vrcanaries Chapter 1277 The slave was forced
Chapter 1277 The slave was forced
Her legs went limp and she fell to her knees with a thud, shaking so much she couldn't utter a word...
Seeing this scene, Nangong Xuanyu's face was as gloomy as water. There was no need to ask any more questions. He said sternly: "Su Quanye, go check it out immediately!"
"Slave, you obey!"
Su Quanye took the order and left quickly with the people from the Ministry of Punishment.
Not long after, Su Quanye came back, followed by two eunuchs from the Ministry of Punishment and three young eunuchs with pale faces and skinny bodies.
The eunuch uniforms they wore were washed pale, forming a stark contrast to the respectable clothes worn by the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace.
As soon as the three entered the hall, they were frightened by the scene inside and fell to their knees.
Their heads were hung very low, as if they wanted to shrink into the cracks in the ground, and their thin shoulders were shaking violently.
Su Quanye said, "Raise your head and answer your Majesty's words!"
The three of them shuddered with fear and raised their faces tremblingly.
These were three faces, still fresh from their childishness, yet worn dull and bleak by the cruelty of the imperial palace. Their eyes were filled with fear and bewilderment, like young beasts straying into the hunting grounds.
Nangong Xuanyu's eyes swept over their shabby clothes and frightened expressions, his brows furrowed even tighter. He said in a deep voice, "I want to ask you, what Xiao Liuzi said, that Eunuch Zhang withheld your wages, causing you to suffer from hunger and cold and unable to perform your duties, is this true?"
Upon hearing this, the three young eunuchs trembled even more violently, their lips shaking, but they were so frightened that they could not make a sound and could only kowtow desperately.
Su Quanye said coldly from the side, "When His Majesty asks questions, answer truthfully! If you tell even a single lie, you'll be in trouble!"
The older eunuch on the far left seemed a bit braver. After being frightened, he finally cried out in a sobbing voice, "Your Majesty... It's true..."
"Eunuch Zhang, he always keeps a good portion of the monthly allowance... he says, he says it's for the aunt above him..."
"The rest will only be distributed among the servants... It's not even enough... It's not enough to keep them well fed and clothed..."
The young eunuch in the middle also began to sob, his voice as thin as a mosquito: "The cotton clothes and quilts issued to the servants were also the leftovers from Eunuch Zhang. They are thin and torn... They can't keep out the cold at all..."
"The servants' hands and feet all got frostbite, it was itchy and painful, and when we were sweeping and cleaning... I really, really didn't have the strength to do it..."
The one on the far right, who looked the youngest, was already in tears, his words were incoherent, and he could only kowtow repeatedly and cry out, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"
"We didn't mean to do this... We were just too hungry to bear the consequences... Please spare our lives, Your Majesty..."
Their confessions were fragmentary but simple, and more convincing than any carefully woven lies.
The pale faces caused by long-term hunger, the worn and thin clothes, the fingers that are still red and swollen due to the cold... all of them silently prove their miserable situation.
Ruoli, who was kneeling beside them, listened to these accusations. His face turned from pale to ashen, and his body trembled even more violently.
She never cared about the lives of these low-ranking eunuchs. The money they withheld was just icing on the cake for her. She never thought that it would lead to such a disaster!
Eunuch Zhang was dragged onto the cold floor by the eunuchs from the Ministry of Punishment like a dead dog, and he was already scared out of his wits.
At this moment, he used his hands and feet to crawl forward a few steps, and his forehead hit the gold brick heavily, making a dull "dong dong" sound, accompanied by a terrified cry: "Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me!"
"This slave deserves to die! This slave deserves to die a thousand times!"
Eunuch Zhang's face was covered with tears, and his voice was filled with fear: "But, but there is nothing I can do..."
"It's all...it's all Miss Ruoli's fault! It was Miss Ruoli who asked me to do this!"
He suddenly raised his bloodied forehead and pointed his trembling fingers at Ruoli, who was lying limp on the ground. As if he had grasped the last straw, he confessed eagerly, "It's Miss Ruoli!"
"She, she always hints to me... saying that the palace expenses are high and everyone needs to be managed, and asking me to be more 'sensible'..."
"If I don't give her some silver and jewelry as a filial gift from time to time, she will dismiss me from my post and send me to the Xinzheku to die!"
"Most of the money I presented as a tribute went into Miss Ruoli's pocket!"
"I withheld my servants' wages, but she forced me into this situation!"
"If I can't satisfy the lady's appetite, I won't be able to survive!"
Eunuch Zhang cried out loudly, as if he was the victim: "I am just a lowly steward, how dare I disobey Miss Ruoli?"
"She, she is the most favored maidservant in front of the Imperial Concubine! If I offend her, will I still have a chance to survive in Changchun Palace?"
"Your Majesty, please understand! Your Majesty, please understand!"
While wailing, he turned to Noble Concubine Zhuang and kowtowed: "Noble Concubine, please spare my life! I have failed to live up to your trust! But I... I was forced to do this!"
This confession, like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube, mercilessly poured all the dirty water and blame on Ruoli.
He deliberately blurred the malicious intent of his corruption and portrayed himself as a poor wretch who was coerced by his superiors and had no choice but to do so in order to survive.
Every word that Eunuch Zhang cried out was trying to emphasize that the real culprit was the greedy and bullying palace maid Ruoli!
These words completely shattered the last hope in Concubine Zhuang's heart...
She felt dizzy and all her excuses seemed pale and powerless at this moment.
She had planned everything, but she had never expected that she would fall into such a trivial corruption case and be dragged into the abyss by her most trusted palace maid!
Concubine Zhuang knew that she would not be able to escape unscathed today...
Everyone's gaze fell on Ruoli, the once glorious head palace maid, as if they were looking at a dead person.
Who could have imagined that the shocking death of the royal heir was caused by a palace maid in charge who was greedy for petty profits and appointed villains to positions of power.
Although no one dared to speak loudly, suppressed whispers and exchanged glances were everywhere.
Several lower-ranking concubines standing in the back row couldn't help but cover their mouths with handkerchiefs and whispered, "I can't believe it... The Imperial Concubine is usually a devout Buddhist, with a compassionate heart. How could the maid-in-charge under her be so harsh to her servants?"
"Isn't it? Look at those young eunuchs, they are as thin as firewood sticks. How long have they been hungry..."
"Alas, it's true that you can only judge a person by his appearance but not by his heart."
"The Imperial Noble Consort is in charge of the six palaces. Although the rules are strict, the servants are at least well fed and clothed. How could such a thing as working on an empty stomach have ever occurred, leading to such a disaster?"
"..."
Of course, there were a few people who tried to defend Concubine Zhuang, but their voices lacked confidence: "You can't say that."