AWB Chapter 167 War of Words
Chapter 167 War of Words
"I'm asking you, Li Yu said you saw with your own eyes my mother hiding a voodoo doll in the palace. Is that true?"
There was a chill in Yan Wan's eyes, and there was a threat in her words. The look she gave Li Yu was more like she was looking at a dead person.
Feeling the cold gazes of the people around her, the little maid timidly knelt on the ground and replied, "Your servant... Your servant couldn't see clearly either. I only... I only saw Madam Wei muttering something mysterious through the crack of the door, holding this doll in her hand. Witchcraft is a taboo in the palace, and I'm afraid... So I hurriedly reported it to Li Zongguan..."
"Hmph! You are a maid in my Yongshou Palace, and I am the mistress of the palace. Why did you not report to me, the mistress, when something happened, and go to the eunuchs and the aunt in charge of the Yongshou Palace? At the very least, you should go to Rong Pei, the steward of the Empress. Why did you go to Li Yu instead? The affairs of the harem are not under the jurisdiction of Li Yu..."
Seeing her flustered look, Yan Wan leaned back in her chair leisurely and questioned her.
Every word she said was insightful and pointed out the flaws.
The emperor suddenly understood after hearing this and also cast a questioning look.
Concubine Ling was right. The affairs of the harem have always been managed by the Queen. When this little palace maid got into trouble, the first person she went to was to find Li Yu.
This is totally wrong. You know, Li Yu is always by his side and rarely goes in and out of the harem.
Why did this palace maid go all the way to the Yangxin Palace to report the crime instead of going to the Yiku Palace, which was only separated from the Yongshou Palace by a wall?
Besides, this little palace maid was stuttering, so she must be hiding something fishy behind her back.
"Confess honestly, otherwise, I will never let you off easily!"
"This servant... This servant was also confused for a moment and didn't think too much about it. I thought that witchcraft was a taboo in the palace, so I went to find Li Zongguan immediately..."
Hearing Yanwan's questioning, the little palace maid became even more panicked.
"How could I not know that the maid in my palace was so close to Eunuch Li Yu? Otherwise, why would you think of looking for Li Yu the first time something happened? Your Majesty, the palace rules are that there is no evidence, there is no guilt. There is no physical evidence, and the witnesses cannot confirm that my mother is practicing witchcraft in the palace. Your Majesty would not want to punish my mother like this, right?"
"Your Majesty, I am innocent. I think Li Yu bribed the maids in my palace to slander me. Your Majesty, please help me..."
The little palace maid's words were full of loopholes. Yan Wan started to question her aggressively, but the more she spoke, the more aggrieved she felt. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her weak look, as if she was about to cry, made her look very touching.
Seeing her like this, the emperor's heart softened.
He was about to speak, but was interrupted by Ruyi beside him.
"Please don't make random accusations, Concubine Ling. Li Yu has always been loyal to the Emperor. It was I who asked Li Yu to report this to the Emperor. He knew it was a harem matter, so he reported it to me immediately. It was I who believed that this involved the remnants of the previous dynasty, so I invited the Emperor."
When Ruyi saw Yanfang throwing dirty water on Li Yu, she hurried to help Li Yu make amends.
But he never thought that just a few words would allow Yan Wan to seize the loophole again.
"What the Empress said is even more wrong. Li Yu is the Emperor's chief steward. The Empress said he was loyal to the Emperor. Then why didn't he report the incident to the Emperor immediately, but instead went to the Empress first? Everyone in the palace knows that Chief Steward Li is close to the Yikun Palace. Who knows if he is not trying to help the Empress get rid of me, a thorn in her side?"
"Besides, it was because of me that Chief Steward Li was punished by the Emperor. Who knows if Chief Steward Li is taking this opportunity to take revenge on me and frame me? It's not enough to just check my mother's room. I have to check both this maid's and Chief Steward Li's..."
Yan Wan's words were shocking, especially when she mentioned that Li Yu had close contacts with Yiku Palace, the emperor's face changed.
"Li Yu, what else do you have to say?"
The emperor had a gloomy face and asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent. I have always obeyed your orders!" After hearing this, Li Yu broke out in cold sweat and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.
He didn't expect that Concubine Ling could be so cunning and find the loophole.
Even if he managed to escape today, the emperor would still be suspicious of him. From now on, he would probably never be able to gain the emperor's trust again.
"Your Majesty, what Concubine Ling said is ridiculous. I believe that the innocent will be cleared. I hope Your Majesty will understand. Li Yu has always put Your Majesty first..." Ruyi did not expect that the matter would involve herself in the end, so she also explained.
Her current explanation would be less effective than if she had just sat there in silence. The more Ruyi spoke, the more she seemed to be trying to excuse Li Yu.
The emperor's face was sullen. He ignored Li Yu's pleas and Ruyi's defense. Instead, he turned his head and ordered in a cold voice, "Jinzhong, take someone to investigate."
What Concubine Ling said made sense, and the emperor almost believed it. Looking at Li Yu in front of him, the emperor became even more annoyed.
"Come on, I'll go right away."
Jinzhong received the order, glanced at Li Yu and the little palace maid, and then looked at Yanwan, who had a face full of grievance.
Knowing that her pitiful appearance was all fake, Jinzhong still couldn't help feeling distressed. After passing by Li Yu and walking out of Yiku Palace, there was a cold light in his eyes.
After he left, the emperor's gaze swept back and forth between Li Yu and Ruyi, his eyes full of doubt.
The emperor knew that Li Yu had a good relationship with Yikun Palace.
He originally thought that it was because Ruyi was the queen, and the maidservant beside the queen,惢心, was from the same hometown as him, that she was helping to speak up.
Now it seems that Li Yu has clearly surrendered to the Queen in secret.
It sounded a little funny to the emperor that his chief steward went to report to the queen as soon as something happened.
As the emperor, what he did was really frustrating!
No wonder after the Thirteenth Prince was sent to Prince Yan's residence, Li Yu would secretly help to plead for him from time to time.
Jinzhong and Jinbao did their work honestly and never mentioned the queen.
Just as the emperor's face became increasingly ugly, Hai Lan jumped out and spoke.
"How dare you, Concubine Ling! How dare you slander the Empress? Today, there's more to this than just the witchcraft incident. Some time ago, rumors were rife in the palace, saying that the Empress had a hard fate and had brought about the death of the Fifth Princess and the early death of the Thirteenth Prince. Following the Empress' orders, I discovered that it was Granny Tian who was spreading these rumors. Granny Tian was the closest to you, the Yongshou Palace, these days. She even found the banknotes you gave her in her room. How do you explain all this?"
Seeing that Yanwan was bringing the matter onto Ruyi, Hailan had to jump out and tell the whole story of Grandma Tian in order to attract the emperor's attention.