bayedsolid Chapter 368 Case closed
Chapter 368 Case closed
Chapter 368 Case Closed
The Empress admonished Concubine Wen earnestly, saying, "If Wu Baolin was really so useless and cowardly, how could she have the courage to go to the Showa Palace and file a complaint?"
Concubine Wen listened to the Queen's words and seemed stunned for a long time before she spoke: "Sister, in fact, there is no difference between the harem of the Yu Dynasty and the harem of the Xia Dynasty."
"It just looks calmer on the surface, but it's just as filthy inside."
The queen lowered her eyes and looked at her, as if with a hint of pity, yet also with a coldness and desirelessness.
"It's good that you can see through it."
If you can see through things, you won't have too many extravagant expectations.
When she is gone, Concubine Wen will not have to endure the same life in the harem as she did before.
……
The next day, before going to court, the emperor called Jing Wu to question him.
"How's the investigation going on with the Gu worm incident?"
Jing Wu lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, the poisonous insect was delivered to the eunuchs in the imperial kitchen by Concubine Li through the envoys of the Rakshasa Kingdom."
"The eunuch in charge of the imperial kitchen nominally entered the palace through the connections of the former Yunzhou governor, but in reality he was once adopted by a Rakshasa nation and was a pawn of the Rakshasa nation in the palace."
The emperor listened with no expression on his face. He simply said quietly, "The Luosha Kingdom and the Yu Dynasty are on good terms. If this incident is exposed, it will be detrimental to the diplomatic relations between the two countries."
"Just think of a way to put the blame on Gong Cainu."
The solution, of course, is to change the contents of the confession.
Jing Wu never questioned the emperor's decision. He just nodded and immediately went to do his work.
When the sky was completely bright, the imperial edict to punish Gong Cainu was passed to the six palaces.
"The confession produced by the Ministry of Punishment only mentioned the difficulty in healing the wounds inflicted by Gong Cainu using drugs on Concubine Sun and Wu Baolin. It made no mention of the true owner of the white jade, Concubine Li."
"The emperor seemed to only want Concubine Li to be Concubine Li, and didn't want her to have anything to do with the Wan concubines, so this matter ultimately fell on Gong Cainu alone."
"The Emperor also discovered that the person who poisoned our Fifth Prince and Hua Zhaorong was actually Gong Cainu."
"These two crimes were combined, and in the end the emperor ordered Gong Cainu to drink poisoned wine."
Xie Run had a bad day today and was not feeling well, so he simply took a leave of absence and did not go to pay his respects.
These news were brought back to her by Xiaoshu.
Xie Run was stunned when he suddenly heard the news.
"Did the Emperor find out that it was Gong Cainu who poisoned Tao Tao?"
Xiao Shu nodded: "That's what the messenger said. I secretly took a look at the confession, and it's exactly what was written on it."
"They also said that Hongyu was poisoned to death by Gong Cainu because she had done two poisonings for Gong Cainu, and Gong Cainu poisoned her to silence her."
Xie Run was silent: "Is the case closed like this?"
Xiao Shu should be.
Dan Tao noticed that she was in a bad mood, and waited until no one was around before asking, "What are you worried about, Madam?"
Xie Run shook his head and curled his lips in sudden realization.
"It's not that I'm worried, but I finally know the real culprit behind the poison."
"I was wondering, why did the Emperor find out about this out of the blue?"
Dan Tao was startled: "My Lady, what you mean is that the person who cast the curse on you wasn't Gong Cainu?"
Her mind raced, and she cautiously guessed, "At this point, if it's not Gong Cainu, could it be the deceased Concubine Li?"
Xie Run looked at her quietly and said, "Dan Tao, you are getting smarter."
Dan Taoxin was shocked. She actually guessed it right.
Dan Tao smiled bitterly: "My Lady, please stop laughing at me."
"These two are probably enemies from their past lives. Gong Cainu's misfortune must be related to Wan and our Concubine Li. Concubine Li's misfortune must be related to Gong Cainu."
"These two people have hatred for each other."
Dan Tao almost blurted out "Concubine Wan".
Xie Run leaned back in his chair and whispered, "I actually suspected Wan Linlang at first. After all, she's the only one in the harem who uses Gu."
"It's just that she faked her own death and escaped, so she couldn't have reached the palace."
"Later, the case was traced back to Xian Zhaoyuan's father, and the lawsuit came to an end, leaving it as an unsolved case."
Xie Run also suspected Xian Zhaoyuan's sister at that time.
However, later on, Xian Zhaoyuan's father was dismissed from office for corruption, and her sister was implicated as a criminal before she even had the chance to show up. Now, no one knows where she is making a living.
She knew then that this man was just a cover.
It was a smokescreen deliberately released by the person who poisoned them, causing them to speculate in this direction and to obscure their own existence.
It has been so long that this matter has been forgotten by everyone.
Who would have thought that after so long, the emperor suddenly said that it was Fang Yuaner who did it.
Xie Run: "It was my carelessness too."
"At that time, Wan Linlang must have just obtained a new identity and was living a good life as the princess of Luosha Kingdom. It is not impossible that she took advantage of the power of Luosha Kingdom and took the opportunity to extend her influence into the palace."
Dan Tao: "At that time, we had just entered the palace, and everything was in chaos. Many problems left over from the time of the retired emperor had not yet been resolved..."
She was puzzled and asked, "How can Your Majesty be so sure that it was Concubine Li who did it?"
Xie Run smiled meaningfully: "Maybe it's because of my understanding of the emperor."
The emperor must have been disgusted by Concubine Li's trick before her death, which broke the hard-earned peace in the harem.
But this incident must have served as a reminder to the emperor.
There are many such unresolved cases in the harem, among which the case of poisoning the fifth prince and Hua Zhaorong is the most important.
This matter also involved a prince and two high-ranking concubines.
If someone gets involved in a deliberate plot, who knows what will happen.
But the culprit of the poisonous insect was Concubine Li, a princess of the Rakshasa Kingdom whose identity was arranged by the emperor.
Although there has been a temporary ceasefire on the front line, the two countries are still at war.
The Rakshasa Kingdom surrendered to the emperor from the very beginning. They had finally managed to get a concubine position in the Yu Dynasty, and they couldn't just tarnish their reputation and affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The emperor probably thought about it and put the blame on Fang Yuaner.
Even though he didn't find much evidence, Xie Run had already guessed it.
Xie Run: "I'm afraid Fang Yuan'er will never be able to swallow this anger."
Dan Tao: "Gong Cainu is such a strong-willed person. She has been fighting with Concubine Li for her entire life. If she dies taking the blame for Concubine Li, I'm afraid she will die with regrets."
Xiao Shu also whispered: "My Lady, the Fang family has also been raided."
The Fang family is Gong Cainu's maiden's family.
But with Fang Yuaner's personality, she probably wouldn't care.
Xie Run just sighed, "Forget it, this matter ends here."
She leaned back in the chair and took a nap, her eyes closed, but her heart was not at peace.
The emperor suddenly brought up the matter of the poisonous insect. Was he afraid that she would cause trouble like Concubine Sun and disrupt his harem?
The longer the emperor was on the throne, the more difficult it became for Xie Run to understand his temperament.
As time went on, it was suddenly discovered that the emperor had become more suspicious than before.
Concubine Sun, who was confined to Yongning Palace, was unusually quiet.
When Wu Baolin went to Fengyi Palace to sue Xie Run, she was still in the mood to watch the fun and make sarcastic remarks to Concubine Xi.
But as the emperor's decree came down and Bai Yu's confession was revealed in front of everyone, Concubine Sun immediately realized that something was wrong.
After sitting in her own palace and thinking for a long time, Concubine Sun finally realized and said, "Did Gong Cainu ruin my face?"
"But if she did it, she should have confessed when Gong Cainu was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. Why did she have to wait until today to learn the truth?"
Princess Sun didn't believe that the emperor would throw Fang Yuan'er into the Sky Prison and not interrogate her under the criminal law.
She also vaguely knew that after Gong Cainu was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, the emperor found out many crimes against her and banished her to the cold palace.
Princess Sun only has a volatile temper, but she is not stupid. After thinking about it for a long time, she felt a chill in her heart.
"So the emperor should have known long ago that it was Gong Cainu who ruined my reputation."
"If it weren't for Wu Baolin's disturbance, I might still be kept in the dark!"
"But why hasn't the emperor made this public yet?"
Concubine Sun felt aggrieved at first and even wanted to go to the emperor to question him or make a scene.
But now she is no longer favored, and her title has been stripped and she is under house arrest. How dare she make trouble?
The more I think about it, the heavier my heart feels.
Xie Run could guess the emperor's concerns, and Concubine Sun also guessed it.
After a long time, Princess Sun took a sip of the cold tea on the table.
She seemed to be awakened by the chill. She suddenly opened her eyes, her smile tinged with bitterness and a hint of madness. "The Emperor is afraid that I will cause trouble, afraid that I will know the truth and will have to take Gong Cainu's life!"
"But when have I ever been so cruel?"
After she entered the palace, although she had quarrels with many people in the six palaces, she never hurt anyone for no reason.
The emperor didn't believe her at all and was wary of her.
Princess Sun was laughing and suddenly she felt like crying.
But after her face was disfigured, she cried alone at night too many times, and now she can't shed tears even if she wants to.
"not worth it."
It's really not worth it.
Fortunately, when she married into the palace, she still had many expectations and admiration for the emperor, and respected and loved him as her husband in her heart.
After her face was disfigured, she hated the eldest prince and blamed Concubine Duan, but she never blamed the emperor.
Even when her appearance was damaged and she lost the emperor's favor, she would only feel sorry for herself and never dared to express any dissatisfaction with the emperor.
To this day, she still has some hope in her heart, hoping that one day the emperor will remember her and come to Yongning Palace to sit and see her.
But today, when she suddenly learned that the emperor had always been wary of her and had no trust in her at all, Concubine Sun felt as if her heart was poured with cold water.
I feel inexplicably disappointed.
I was disappointed that the husband I married turned out to be so suspicious and cold-hearted.
Disappointed that he knew someone was trying to harm her, but he never showed her any sympathy or pity.
At this moment, the palace servant beside her said with a smile: "Your Majesty, happy news, great happy news."
Concubine Sun wiped the nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and asked without much interest, "What's the big happy event?"
"The Empress Dowager is concerned that you and Wu Baolin are being plotted against by treacherous individuals, and she sympathizes with your and Wu Baolin's difficult time in the palace. She has issued a special decree allowing you and Wu Baolin's family to visit the palace, and has also lifted your house arrest."
Concubine Sun said calmly, "I understand."
The palace maid was a little surprised and felt that her master was in a bad mood, but she didn't dare to say much and just retreated obediently.
Princess Sun sat there for a moment, and suddenly a surge of anger rose in her heart.
She took the teacup on the table and threw it to the ground.
The loud bang startled the people serving outside.
A palace maid asked worriedly, "My Lady, what happened?"
Concubine Sun: "It's nothing. I just accidentally dropped the teacup. You don't need to come in and serve me."
Maid: "Yes."
When the surroundings quieted down, Concubine Sun curled her lips with a forced smile.
After staying in the palace for a long time, she finally understood everything.
Everything the empress said and did was in accordance with the emperor's will, without exception.
As soon as she found out that Gong Cainu was plotting against her, she showed mercy and allowed her family to visit her in the palace.
Is this a grace or a warning?
Maybe both.
Give her some benefits like a lapdog so that she won't make a fuss over such a small matter.
Then let her family members come to the palace to persuade and warn her not to do anything that will affect the family, and stay in Yongming Palace as her grandson's concubine.
She could even imagine how her family would persuade her to be content once she entered the palace.
It had been snowing outside since someone had seen it. The maid asked through the curtain, "Your Majesty, it's time for dinner."
Concubine Sun no longer had the same ambition as before and said calmly, "Get ready."
She had a poor appetite and only ate a few bites before rinsing her mouth and hands.
She asked the maidservant beside her: "When will the emperor deal with Gong Cainu?"
Palace maid: "It is said to be tomorrow."
Princess Sun's hands tightened, and she felt a little dazed.
Just two simple words shattered her last fantasy.
Is the emperor asking her to choose between the two?
At Zhaohe Palace, Xie Run also received news that the Queen had granted the Xie family special permission to visit the palace tomorrow.
Xie Run was not very surprised.
Now the only person who can come to visit her in the capital is Xie Jiang.
But Xie Jiang had already become an imperial physician and could move freely in the palace, so it was not difficult for the two to meet.
Xie Run: "Why did the Queen grant this favor?"
Xiao Shu: "Originally, the Empress only showed mercy to Concubine Sun and Wu Baolin, saying that she was concerned about the harm they suffered at the hands of Concubine Gong, and she specially summoned their families to the palace to accompany them."
"Later, the Empress said that since this grace had already been granted, it would be better to relax it further. Anyone with family in the capital can enter the palace to accompany them."
There aren't many concubines in the harem now, so this isn't a difficult matter to handle.
Xie Runduo was a very insightful person. After hearing what was said, he guessed that the queen was acting on behalf of the emperor again.
She thought, if she really loved Concubine Sun and Wu Baolin, then she would reward them and promote them.
Not to mention Wu Baolin, Concubine Sun's family is powerful and influential, and they can enter the palace to attend banquets during festivals. But now it is rare to see them once or twice?
Fang Yuaner will be sentenced to death tomorrow, but the emperor has given this favor.
This is asking Concubine Sun to make a choice.
"The Emperor still wants the Six Palaces to be peaceful, so he only lets Concubine Sun make a choice between venting his anger and the family."
"Tomorrow, I wonder if Concubine Sun wants to vent her anger and go to the cold palace to see Gong Cainu off, or stay in Yongming Palace to meet her family."
If it's the latter, this matter ends here.
After hearing this, Dan Tao and Xiao Shu whispered, "Given Concubine Sun's temperament, how could she possibly endure this? I'm afraid she'll have to go to the cold palace no matter what."
"Even if I can't kill Gong Cainu for revenge, I have to watch her die."
Considering Concubine Sun's performance in the palace over the past six months, it's not surprising that she did something outrageous.
Xie Run smiled and said, "We'll know tomorrow anyway."
She knew the emperor's temperament well, and Taotao was not really hurt by the poisonous insect, so Xie Run accepted it calmly.