As she spoke, she presented the so-called "suicide note" and fell to her knees with a thud.
"Empress, do you have anything else to say?"
The light piece of paper was tossed into the Empress's lap, detailing how she had forced Ning Feixiu to poison the third prince and framed Concubine Zhen.
Every word could be said to be written in tears of blood.
Ning Feixiu claimed she had wronged the third prince and Consort De, and could only come to Yikun Palace to beg the Empress to spare the third prince, willing to atone for her sins with death.
Now, she had died miserably in Yikun Palace, poisoned with the same toxin as the third prince.
The Empress didn't even know the third prince had been poisoned. Yesterday, Consort De had sent someone to Hexi Palace to invite the Emperor and Jiang Xinyue, then sealed off the news.
After the Emperor dismissed most of the palace maids from Yikun Palace, it not only benefited Jiang Xinyue but also Consort De, who took the opportunity to cause trouble.
Even in gathering information, Yikun Palace had fallen behind.
The Empress's hands trembled as she held the suicide note. She had to close her eyes tightly to avoid fainting from the headache: "I have not done what I am accused of. I can only say, 'When you want to condemn someone, you can always trump up a charge.'"
While everyone's attention was on the storage room, no one noticed a small figure suddenly slip into the Empress's bedchamber, placing an empty porcelain bottle among the messy wardrobe.
The Empress's bedchamber was always guarded, regardless of the situation. Otherwise, this small medicine bottle would have been found under the Empress's bed instead of in the cluttered wardrobe.
The news of the third prince losing his voice had not only spread throughout the back palace but also couldn't be kept from the imperial court.
The Duke of Cheng brought his wife and the Old Lady into the palace to seek justice for the third prince.
That Old Lady was the wife of the previous Duke of Cheng, and she still held the tiger-headed cane bestowed by the late Emperor, which could be used to strike down foolish rulers above and treacherous ministers below.
Jiang Xinyue didn't participate in this bloody struggle, but she knew that on that day, the Old Lady from the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng loudly cursed the Zhu family for their wolfish ambition and the Empress for her viper's heart. She also suspected that the scarcity of royal heirs in the back palace was all due to the Empress's poisonous hands.
Later, it seemed there was even violence, and someone saw blood.
The person who resorted to violence was none other than the Old Lady from the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng. The Old Lady, being a tigress from a military family, in her fury, struck the Empress on the head with her cane. The Empress, who already suffered from headaches, fainted from the blow.
Just because the Zhu family was far away in Chang'an, there wasn't even a single person to speak up for the Empress.
The tiger-headed cane in the Old Lady's hand was like an imperial sword, and she struck under the pretext of the Empress harming the royal heirs. Who dared to say she was wrong?
When the Zhu family initially refused to move to the capital and stubbornly remained in Chang'an, it was to be the local tyrants there.
They felt that Chang'an was the lifeline of Great Yan, and by being the local rulers in Chang'an, they held the Emperor's fate in their hands. They thought the Emperor wouldn't dare to do anything to the Zhu family, let alone mistreat a Zhu family woman.
But they forgot that the young Emperor they once knew would grow up.
He would grow stronger and more cunning.
It can only be said that those people had been comfortable for too long and had been lulled into a false sense of security by the Emperor. Even when the Song Family, the Chief Minister, fell from power, it didn't wake them up to the fact that the Emperor was no longer the inexperienced youth he once was.
Their sluggishness led to today's situation where the Empress was beaten and left without any support.
By the time they received the news and rushed from Chang'an, it would be too late.
Moreover, Jiang Xinyue felt that Zhu Jianshen probably wouldn't make it to the capital in this lifetime.
Consort De's people set out for Chang'an two or three days after the assassins arranged by Jiang Xinyue's adoptive father had left.
From the beginning, Jiang Xinyue never intended to act personally, nor did she plan to involve the Jiang family.
She deliberately said that Consort De's efforts were merely paving the way for the Empress, hinting that only by eliminating the Empress could she permanently control the back palace.
Consort De, on the verge of achieving her long-held wish, was already somewhat impatient. Provoked by this, she indeed sent people to deliver a message to the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng.
Jiang Xinyue didn't even need to guess much. She just had her adoptive father send people to keep an eye on the movements of the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng, and she already had a clear understanding of Consort De's plans.
To be honest, sending assassins to kill Zhu Jianshen would be very difficult.
Even when his daughter was made Empress and the Emperor suggested the Zhu family move to the capital, Zhu Jianshen disagreed, showing how greedy he was for power.
And greedy people often value their lives the most.
The number of secret guards and bodyguards around him was probably no less than fifty.
But with Consort De's methods, she should have already investigated Zhu Jianshen's habits and might try to exploit them.
What Jiang Xinyue wanted to leverage was the investigative ability of the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng.
This was because the Jiang family's influence in the imperial court was still too weak, and as the Jiang family was previously just a merchant family, they didn't command much respect. If she tried to investigate Zhu Jianshen, the Zhu family would sense something was amiss before she could uncover anything.
The Mansion of the Duke of Cheng was different; their people would certainly have opportunities to get close to Zhu Jianshen.
It didn't matter whether Consort De's people could kill Zhu Jianshen or not. As long as they could inflict even a small, bleeding wound, Jiang Xinyue's arranged people would take action, ending his life without anyone knowing.
At that time, the Empress would truly be beyond help, with no one to turn to.
Consort De must have been satisfied with her plan, thinking the Empress had no chance of making a comeback, which was why she pinned the blame for the third prince's loss of voice on the Empress.
Although the Empress wasn't a good person either, she was still much better than Consort De.
Jiang Xinyue would kill Zhu Jianshen, making him pay the price for trying to coerce palace maids into killing the sixth prince. But as for the Empress, she hoped she wouldn't die so quickly.
Outside Hexi Palace—
Consort Yu narrowed her eyes: "Let's go in and see our Concubine Zhen! She doesn't know yet that I've obtained the Empress's golden seal!"
"Concubine Zhen, Consort Yu is outside requesting an audience."
This one has come out to make trouble again.
Jiang Xinyue was half-reclining on a soft couch, appearing drowsy.
"This concubine... pays respects to Concubine Zhen."
Ice basins were placed at the bottom of the couch in the hall. Hexi Palace was magnificently decorated, with amber wine, jade plates, jade Guanyin statues, and red coral – everywhere the eye could see were exquisite items not found elsewhere.
Jiang Xinyue was like a snow-white, lazy, and noble cat, her eyes half-closed. Palace maids on either side were fanning her and peeling chilled lychees for her, creating a scene of utmost comfort.
She didn't ask Consort Yu to rise, and seeing this scene, Consort Yu couldn't help but swallow.
She had come to find fault with Jiang Xinyue, but seeing her demeanor and attire completely different from before, she realized Jiang Xinyue was even more arrogant and domineering than Concubine Li in her most favored years.
Concubine Li's arrogance was like a paper tiger, easily exposed when prodded, but Jiang Xinyue's arrogance emanated from within.
The way she looked at people was as if she were looking at trash, making one feel unworthy of breathing the same air under the same sky as her.
"Consort Yu, please rise."
After finishing a lychee, Jiang Xinyue sat up straight: "What brings you to Hexi Palace to see me?"
Her businesslike manner made Consort Yu feel somewhat intimidated.
