The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

Sun Heyin's face flushed red. She didn't expect that the emperor, such a stubborn man, would take the initiative to drag An Lingrong into the matter in order to protect Zhen Huan.

She looked at Qi Yuebin with a hint of anger.

Qi Yuebin was not surprised at all and still looked calm. Yongzheng's behavior was within her expectations.

An Lingrong shifted her gaze to Sun Heyin.

Sun Heyin lowered her head, fiddling with the handkerchief in her hand, and didn't look at her.

She turned her gaze to Zhen Huan again, and Zhen Huan shook her head slightly.

A moment later, the Chief of the Ministry of Punishment walked quickly into the hall and bowed, "Your Majesty, the young eunuch just testified that shortly after the Imperial Noble Consort entered Jingren Palace, he vaguely heard a strange sound coming from the hall, like the sound of a struggle or a fight.

"I led a thorough search of the Empress's bedroom and discovered some messy footprints beside the bed, as if someone had been wandering or struggling there."

He paused for a moment, glanced up at Zhen Huan, and continued, "I also found a bloody footprint under the carpet, with the phoenix pattern on the sole faintly visible."

As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the palace.

The phoenix pattern is a decoration exclusive to the empress. Apart from the deceased empress, the only one in the palace who can use the phoenix pattern is Imperial Noble Consort Zhen Huan.

Yongzheng's expression suddenly darkened, and he looked directly at Zhen Huan: "Royal Concubine, what is your explanation?"

Zhen Huan's expression remained calm, but a subtle emotion flickered in her eyes. "Your Majesty, I did enter the Empress's chamber. There should be my footprints inside the chamber, but the bloody footprints couldn't be mine. Besides, why would I want to assassinate the Empress?"

Qi Yuebin's voice rang out slowly: "Even though the Empress is no longer a figurehead, she still has the title of Empress!"

Her words imply that Zhen Huan killed people for the position of queen, and this reason sounds reasonable.

Zhen Huan calmed herself down, "Your Majesty, I have never harbored any ambition to become Empress. Furthermore, if I truly harbored such a desire, why would I have so brazenly entered Jingren Palace and assassinated the Empress? Wouldn't that be sheer folly? Though I'm not very talented, I know how to weigh the pros and cons and would never undertake such a self-destructive act. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and grant me justice."

Without waiting for Yongzheng to speak, Qi Yuebin said calmly, "Everyone in this palace knows that you and the Queen have a long-standing grudge. Yet, a single word from her made you risk disobeying the Queen's order and go to Jingren Palace. This means that what happened between you is extraordinary. It's understandable that you killed someone in a fit of rage. Unless you can clearly explain why you went to Jingren Palace."

Zhen Huan raised her head, glanced at Qi Yuebin, and said nothing.

On the other side, Shen Meizhuang also said: "Your Majesty, there are many doubts in this matter. The current evidence is not enough to make a conclusion. I implore Your Majesty to order a thorough investigation to avoid wrongfully accusing innocent people and to prevent the real culprit from going unpunished."

Yongzheng's gaze fell heavily on Zhen Huan. "Royal Consort, I ask you again, why did you go to Jingren Palace?"

"It was summoned by the Queen, there is no other reason."

Hearing this, Yongzheng plucked the jade beads in his hand more quickly. The beads collided with each other and made a subtle crisp sound, venting his inner anxiety and weighing.

Although he had long been tired of Ulanara and no longer had any feelings for her, she was the queen after all. Once the matter was thoroughly investigated, no matter what the result was, it would be difficult to cover up. It would become a scandal in the palace and even spread outside the palace, causing a sensation.

By then, all the civil and military officials in the court would write to him, accusing him of not being able to manage the affairs of the harem, and how could he govern the country and bring peace to the world? This would not only undermine his prestige as emperor, but would also likely cause unrest in the court and affect the balance between the former and the harem.

And most importantly, since Ulanara died as "empress," how would her posthumous title be determined? If the Ulanara clan learned that the empress had been assassinated in the palace, they would certainly not let it go. They would use this opportunity to force him to bury Ulanara with the ceremony of "empress," and he would be buried with her a hundred years later.

This was something Yongzheng absolutely could not accept.

Therefore, it is impossible to thoroughly investigate this matter, and the queen can only have "died of a serious illness."

He could keep this matter secret and not let anyone know, but he couldn't hide it in the harem, so he had to give an explanation to everyone.

If you want to make a big thing small or a small thing disappear, the best way is to put the blame on Zhen Huan.

But the queen is the queen after all, and assassinating the queen is such a heinous crime! Once convicted, Zhen Huan will be severely punished.

Yongzheng was in a dilemma for a moment, his brows furrowed, and the beads in his hand were almost crushed.

He was silent for a long time, and his eyes fell on Zhen Huan again.

Zhen Huan's back was straight and her face always had a calm expression.

Compared with the stability of the previous dynasty and the stability of the country, one person's grievances are nothing after all.

Even though he felt reluctant in his heart, he had to suppress it in the face of the overall situation.

I'll help her get rid of the crime when I have the chance.

I believe Huanhuan will understand her helplessness.

Thinking of this, Yongzheng's eyes suddenly became as sharp as a knife, and his voice was filled with unquestionable majesty: "Issue an order that all the palace servants in Jingren Palace who fail to provide adequate care will be beaten to death."

"I obey your order!" Su Peisheng trembled and immediately bowed in response.

After hearing what Yongzheng said, Zhen Huan's originally straight back slumped slightly.

An Lingrong keenly sensed the meaning behind Yongzheng's words. Without further ado, she quickly stepped forward and knelt before him, "Your Majesty! There are still doubts about this matter. Why don't you hand those people over to me for a thorough investigation? If you deal with them hastily, I'm afraid that innocent people will be wrongly accused!"

When Su Peisheng heard her words, he paused, wanting to see if there was any room for improvement.

However, Yongzheng's expression remained unchanged. He waved his hand and said in a cold and resolute tone, "No need to say more. I have made up my mind."

"emperor……"

An Lingrong wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Yongzheng:

"Su Peisheng!"

Su Peisheng did not dare to hesitate any longer. He lowered his head to accept the order and quickly retreated.

An Lingrong's hands hanging by her side began to tremble uncontrollably.

Even if Zhen Huan is the "most important woman" in his heart, she is just a "woman" and is not worth mentioning compared to the stability of the previous dynasty.

The atmosphere in the hall was so solemn that it was almost suffocating.

An Lingrong knew that without any witnesses, the situation could no longer be reversed and she had to find another way.

"Your Majesty, I have something to say. Please forgive me for my offense."

This is a sentence that An Lingrong often said.

Shen Meizhuang knew that she was about to say something that would anger the emperor again, so she quickly crawled forward on her knees, blocking half of An Lingrong's body, so as not to hinder her from speaking while also protecting her.

Yongzheng nodded secretly. It seemed that calling Concubine Wen was indeed a wise move. She was always thoughtful and thoughtful. Perhaps she could come up with a perfect plan that would both save the royal family's reputation and remove Zhen Huan from this matter.

Thinking of this, a hint of anticipation flashed in Yongzheng's eyes.

"You said."