Return of the Pearl

Kunning Palace

The queen was so frightened that she was like a candle in the wind, her whole body shaking like a sieved chaff. She was like a headless fly in the palace, panic-stricken and at a loss as to what to do. At this moment of extreme fear and anxiety, suddenly, a voice of "The Emperor has arrived" suddenly exploded like earth-shaking thunder. The sound seemed to tear the entire palace apart. The queen was so frightened that the teacup she was holding tightly in her hand slipped out of her hand and fell straight to the ground without any warning. With a "bang", the teacup shattered in an instant, turning into countless tiny fragments.

Before the queen could recover from the sudden shock, she saw Qianlong striding into the palace with great momentum like a gust of extremely swift wind. His steps were firm and powerful, and every step seemed to step on the queen's heart, making her fear even stronger.

The Queen forced herself to remain calm, kneeling down to pay her respects, her voice trembling and almost breaking, "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."

However, Qianlong ignored her courtesy, as if he had not heard it. He was like an enraged lion, with rage in his eyes, and rushed directly to the queen at lightning speed.

He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the queen with all his strength. This kick seemed to carry the power of thunder and was wrapped in anger like a storm. The queen was caught off guard and had no time to react. She was like a kite with a broken string. She flew out without any resistance, drew an arc in the air, and fell heavily to the ground with a "bang", raising a cloud of dust.

"You vicious woman, with a heart as vicious as a snake and scorpion, how can you be worthy of the position of queen!" Qianlong's eyes were bloodshot, he was burning with rage, and he roared at the top of his lungs. The sound seemed to shake the whole palace down, full of endless anger and hatred.

The queen was terrified to the extreme, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her body trembled uncontrollably, but she pretended to be strong on the surface and said, "I really don't know the reason for what Your Majesty said. You can't convict me without any basis, right?" Although she tried to keep her voice steady, the fear and uneasiness in it were difficult to conceal. The slightly trembling tone of her voice showed her inner fear to the fullest.

Looking at the empress's unrepentant look, Qianlong's anger grew more and more intense, like a volcano about to erupt, "If I didn't have solid evidence, how could I do this so easily? I wanted to give you a chance out of consideration for the twelfth prince, but you are exactly the same as Hongzhou. You have no gratitude at all for the kindness I have shown you!" His voice was full of anger and disdain, as if he wanted to completely tear off the empress's disguise.

When Hong Zhou was mentioned, the queen's face turned pale as paper in an instant. All the strength in her body seemed to be drained away in an instant. She collapsed to the ground. Her eyes widened in horror, filled with despair and helplessness. Her eyeballs seemed to be about to pop out of their sockets. Her body was shaking violently, like a candle in the wind, which could go out at any time.

Then, the queen's legs began to tremble involuntarily, and a warm liquid slowly flowed out from under her body, soaking her skirt. The unpleasant smell gradually spread in the air. Her shame and fear reached its peak. Her lips trembled, and she wanted to say something, but no sound came out. She could only make a faint whimper, like a wounded beast groaning in pain.

Qianlong just frowned slightly, and a trace of disgust flashed across his brows. The queen knew that it was useless to say more at this moment. She suppressed her inner fear and shame and tried her best to remain calm.

She lowered her head and confessed in a trembling voice, evasively, "Your Majesty, I only had some dealings with that Altai... I was just privately befriending an outsider, nothing more."

There was a hint of pleading in her voice, as if she was praying that Qianlong would believe her words. However, her eyes revealed a hint of guilt and panic, and she did not dare to look Qianlong in the eye.

Qianlong's face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm, his eyes flashing with anger. He suddenly pulled out the secret letter written by her from his wide sleeves. The secret letter seemed to carry a thousand-pound weight, and he threw it in front of the queen. The secret letter drew an arc in the air and fell lightly to the ground.

At the same time, Qianlong's cold voice sounded, like a biting cold wind, "Look for yourself!" Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, full of his disappointment and anger towards the queen.

The queen's hands trembled involuntarily. She slowly stretched out her hands and took the secret letter with great difficulty. When her eyes fell on the familiar handwriting, her heart seemed to be hit by a heavy hammer. Suddenly, a strong feeling of despair and helplessness surged up in her. She knew clearly that at this moment, no matter how hard she tried to defend herself, she could not change the established facts.

"This useless thing, the secret letter was burned after reading it, but he didn't even know about it? Your Majesty, I just wanted Xiao Yun to die in Shandong. I really didn't know that Altai and Hong Zhou were colluding to rebel. This matter has nothing to do with me." The queen's voice was mixed with some unwillingness and grievance. The voice trembled, like a candle swaying in the wind, full of sorrow and helplessness.

The queen was extremely anxious and tried her best to defend herself. She knew very well that if she was involved in the rebellion, the consequences would be disastrous. Not only would she be executed, but her family would also be doomed. At this moment, she felt that she was extremely wronged, so she kept explaining, her voice full of anxiety and fear.

Her words kept pouring out like a machine gun, trying to convey her innocence to Qianlong. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her eyes revealed endless grievances and resentment. Her look made people feel pity. Her hands were tightly clasped, as if she was trying to grasp the last ray of hope, trying to make Qianlong believe her innocence.

Qianlong stared silently at the empress before him, his heart filled with a complex mixture of disappointment and anger. His eyes, sharp as a blade, pierced the empress, and he demanded with rage, "Even now, don't you understand where you went wrong? I ask you, have you always been fully aware of the drought in Shandong?"

The queen pursed her lips tightly, said nothing, and just stood there silently. However, a trace of panic and guilt flashed in her eyes. That subtle change in expression was undoubtedly a silent admission to Qianlong. Her eyes were wandering, as if she was avoiding Qianlong's pressing gaze and did not dare to look him in the eye.