Chapter Twenty-Four: A False Accusation

"Where is the person you arrested?"

The Emperor swept a cold, impatient gaze over Consort Liang.

"Guards, seize her!" Consort Liang raised her hand, pointing directly at Su Zhinian.

Seeing the eunuchs closing in to grab her mistress, Yushu hurriedly stepped in front of Su Zhinian. "Consort Liang, one must have evidence for such accusations. How can you slander our mistress so baselessly?"

Su Zhinian felt a chill, yet she straightened her back and knelt before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I am innocent." She did not wail or plead loudly, but she would not allow anyone to smear her reputation. In such matters, the burden of proof lay with the accuser; she had nothing to hide and was not afraid of any investigation.

"Consort Liang! Is this the result of your investigation?" The Empress Dowager let out a cold snort, clearly displeased. "Do you have any evidence?" It was clear that the Empress Dowager intended to protect Su Zhinian.

The Emperor turned his gaze toward Consort Liang.

"I certainly do!" Consort Liang signaled to her attendants, and someone stepped forward holding an object. "This is the safflower found in Lady Gu's room!"

The Emperor glanced at the imperial physician, who, feeling the pressure, stepped forward to examine it. "Reporting to Your Majesty, this is indeed safflower."

Consort Liang pointed at Su Zhinian. "Your Majesty, the Empress's palace has always been peaceful. Why is it that as soon as Lady Gu arrived, trouble broke out? I heard that Lady Gu had been begging the Empress to intercede with Your Majesty to rescind the imperial decree granting a marriage for her husband, but the Empress refused. So, this Lady Gu, filled with resentment, has harmed the Empress!"

Consort Liang’s argument was logical and provided a clear motive. The Emperor narrowed his eyes at Su Zhinian, his tone low and unreadable. "I do seem to recall that matter. Su, you are incredibly bold!"

"Your Majesty, please discern the truth! My mistress would never dream of harming the Empress!" Yushu was drenched in cold sweat; the Emperor’s tone was a clear sign of impending wrath.

"Your maid is loyal, but your mistress clearly didn't consider your situation when she committed this act!" Consort Liang sneered, clearly convinced that Su Zhinian was the culprit.

Su Zhinian looked at the aggressive Consort Liang. "May I ask, Consort Liang, if I were to poison the Empress, why would I leave the evidence behind?"

"Perhaps you didn't have time."

"Then, may I ask again: knowing what the consequences would be if this were discovered, why would I keep so much safflower? And if I wanted to hide my tracks, why wouldn't I have buried it or hidden it somewhere?" Su Zhinian asked calmly.

"Perhaps you were just too confident that it wouldn't be traced back to you?" Consort Liang retorted stubbornly. She regretted the words the moment they left her lips.

As expected, the Emperor curled his lip in mockery. Su Zhinian smiled. "With the Empress in such a state, do you truly believe that I, living in the side hall of the Jingren Palace, would be so arrogant as to think I wouldn't be investigated?"

Consort Liang choked. "Regardless, the evidence was found in your chambers!"

"Your Majesty, this matter is highly suspicious. If Nian'er were the one acting, she could have simply poisoned the Empress to death; why would she target the child in her womb?" The Empress Dowager knew Su Zhinian was still useful to her, and she could not let her die like this.

"Indeed, Your Majesty, it absolutely could not have been Nian'er who harmed me. You must not let the true culprit escape!" The Empress pleaded, gripping the Emperor’s arm.

Even with the victim claiming Su Zhinian's innocence, the Emperor’s suspicions remained. He said in a deep voice, "Su Zhinian’s suspicion has not been cleared. Send her to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation!"

The Ministry of Justice was a place where one would surely lose a layer of skin just by entering. Even if one managed to come out alive, there would likely be no patch of unscarred flesh left.

Yushu's face turned as pale as paper, tears streaming down her cheeks like broken pearls. "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice..."

"Mother, Su Zhinian is heavily suspected. I am doing this for the sake of the Empress!" The Emperor’s claim of acting for the Empress effectively silenced the Empress Dowager’s attempts to intercede.

Su Zhinian kept her head bowed, urging herself inwardly to stay calm. As she was dragged up, the Empress Dowager sighed helplessly. As her personal maid, Yushu was inevitably taken away as well.

Just before they reached the doors, Aunt Fanghua, who served the Empress Dowager, walked in with a solemn expression. She knelt down and spoke. "Reporting to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, I have discovered that the young maid, Yuan'er, was a menial laborer in the Laundry Bureau. She once bumped into the Empress and was nearly executed, but was saved by Concubine Wan."

"Later, Yuan'er found a way to become a cleaning maid in the Jingren Palace. This morning, someone saw her sneaking into Lady Gu’s bedchamber with a bundle of things."

Su Zhinian finally let out a breath of relief. The Emperor’s brow furrowed at the mention of Concubine Wan.

"Your Majesty, could this have been instigated by Concubine Wan?" Consort Liang seized the opportunity to smear Bai Wanwan. Everyone knew that Bai Wanwan had been the Emperor's favorite, but had recently fallen out of favor. If so, this was the perfect time to ensure her total ruin.

The Emperor’s expression darkened. He ordered Fulin Hai, "Go and bring Concubine Wan here."

Seeing the Emperor’s grim face, everyone knew a storm was brewing. Those looking for a spectacle were delighted. After all, Su Zhinian’s fate was of little consequence to them, but if it were Bai Wanwan, they could deliver a fatal blow. Consort Liang grew excited.

Su Zhinian stood to the side with Yushu, sighing to herself. Once the Emperor learned of Concubine Wan’s death, the rage and frustration would surely turn back on everyone else!

While they waited, Consort Liang continued to poison the Emperor’s mind. "Your Majesty, Concubine Wan is truly preposterous. With such a tragedy befalling the Empress, she hasn't even come to pay a visit. She must be relying on your past favor to act so brazenly. She must be guilty, which is why she dares not show her face."

Consort Liang didn't miss a chance to speak to the Empress Dowager and the Empress as well. "Empress, it is fortunate that you are blessed. If the imperial heir had been lost, even a thousand deaths would not suffice for Concubine Wan to pay the price. Who would have thought that while she appeared gentle, she was actually so cold-blooded!"

The Emperor slammed his hand on the table. "Shut up!"

"Has Concubine Wan not arrived yet? Is she dead? You, go and check!" The Emperor was losing his patience.

Just as the attendants were about to leave, Fulin Hai hurried in, looking mournful. He collapsed onto his knees and wailed, "Your Majesty, Concubine Wan... she has passed away!"