Return of the Pearl

Kunning Palace

When the Queen heard that Xiao Yun's family recognition banquet was held smoothly and perfectly, she was immediately furious and raged in the palace. Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes were wide open, and her beautiful face became distorted and hideous because of anger.

The queen slammed the table so hard that the tea sets on it jingled. "How could this happen? I have planned everything, how could it fail at the last moment?" The queen's voice was sharp and harsh, full of resentment and insatiable anger.

The palace maid beside her was so scared that she was trembling. She knelt on the ground and dared not look up. Her whole body was shaking.

The queen glared at her fiercely, "You useless thing, how do you do things!"

The maid said in panic, "Please spare me, Your Majesty. I really did what you asked."

At this time, news came from outside the palace that Xiao Yun not only finished the whole dance, but her clothes were also intact.

The maid was even more bewildered and terrified. "I don't know what went wrong. It's really not my fault, Your Majesty..."

The queen paced back and forth in the palace in frustration, her eyes full of anger and disappointment. She couldn't understand why everything she had carefully planned had ended in failure.

The Queen was unwilling to be defeated by Xiao Yun, and secretly vowed in her heart that she would find a way to win back the game and make Xiao Yun pay a heavy price! Her anger swept through the entire palace like a storm, making everyone around her seem immersed in fear and anxiety.

After receiving Qianlong's order, Xiao Luzi did not dare to slack off and immediately launched an investigation without stopping. After some investigation, he found that the problematic items were provided by the Imperial Household Department. So, Xiao Luzi naturally had to go to the Imperial Household Department to find out.

During the investigation, Xiao Luzi searched over and over but still had no clue. However, when he found the Queen Mother's palace, his heart tightened.

Xiao Luzi naturally understood that no matter who was involved, he had to get to the bottom of it today, otherwise he would be the one to be punished tomorrow.

Unexpectedly, it was so late and the Queen had not yet gone to bed. When Xiao Luzi took people to take the maid away, the Queen already knew what was going on. She understood that it was not that her people did not do the job, but that the job was not done. However, what the Queen did not expect was that the Emperor's reaction was so big and his actions were so quick.

The palace maid who was taken away only glanced at the queen when she left, but did not dare to say a word of pleading.

Xiao Luzi took the palace maid directly to the Ministry of Punishment. In the dim cell of the Ministry of Punishment, the palace maid was tied tightly to the rack. Her face was full of fear and despair. The iron chains on the rack flashed coldly under the candlelight. Xiao Luzi stood aside, watching all this expressionlessly.

The jailers, holding various torture instruments, began to cruelly torture the palace maids. They first whipped the palace maids' bodies with whips. Every whip brought up a splash of blood. The palace maids' screams echoed in the cell, making people shudder. The whips left deep blood marks on the palace maids' bodies, and their fair skin instantly became a bloody mess.

Then, the jailers picked up the red-hot iron and branded the maid's body with marks. The moment the iron touched the skin, a "sizzling" sound was heard, accompanied by a pungent smell of burning. The maid's body trembled violently, and she moaned in pain.

Under this cruel punishment, the maid's consciousness gradually became blurred, but she still gritted her teeth and refused to say anything that would be detrimental to the queen. She knew that if she said it, not only would she be doomed to death, but the queen might also be implicated. However, her strength did not make the jailers show mercy, and they continued to torture her.

The jailers used pliers to clamp the maid's fingers and broke them one by one. The crisp sound of broken bones made people shudder. The maid's screams became weaker and weaker, her face became as pale as paper, and her forehead was covered with sweat, but she still persisted and refused to give in.

Finally, the jailers hung the palace maid up again and beat her body with sticks. The palace maid's body kept shaking in the air. Her consciousness was completely blurred, and only instinctive struggles in pain remained. The tragic scene was unbearable to watch.

Xiao Luzi stood aside, watching all this, feeling helpless. He knew that he had to get a confession, but the palace maid in front of him was too stubborn, and he had no way out!

As time went by, the palace maid's life breath became weaker and weaker. Xiao Luzi knew that if she continued like this, she might really be beaten to death. So he had no choice but to order to stop the torture and take the palace maid back to the cell. But at this time, the palace maid was already dying, her body was covered with scars and was a terrible sight.

However, the palace maid always insisted that the grudge between her and Xiao Yun was just a personal one, and she refused to change her words even when she was tortured.

Xiao Luzi was helpless about this. Even though he tried every possible way, he couldn't get the palace maid to change her story. So far, the investigation came to a standstill.

Xiao Luzi was unable to continue the investigation, and in desperation, he could only submit the confession to the emperor to make the final decision.

After learning the result, Qianlong naturally understood clearly in his heart, how could a little palace maid be so bold as to do such a thing? There must be someone behind this.

But the palace maid refused to give in, and Qianlong was at a loss for a moment. However, he changed his mind and felt that whether there was solid evidence in the harem was not so important.

The figure of a certain person emerged in Qianlong's mind, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He knew very well that he had decided to give up everything for that person, so he might as well be more decisive.

Qianlong looked at Xiao Luzi and said slowly: "Xiao Luzi, go and tell the palace maid a message and tell her that I don't care whether she was instructed by the queen or not, but she must say so in her confession." As soon as these words came out, Xiao Luzi was greatly shocked. He instantly understood the emperor's intention. The emperor wanted to confirm this matter. No matter what the truth was, he had to do it according to his wishes.

Xiao Luzi clenched the confession tightly in his hand, his heart filled with complicated emotions, "I understand, I will do it right away." Xiao Luzi said in a low voice.

Qianlong looked at Xiao Luzi's departing back, with a thousand thoughts in his mind. He thought of all the Queen's actions, and the already cold atmosphere in his heart became even colder.

Qianlong knew very well that the queen's power in the harem should not be underestimated, but for the person in his heart and for his own feelings, he had to take action. He wanted everyone to know that his determination was unshakable and no one could stop him.

Qianlong's eyes became more and more determined. He already had a comprehensive plan in his mind. He wanted to use this opportunity to completely suppress the queen's power and pave the way for himself and his beloved. He believed that as long as he persisted, he would be able to achieve his goal.