The crabapple tree is fragrant in the tent, and the bright moon is in my arms

Shouning Palace.

The Queen Mother sat high up and looked at them. Her gaze stayed on the Queen for a moment before looking at Zhaoyue.

She sat in her seat with a dull expression and her eyes lowered because of sadness, but Zhu Dingyuan's eyes never left her.

It's really not decent!

Was the harem so chaotic during her time in Shangqing Temple?

Wei Ruoming pushed Chen San up and he knelt on the ground. His face was pale but he was still calm.

"Your Majesty, the guard responsible for carrying the body out of the palace was him."

Zhu Dingyuan looked at him and nodded.

Wei Ruoming pressed his shoulder and said, "Tell me, why was Mrs. Shen sent out of the palace? And those maids, who did it?"

The queen frowned, and because of nervousness, a false smile appeared on her lips uncomfortably.

Chen San pouted, "That's right, I did it, so what? Is it unusual for a few maids to die in the palace? You high and mighty masters, how can you understand our suffering?"

The queen relaxed a little and looked at Zhu Dingyuan.

"Pain?" Zhu Dingyuan rubbed the jade ring on his knuckles. "I remember you were there when Shen Yingda got into trouble. You were so scared that you were shaking. How dare you smuggle a body out of the palace today?"

He looked at Chen San with a hint of oppression, and his dark eyes made him swallow his saliva.

"I... Money makes the world go round! This year, it's going to snow heavily. There was an insect plague in Henan a while ago, and the salary from the palace has been reduced. I have an 80-year-old mother and a 10-year-old child."

Chen San stared at their fine clothes, as if with real emotion, and became more and more excited as he spoke: "Is it wrong to take some things from the palace and sell them outside the palace to supplement your life? It's not me who killed Shen Da Ying!"

He suddenly looked at Zhao Yue: "It's obviously her! Hehehe... Your Majesty, you rode a red dust concubine for her, renovated Chuntang Palace for her, and killed so many people in the imperial kitchen for her. Even if she is not evil, she deserves the name of the demon concubine!"

Zhao Yue raised her eyes lazily and glanced at the queen. There was ecstasy in her eyes, and she seemed to want to stand up immediately and praise the guard whose every word touched her heart.

The dog she chose this time was actually quite good.

Chen San's chest was heaving, and his forehead was covered with sweat. "I am responsible for my own actions! I killed these maids just to sell them for money!"

The Queen Mother frowned: "How can a dead body be sold for money?"

Wei Ruoming said, "To answer the Queen Mother, many of the good-looking slaves in the palace were sent to mass graves. Some of them dug up their graves and sent them to some aristocratic families for so-called ghost marriages, or sold them to the black market."

Chen San nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes, ghost marriage, these dead slaves are all good girls, very popular!"

Zhao Yue looked at him and said, "So you are doing this for money."

She looked at the Queen Mother and Zhu Dingyuan, stood up and saluted: "Queen Mother, Shen Ying's death was strange, and she was suddenly sent away. What if it was to destroy the body? Houhai is remote and deserted. Chen San is so familiar with the place, how did he get the news of the maid's death?"

Zhao Yue's eyes were filled with tears: "Your Majesty, he is acting so arrogantly in the palace, there must be someone behind him directing him."

As soon as the Queen Mother opened her mouth, Zhu Dingyuan interrupted: "I think Yue'er is right."

His dark eyes were cold and indifferent: "He is a third-class guard, but he is so unscrupulous that he can even transport the concubines in my harem quietly. Chen San, if you tell the truth now, I can still sympathize with you for having parents and children to take care of."

Zhao Yue raised her handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes: "Do you know what crime you committed today? You coveted money so that your family could live a good life, but now, you have implicated them, do you know?"

The Queen Mother watched them singing the same tune, and Zhu Dingyuan's heart and eyes were fixed on the picture of Zhao Yue, and she became more and more angry.

"Noble Concubine Zhaochun." She said in a deep voice: "Although you are not an evil spirit, this matter is still related to you. When the emperor is speaking, I am still here. Is it your turn to interrupt? How did you learn the rules?"

Zhaoyue apologized honestly, gave Zhu Dingyuan a hurt look, and sat back.

When Chen San heard that his family was implicated, his expression relaxed and he looked hastily at Zhu Dingyuan and the Queen Mother, then at the Queen.

He lowered his head suddenly, as if struggling.

"Chen San, tell us who is behind this." Zhu Dingyuan glared at him.

The queen covered her stomach, her face growing paler and paler, her fingers gripping the chair handle tightened, her armor scraping against the pear wood, causing a tiny scream.

The moment Chen San raised his head and opened his mouth, sweat broke out on her forehead.

"Behind me..."

His eyes were red, as if he was ready to die, and he clenched his teeth: "Yes..."

Xun Qiu ran in from outside, knelt on the ground, and cried bitterly with his old face: "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Concubine Ling...she committed suicide!"

"What?" The Queen Mother looked at Zhu Dingyuan in surprise and astonishment.

Chen San finally said, "It was Concubine Ling who asked me to do it. I was also the one who killed Mrs. Shen. She asked me to frame Concubine Zhaochun."

After he finished speaking, he drew the sword from Wei Ruoming's waist and slashed his neck.

Aunt Zhu supported the Queen Mother, with pity in her eyes.

Chen San died with his eyes open. He fell down, looking in the direction where the queen was sitting, and was dragged out by the Jinyiwei.

The Queen Mother was exhausted for a moment: "What are these...what are they?"

"Why did Concubine Ling commit suicide?" Zhu Dingyuan asked.

Xun Qiu wiped away her tears: "Your Majesty, Concubine Ling left a letter, she said her sister died in the Pixiang Palace, the fire was not an accident, it was... set by Concubine Zhaochun!"

Zhu Dingyuan almost laughed out of anger. He coughed lightly and said, "Was the fire in the Pixiang Hall set by Concubine Zhaochun?"

The Queen said, "Your Majesty, Meng Ying and Concubine Zhao Chun have never had any contact with each other. This is really a bit far-fetched."

Xun Qiu: "This Concubine Ling served the Empress, and she was depressed. She would cry whenever she thought of her sister. Now that she knows her sister died, she followed her."

She sobbed, "Sisters really love each other."

Zhao Yue looked at her and said, "Xun Qiu, Concubine Ling thought that I was a murderer and didn't dare to come to me. She committed suicide without saying a word. Do you think this... makes sense?"

The Queen also shed tears: "Sister, you are the apple of His Majesty's eye. Concubine Ling has been out of favor for a long time, how dare I ask you for so-called justice."

She looked at the Queen Mother with a calm look, her long eyebrows knitted tightly, "Even Master Kong Yuan couldn't do anything to my sister. The legendary high priest also showed up for my sister."

Who else gave her such great power? Who else could protect her except Your Majesty?

The Queen Mother was so angry that her head hurt: "Enough!"

She looked at Zhu Dingyuan and said, "Everything happened because you favored a concubine. The harem is in turmoil, and the previous dynasty is in turmoil. Emperor, you have to give an explanation to all of them!"

The Queen Mother pointed at Zhao Yue and said, "She is not evil, but she has bewitched the emperor. She must be punished, otherwise how can we calm down these endless disturbances!"

Zhu Dingyuan looked at the Queen Mother for a long time. After a flash of mockery in his dark eyes, he lowered his head to her.

"I understand what your Majesty Queen taught me."

The Queen Mother: "How are you going to deal with her?"

Zhu Dingyuan looked at Zhaoyue and gritted his teeth: "Noble Consort Zhaochun, strip her title and banish her to the cold palace."