klisemfg Chapter 364: Suffering the consequences of one's own actions?!
Chapter 364: Suffering the consequences of one's own actions?!
Chapter 364: Suffering the consequences of one's own actions?!
Xie Run suddenly looked up at Xiao Shu: "Who do you think is the murderer behind this?"
Xiao Shu was stunned and swallowed unconsciously, "Your Majesty, do you really want to listen to what this servant has to say?"
Xie Run nodded slightly: "There are only three of us, you don't have to worry too much."
Xiao Shu lowered her voice and said, "I think it's Gong Cainu from the cold palace."
Hearing this name again, Xie Runren was a little dazed, and it took him a moment to realize that Xiao Shu was talking about Fang Yuaner.
Even though she had been demoted from Chongyi to Cainu and lived in seclusion in the cold palace for the rest of her life, she still could not live without the word "respect".
Xie Run sighed for a moment, then said, "Tell me why you guessed that?"
Xiao Shu said in a clear voice, "It's hard to guess why Wu Baolin was drugged. There were many people in the Six Palaces at the time, and she had a conflict with Ye, so everyone suspected that it was Ye's doing, but in fact, there were many people who could have done this to her."
"But it's easy to guess that Concubine Sun was being plotted against in the palace."
"The Empress was unwell at the time, so she asked you and Concubine Sun to take charge of the palace affairs."
"Your Majesty, you were so focused on the Empress's health and the Fifth Prince that you didn't have time to care about anything else. Concubine Sun, on the other hand, enjoyed a period of popularity and attracted quite a bit of attention."
"Princess Sun has been a concubine since she entered the palace. With a good family background and the Emperor's favor, it's inevitable that she poses a threat to some people..."
"Among the concubines, Concubine Jiang was crippled after her miscarriage. Concubine Li never got involved in the affairs of the harem. During that chaotic time, she was busy protecting the Third Princess and probably had no time to harm anyone. Concubine Hua is not even worth mentioning. The only suspect is Concubine Fang at the time."
"According to the time, Concubine Wan was already 'dead' and could not reach the backyard of the palace. Only Concubine Fang, who left the palace with the emperor, was ignored."
Although Fang Yuan'er is not in the palace, it does not mean that she cannot reach the palace.
The connections and informants she has cultivated in the palace over the years can do a lot for her.
"Although Gong Cainu wasn't at the palace at the time, she was able to instruct her personal maid to quietly carry the Third Prince out of the palace. This shows that she had actually made a lot of arrangements in the palace."
Dan Tao also echoed, "Concubine Fang is the most ambitious person. I still remember that before she left the palace, she was confined by the Emperor and stayed quiet for a long time."
For someone like Fang Yuaner, the quieter they are, the more wrong they seem.
However, there were waves of chaos in the mansion at that time, so everyone ignored Fang Yuaner's abnormality.
Xiao Shu continued, "It's possible that Concubine Sun had doubts about Gong Cainu, but at that time, Gong Cainu lost the Third Prince, which diverted everyone's attention."
"But think about it carefully. Apart from Gong Cainu, who else in the palace at that time was so resourceful and could have harmed Concubine Sun so quietly?"
"Furthermore, after harming Concubine Sun, you haven't implicated yourself in the slightest, and you've even gained something by having one less person vying for your favor. Isn't this kind of calculating tactic familiar to you, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Shu also knew a lot of things that Fang Yuaner had done, so she felt more and more that the destruction of Concubine Sun's appearance was caused by Fang Yuaner.
Xie Run raised his hand and patted her shoulder gently: "Perhaps, you guessed right."
Xie Run didn't seem worried today because he had already guessed what would happen next.
"The Emperor and Empress should have evidence in their hands. Now that Wu Baolin has made this matter public, this evidence will probably be brought out as well."
I didn't take it out before, perhaps because I had some concerns.
Now Fang Yuan'er has been banished to the cold palace and is no longer of any use, and no one will cover up for her.
"I'm afraid that Gong Cainu in the cold palace will suffer again."
Xiao Shu and Dan Tao looked at each other, but they didn't feel sorry for Fang Yuaner.
"Gong Cainu relied on her status and position to commit evil, and now she is just paying back what she deserves."
"She reaped the fruits of her own evil deeds."
Xie Run thought, I’m afraid it’s not that simple.
Fang Yuaner has already fallen into such a state, and there are still people who want to make a fuss about this matter. What is their intention?
The more Xie Run analyzed it, the more she felt that this matter was not directed at her.
In Fengyi Palace, the Queen endured her discomfort and met Concubine Wen.
Concubine Wen: "On the way, I heard someone say that Wu Baolin said Concubine Zhaode wanted to harm her. Is this true or false?"
The Queen looked at her calmly, "What do you think?"
Concubine Wen was stunned, and immediately realized that the Queen was testing her.
Concubine Wen pondered for a moment and said softly, "I think it's impossible."
"Everyone in the harem knows Concubine Zhaode's character. Given her personality, she would never do anything to harm others."
The Queen's eyes instantly became complicated as she looked at Concubine Wen. She opened her lips, but in the end she said nothing.
When Concubine Wen saw that her sister seemed to be hesitant to speak, she knew that her answer did not satisfy the Queen and she was disliked again.
She said obediently: "I don't understand, please teach me."
The Queen took a deep breath and suppressed her emotions. "I'm not feeling well, so I'm afraid I can't take care of this matter."
"It's not appropriate for Concubine Zhaode to be in charge of this matter... Do you understand?"
Concubine Wen was stunned for a moment before she suddenly realized what was happening. She said in a panic, "Sister, do you want me to handle this?"
Before the Queen even opened her mouth, Concubine Wen denied it herself, "No, I can't do it!"
"How can I interfere in such a big matter..."
The Queen said in a cold tone: "If I say you can manage it, then you must manage it!"
When she met the Queen's gaze, Concubine Wen didn't dare to say anything.
The Queen's tone softened a bit. "You don't have to be afraid. If you don't know how, I'll teach you little by little. This isn't a big deal, so it's a good opportunity for you to practice."
You know your own sister best.
When it comes to managing palace affairs, Concubine Wen is no worse than Concubine Zhaode.
It's just that Concubine Wen is a little soft and timid, and not decisive enough in handling things. In this respect, Concubine Zhaode is much better than her.
Only after hearing the Queen's words did Concubine Wen feel at ease.
However, Bai Yu was sent to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation, and there was no movement for a while, so the people in Fengyi Palace could only wait.
Concubine Wen thought that since she had nothing to do, she went to visit Wu Baolin first to calm her down.
Wu Baolin complained in a fit of rage, but after being comforted, he came to his senses and was left with only the fear that followed.
When he saw Concubine Wen, he thought she was there to reprimand him on behalf of the Empress, and his face turned pale.
Concubine Wen quickly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I came here specially to see you on the orders of the Empress."
Wu Baolin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "Greetings to Her Majesty the Concubine Wen."
"You are in good health, so don't worry about these formalities." Concubine Wen asked softly, "Are you feeling better now? I heard that you were very emotional in the main hall today. The Empress was afraid that it would affect you and the unborn prince, so she had you taken to the side hall to rest."
Wu Baolin: "I'm much better now. I just don't know how to deal with this matter."
Although Wu Baolin regretted his rashness in making things worse, he also knew that there was no way to regret it now.
She was afraid at first too.
She could give birth at any time. If Concubine Zhaode really wanted to harm her, now would be the perfect time. How could she escape?
In addition, during her pregnancy, people kept giving her gifts, all of them were attracted by the baby in her belly. Who knows what these people were planning?
She was afraid that she would be harmed during childbirth, and the child would fall into the hands of others, leaving her with nowhere to cry. That's why she lost her mind and went to Fengyi Palace.
At this moment, she only hoped that the truth would be discovered as soon as possible and the situation would calm down. She also hoped that Xie Run would not hate her so much that he would plot to harm her.
Concubine Wen: "You don't have to worry too much. With the Empress here, who can let you suffer any injustice?"
Wu Baolin thought that just now in the main hall, the Queen Mother's words were all biased towards Concubine Zhaode, and she had no intention of seeking justice for her.
She really suspected that the Queen wanted to protect Concubine Zhaode.
Concubine Wen continued, "There's no evidence in this matter right now. We can only try Bai Yu first, but we don't know what we can get out of this."
Wu Baolin finally realized, "What Concubine Wen said is... Bai Yu might be lying?"
"This, this is impossible!"
"How could she, a palace maid, have the guts to slander Concubine Zhaode? It's obvious that I just happened to catch her cheating today, and she was forced to tell me this in order to plead for mercy..."
The more Wu Baolin spoke, the more confused he became.
Concubine Wen said gently, "That's exactly why it's suspicious. She's just a palace maid, yet she dares to call Concubine Zhaode a murderer. Isn't that bold enough?"
"If she really encountered such a thing, she would not reveal a single word even if she died, instead of shouting everywhere when something happened."
"What's more, you said she told this story in order to plead for mercy. But it was originally just a small matter of adultery, not a capital crime. At most, she would be punished by hard labor in the imperial court."
"But now that Concubine Zhaode is involved, she has to leave this trip to the Ministry of Punishment. How can this be a plea for mercy? It's clearly a death warrant for herself."
"Now I don't know what information she can reveal."
Concubine Wen was afraid of scaring Wu Baolin, so she didn't say it directly.
Bai Yu was sent to the Ministry of Punishment and was afraid that he would never come out alive.
Regardless of whether it was true or false, if she blamed Concubine Zhaode and got involved in this matter, she would be doomed to die.
The charge was just perfect, adultery, no need to think about it anymore.
Wu Baolin originally believed Bai Yu's words.
Before her wound was poisoned and refused to heal, she had offended Xie Run and Ye in the harem.
Ye has been executed, and the only suspect left is Xie Run.
But when Concubine Wen said this, she was immediately shaken.
Wu Baolin doubted: "If it wasn't done by Concubine Zhaode..."
Concubine Wen sighed and added, "If it wasn't Concubine Zhaode who did it, you making such a fuss would be considered slander, and the consequences would be very serious."
Wu Baolin took a breath.
She, she really didn't seem to have considered this possibility.
The will to survive took over, and Wu Baolin took Concubine Wen's hand. "I was only afraid at the time, and didn't think too much about it. Moreover, Baiyu swore so confidently, even telling me exactly when Hongyu had drugged my food and how she was poisoned to death. How could I not believe her?"
"It's been so long, she can't just make something up like this even if she wants to, right?"
Wu Baolin tearfully said, "I was so scared that I had no choice but to run to Fengyi Palace to find the Empress."
Concubine Wen is just a little weak in character, but she is not a fool.
She knew that Wu Baolin was making such a fuss not only because he was afraid, but also because he didn't want to let Concubine Zhaode go and wanted to see her suffer.
If she was just scared, she could have quietly asked the Queen for help. Why make such a big fuss at the beginning?
Isn't it because he is afraid that the emperor and empress will let Xie Run off easily, leaving him with troubles in the future?
However, Concubine Wen was a respectable person and would not expose someone in public. She only said gently, "Don't be afraid. If anyone is to be blamed, it will be Bai Yu's fault. You are pregnant with the royal heir, so you are also a victim. The Empress will definitely protect you."
Concubine Wen said softly, "You must tell the truth about this matter and not hide anything, so that we can find out who the real culprit is as soon as possible."
Wu Baolin nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty. I will tell you everything I know!"
"I wouldn't dare to hide anything!"
Concubine Wen also breathed a sigh of relief.
The Queen entrusted this matter to her, and she was very nervous, fearing that she would mess it up and offend both Concubine Zhaode and Wu Baolin.
Now that Wu Baolin is willing to cooperate, things are much more convenient for her.
Concubine Wen asked, "Why did you suddenly go out for a walk today? Do you have the habit of walking through the corner gate in the past?"
Wu Baolin opened his mouth, but didn't know how to start.
She couldn't say that she was annoyed by Concubine Sun sending her gifts every now and then, and hated Concubine Sun coveting the child in her belly, so she was annoyed and angry, and was persuaded by the people around her to go out for a walk?
When Concubine Wen saw that she seemed to be hesitant to speak, she knew that there was something else going on.
She looked around, found an excuse to dismiss the people around her, and then asked Wu Baolin softly, "There's no one around now, Sister Wu, feel free to say whatever you want to say. If there's anything you can't say, you don't have to admit it once you leave this room."
Wu Baolin opened his eyes, his surprise hard to hide, but he was also a little shaken by Concubine Wen's gentle and harmless appearance.
Concubine Wen said softly, "Sister Wu is only worried about two things right now."
"One is that I'm worried that the Empress and I will side with Consort Zhaode."
"The other is that you are pregnant with the heir to the throne, and I'm afraid someone might covet him and take the opportunity to murder you."
Concubine Wen pretended not to see the panic and shock on Wu Baolin's face and smiled gently, "Actually, you don't have to worry about that."
"This matter has become such a big deal. If the Emperor and Empress truly want to protect Concubine Zhaode, they will investigate thoroughly until the true culprit is found and Concubine Zhaode is cleared of all charges."
"Besides, the only ones who can raise children in the palace are me and Concubine Sun. I am from the Xia Dynasty, and the emperor will not let me raise the child in your belly, Concubine Sun..."
Concubine Wen pondered for a moment, and Wu Baolin's heart began to lift.
Concubine Wen said slowly, "She has now been reprimanded by the Emperor and stripped of her title. If she still refuses to repent, the Emperor would rather send the child to the Prince's Residence than let her raise him."
Just this one sentence suddenly made Wu Baolin enlightened!
She suddenly realized, "I have walked into a dead end."
Just because she is not qualified to raise the baby in her belly doesn't mean she has to let someone else raise it!
The child is raised in the prince's residence and still calls her mother. He will not recognize anyone else as his mother. She can also visit him every now and then!
After three to five years, when the child grows up, her life will naturally get better and better!
As long as she is still alive, the child will not be bullied by servants like the Sixth Prince, and his life may not be so bad.