LRAB Chapter 74 Framed
Chapter 74 Framed
After returning to the palace, the daily greetings resumed, and Shen Shixi went to Fengyi Palace.
It's time to go see some of the people I haven't seen in a long time.
Song Jieyu is still in her postpartum confinement period and cannot come.
When the Empress returned to the palace, she brought her back with her. The Emperor had never really interfered in matters of the harem.
She used to live in the main hall of Wangxian Palace, but has now moved to a side hall.
Consort Xian is still injured and cannot come.
Consort Pan has miscarried and is still in her postpartum period, so she can't come.
Xue Wanrong is finished; we don't need to mention her name anymore.
Consort Shun and Consort He are now just two memorial tablets, their fame fleeting and never making a ripple. Li Yuanke seems to be too unfriendly to the barbarian tribes; the people of Donghu and Xiqiang, including Prince Yanjun who escaped death, are still imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's jail.
The two tribes are sending envoys again to negotiate with the Great Zhou.
Jin Jieyu is still recovering from her injury.
Among the new concubines, only Shen Shixi, Xu Murong, Xie Tingwan, Zheng Ruojin, Su Fuying, Wang Yuehuai, Yuan Zhaoyue, and Li Sihe came. The last two were pregnant women; Li Sihe was carrying a large belly, while Yuan Zhaoyue was protecting her lower abdomen.
They were all quite proud of having a child born to a dragon.
Consort Qiong, Consort De, Consort Qing, Lady Fan, Consort Yuan, and Consort Guo are all veteran members of the group, and they have all come.
After exchanging greetings, the Empress first inquired about Consort Qiong's health, "How are you? I heard about what happened in your palace. I never imagined there could be such a vicious person there. Have you found anything?"
The day the poison was found, her people were sent to the Imperial Prison for severe interrogation. A second-class palace maid named Qiuping confessed that she was acting on the orders of Consort Xian. Consort Xian hated her for cooking stinky food in the palace every day and could no longer tolerate it, so she had someone poison her.
"I beg Your Majesty to do me justice! If Consort Xian hates that I have disturbed her, she can speak to me, or she can ask Your Majesty to move me to a remote palace. Why must you poison me to the point of insanity? Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, Consort Xian's actions are truly vicious!"
Consort Xian didn't come, but the head palace maid Fei Hua did, pleading for Consort Xian's innocence: "Your Majesty, Consort Xian is innocent! Consort Xian has never harbored any intention to harm anyone; this is absolutely untrue. We beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
Qiu Ping revealed the person who had been in contact with her at Jingfu Palace, a second-class palace maid named Si Liu.
The key point is that Si Liu confessed, revealing that it was Consort Xian who ordered her to find someone to poison Consort Qiong, leaving Consort Xian speechless.
Since this concerns Consort Xian, this matter is of great importance.
Consort Xian had her carried over, but she refused to acknowledge it no matter what.
In just a few days, Consort Xian looked much more haggard, but true beauty lies in appearance, not bone structure, and her haggard appearance only made her more pitiful.
The Empress invited Li Yuanke over, but she herself couldn't make up her mind. The trial itself was secondary; the key was that now that the witnesses and evidence were all there, how the Consort Xian should be dealt with would definitely have to be decided by the Emperor.
As soon as Li Yuanke arrived, Consort Xian hugged his leg and cried, "Your Majesty, I didn't! I've never had any intention of harming anyone! Your Majesty, if others don't believe me, do you not believe me either?"
Li Yuanke patted her shoulder, "Let me ask!"
Consort Xian finally calmed down, sobbing. Her tears, like spring apricot blossoms in the rain, were captivating to Shen Shixi.
[The Virtuous Consort is truly beautiful, so lovely that I feel pity for her! The crabapple blossoms in spring rain, the apricot blossoms in the misty haze, the willows swaying in the spring dew, the lotus flowers in autumn dew—what a beautiful picture of a woman suffering injustice!]
Li Yuanke glanced at Shen Shixi and asked, "You said that Consort Xian sent you to bribe people in Consort Qiong's palace to poison her?"
"Yes! Your Majesty, please spare me! It was Consort Xian who ordered me to do it; it had nothing to do with me!"
"You're talking nonsense! You heartless wretch! What have I ever done wrong to you that you would slander me like this!" Consort Xian was furious.
[Sigh, what's the use of saying this? Why not hurry up and find flaws to clear your name? We have a motive for murder, and the poison has been found; the key is the witness testimonies. Those are the easiest to break through!]
Li Yuanke looked at her again.
[What are you looking at me for? You want me to help your beauty? Dream on! If it were me, I'd interrogate these two separately, find out when, where, and how the transaction happened, compare their testimonies, and the truth would be revealed, wouldn't it?]
"Guards! Separate these two and interrogate them. Since it was Consort Xian who instructed them, find out exactly how she instructed them, how her people communicated with Consort Qiong's people, when, where, and what they said!"
"yes!"
Wu Zhan personally led the team to conduct the interrogation.
As a result, not long after, the palace maid named Siliu in Consort Xian's palace bit her tongue and committed suicide without saying a word.
Clearly, there are others behind this, but that doesn't mean Consort Xian's suspicions have been cleared.
Wu Zhan was filled with remorse, "I am guilty!"
Li Yuanke was indeed dissatisfied, but he didn't think it was a big deal. He comforted Consort Qiong, saying, "I will have the Empress keep an eye on it and continue the investigation! I know you've been wronged. I'll have someone give you some fresh food later."
If Li Yuanke had put his mind to it, how could he not have found out? He was just too lazy to bother.
As far as he was concerned, he didn't care about anything in the harem as long as it didn't involve him.
Song Jieyu's acacia seeds poisoned him, and the poisonous stones made him feel threatened, so he searched the entire harem.
No one has been killed yet.
Soon, Li Yuanke sent a large potato, as big as a grown man's fist, to Consort Qiong.
Consort Qiong found it strange, "Is this edible?"
"Yes, it was grown by the Emperor in the Qian Yuan Palace, and it's called a potato."
"How are we supposed to eat this?"
The little eunuch didn't know. "This... His Majesty didn't say, and we servants don't know either. His Majesty personally ordered people to dig it up. In the entire harem, Your Highness is the first to have one."
Concerned about this first serving, Qiongfei felt that even if she were poisoned and made stupid, it wouldn't matter. But she didn't know how to eat it, so she just looked at it.
"I've troubled you to make this trip. Go back and tell the Emperor that I will go to express my gratitude when he has some free time!"
Shen Shixi arrived at Cining Palace with his entourage. The Empress had just left, and the Empress Dowager was still feeling down.
Originally, there was good news from the harem that there were five imperial heirs, but two of them were lost. Although there is one more now, what is there to be happy about if someone like Xue Wanrong gives birth to a prince?
The Empress's health has also been damaged, which is not a good thing either.
"The Emperor's harem will never be peaceful again!" the Empress Dowager sighed. "The Empress is the eldest daughter of the Pei family, and was originally groomed by the Pei family to be the Empress, yet such a thing happened. In the end, it was due to their carelessness!"
A palace maid came to report, "Your Majesty, Consort Yuan from Zhaoyang Palace has come to pay her respects!"
"Quickly, invite her in!" the Empress Dowager urged.
Shen Shixi entered, followed by palace servants carrying baskets filled with corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers—a large basket of red and yellow vegetables.
The Empress Dowager asked, "Is this what you planted in your palace courtyard?"
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "The crops in my palace are not as good as those in Your Majesty's palace. These were picked by me from Your Majesty's palace. Today, I would like to borrow the Empress Dowager's small kitchen to make a few simple dishes. I have also invited Your Majesty to lunch to enjoy this year's new harvest together!"