Quick Transmigration: Leisure

"Shiyi, go and retrieve the roster and records for the past six months."

"Yes!"

Xia Youmi isn't afraid of being smeared, but the necessary evidence presentation process still needs to be followed, otherwise how can the rest of the show proceed?

She didn't believe that His Majesty and Consort Ye hadn't found the real person who instructed the little eunuch after investigating for so long. She just wanted to hear her explanation and have her hand over the evidence to dispel any suspicion.

Sure enough, once the list of attendants for Jinzhu Palace was released, the little eunuch's lie was exposed. He had been expelled from Jinzhu Palace four months earlier for making a mistake by abandoning his companions and secretly contacting other palace servants.

The testimony regarding where the wax was obtained, who told him when and where he applied the wax, is completely untenable and cannot be reconciled.

He was eventually dragged away, his face ashen, and he glanced at Consort Liang before leaving.

Ye Linghua closed her eyes sadly, hating herself for her carelessness and the treacherous schemes of those vicious women. Since entering the palace, she had never targeted anyone, only ever protecting herself.

How can she live a clean life?

But just as Xia Youmi predicted, this was merely an appetizer. In the original story, this was a crucial turning point in the female protagonist's rise to power; she had to overcome this hurdle to achieve her transformation.

She was watching the show from God's perspective, which was supposed to be easy, but she didn't expect that the first hurdle would still befall her.

The wax was arranged by Consort Liang, and there were people around to push her so that she would slip. If she didn't step on it herself, she would eventually be pulled down by the people around her.

In the original plot, Consort Liang framed a concubine arbitrarily. The concubine was eventually exonerated, but because she failed to produce evidence in time, she suffered severe physical abuse.

The second challenge involved Consort Jiao and Consort Yu conspiring to administer an excessive amount of saffron. They ultimately shifted the blame, but this aroused suspicion from the male and female leads, though they couldn't be convicted.

The third challenge was orchestrated by Consort Zhao. Without an omniscient perspective, it's impossible to know their elaborate scheme. They found contraceptives within the Yuhua Palace, their location highly concealed, their methods utterly insidious.

If Ye Linghua hadn't become pregnant while traveling with the male protagonist outside the palace, she would never have discovered the filth.

Of course, the investigation wouldn't trace it back to Ye Ruilan, even though she was a suspect. She could also be completely absolved of responsibility; at that time, the Imperial Concubine was pregnant, and with palace power being delegated to outsiders, any mismanagement wouldn't fall on her shoulders. At most, she could offer a perfunctory apology for oversight.

After a long psychological battle, on the day the two sisters reminisced, Ye Ruilan prepared tea that tasted similar to contraceptive pills. Seeing that Ye Linghua became wary and did not drink it, she actually ordered someone to put the real contraceptive pill into the palace.

Using a feint to the east while attacking in the west is not a clever tactic.

The final trial shattered the heroine's Dao heart.

......

The investigation into the origins of saffron has only just begun.

Xia Youmi was feeling sleepy; the tea at Yunlan Palace wasn't stimulating enough! But she couldn't just nod her head and slouch in public; that wouldn't make her seem relaxed, but would only raise suspicions about the Xia family's lack of manners.

Therefore, she became accustomed to proper etiquette. Unless done intentionally or accidentally, she wouldn't be looked down upon.

Now, seeing Consort Jiao and Consort Yu working together and testifying for each other, Xia Youmi couldn't help but think that Consort Zhao hadn't achieved any of her goals in the allocation of the new concubines' palaces.

It neither caused Consort Shu and Noble Lady Liang to attack each other, nor did it sow discord between the two concubines. They were probably already united before entering the palace. Living separately actually helped to conceal their relationship and prove each other's innocence.

In the end, they chose Zhou Yingda as a scapegoat.

The reason is that the other party's surname is Zhou, and although they are not related to Censor Zhou by any means, they are still related by ancestry. Back then, Prime Minister Ye disrupted the imperial concubine selection for Censor Zhou's granddaughter. Now, it's only natural that they would retaliate against his daughter, isn't it?

It's reasonable, but it's definitely a wrongful accusation!

Before entering the palace, Consort Zhou and her family received instructions from Imperial Censor Zhou that they were not to use his name in the inner palace. She also always behaved herself and did nothing out of line except for vying for the emperor's favor.

But the evidence was irrefutable! It was precisely because of her low profile and timidity that she was manipulated by the palace servants. They laid out the false evidence clearly, tracing it directly back to the personal maid she had chosen before entering the palace.

It's true, and there's no way to deny it.

The third step involves checking the contraceptives used in Yuhua Palace.

In Consort Zhao's account, there was a small anecdote. When she led a search of the palace, she discovered someone practicing witchcraft. It was found under the bed of Consort Zheng, who shared a palace with Consort Fang. Not only were there effigies representing Consort Ye, but also Consort Fang herself, and Consort Fang's fourth son.

Fang Guiren was furious and immediately stepped forward to slap the man. The man, however, insisted that he hadn't set it on fire!

It must have been Consort Fang, who lived in the same palace, who deliberately put it under her bed because she was afraid the matter would be exposed when the palace was searched.

The two were struggling to hold each other, and it was impossible to tell them apart for a moment.

The stitches were indistinguishable, the handwriting unrecognizable, and both had alibis and explanations. In the end, Lian Shaoyuan could only rub his temples and order each of them to be given twenty strokes of the cane, thus turning the matter into a Rashomon-like mystery.

The public's enthusiasm for gossiping about the witchcraft incident was satisfied, but they also began to feel tired.

At this point, several contraceptive items were found throughout the entire Yuhua Palace, including those belonging to Consort Xue. However, with the witnesses who died on the spot after hitting their heads against a pillar, all leads were cut off.

In the end, only Consort Zhuang and Consort Shu were punished because of negligence in palace affairs, and the truth was temporarily hidden in everyone's minds.

However, Consort Zhao had always held the real power. It was just that the time the items were placed happened to coincide with her recuperation; those with a keen eye could more or less understand the situation.

The last one is about mutual generation and mutual restraint.

Such methods are quite common; the difficulty lies in doing so without leaving a trace. It often requires considerable patience in administering the medicine to see any effect. The imperial physician examined Consort Ye's body and determined that the damage had been ongoing for at least eight or nine months, and the dosage was precisely controlled—a dose that would cause her no discomfort whatsoever.

A chill ran through everyone present.

Xia Youmi noticed Xue Xier's reaction; there was a hint of panic in her eyes, but no remorse.

Actually, this case is quite easy to guess. The person who can persist for so long is either a close palace maid or eunuch, or a concubine with whom they have close relationships. Once we find out what caused the conflicting elements, and then trace the object back to the person who came into contact with it, the case will be solved in no time.

Consort Ye's face turned pale, and she trembled slightly. She heard that one of the sources of the incompatible things was a flower in the courtyard.

"Why..." she murmured.

Xue Xier looked at the stunned Ye Linghua with a pained expression and offered words of comfort:

"Who could be so cruel? Sister Linghua, please take care of yourself."

"hehe."

Ye Linghua's eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears. She slowly turned around and faced Xue Xier, her hatred for her filled with a desire to tear the other person apart.

"At this point, are you still acting?"

"what?"

Xue Xier was incredulous, her expression filled with sincerity and innocence.

"Why would I harm you? Sister, if you have any doubts, you can speak up. There's no need to condemn your elder sister first."

"You!" Ye Linghua's eyes were bloodshot with rage.