The Rebirth of Li Fei: The Strongest Palace Fighting System

Upon hearing this, Concubine Cao immediately agreed:

"What Concubine Hua said is absolutely right! The logic behind this is simple and easy to understand. If Concubine An was truly that scheming, able to foresee that the truth would be exposed one day, and then cleverly use a piece of silk flower as evidence to frame her, then she might as well abandon this foolish plan from the beginning to avoid future troubles. Moreover, anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this silk flower belongs to Baojuan, and Baojuan herself has just admitted it. Isn't this just trying to cover up the truth?"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Baojuan at this moment. She felt as if a thorn was on her back. Her face was pale without a trace of blood. Her lips were trembling, but she could no longer utter a word.

She secretly regretted that she had let the cat out of the bag in a moment of haste. Now she wanted to defend herself, but she was powerless.

Of course, it is not only me who can sense Baojuan’s helplessness, but also the Queen, so she is ready to use her usual tactic of sacrificing pawns to save the chariot.

The Queen raised her hand slightly, and the atmosphere in the palace became even more oppressive. She slowly spoke, threatening secretly:

"Baojuan, if you hadn't framed me, how could this have come to this? A servant's disloyalty deserves death, and worse, his entire clan will be implicated! But if you are willing to confess, and in consideration of your many years of service, I may show some leniency and spare your family's lives."

Baojuan trembled even more violently when she heard this, and almost collapsed to the ground. She managed to squeeze out a cry:

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please understand. This servant... This servant really didn't do it!"

The queen sneered, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes, but she still maintained her dignity:

"Hmph, whether you have or not, you know it clearly. Think about your parents and family. They are probably hoping that you will have a conscience right now. Don't let them suffer undeserved disaster because of your mistake."

Then, the Queen turned to look at me, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, like sympathy, but also like calculation:

"Princess An, I'm sorry for making you suffer."

I nodded slightly, but thought to myself, the Queen acted out this scene so vividly, and so did I.

Xiao Tao, who was standing next to me, was so anxious that she kept jumping up and down beside me, mumbling in a voice that only I could hear:

"Your Majesty, this Queen is obviously threatening Baojuan!"

Baojuan collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down her cheeks, her voice weak and desperate.

Muttering feebly:

"This doll was indeed sewn by me. I was confused for a moment and framed Concubine An..."

When I heard this, I felt a mixture of anger and confusion, but I remained calm and dignified.

"Baojuan, you and I are master and servant. I treat you well and have never deprived you of food, clothing, or other necessities. Why are you doing this?"

When Baojuan heard this, her eyes flickered and she seemed to hesitate for a moment, but then she became firm again. I knew that this must be a drama arranged by the Queen.

Baojuan suddenly raised her voice, with a hint of determination and madness:

"Your Majesty, you don't know! Ever since the first day Concubine An entered the palace, she has forced us to embroider non-stop day and night. All of our embroidery was sent outside the palace in exchange for money! Over the past two years, she has colluded with Huaxi Weaving and Textiles outside the palace, earning tens of thousands of taels of silver! I've been embroidering day and night, and my hands are almost crippled. And she often threatens me, saying that if I don't obey, she'll kill my family! I've been harboring resentment for a long time, and in a moment of confusion, I did something like this! Your Majesty, please help me!"

I listened to Baojuan's words and sneered in my heart. This was clearly a lie made up by the Queen to frame me. But I didn't show it on my face. I just frowned slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in my eyes:

"Baojuan, you're wrong. Although I embroidered flowers and sent them outside the palace to earn some money, I've never forced anyone, let alone colluded with those outside the palace to make ill-gotten gains. If you have a grudge, you can just say it. Why fabricate such absurd lies to slander me? Besides, everyone in the palace knows that the Empress is the one in charge of the harem. If you really have a hard time, why don't you report it to the Empress? Instead, choose this time and place to frame me with such despicable means?"

Having said that, I deliberately paused and glanced at the queen. I saw that the queen's face changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure.

At this moment, Xiao Tao beside me was so anxious that she kept jumping up and down, muttering in a voice that only I could hear:

"My Lady, Baojuan is clearly talking nonsense. What should we do?"

The Emperor frowned upon hearing this, his eyes darting back and forth between Baojuan and me, as if searching for clues to the truth. He said in a deep voice:

"Princess An, is this true?"

I was shocked. Although Baojuan's confession about selling embroidery for money was not completely fictitious, the charge of secretly colluding and making tens of thousands of silver taels was something I never thought would be imposed on me.

I quickly calmed down and tried to make my voice sound calm and firm:

"Your Majesty, I did embroider some patterns in the past and sold them outside the palace to supplement palace expenses. However, the claim that I secretly colluded and earned tens of thousands of silver taels is absolutely false. As a concubine in the harem, I know I must strictly abide by the palace rules. How could I do such a bold thing?"

When Baojuan heard this, a hint of pride flashed in her eyes, as if she thought her lie was about to succeed.

She quickly answered, her voice filled with urgency:

"Yes! I know it all! Concubine An carefully hid the collected banknotes in a box on her dressing table. I saw it with my own eyes! If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, go ahead and check! Everything I say is true, and I'm not exaggerating!"

I listened to Baojuan's lies and was furious, but I also knew that I had to remain calm at this moment.

I tilted my head slightly and glanced at Xiaotao from the corner of my eye. I saw Xiaotao staring at Baojuan with wide eyes and an angry look on her face.

I took a deep breath and tried to make my tone sound more sincere:

"Your Majesty, I know that rumors are easy to spread and difficult to prove in the harem. However, I am willing to open the box on the dresser and allow Your Majesty to search it to prove my innocence. At the same time, I also implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter, find the real mastermind behind it, and give me justice."

The emperor was silent for a moment, his eyes once again looking between Baojuan and me, and finally he spoke slowly:

"Alright, I'll send someone to search. If there really is the banknote you mentioned, Concubine An, do you know what the consequences will be?"

I knelt on the ground, with a barely perceptible firmness in my tone:

"I understand. But if the search yields no results, I implore Your Majesty to severely punish those who spread rumors and stir up trouble, so as to rectify the morale of the harem."

"Su Peisheng!"

"The slave is here."

"Go to Yanxi Palace and check!"

"Whoo."

At this time, I winked at Xiaotao, and she quickly ran back before Su Peisheng.