The emperor just doesn't treat everyone equally, and it's none of my business!

The eldest princess quickly ran into Lu Junze's arms and called sweetly, "Father."

"Lan'er, be good. Father will hug you." Lu Junze picked her up and lifted her up. "Yes, Lan'er is heavy."

Shangguan Yan reached out and touched the eldest princess's face, and said to Lu Junze: "Your Majesty, why is Lan'er here?"

Lu Junze said calmly: "I asked Lan'er to come here as a witness."

When the concubines heard this, they looked left and right, not understanding what the emperor meant.

Isn't the eldest princess living in Xiefang Palace now? What could she know about the affairs of the harem?

"Lan'er, tell father what you saw that day?"

The eldest princess looked at this and that, and finally pointed at Ding Dong, the maid of Concubine De, and said, "Father, I saw her give the ice to that little eunuch."

When these words were spoken, the concubines were in an uproar. Who could have thought that the final witness would be the princess?

"Defei, do you have anything else to say?" Lu Junze lost the smile on his face and looked at Defei and said lightly.

"Your Majesty, my concubine..."

Before Concubine De finished her words, her maid Ding Dong rushed out, knelt in the middle, and said, "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with Your Majesty. It was all my own decision."

"I couldn't stand the fact that the Emperor favored Concubine Jin, causing the Empress to fall out of favor, so I drugged her." Ding Dong said with an indignant look on his face. He seemed to be a good servant who was loyal to his master.

"How dare you, a servant, hurt the concubine!" Shangguan Yan slammed the table and shouted angrily.

Gu Shijin looked at them and smiled. These people did a good job in saving face.

But why do people like to bang the table and say "how outrageous"? Does it mean they are more powerful?

Gu Shijin stood up, bowed, and said with red eyes: "Your Majesty, Ding Dong is just a palace maid. I don't believe she can do such a thing."

"Come here, bring Ding Dong to the Ministry of Punishment for trial."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard waiting outside the door came in immediately.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

When they heard the word "Ministry of Punishment", the two brothers Li Ming and Li Hua, who had been relatively calm just now, couldn't help themselves.

The Ministry of Punishment is a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones. Once you go in, you may not be able to get out.

"Your Majesty, please believe me. It was really Song Xiuyi's maid who asked me to burn down Ningyu Pavilion."

Lu Junze picked up the jewelry on the table and threw it in front of Li Ming, asking, “What do you say about these jewelry?”

The jewelry was just thrown in front of Yang Cairen. She was a little surprised when she saw the jewelry in front of her. She squatted hesitantly, picked up the jewelry and looked at it, then looked at Lu Junze and said, "Your Majesty, I have seen these jewelry."

"Oh?" Lu Junze looked at her, "Yang Cairen knows a lot of things."

Yang Cairen was not panicked at all. She smiled and said, "I am relatively free in the palace. I often wander around and see a lot of things."

"I have seen these two pieces of jewelry at Concubine Sheng's place."

Lu Junze looked at her without saying a word, quietly waiting for her next words.

As expected, Lady Yang continued, "But I saw with my own eyes that she gave it to a palace maid."

Shangguan Yan: "Which maid?"

"Please forgive me, Queen. I don't know that maid, but I remember her face."

Lu Junze looked at Su Deyuan. Su Deyuan took Yang Cairen to the side, pulled open the white cloth on the ground, and said, "Yang Cairen, take a look. Is this the person?"

Yang Cairen looked at it and his face turned pale, but he still nodded.

She looked at Lu Junze and Shangguan Yan and said, "Your Majesty, this is the maid."

"Song Xiuyi, do you have anything else to say?"

Song Xiuyi stood up calmly and said, "Your Majesty, I really don't know about this."

Then, she knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I think someone has framed me. Please investigate and clear my name."

"Your Majesty! Ningyu Pavilion also has strong liquor. Maybe this incident was directed and acted by Concubine Jin herself."

The voice was quite unexpected, and when everyone looked, they found it was Concubine Lan.

But come to think of it, the only person in the palace who could say such words is Concubine Lan.

Shangguan Yan frowned and asked, "Does Ningyu Pavilion have strong liquor?"

"Your Majesty, no wonder the fire was so big." Shangguan Yan looked at Lu Junze and said.

Lu Junze looked at Shangguan Yan with an inexplicable expression.

"I had someone deliver the wine to Ningyu Pavilion," Lu Junze looked at Concubine Lan, "Does Concubine Lan mean that I want to burn down Ningyu Pavilion?"

"I don't dare."

"I have always known that the harem is not at peace, but I have always believed that you are sensible. I didn't expect that you are becoming more and more unscrupulous now."

Of course, the strong liquor in Ningyu Pavilion was not put there by Lu Junze, but was brought to the Ministry of Internal Affairs by Gu Shijin. Even today's fire was started by Gu Shijin.

Although it was definitely not her people who set the fire, it was indeed her who guided and ordered people to set the fire in Ningyu Pavilion.

Lu Junze didn’t know at first, but he should have guessed it by now.

Shangguan Yan looked at the group of people kneeling on the ground and hesitated, "Your Majesty, what should we do with these people?"

Defei, Song Xiuyi, Li Guipin, and Sheng Jieyu, these people have various forces behind them. It would be difficult to deal with them all at once.

"These eunuchs and palace maids... drag them out and beat them to death." Lu Junze opened his thin lips slightly and decided several lives.

Gu Shijin would not sympathize with these people. When they set fire to Ningyu Pavilion, they did not even think of sparing her life.

You reap what you sow. It's all your own fault.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please spare my life... I am innocent... Your Majesty."

Su Deyuan: "Hurry up and block his mouth and drag him out, you are polluting the ears of the emperor and the ladies."

"Yes, Eunuch Su." The guard covered his mouth and quickly dragged the man out.

Lu Junze: "As for Ding Dong..."

Concubine De raised her head and looked at Lu Junze expectantly. Ding Dong was someone she brought in from outside the palace. He had been with her for many years, and the master and servant had a deep relationship.

"Let the Ministry of Punishment conduct a strict trial. No matter what the result is, he will be caned to death!"

"Your Majesty!" Concubine De raised her head in panic, "Please spare Ding Dong's life, Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty."

Lu Junze's expression was icy, and he said, "Duke Concubine De failed to supervise properly, and she is confined to Yonghe Palace for half a year. She is not allowed to leave the house without my order."

Concubine De smiled miserably, and looked at Lu Junze with disappointment in her eyes, "Yes, I obey your order."

"Song Xiuyi, for the sake of the Second Prince, you will be demoted to a concubine and confined to Yong'an Palace."

"When the second prince grows up, take him to Xiefang Palace."

Song Xiuyi didn't care about what she heard before. She was not afraid of being demoted or confined to her room. But when she heard that the second prince was going to be taken away, she was completely panicked.

Song Xiuyi raised her head and looked at Lu Junze, and said in a panic: "Your Majesty, I was wrong, please don't take the second prince away."

Lu Junze looked at Song Xiuyi indifferently without saying a word.

Song Xiuyi felt a chill in her heart and lowered her head, not daring to say anything more.

"Sheng Jieyu, banished to the cold palace."

"Talented Lady Yang, promoted to noble lady."

On this day, only Concubine Yang made a profit.