she opened her eyes again, all the panic and anger in her well-maintained phoenix eyes had disappeared.
Instead, there is a chilling, bone-chilling... ruthlessness and decisiveness!
She suddenly stood up from her throne!
She pointed at Consort Hui, who was still on the ground, crying and begging for help, and her face instantly filled with tears!
The expression of heartbreak and betrayal by loved ones was performed even more realistically and with greater intensity than at the birthday banquet last time!
"Nonsense!"
Her voice trembled violently with "extreme grief," filled with sobs.
"Chen! You...you vicious woman!"
"I...I ask myself, have I treated you well? Because you are a distant relative of my royal family, I have always helped you and looked after you! But you...you dare to be so heartless and insane! Not only did you plot to harm the Empress, an unforgivable crime, but now you even dare to...you even dare to slander me and falsely accuse me!"
Her tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.
She looked at Consort Hui with eyes full of disappointment and pain, and said, word by word:
“Our Wang family has been loyal and virtuous for generations! How… how could we have produced such a wicked, shameless… wicked creature like you!”
These words were spoken with tears streaming down his face, yet with righteous indignation.
She not only absolved herself of all responsibility, but also conveniently brought up the Wang family's reputation for "loyalty and virtue."
Lin Wanwan was so impressed by her superb acting skills that she wanted to applaud her.
Consort Hui, who was on the ground, was completely stunned after hearing these words.
She stared in disbelief at the woman standing in the high position, her face "griefed," but her eyes were actually cold.
she……
She's denying it?
Not only did she deny it, but she also... turned around and pinned all the blame on herself?
A bone-chilling cold instantly swept over Consort Hui's entire body.
She finally realized that, from beginning to end, she was just a ridiculous pawn that could be sacrificed at any time.
However, the Empress Dowager's performance was not over yet.
She knew that simply distancing herself from the situation wasn't enough.
She had to adopt a more resolute stance to completely dispel the emperor's and officials' suspicions.
So she slowly turned around and looked at Xiao Che on the dragon throne with her red, tearful eyes.
She faced him, slightly bending her knees, her voice carrying a hint of resolute determination, as if she were "sacrificing family for the greater good."
"His Majesty."
"Such a vicious woman, who intends to wreak havoc on the harem, is of no use to us!"
"Your Majesty, please handle this according to the law! Punish them severely without leniency!"
She paused, then, in an almost tragic tone, added, word by word:
"There's no need... to consider my feelings!"
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