An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Seeing that Consort Li was still in a daze, Su Peisheng bowed and carefully handed the handkerchief embroidered by An Lingrong to Consort Li.

Consort Li's dull eyes suddenly brightened, then showed a look of panic. Her face turned paler by paler, and she kept repeating, "I didn't hurt you, I didn't hurt you, it wasn't me, it wasn't me."

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that the matter was likely to be true, and that the deaths of Consort Li and Lady Miaoyin were inextricably linked to it.

Upon seeing this, the Empress sighed deeply and remarked, "Consort Li has brought this upon herself."

The emperor remained silent, only his brow furrowed slightly.

Upon hearing this, Consort Hua turned pale, her eyebrows furrowed into a knot, and she looked somewhat uneasy. She unconsciously wiped the tip of her nose with a handkerchief.

But then Consort Duan said softly, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, now we can see that Consort Li’s sudden madness today is probably related to the handkerchief that Lady Miaoyin had.”

"Your Majesty, please forgive me for asking one more question, but did Lady Miaoyin ever find this handkerchief in her hands or on her person that day?" As she spoke, Consort Duan still had a faint smile on her face.

Upon hearing this, An Lingrong remained calm on the surface, but her heart was already in turmoil. She thought to herself, "Consort Duan is indeed worthy of her reputation. Even though she is weak and out of favor, she can still become the most trusted concubine in the harem. She really does have some skills."

However, the emperor's expression did not change when he heard Consort Duan's question.

Su Peisheng was very quick-witted. He knew that the emperor was busy with many affairs of state and it would be difficult for him to remember such a small matter. So he quickly replied, "Your Highness Consort Duan, His Majesty sent me to check on her that day. Lady Miaoyin did not have any extra items on her hands or body. Afterwards, I also had the palace maids count the items left by Lady Miaoyin, and we did not see this handkerchief."

Consort Duan nodded and continued, "That's it then. In my humble opinion, perhaps this handkerchief is the key to Lady Miaoyin's unexpected death..."

Then, with a faint smile on her face, Consort Duan slowly said, "Perhaps, the passing of Lady Miaoyin that day was not an accident, and we may not know."

Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang couldn't help but gasp.

When Lady Miaoyin died unexpectedly that day, the emperor sent people to investigate. However, the result of the investigation was that Lady Miaoyin had fallen to her death by accident while enjoying the scenery at Qianli Pond and at the artificial hill.

Although Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong were not present when the incident occurred, they discussed it privately afterwards and all knew that the matter was very strange. Later, they heard from the eunuch in charge that the emperor was intentionally covering it up, and they dared not say any more about the details.

Now, Consort Duan has quietly brought up the old matter, and for a moment, no one knows how the Emperor will handle it. Therefore, everyone, including the Empress, is filled with anxiety.

Even the usually composed Zhen Huan couldn't help but secretly observe the Emperor's expression. Only when she saw that the Emperor's complexion was normal did she feel slightly relieved. Seeing that Shen Meizhuang, who was sitting beside her, had slightly furrowed brows and her face was pale for a while, she gently placed her hand on Shen Meizhuang's arm and patted it twice to comfort her.

Shen Meizhuang gave Zhen Huan a bitter smile. The more favored one is in the harem, the more likely one is to be involved in trouble. Both she and Zhen Huan are currently enjoying great favor. Now that they hear that there are other hidden stories behind Miaoyin's experience, how can they not feel anxious?

Seeing that the emperor did not speak, Consort Duan still had a calm smile on her face and said softly, "I think that although this handkerchief of Lady Miaoyin is a Shu embroidery handkerchief that was bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress as a tribute, it is not enough to make people covet it."

This item is extremely rare. Whether it is a concubine or a servant, it would be too conspicuous to take it out and use it. Moreover, it is a registered item. Even if one wanted to find a way to take it out of the palace to sell, the eunuchs and guards guarding it would probably not dare to let it pass easily.

It's fair to say that holding this item would not only be useless, but could also expose one's plot to murder the concubine at any moment. Therefore, it's not hard to deduce that the person who took it wasn't after money, but rather knew it was related to Lady Miaoyin's death, and perhaps could follow the clues on the handkerchief to uncover the mastermind behind it all.

Consort Duan lightly covered her lips with a handkerchief, coughed twice, and continued, "I'm afraid I need to think carefully about what this handkerchief is used for and what it can do."

Consort Hua glanced at Consort Duan, raised her eyebrows slightly, and snorted softly, "Everyone says that Consort Duan has been quietly recuperating in her own palace, but I never expected that she would know so much about what's happening in the harem."

Consort Duan lowered her eyes and replied breathlessly, "Your Majesty, I am indeed recuperating in my own palace and am unaware of many things. However, this matter involves the death of a concubine and concerns the imperial heir. Even though my health is poor, I cannot help but pay close attention to share the burden for Your Majesty and the Empress."

Consort Hua narrowed her phoenix eyes into slits, staring intently at Consort Duan. Just as she was about to speak, the Empress spoke first.

The Empress pondered for a moment and said, "The palace maid who served Consort Fucha seemed to have mentioned that she saw a crazy woman running past nearby and biting her arm."

Jianqiu, who was beside her, seemed to remember something as well. "Your Majesty is right. I also remember that Cui'er, who was by Consort Fucha's side, did have a deep tooth mark on her arm. Later, the patrolling guards searched the inner palace, but they never found the crazy woman that Cui'er mentioned."

For a time, the old questions remained unanswered, and new ones arose, and the hall fell silent once more.

An Lingrong remained standing in the hall without the emperor's permission.

The air inside the hall was stuffy. An Lingrong felt beads of sweat forming on the tip of her nose, but since she had already handed the handkerchief to Su Peisheng, she couldn't very well wipe her face with her fingers. Feeling awkward, she unconsciously tugged at her sleeve.

But then the emperor at the head of the table gave a soft snort and said, "It seems that this matter will take some more time today. Consort An, please take a seat."

An Lingrong quickly bowed and thanked him, then, supported by Shuangxue, returned to her seat. As soon as she sat down, she noticed the emperor's eyes were still on her, a hint of pity clearly visible in his gaze. An Lingrong hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to meet the emperor's eyes.

When planning this, Zhen Huan and An Lingrong had a long talk, explaining that this scheme would definitely attract the emperor's attention and that An Lingrong might gain his favor in the future. However, upon seeing the emperor's expression, An Lingrong's heart still trembled.

Although An Lingrong's expression remained unchanged, her heart couldn't help but feel a chill. Her decision to avoid the emperor's favor that day stemmed from her desire not to repeat her past life. She truly couldn't forget the humiliation of being treated like a cat or dog kept in the palace, manipulated at will.

But perhaps fate is something that cannot be avoided. Even though she had been carefully avoiding it and cautiously assisting Zhen Huan, what was bound to happen still happened. Thinking of this, An Lingrong couldn't help but sigh softly. In a daze, she didn't know why, but her eyes met those of Shi Ran, who was standing to the side. Both of them were startled, then looked away and returned to normal.

Seeing that the Emperor had not given any instructions, the Empress asked softly, "Your Majesty, although it has been verified that Consort Li and Lady Miaoyin are probably involved in the deaths, Consort Li is now insane and cannot be questioned for the time being. Should we send all the palace servants around Consort Li to the Censorate for questioning?"

The emperor raised an eyebrow and said in a cold voice, "Interrogate all the palace servants who serve Consort Li. I want to see just how many filthy things are hidden here."

Su Peisheng immediately sent someone to handle it.

The two eunuchs who were holding down Consort Li in the hall were not questioned for the time being because they had duties to perform, but they knew in their hearts that they could not escape punishment. They hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy, but they did not expect to make the emperor even more annoyed. He immediately waved his hand and arrested the two of them as well.

The eunuch serving Jingren Palace immediately replaced Consort Li's attendant.