Ping Zhao Lu

When Concubine Xian heard this, her heart was shocked and she turned her head to look at the palace maids standing behind her seat almost as a conditioned reflex.

However, after she glanced around, the expression on her face became increasingly gloomy and ugly.

At this moment, Cuihuan, the palace maid whom she had always regarded as her confidant and the one she trusted the most, was not among them!

You know, she hasn't seen Cuihuan since the banquet even started.

At first, although she had some doubts in her heart, she didn't pay much attention to it.

After all, there were many people coming and going at the banquet and the affairs were complicated. Perhaps Cuihuan was just delayed by other things.

But at this critical moment, he was still nowhere to be seen, which made her feel panicked.

Could it be that... the palace maid Liang Siyi was talking about is Cuihuan?

Thinking of this, Concubine Xian couldn't help but get so nervous that she clenched her fingers tightly with both hands, and the joints even turned slightly white due to the force.

She thought that she had never had any interactions or dealings with Liang Siyi, but who could guarantee that the palace maids around her would not do something out of line behind her back?

If this is true, then she might really want to kill to silence the witness.

At the same time, Queen Mother Jiang, who was sitting above, was always paying close attention to every subtle change in Concubine Xian's emotions, trying to find some clues from these clues.

She desperately wanted to find out whether this matter was related to Concubine Xian. If she was really involved, then there would be nothing she could do.

It’s better not to have this chess piece.

Chu Yunxiao glanced coldly at Concubine Xian, then fixed his gaze on Liang Siyi, who was kneeling beside her. He asked in a low and dignified voice, "What's the name of that palace maid?"

Liang Siyi did not dare to hesitate for a moment, and quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, answering respectfully: "Your Majesty, this woman's name is Jian Ke."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian was stunned.

She was originally very nervous and prayed that she would not hear the name "Cuihuan".

But he never expected that it would be the palace maid he promoted a while ago.

At this moment, Concubine Xian was filled with regret, her intestines almost turning green. She could only blame herself for being too careless in her daily actions, which had left her with such a huge hidden danger.

Chu Yunxiao had no expression on his face, his expression still as cold as water, and continued to ask, "Where is she?"

Liang Siyi raised her head slightly and carefully glanced towards where the virtuous concubine was sitting. Soon, she spotted the palace maid standing there, and quickly raised her hand and pointed in that direction, saying, "That's her."

At this moment, everyone's eyes looked in the direction of Liang Siyi's finger.

The palace maid's face was as pale as paper, her eyes were full of panic, and she lowered her head involuntarily.

Then, she hurried forward, fell to her knees with a thud, kowtowed repeatedly, and said in a trembling voice: "Your servant Jian Ke pays homage to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!"

However, Queen Mother Jiang was upset at the moment and had no intention of paying attention to her, not even bothering to look at her.

Chu Yunxiao's face was as gloomy as water, his eyes as cold as frost. He stared at the person in front of him, his voice so cold that it seemed to freeze the air. He slowly said, "Do you admit what Liang Siyi said?"

Hearing this majestic voice, Jian Ke's heart tightened and he began to tremble involuntarily.

She first glanced nervously at the virtuous concubine standing beside her, a hint of fear and uneasiness in her eyes. Then, she quickly turned her head to look at Liang Siyi, as if hoping to get some support or hint from her, but she only saw a cold and emotionless face.

After hesitating for a long time, Jian Ke finally lowered her head and replied in a voice as thin as a mosquito: "It is... Liang Siyi said it, and I dare not deny it."

As soon as these words fell, Concubine Xian was furious. Her eyes widened, her face flushed crimson, and she pointed at Jian Ke and shouted, "Well! You ignorant slave, how dare you collude with outsiders to frame me! Tell me, when did you start secretly colluding with her?"

Jian Ke trembled all over, her legs weak and she could barely stand. She stammered in response, "It was clearly you, Your Majesty, who ordered this servant to do this..."

"How dare you! Don't slander me!" Concubine Xian was so angry that she was shaking all over. She raised her hand and slapped Jian Ke fiercely.

Because the incident happened suddenly, Jian Ke was completely unprepared, and the slap hit her face hard. The huge impact made her body shake violently, and she almost fell to the ground.

Panicked, she covered her burning cheeks with her hands, tears streaming down her face. She cried out in injustice, "It was the virtuous concubine who ordered this from me... She had me bribe Liang Siyi from the Shangfu Bureau to tamper with the Empress's clothes. Not only that, she also ordered me to work with the maids stationed in the Empress's palace to deliberately ruin the Empress's already made clothes."

"You, what evidence do you have!" The virtuous concubine's eyes were wide open, and she pointed her trembling fingers straight at her. Her chest was heaving violently, as if it would explode in the next second.

She opened her mouth, wanting to refute the other person's words, but her throat seemed to be blocked by a ball of cotton, and she couldn't utter a word.

The virtuous concubine tried hard to calm the surging emotions in her heart and tried to regain her sanity, but the anger was like a flood that broke through the dam and instantly broke through her last line of defense.

At this moment, Lipin, who had been watching coldly, slightly raised the corners of her lips, revealing an imperceptible sneer.

She thought to herself:

Humph, what more evidence do you need? Isn't this witness right in front of you? You've ignored me before, now you deserve to be treated coldly! Now I want to see who will stand up for you!

Thinking of this, a hint of pride flashed in Lipin's eyes.

"There is absolutely no falsehood in what I said, Your Majesty, please understand!" Jian Ke said seriously and sincerely. She straightened her body and looked directly at Concubine Xian with a firm gaze, not afraid of her fiery eyes at all.

Seeing this, the rage in Concubine Xian's heart grew even stronger, the blazing flames almost devouring her whole body. She bit her lip tightly, shaking with anger.

At this time, the Lin father and son sitting next to them were completely confused.

Especially Lin Yufen, he opened his eyes wide with an expression of disbelief on his face.

He was unwilling to believe that this matter was related to his precious daughter!

For a moment, all his rationality disappeared. He no longer cared about his son Lin Zhuoran's obstruction. He stood up suddenly, rushed to the front of the hall, then knelt down heavily with a "thump", and kowtowed hard, with his forehead hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

"Your Majesty, please be wise! My daughter has always been gentle, kind, well-educated and would never do such a despicable thing! Your Majesty, please clear my daughter's name!" Lin Yufen shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice filled with anxiety and fear.

"Father..." Hearing her father's desperate defense, Concubine Xian couldn't help but burst into tears, and tears rolled down her face like pearls from a broken string.