Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 393 The Confession of a Palace Maid

The Queen Mother threw herself on Cheng Qian and fainted.

Aunt Meng bit her lip and felt the empress dowager's pulse first, making sure that she was just mentally agitated and her blood was rushing.

Everyone felt relieved and carried the empress dowager back to the bedroom.

Only then did Aunt Meng hold Cheng Qian's body and cry her heart out.

Daiyu left Qingwen to look after Aunt Meng and went to the Empress Dowager's bedroom.

After settling the Queen Mother, the Supreme Emperor sat on the main hall of the Yanjia Palace with a murderous look on his face and ordered, "Take the assassin!"

The guard brought the maid in and presented a small and exquisite sleeve arrow device: "It was removed from her forearm."

Emperor Zhaoming looked at the thing, his eyebrows moved slightly, and he turned back and asked Tao Xingjian softly: "Is it from the Military Equipment Bureau?"

Tao Xingjian shook his head: "This thing is not very useful in killing the enemy on the spot. The Military Equipment Bureau does not make such things."

The Supreme Lord didn't care about the two of them, the emperor and his ministers, and shouted, "Let her speak!"

Once the rag gag was removed, the palace maid who was forced to kneel on the ground first coughed violently and then retched twice.

Seeing this, Tao Xingjian frowned slightly.

Dai Quan also noticed it and whispered to the Supreme Lord, "Looking at how clean she is, she must have been in the palace for a long time."

The Supreme Lord looked down at the palace maid coldly and said, "Who ordered you to assassinate? Who is the target? How was the sleeve arrow smuggled into the palace?

"Who told you the whereabouts of the emperor and me tonight? If you confess everything, I will leave you with an intact body!"

The palace maid smiled sadly, but her eyes turned to Emperor Zhaoming with a gentle expression.

Everyone was stunned.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember your biological mother, Lady Tang?"

There was a look of indifference and even a hint of annoyance between Emperor Zhaoming's brows.

The maid burst into tears and choked up, saying, "The beauty didn't die of illness! It was Chen! She wanted to take you away, so she secretly used some tricks to kill the beauty!

"De Fei knows the truth very well, but she has never dared to speak out!

"It was not until she was dying that she quietly told her trusted palace maid!

"If you don't believe it, you can check it out!

"This slave girl never speaks falsely!"

The Supreme Emperor looked at Emperor Zhaoming with a sullen face and said nothing.

This was a blatant plot to sow discord between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

But for Tai Shang, this is also an opportunity to further understand the emperor's thoughts and strategies.

Emperor Zhaoming looked at the palace maid expressionlessly: "Who are you? How do you know this?"

The palace maid was overjoyed to see that Emperor Zhaoming was willing to inquire, and her face showed anxiety. She knelt down two steps towards Emperor Zhaoming, but was held down by the guards.

She glared at the guards, then looked at Emperor Zhaoming with hope and said loudly, "I am the maid of Concubine Tang!

"I have been waiting for the right opportunity to assassinate Chen and avenge the beauty!"

Emperor Zhaoming was too lazy to pay attention to her and glanced at Tao Xingjian with some annoyance.

Tao Xingjian bowed and said to the palace maid:

"It has been twenty-eight years since the late Lady Tang passed away, and twenty-four years since the late Concubine Dowager De passed away.

“And because Tang behaved inappropriately in the palace, she was first banished to Gansu by the Supreme Lord, and then her family was relocated to the southwest by Your Majesty.

"Since you claim to be a servant of the Tang family, may I ask how old you are? When did you enter the palace? If you were not with the Tang family, who could have arranged for you to enter the palace?"

The palace maid was suddenly speechless.

Tao Xingjian first bowed to the Supreme Lord, then calmly ordered Chu Kui who was standing next to him: "Palace Justice is your specialty, you can bring him up for trial."

Chu Qian clasped his fists and agreed. He strode over and reached out a piece of rag that he didn't know where to get and stuffed it into the mouth of the panicked, frightened and struggling palace maid.

Then he grabbed the maid's collar like a chicken and dragged her out.

In the side hall, after hearing Qingwen tell her all the news, Aunt Meng went to see Tanchun and bandaged her wounds.

He was waiting in the corner of the hall, and when he saw what was happening he stepped back half a step and quietly walked out of the hall.

After Chu Qian dragged the palace maid out, he blocked her way fiercely: "Don't be anxious, examine her carefully!"

Chu Qian glanced at her and saw that she had bitten a deep bloody mark under her lip, so she nodded deeply: "Don't worry, aunt.

"I have known Aunt Cheng Qian for more than ten years, and Aunt Cheng has taken good care of me.

"This case is of great importance. I will slowly learn the whole story before I can explain it to His Majesty, the Queen Mother, and His Majesty!"

Aunt Meng held out her hand and handed over two porcelain bottles: "One is a good medicine for healing, and the other is a sharp weapon for awakening the mind."

Chu Qian took it and said, "Thank you, auntie."

The palace maid was struggling at first, but when she saw the two porcelain bottles, her eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Chu Qian looked at her coldly, and without saying anything more, he threw her down the steps of the Yanjia Palace like a dead dog: "Come here, carry her to the Palace Administration Office."

In the Yanjia Palace, the Emperor was ordering: "Send the Minister of the Imperial Guards, the leader of the personal army of the Taiji Palace, and the leader of the palace gate guards to come to see me immediately!"

Emperor Zhaoming glanced at the emperor and knew that he was furious. After thinking for a while, he ordered Tao Xingjian: "Take the badge and invite the two princes, Duncheng and Kejin."

Tai Shang glanced at him.

Dai Quan also looked at Emperor Zhaoming in surprise, and realizing that he was being disrespectful, he quickly lowered his head and bent over.

He advised softly: “It will probably take a while for the successor to be here at this time.

“Tonight, the two princesses were frightened, and Princess Yimin was injured.

"If the Lord and His Majesty don't rest, I'm afraid they won't dare to sleep either.

"Why don't you two take a break for a while.

"When the masters arrive, this old slave and Xiao Tao will support them first. We must at least let them know what happened.

"If we can find the flaws right away, we can save you from the trouble. You two are very upset, right?"

The Supreme was still angry and refused to agree.

Emperor Zhaoming followed suit and advised him, "Father, you should get some sleep.

"It's freezing cold, and I'm afraid you must have been sweating and angry just now. If you stay up late again, I'm afraid that the Queen Mother will find out and become even more worried and uncomfortable."

The Supreme Master calmed down a little, but also felt dizzy. He let out a long sigh and ordered him, "You go and take a rest too."

He snorted again, "Those few people failed to do their job properly and put me, the Queen Mother and the Emperor in danger! Their crime is unforgivable!

"When they arrive, kneel down for an hour at the steps of the main hall of the Yanjia Palace!"

No one would refute him at this time.

Emperor Zhaoming and Dai Quan both praised it.

Dai Quan then escorted the emperor to the rear bedroom to rest.

Emperor Zhaoming also went to the side hall and fell asleep on the couch.

Daiyu waited until everyone was asleep, and then she went to bed with peace of mind. Before going to bed, Daiyu quietly told Xiaohong:

"Take a closer look at the charcoal basin, lights, and bedding in the side hall. Tell Aunt Meng to prepare some liver-soothing and mind-soothing soups for His Majesty and His Majesty.

“There are also those of Grand Eunuch Tao and Prime Minister Dai.

"With Aunt Cheng gone, Yanjia Palace is leaderless. Zijuan has to look after the Queen Mother, so you have to be more attentive!"

Xiaohong nodded and agreed, but her heart was filled with excitement: "Yes!"

He turned around and strode out to talk to Aunt Meng and make proper arrangements for everyone in the palace.