After being read, the abstinent prince bullies others with his wife every day

"and many more!"

Jiang Che came out, his eyes full of anger. "Mother, your decree was a little too hasty, wasn't it? Just because of these hibiscus flowers, you put such a big accusation on my mother. These flowers were given by my mother, but were they delivered by her personally? Who handled this? Shouldn't we investigate this?"

The queen's face froze. Before she could say anything, Concubine An beside her sneered, "Then just send someone to investigate. Eunuch Yun, go and invite Concubine Xi over."

When Emperor Jingsheng was seriously ill, Concubine Xi also claimed to be ill and did not come.

Lin Shuning looked at the cunning and complacency that flashed across Concubine An's eyes, and keenly sensed something was wrong.

Not long after, footsteps were heard outside the hall. Lin Shuning looked outside the door and was shocked by the beauty at first sight.

Concubine Xi had her hair in a simple bun, a golden hairpin with a kingfisher butterfly in it, and a frosty satin brocade skirt on her head. She walked towards the crowd.

Her face was as pretty as a lotus, her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and a pair of coral earrings on her round and smooth earlobes swayed gently with her steps, making her look even more cool, elegant and charming.

Lin Shuning now completely understood why the emperor favored Concubine Xi alone.

With such a peerless beauty in the palace, how could one not want to get close to her?

Concubine Xi walked in front of the Queen and Concubine An, bowed slightly, and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "I greet the Queen and Concubine An. I wonder why you called me here today?"

After she finished speaking, she covered her lips with a silk handkerchief and coughed lightly a few times.

Jiang Yu and Jiang Che stepped forward, their eyes filled with worry: "Mother, are you okay?"

"It's okay," Xi Fei shook her head, "Is your father feeling better?"

"Don't worry, mother. Everything is fine now." Jiang Yu said calmly.

"That's good." Concubine Xi seemed to be relieved, with a look of relief on her face.

"Sister Xi, why are you still pretending here? Don't you know why the emperor is suffering so much today?" Concubine An laughed sarcastically and spoke sharply.

Concubine Xi's eyes darkened: "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"This hibiscus flower was sent by my sister, right?"

Concubine An pointed at the bright pink petals on the ground that were swaying slightly in the wind and said meaningfully.

"So what?" Concubine Xi's cold eyes swept over Jiang Yu and Jiang Che. She seemed to have understood what happened. She had a calm expression: "I understand. Your Highness means that the hibiscus flowers I sent are poisonous. I want to poison the emperor."

"You admitted it yourself." Concubine An snorted coldly and said disdainfully.

"My Lady, please stop talking nonsense. When did this concubine admit it?" Concubine Xi's eyes were cold: "I send people to deliver this hibiscus flower every day. Everything was fine before. Why did something go wrong today?"

"Delivered every day?" The Queen was shocked and looked at Eunuch Yun. Being stared at with such sharp eyes, Eunuch Yun could only nod his head, indicating that the facts were just as Concubine Xi said.

The queen's face turned extremely ugly in an instant, and her heart felt like it was being pinched fiercely, causing a dull pain. She lowered her eyes to hide the hatred and unwillingness in them.

She was so naive that she actually thought that the emperor had really let go of Concubine Xi, the vixen.

Unexpectedly, the emperor would make exceptions for this vixen again and again.

She took a deep breath and her expression became serious: "Who delivers these hibiscus flowers every day?"

"Your Highness, I am your servant."

A thin palace maid with a timid expression walked out from behind Concubine Xi. She raised her eyes tremblingly, then quickly lowered her head, looking inferior and timid.

Lin Shuning noticed at a glance that the palace maid had a birthmark on her face, which covered most of her cheek.

Logically speaking, the palace selects maids and eunuchs based on appearance. It is rare for someone with such a big birthmark on his face to enter the palace.

"Humph! Since Concubine Xi refuses to admit that she was the one who poisoned the emperor, and you and Eunuch Yun were the only ones who handled the delivery of the hibiscus flowers, that means that the emperor was poisoned by you, a bunch of slaves?"

Concubine An pointed her armored finger in the direction of Xing'er and Eunuch Yun, and they were immediately frightened to kneel on the ground, sweating profusely.

"Empress, Concubine An, I really had no idea. I have always been loyal to my duties, how could I harm the Emperor? Besides, my master is Eunuch Li. By doing this, I am harming myself and my master. Please investigate this, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Yun fell to the ground and shouted loudly to protest his innocence.

Xing'er knelt beside him and banged her head on the ground: "I really didn't do it. I don't dare to do it..."

"Then tell me, who did it?" Concubine An glanced at Xing'er and said coldly.

"I...I really don't know..." Xing'er clutched the hem of her skirt, her body trembling, like a weak silk rabbit, very sympathetic.

"Someone come!" The queen lost her patience and shouted, "Drag them out and beat them severely until they admit or reveal who is behind this!"

"Empress, Concubine An, I am truly innocent! Xing'er, please tell us everything you know. Who did this? If you don't tell us, both you and I will die!"

Eunuch Yun opened his eyes wide and stared at Xing'er, his eyes full of fear of death.

A guard came forward and pressed him onto the torture bench beside him. The heavy board hit his flesh again and again, and Xing'er's heart skipped a beat and she almost couldn't breathe.

She was shaking like a sieve, looking at the guards who were coming to arrest her. She seemed to be terrified, her lips moving, and she shouted in a lost voice: "I will tell you! I will tell you!"

The queen raised her hand, and the guard threw her back to the ground: "Speak now, this is your last chance."

The timid Xing'er immediately kowtowed and bit her lip, as if she had made up her mind: "It was Concubine Xi. This morning I saw Concubine Xi sprinkle white powder on the hibiscus flowers. I thought it was fertilizer to keep the flowers blooming, so I didn't think much about it. Who would have known... who would have known..."

Xing'er knocked her head to the ground loudly: "I am guilty, please punish me, Your Majesty. I should have informed you earlier..."

Concubine An raised her lips with a hint of pride: "Concubine Xi, what else do you have to say now? This was pointed out by your personal maid herself."

"What nonsense are you talking about, you slut?!"

Jiang Che was furious and kicked Xing'er on the shoulder, causing her to stagger.

Concubine An was startled, covered her chest, and took a few steps back.

"Che'er," Concubine Xi stepped forward to stop Jiang Che's next move, and looked at Xing'er coldly with an extremely disappointed expression, "I have treated you well. At the beginning, I accompanied the emperor on a secret visit to the south. You were about to sell yourself to bury your father and fall into a brothel. It was I who saved you and brought you into the palace, and promoted you to the position of a maid in charge. Why did you frame me like this?"

Her face was as calm as ever, without the slightest fear of being framed, only disbelief of being betrayed, and her watery eyes were filled with pain and questioning.

Xing'er lowered her eyelashes, and after a while, she spoke out: "Empress Xi has indeed treated me well, but it was the emperor who saved me. I must not only be loyal to you, but also to the emperor. If you want to harm the emperor, I can't let you do it and be ungrateful."

"Ah!"

Concubine Xi sneered: "You must not be ungrateful. Then tell me what time did I poison this hibiscus flower this morning?"

Xing Er was startled, and said without hesitation: "It is at the hour of Yin."

"Really?" Concubine Xi said indifferently, with a cold look in her eyes. She glanced at the Queen and Concubine An, "But at 3:00 this morning, Your Majesty had not yet left my bedroom. How did you see me poison the hibiscus flowers?"