I used the space to empty the pirates' private vault.

Chapter 268 Xitang reveals Concubine Xiao's crimes

After the palace maid Xitang woke up slowly, she slowly opened her heavy eyelids and vaguely saw a figure squatting beside her and guarding her.

When her vision gradually became clear, she realized that it was Jiang Yimo who had been with her the whole time.

Xitang tried hard to say something, but as soon as she moved her lips she felt a piercing pain, as if millions of ants were gnawing at her. She couldn't help but gasp, and tears burst out like a flood.

When Jiang Yimo saw this, she couldn't help but feel sad and sympathetic.

She approached Xitang cautiously, and looked closely at the little face that was twisted in pain, especially the swollen and bloodshot lips, which made people feel heartbroken.

Jiang Yimo asked softly, "Your mouth must be very painful now, right? It's okay, don't force yourself to speak. I'll give you some painkillers, and you should feel better after a while."

After saying that, she gently lifted Xitang's body and let him lean on her legs. Then she took out a liquid painkiller from her small bag and slowly squeezed it into Xitang's mouth like eye drops.

After several minutes, the painkillers took effect and her mouth no longer hurt.

At this moment, she slowly scanned her surroundings, and was surprised to find that she was actually in a grand and solemn hall. The hall was crowded with all kinds of people.

The woman who had just been demoted to Concubine Xiao led her palace maids to kneel in the hall.

When Xitang saw Concubine Xiao, the horrific scene of her ordering others to hold her down and letting a vicious old maid sew up her mouth with needle and thread immediately emerged in her mind. Her pupils suddenly contracted and her body trembled involuntarily.

Jiang Yimo noticed her terrified expression and quickly spoke to comfort her: "Don't be afraid, the emperor and the queen mother are here, no one here will dare to hurt you."

It was only then that Xitang noticed the emperor and the empress dowager sitting in the hall. The eyes of the mother and son, like everyone else, were fixed on him.

"Girl Jiang, can she still speak now?" the emperor asked.

However, Jiang Yimo did not respond to the emperor's question immediately. Instead, she stared at Xitang and said softly, "Xitang, the emperor and the queen mother are here today. They are giving you a good opportunity to tell your grievances and pains. Just tell them the truth about what happened to you, and someone will naturally take care of it for you."

When Xitang heard this, tears burst out of his eyes like a flood and slid down his cheeks.

Her body trembled slightly and she sobbed softly from time to time, but she soon realized that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager were in front of her and she must not lose her manners, so she suppressed her grief and quickly stopped crying.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner turmoil, then moved her lips slightly, preparing to tell the story of the painful experience she had experienced - what happened on the day her mouth was sewn shut.

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat, carrying with it endless sorrow and resentment.

After listening to Xitang's words in silence, everyone showed disbelief on their faces. They simply couldn't imagine that there were such vicious people in the world!

It turns out that Xitang was not the first palace maid to be treated so cruelly by Concubine Xiao.

After listening to Xitang's outrageous description of her experience, everyone couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate for her. Compared with the experiences of the previous palace maids, Xitang was already considered a very lucky person.

Because when she was buried alive in the cold palace, someone rescued her in time. Although that person might have rescued her just to use her against Concubine Xiao, that person's behavior did save Xitang's life.

And as for Xitang, Concubine Xiao only ordered people to seal her mouth, and did not inflict any further torture or whipping on her.

Besides fainting due to hunger, there were no obvious injuries on her body. It can be said that she escaped the disaster and was fortunately not buried alive.

However, the other little palace maids who disappeared for no reason were not so lucky.

Not only were they similarly subjected to the brutal silencing, they were also subjected to inhuman torture, left nearly half-dead, and finally ruthlessly buried in the cellar of the cold palace.

Thinking of this, everyone felt pity and indignation.

The emperor listened quietly, his face became extremely gloomy. He stood up suddenly, his dragon robe fluttering in the wind, as if an invisible pressure enveloped the entire palace.

Without hesitation, he decided to go to the cold palace in person to find out the truth and show everyone the crimes committed by Concubine Xiao.

Following the emperor's order, everyone took action.

The palace guards quickly formed a team and escorted the emperor and the empress dowager out of the palace. Their steps were neat, powerful and majestic, and every step revealed majesty and solemnity.

The other palace maids and eunuchs followed closely behind, forming a large and spectacular team.

Along the way, people were talking a lot, full of curiosity and anticipation about what was about to happen.

This huge team passed through the magnificent corridors and courtyards and finally arrived at the gate of the cold palace.

At the same time, Concubine Xiao and her servants had already been firmly escorted by the imperial guards in the palace, and they looked terrified.

The cold palace was filled with a cold and damp atmosphere, with peeling walls and icy ground. It was once the place where many concubines who had fallen out of favor stayed, but now it has become the turning point of Concubine Xiao's fate.

Her face was haggard, and her eyes showed despair and regret, as if she was aware of the punishment she would face.

At this moment, Concubine Xiao suddenly turned her head and stared at the little eunuch standing behind her with sharp eyes.

She leaned forward slightly and asked softly, "I previously asked you to send an envoy to inform Prime Minister Lu that he would enter the palace. Have you done so?"

The young eunuch lowered his eyes in a hurry, not daring to look at Concubine Xiao, and at the same time lowered his voice very low, as if he was afraid of being heard by others, and answered: "Reporting to the queen, I have already sent a trusted person out of the palace to pass the message to Prime Minister Lu. It is estimated that Prime Minister Lu may be on his way to the palace at this moment."

"Hmm~" Concubine Xiao moaned softly, trying hard to suppress her inner panic. She followed closely behind the emperor and the empress dowager's phoenix sedan chair and stepped into the courtyard deep in the cold palace that had been deserted for many years and overgrown with weeds.

Before they got closer, they could see from afar that there seemed to be signs of freshly turned soil under the grass in the garden.

This discovery reminded everyone present of one thing, and their eyes all turned to the front - the patch of grass that had been turned over by someone.

At this time, Concubine Xiao was even more uneasy, with beads of sweat oozing out of her forehead, but she still tried to remain calm and did not dare to show it at all.