The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

"Xianfei, I am the Queen. If you act so boldly today, I'm afraid that not only you, but also the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion will be in trouble."

In front of Chenqian Hall.

The queen was tied up and forced to kneel on the ground.

The palace maids and guards in front of the emperor dared not act without orders from above. The people of Fengyi Palace had long been isolated at a distance by the large number of palace maids brought by Concubine Xian, and could not approach.

The queen's hair was disheveled and she looked very disheveled.

After her initial harsh scolding didn't work, she had calmed down and just stared at Concubine Xian with a heavy look.

But Concubine Xian sneered.

"Zheng, don't pretend to be calm. This palace and the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion don't need your concern. If you can't explain the matter of Concubine Ying seeing blood, the position of Queen will no longer belong to you. Instead of threatening this palace, you might as well make up a lie and think about how to deceive His Majesty later."

The queen smiled indifferently.

"By framing me, you think you can clear yourself of suspicion? Although I am recuperating from my illness, I have heard rumors in the palace that it was a servant from your Changle Palace who passed medicine to the kitchen and secretly harmed Consort Ying."

The virtuous concubine narrowed her eyes and looked at the queen carefully.

After not seeing her for a few days, the old woman's demeanor became even more profound.

It's becoming more and more annoying.

Thinking about what she had to do today, Concubine Xian was too lazy to argue anymore.

He sneered, "Even Consort Ying herself doesn't believe that I harmed her and moved into Changle Palace. Are you still trying to sow discord here? Save your energy and kneel down!"

The virtuous concubine left the queen kneeling in front of the palace and went to the side hall to rest.

It was not until she heard footsteps outside and saw through the window that the emperor got off his sedan chair in front of the steps that she put down her tea bowl and went out to greet him.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. I have disturbed your afternoon rest, and I am guilty. However, this matter is of grave importance, and I dare not delay. I have brought the guilty woman, Zheng, before you for your Majesty's decision."

After bowing, the virtuous concubine went straight to the point.

"Sinner Zheng, which one?"

The emperor glanced at the virtuous concubine indifferently, then went up the stairs surrounded by the palace maids.

Behind him were concubines including Fei Wan, but he ignored them, and even did not look at the queen kneeling in front of the hall, and walked straight into Chen Qian Hall.

He exudes the cold majesty of an emperor.

Fei Wan supported Concubine Qing, and the crowd greeted Concubine Xian, then quietly followed them into the hall and stood on both sides. No one spoke.

When the storm is coming, no one will be the first to step forward.

Only the virtuous concubine stepped forward and reported, "Your Majesty, the guilty woman, Zheng, is the one kneeling outside the palace. She plotted to murder the heir to the throne and slaughtered palace maids. Not only has she committed murder, she has also violated the ancestral rules of the imperial harem established by Taizu. She is no longer fit to be empress."

"Is it you who decides whether I am worthy or not? Do you take me seriously?"

The emperor asked in a deep voice, and Concubine Xian immediately knelt down.

"I know I was wrong, Your Majesty, and I beg for your punishment. I was simply enraged and couldn't help myself. What I did was abhorrent, a crime that infuriated both humans and gods. Your Majesty, I beg you to examine me!"

"Tell the truth about what bad things she did."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The virtuous concubine stood up and ordered someone to bring a witness.

The emperor said calmly: "Did I let you get up?"

The virtuous concubine's expression froze, but she endured it and knelt down again: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was frightened by Zheng's actions and neglected my etiquette."

"Please bring in the Queen," said the Emperor.

Cao Bin hurried out of the hall. Because the emperor said "please" instead of "bring", he asked the people in Changle Palace to release the queen and untie her.

He bowed and led the queen into the hall.

"Fix your hair properly, and whatever happens, speak politely," the emperor said to the queen.

The queen's eyes became wet.

She remained indifferent to the humiliation from the virtuous concubine, but almost burst into tears because of a simple word from the emperor.

Your Majesty, you still have feelings for me, don't you?

After bowing and expressing her gratitude, the queen went into the inner chamber. With the help of the imperial maids, she quickly tied up her hair in front of the mirror, straightened her clothes that were torn to a point, and came out again.

Although her embarrassment had not completely subsided, she was calmer than before, and standing before the throne, she had some of the airs of a queen.

She was standing, but Concubine Xian was still kneeling.

The virtuous concubine looked aggrieved: "Your Majesty?!"

The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, without saying a word.

"Xianfei, if you want to accuse the Empress, then you must provide solid evidence. Otherwise, I will not tolerate your false accusation against the Empress and your rude and violent behavior."

The emperor's cold eyes made Concubine Xian feel a little panicked.

But in an instant, she regained her composure and said firmly, "Of course I have solid evidence!"

The witnesses entered the hall one by one.

The first person to come in was a needlework maid from Changle Palace.

He had been tortured to the point of being a bloody mess, with his ten fingers twisted and distorted, and covered in blood, obviously from being tortured with a pliers.

She lay on the ground, her voice hoarse, and weakly confessed how she killed Zhang Xiaosi, a servant in Changle Palace, and dismembered the body and hid it in the wine cellar.

It turned out that on the day Fei Wan took Jin Shou and others from the kitchen to Changle Palace, Zhang Xiaosi took the opportunity to escape. However, he did not escape from the palace, but hid in the cabinet in her room, covering himself with bedding, and avoided the search of the eunuch in charge.

That night she tricked Zhang Xiaosi into the wine cellar and killed him.

The people in Changle Palace were searching for Zhang Xiaosi everywhere, but they neglected the crimes in their own palace.

She had wanted to take advantage of the time at the end of the month when the palace embroidery room was buying embroidery thread and sneak out of the palace disguised as a eunuch, but unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaosi's body was discovered in advance.

Changle Palace thoroughly investigated all the abnormalities of everyone. The palace maid who lived next door to her revealed the suspicious fact that she did not return home for half the night and smelled of alcohol when she returned. She was tortured and could not bear it anymore, so she confessed the truth.

"How can it be so cruel..."

"Oh my god, that's scary!"

"My...my heart is pounding..."

The concubines listened and moaned one after another.

Killing and dismembering a person, such a cruel thing, no one could tell that it was done by the skinny palace maid in front of them.

"Why did you kill Zhang Xiaosi? Go on!" Concubine Xian urged.

The maid was dying. After taking a breath, she huskily said, "To silence him. With the kitchen powder incident, Zhang Xiaosi can't escape and will definitely be caught. Kill him, and he'll never reveal that it was the Queen who ordered it."

The concubines gasped.

Zheng Zhuyi, who had been silent for a long time since entering the palace, finally couldn't help but speak when she saw that the queen and her eldest sister were still listening calmly.

"What nonsense!"

She stared at the maid and asked, "Since you killed Zhang Xiaosi to silence him, you must have been loyally protecting the Queen. But why did you reveal the Queen yourself? Who planned this self-torture trick of yours?"

The spearhead was directed at Concubine Xian.

However, the virtuous concubine was not panicked.

The maid on the ground said hoarsely, "No matter how loyal you are, you can't endure the pain of torture. Telling the truth can give you a quick death. Lady Xianfei, don't forget what you said: as long as I tell the truth, you won't implicate my family."

"I will never forget."

"Thank you, ma'am."

The palace maid grinned, then suddenly lowered her head and buried her face on the ground.

Soon, a stream of bright red blood flowed from under her neck.

Several concubines were so frightened that they screamed.

Cao Bin quickly took people forward to check.

"...She hid broken pieces of porcelain in her collar and committed suicide."

As he said this, he hurriedly asked someone to carry her out.

The blood stained the carpet, and since it couldn't be changed at the moment, a thick layer of brocade mat was laid to cover it.

The virtuous concubine's face turned pale.

Gritting his teeth, he said, "How dare you, a lowly slave, seek death in front of the emperor!"

Zheng Zhuyi snorted, "If she doesn't die without any evidence, what if it's discovered that she was instructed by someone to frame the Queen? Of course, her death would be the most beneficial to someone. Isn't that right, Concubine Zhao?"

Fei Wan stood among the concubines and listened quietly.

Suddenly being called, he turned around with a confused look on his face, "...Huh?"

Liu Changzai rolled his eyes and decided to continue showing Fei Wan how useful he was. Only by speaking up for the master at the critical moment could he be remembered by the master.

She cautiously reminded Zheng Zhuyi, "Zheng Guipin, Empress Zhao has been promoted to Consort Zhao. You're so busy appealing for the Empress, I'm afraid you don't know yet."

Zheng Zhuyi and Concubine Xian's expressions changed at the same time.

When did this happen?!

While they were busy fighting in the ring, Fei Wan quietly upgraded?

Fei Wan met Zheng Zhuyi's gaze and asked in confusion:

"Noble Concubine, do you want to call me for something?"