The Emperor's brows were tightly knitted, the furrow between them deep enough to crush a fly. Concubine Tong, however, was too absorbed in the thrill of exposing Jiang Xinyue to notice the Emperor's displeasure.
"From what I have heard, Her Majesty the Empress and Master Cui have a rather close relationship. Coincidentally, my family recently acquired a few new servants who were once apprentices at Cuili Garden. They might know something."
It turned out that Concubine Tong had requested the Emperor's favor a few days ago to bring her family into the palace to accompany the Second Princess, all for this very moment.
She must have gone through great lengths, having prepared and investigated for a long time.
Meanwhile, fragments of memories suddenly flashed through Jiang Xinyue's mind, reminding her that her original self did indeed have a past with Lan Xiaolou.
However, at that time, Lan Xiaolou was addicted to gambling and did not cherish her. Heartbroken, she had followed her family's arrangement and accompanied her elder sister into the palace for the selection of concubines.
As she was organizing her thoughts, the two men and two women had already knelt behind Lan Xiaolou.
"We humble folk pay our respects to the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, and all the noble masters. We were apprentices and servants at Cuili Garden before it was closed down and were later sold to the Tong Family. I am Sanzi, responsible for miscellaneous tasks at the garden."
"I am Xiaotaohua, a disciple of Master Cui. After Master Cui left Cuili Garden, I..."
"I am not interested in your backgrounds. Concubine Tong, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Was she trying to prove that his Xinyue had a lover before entering the palace and that her declarations of love for him were all lies?
Concubine Tong, now kneeling on the ground, wore an uneasy expression. "Your Majesty, I only recently discovered that Her Majesty the Empress had secretly promised herself to someone before entering the palace and was already considered his wife. I hesitated for a long time but finally decided to reveal the truth to Your Majesty. The Jiang Family sent a daughter who was already betrothed into the palace, which is a crime of deceiving the Emperor. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and not be blinded by false affections."
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Lady Ruan's eyes turned red with anger. "How could I, as her mother, not know if the Empress was betrothed to someone else? My daughter was the most well-behaved and proper young lady before she entered the palace, never stepping out of the house. Do you think any respectable family would betroth their daughter to a mere actor?"
"Scholar Jiang naturally did not betroth Her Majesty to such a person, but as I said, they were secretly engaged!"
This was getting more and more outrageous!
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, why not ask Xiaotaohua and the others? The truth will be revealed."
The Emperor's gaze was filled with immense pressure, as if saying that if they lied, they would be torn to pieces.
Xiaotaohua's lips and teeth were trembling as she stammered, "Her Majesty the Empress rarely visited in her female attire, but she often came dressed as a man. Master Cui's room was often lit late into the night, and many people in the garden have seen Her Majesty in male attire. Moreover... Master Cui once introduced Her Majesty to his close friends as his betrothed wife."
Silence...
The Imperial Garden was as silent as death.
The Emperor's arm around Jiang Xinyue tensed, the veins bulging. His eyes were brewing a storm, a tempest about to break.
Princess Yunyang's forehead was dripping with cold sweat, her old bones nearly scared to pieces.
What kind of disaster was this?
A perfectly good matchmaking banquet, meant for her beloved grandson, had turned into this mess. She was at fault for this!
This Concubine Tong truly lacked propriety.
No matter what happened before the Empress entered the palace, she had been examined by the selection officials.
She had entered the palace pure and innocent, and her past should have been left behind. Why bring it up now? Who hasn't had someone they liked before? Was that a crime?
Even if it were a crime, today was supposed to be the engagement day for the Second Princess and Princess Yunyang's grandson. She shouldn't have publicly announced this in front of everyone, making a spectacle of the Emperor.
Wouldn't it have been better to report it to the Emperor privately when no one was around?
If she wanted to overthrow the Empress, she should have done it discreetly, letting the Emperor investigate secretly and catch them off guard.
Wouldn't the Emperor believe it more if he discovered it himself rather than having her expose it?
"Bang!"
The Emperor kicked Xiaotaohua, sending her flying. The woman spat blood, rolled down the steps, and lay motionless on the pebble path, her fate unknown.
"Ah..."
Several ladies and young misses nearby screamed and turned away, too frightened to look at Xiaotaohua's tragic state.
"Your Majesty!"
Concubine Tong exclaimed, her face instantly turning pale. "Your Majesty, you..."
"Slap!"
She was struck hard across the face, her ears ringing. Then she heard the Emperor say, "Concubine Tong, for overstepping her bounds, fabricating evidence, and framing the Empress, is to be demoted to a commoner, given thirty heavy lashes, and banished to the Palace of Exile."
"Your Majesty! Every word I said is true! I did not lie! Why are you so biased towards the Empress? This... this is truly unfair!"
"Unfair, is it?"
The Emperor gently released Jiang Xinyue, placing her on a soft couch and even adding a cushion behind her back for comfort.
"Clang!"
Qing Yu, sensing the direction of the Emperor's sword, quickly handed the hilt forward and stepped back, allowing the Emperor to effortlessly draw his sword and place it against the neck of another so-called witness. "Speak. Is what she said true? I want the truth. If there is even a single lie, I will cut off your head right now."
The man, feeling the blade against his neck, breathed rapidly, sweat pouring down his face, his eyes filled with terror as he looked at Concubine Tong.
The Emperor's sword pressed down on his shoulder. "I am asking you. Why are you looking at her?"
The man swallowed hard, trembling even more. "I... I am just a laborer. I only heard... heard it from Xiaotaohua. I did not see it with my own eyes. I... I was not... not sold to the Tong Family immediately after leaving Cuili Garden. It was... it was Concubine Tong who made us say these things."
"At least you're being honest."
The Emperor removed the black iron sword, and Qing Yu quickly took it, sheathing it back into his scabbard, glancing at the furious Xi Que.
The little lady should be a bit calmer now!
The Emperor turned his gaze back to Concubine Tong. "If, as you said, you took in these people after Lan Xiaolou left the opera and closed Cuili Garden, and their mouths are so loose, you should have known about this much earlier. I don't think you're the type to hold back. Three years ago, when the Empress was at the height of her favor, you would have exposed her then. Why wait until now?"
These people must have been found by the Tong Family after expending considerable resources.
They had been staying with the Tong Family for some time, waiting for this opportunity to bring them into the palace to testify against the Empress.
Such a crude scheme, and Concubine Tong, the fool, thought it was flawless.
