mesbooks Chapter 173 It’s hard to tell
Chapter 173 It’s hard to tell
Listening to the emperor's words, the little palace maid seemed to have thought of something and spoke earnestly.
"Your Majesty, although I entered the palace as a maid, I can't read a single word. The Empress' birth date and eight characters above should have been written by Steward Li. You can compare the handwriting to see if it's similar to Steward Li's..."
Hearing her say this, the emperor turned his head and looked at Jinzhong.
"Slave, let's do it now."
Without waiting for the emperor's orders, Jinzhong took the initiative to take on the task.
After Jinzhong left, the young palace maid hesitated for a moment, then stammered, "Besides... that day, I was coerced by Li Zongguan. During the argument, Li Zongguan left something behind... He left in a hurry, and I didn't have time to return it..."
The young maid trembled slightly, a hint of nervousness and uneasiness in her eyes as she spoke slowly. Her voice, though soft, was remarkably clear in the silence. As she spoke, everyone's eyes were fixed on her.
As she spoke, she slowly took out a navy blue tassel from her sleeve. On top of the tassel was a silver thread sachet ball.
The sachet was exquisitely crafted, its silver threads woven delicately and evenly, emitting a subtle, elegant glow. On the outer wall of the sachet, there was an inconspicuous spot. When everyone's eyes focused on it, they suddenly discovered that the word "Jade" was engraved on it.
When Li Yu saw this thing, his pupils suddenly shrank and his whole body froze in place. A biting coldness surged from the soles of his feet and spread to his limbs and bones.
Because this thing is indeed his, but it was hanging on his body this morning. How come it is on this little palace maid in just such a short while?
No matter how calm Li Yu was, he couldn't help but feel despair at this moment. Everything was interconnected, and he couldn't explain it even if he had ten mouths.
Being able to do it so meticulously is definitely not as simple as just operating on him.
The only thing Li Yu could think of at this moment was that someone was using him to slander the Queen. After all, everything that happened today seemed to be targeting the Queen.
He knelt down in despair, the only thing on his mind was how to take the blame and clear the Queen of suspicion.
If the Empress had not helped him back then, he might still be the little eunuch bullied by Wang Qin all day long. Now that he has lived a prosperous life for decades, it is time for him to repay his gratitude.
Witchcraft is a taboo in the palace. If the Empress is implicated, she will be accused of murdering a concubine in front of everyone...
Thinking of this, Li Yu thought of惢心 outside the palace again.
She is so concerned about the Queen. If she knew that the Queen was implicated, she would probably be terribly worried, right?
The Emperor values friendship and loyalty. He has been with her for so many years, so I don't think he will take his life...
Li Yu knelt there quietly, giving up the struggle, and his mind quickly reorganized everything. Gradually, he figured out all the causes and consequences.
He slowly turned his head and glanced at Hai Lan beside him with a determined look. In that instant, their eyes met, as if a thousand words were conveyed in that one glance. He knew that at this critical moment, someone had to make a sacrifice to save the queen.
He nodded at her, barely perceptible, a movement so subtle that it would be almost imperceptible without careful observation. He was signaling to Hailan to sacrifice herself if necessary, without the slightest hesitation. He would use his own life to protect the Queen's safety.
Hai Lan understood the deep meaning in Li Yu's eyes almost instantly.
Seeing Li Yu like this, Hai Lan almost instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the two reached a consensus and chose to protect the Queen. Otherwise, she would have to mediate and let Li Yu take all the blame.
No matter what happens today, she will protect the queen and will never let her get involved in any trouble.
Li Yu was the one who served the emperor every day, so the emperor naturally recognized this thing.
He knocked the tray containing the evidence to the ground, and the sachet ball rolled right in front of Li Yu. The navy blue tassels spread out in a fan shape on the ground, making a mess.
"At this point, what else do you, a dog slave, have to say? Tell me, why did you resort to such despicable means to frame and slander Concubine Ling?"
The emperor looked at him coldly, his eyes full of suspicion.
At this time, Ruiji, who had been sitting silently in the audience, spoke.
"Your Majesty, everything that happened today was aimed at Concubine Ling. First, they tortured Granny Tian, the only person in the palace who could tell the fetal position. Then, Li Yu threatened this maid to put the blame on Madam Wei. Concubine Ling is about to give birth. If this maid really put the baby in Madam Wei's room, she would be punished by witchcraft and beheading. If Concubine Ling knew that her own mother had died, and she had lost her best midwife..."
"Whether Concubine Ling can safely give birth to an heir remains to be seen. I absolutely do not believe that all of this was orchestrated by that bastard Li Yu alone. There must be someone treacherous behind this!"
Her voice was sonorous and powerful, and she stared at Li Yu and Concubine Yu fiercely while speaking. The deep meaning of her words was self-evident.
Yan Wan also agreed. She covered her stomach with her hands and had a look of fear on her face.
"What Sister Meifei said is true. Looking at the situation today, it is clear that they are targeting the heir in my belly. Your Majesty, someone in the harem is trying to murder your child! I can't bear to think about it. If this palace maid had a second thought and put the baby in my mother's room... Your Majesty, I am really scared..."
"Your Majesty, what happened today was a coincidence. I tortured Grandma Tian only to protect the Empress. It was because of her that she lost the Fifth Princess and had her two princes taken away from her that the palace rumors were directed against her. It was truly unbearable to hear. I was so angry that I lost my composure. I definitely did not intend to murder the heir in Concubine Ling's womb!"
Hai Lan was very smart. She picked Ruyi out of the matter in just a few words and attributed all her mistakes to being too concerned.
In addition, the emperor always felt guilty towards the queen because of the matter of the two princes, so after she made a long defense, the emperor softened his heart a little.
"Oh, it's just such a coincidence that all these things happened at the same time. Concubine Yu, everyone in the palace knows that you are on good terms with the Queen, and everyone in the palace knows that the Queen and Concubine Ling are not on good terms. But both things are related to Concubine Ling. Who would believe me if I said that this matter has nothing to do with you and the Queen? I think it's obvious that you are jealous of Concubine Ling's favor and want to get rid of her as soon as possible. If Concubine Ling dies and two lives are lost, wouldn't the one who benefits the most be this Yikun Palace?"
Seeing that Hailan wanted to distance herself from the matter, Yihuan snorted coldly and pointed out the key point.
After hearing this, the emperor felt that Yihuan's words made sense. After all, if one wanted to know whether there was someone behind Li Yu, the most intuitive way was to see who was the most capable among them. In addition, Li Yu had always been close to the Yikun Palace, so the Yikun Palace was inevitably suspicious.
Jinzhong was very quick. In just a stick of incense, he found the letter with handwriting from Li Yu's residence. He marked the words on the note one by one and presented it to the emperor for him to read.
The handwriting in the two places is exactly the same, with no difference at all.