vrcanaries Chapter 913: You are still pretending
Chapter 913: You are still pretending
Xiao Huizi scratched his head and said, "Replying to Her Majesty, Concubine Chen, as soon as I received the news, I immediately went to Zhongcui Palace to report it. I don't know the rest of the situation yet..."
"But you will know immediately when you arrive at the Yangxin Palace."
Shen Zhinian nodded, sat in the sedan chair and said nothing more.
Soon, her procession arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Shen Zhinian walked slowly into the hall and saw Su Quanye and a palace maid who was kneeling beside him, covered in scars and trembling.
Somehow, Shen Zhinian felt that the palace maid looked familiar, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen her before...
She retracted her gaze and bowed to Nangong Xuanyu behind the imperial desk: "Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty!"
When Nangong Xuanyu's eyes fell on Shen Zhinian, the coldness in his eyes quickly receded, and he said in a gentle voice: "No need to be polite."
"Give me a seat."
Shen Zhinian smiled slightly: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
After sitting down, her eyes fell on the kneeling palace maid, and she asked curiously: "Your Majesty, I just heard from Xiao Huizi that Su Quanye found the person who caused the trouble. Could it be this palace maid?"
Nangong Xuanyu nodded slightly.
Su Quanye said respectfully, "Replying to Her Majesty, there were many palace maids coming and going in the Imperial Garden yesterday, but not many of them spoke to the eldest princess."
"Since the eldest princess was unwilling to cooperate, I had no choice but to lead the Ministry of Punishment to investigate. I finally learned from other palace people that when the eldest princess was playing hide-and-seek with the children of the royal family and hiding in the rockery, this palace maid also passed by the rockery."
"After questioning, she confessed to the incident."
Hearing this, Shen Zhinian felt an even stronger weird feeling in his heart.
Since this maid dared to do this, she should have known that it was a capital crime. How could she be so careless and be seen in contact with the eldest princess?
However, these things are just Shen Zhinian's guesses after all.
She looked at the palace maid kneeling on the ground and asked slowly, "Your Majesty and the Queen Mother have issued strict orders that no one is allowed to inform the eldest princess of the death of Concubine Liu. Anyone who disobeys will be executed immediately!"
"Why would you risk your life to go to the princess and spread rumors?"
The maid's face was filled with fear. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Majesty, please forgive me! I really didn't mean it..."
"I have received favors from Concubine Liu before, so I wanted to tell Concubine Liu these things in a secluded place on the eldest princess' birthday yesterday. If she knows that the eldest princess is doing well, her spirit in heaven will rest in peace."
"I really didn't know that the eldest princess was playing hide-and-seek there. She would hear what I said..."
"I know I deserve to die, but I really didn't mean it... Please spare my life, Your Majesty! Please spare my life, Your Majesty!"
While begging for mercy, she kowtowed hard, and soon blood began to seep from her forehead.
However, who, having stayed in the palace for a long time, would believe such an obvious excuse?
Not only Shen Zhinian and Nangong Xuanyu, but even Su Quanye didn't believe it.
Nangong Xuanyu knew very well what kind of person Liu Shiqing was.
He looked down at the palace maid and sneered, "Liu has always been arrogant. Even the people who serve her have to be extremely careful on weekdays. How could she suddenly show kindness and lend you a hand?"
The maid's eyes flickered, and she continued, "Your Majesty, I dare not lie."
"One year, I accidentally bumped into a noble in the Imperial Garden. The noble was about to punish me, but Noble Liu passed by and saved me."
"I have always kept this kindness in my heart, which is why what happened yesterday happened..."
"Everything I said is true, please understand, Your Majesty!"
Su Quanye had already investigated all these things clearly: "Your Majesty, this matter did happen. It was just because... when you first ascended the throne, you favored that noble lady very much. Liu, who was still a noble concubine at that time, was furious and used this palace maid to beat that noble lady."
In other words, Liu Shiqing did not really want to save this palace maid.
This is in line with her personality.
However, although this incident was true, no one believed that the palace maid really said those words yesterday out of gratitude for Liu Shiqing's kindness.
If she was really grateful to Liu Shiqing, why didn't she do anything for Liu when Liu Shiqing was in trouble, and she didn't even visit him once?
Instead, they act like a saint after someone dies.
It's obvious that he has bad intentions!
Shen Zhinian glanced at Su Quanye and asked the question that she was curious about from the beginning: "Where does she work?"
Su Quanye bowed and said respectfully, "Her Highness, her name is Xin'er. She is a maid in the Yikun Palace and is responsible for serving Her Highness, Concubine Wang."
Shen Zhinian suddenly realized.
No wonder she felt Xin'er looked familiar when she first saw her.
However, although Xin'er worked in Yiku Palace, she was not the one who served Wang Pin closely. She had not seen her many times, so she did not have a deep impression of her.
Could it be that all these things were done by Wangpin?
But... it was precisely because the investigation went so smoothly that Shen Zhinian felt something was wrong...
At this time, Li Changde came in and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Wang is here."
Nangong Xuanyu said coldly: "Let her in!"
"Yes!"
Xin'er was just a little maid in the Yikun Palace. She couldn't even enter the princess' bedroom on weekdays, so the princess naturally wouldn't pay too much attention to her.
She was not taken away by the people from the Ministry of Punishment in the Yiku Palace, so Concubine Wang did not know that Xin'er was gone.
Seeing Su Quanye and Shen Zhinian were both there, Xin'er was also kneeling here with wounds all over her body. Combined with what happened in the harem in the past two days, Wangpin suddenly had a very bad premonition in her heart!
His Majesty summoned her to the Yangxin Palace at this time, and the look in his eyes when he looked at her was so cold. Was anything going to happen to her?
Wangpin could only take a deep breath, suppress the uneasy feeling in her heart, kneel down and salute respectfully: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty!"
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine Chen, may Your Majesty be blessed with good health!"
Nangong Xuanyu did not ask her to stand up.
Wangpin could only bite the bullet and asked in surprise, "I wonder why Xin'er in my concubine's palace is here?"
"Could it be that she has done something wrong and has displeased His Majesty and Concubine Chen?"
Nangong Xuanyu looked at Wang Bin coldly, his eyes full of inquiry: "At this point, you are still pretending!"
Wang Concubine was horrified: "Your Majesty, I really don't know what you are talking about!"
"Su Quanye!"
Hearing the emperor calling him, Su Quanye immediately said to Concubine Wang, "You don't know, Concubine Wang, the person who gossiped in front of the Grand Princess yesterday and caused chaos in the harem was none other than Xin'er in your palace!"