Abi's heart tightened, and she lowered her head and followed him out. After she stood still, Mingyu stared at her and said, "You are responsible for taking care of the second elder brother. You should be very clear about the second elder brother's affairs. Tell me,
Why did the second elder brother deliberately pretend to recover?"
Abi murmured: "I don't know. I also thought that the second elder brother was really cured."
Mingyu said coldly: "You have been following the second elder brother all day long, how could you not know, tell me, what is going on?"
Abi wrung her fingers, lowered her head and said, "I really don't know this."
Just as Mingyu was about to speak, Concubine Zhe came over quickly and bowed hastily: "Madam, I heard that my second elder brother was sick again, so I came here to take a look. I wonder how he is doing now?"
Mingyu said worriedly: "Sister, you are interested. Yonglian has just taken the medicine and is asleep inside. I hope the fever can be relieved and the cough can be relieved quickly. Otherwise, I really don't know what to do."
"Don't worry, Madam, Second Elder Brother will be fine." After saying this, Concubine Zhe said with a strange expression: "Isn't Second Elder Brother's illness better? Why did he suddenly relapse?"
After listening to Mingyu explain what happened, Concubine Zhe said in astonishment: "Such a thing could happen? Why would the second elder brother do such a thing?"
Mingyu pointed at Abi and said, "I am interrogating this girl about this matter, but she said she does not know about Yonglian's situation."
Concubine Zhe came here often and was no stranger to Abi. Knowing that she was Yonglian's personal maid, she immediately walked up to Abi and said, "Raise your head and look at me."
Abi raised her head tremblingly and met Concubine Zhe's gaze. The latter stared at her and said, "Do you really not know about the second elder brother pretending to recover from his illness?"
Abi swallowed secretly and said: "I really don't know, otherwise..."
"You are lying!" Concubine Zhe interrupted her sternly: "Your eyes flickered when you spoke, which is simply a lie. Abi, you are so brave, you actually dare to deceive the Queen and me!"
Abi's legs went weak and she knelt down and said, "I don't have it. I really don't know."
Concubine Zhe walked around her and said: "If you tell the truth now, I can plead with the Queen on your behalf and exempt you from punishment. If you still tell lies, you will not be leniently spared. Tell me!"
Abi was so frightened that she trembled all over, but what she said was still the same sentence, "I really don't know about this matter. Master, please tell me clearly."
Concubine Zhe glanced at her, returned to Mingyu, and said: "Empress, I am sure that this girl must know about it, but for some reason, she refuses to say it."
Mingyu frowned and said, "In my sister's opinion, what should we do now?"
Concubine Zhe rolled her eyes and said, "The only solution now is to use torture."
"This..." Mingyu was very hesitant when she heard this. She had always been very generous to her palace maids and never punished them severely. Even if she made mistakes sometimes, she would just kneel down as punishment. At this moment, Concubine Zhe suddenly
Talking about punishing A Bi really embarrassed her.
Concubine Zhe saw her hesitation in her eyes and said: "I know that my empress is kind, but think about it. The second elder brother pretended to be cured and refused to let Dr. Xu diagnose and treat her. Abi deliberately concealed it. It can be seen that there must be something hidden in it."
If you don't ask the question clearly now, if something happens again in the future, it will be too late to regret it."
Concubine Zhe's words finally made Mingyu make up her mind. She bit her silver teeth slightly and said, "Come here, take Abi down and whip her twenty times."
Abi's face turned pale with fright, and she kowtowed repeatedly: "Master, please forgive me, I really don't know anything."
No matter how much Abi begged for mercy, she could not escape the flogging that followed. She suffered twenty lashes, and the skin on her back was torn and bloody, which was very scary.
"Abi, why did the second elder brother pretend to be ill?" Faced with Mingyu's questioning again, Abi, who was dragged to Mingyu, reluctantly said: "Slave... I really don't... don't know."
Abi is not afraid of the pain caused by punishment, on the contrary, she is very afraid; but she knows better that once this matter is revealed, with Mingyu's hatred for Xianyue, things will inevitably cause a huge fuss, and the entire harem will be upset.
There will be peace, which is why Yonglian repeatedly asked her to keep the secret.
Therefore, she would rather endure the physical pain than tell the truth.
Seeing that Abi had been tortured and still insisted that she didn't know, Mingyu was a little shaken and turned to Concubine Zhe: "Sister, are we wrongly accusing Abi? She really doesn't know about it?"
Concubine Zhe said firmly: "No, she is by the second elder brother's side day and night, so there is no way she doesn't know about it. She is just talking harshly now. As long as the torture continues, she will definitely say it."
"You still want to be tortured?" Mingyu was startled and said, "She has already been beaten like this, so... forget it."
Concubine Zhe glanced at the closed palace door and said, "The more she hides it, the bigger the matter becomes. Madam, now is not the time to be soft-hearted."
Mingyu was cruel, turned away and said: "Pull me down and punish her twenty more times."
"Wait a minute." Concubine Zhe called to the execution eunuch and whispered in his ear. The latter looked strangely and said, "Your Majesty, this..."
Concubine Zhe interrupted him and said: "It's okay, just do as I say."
After the execution eunuch resigned, Mingyu asked curiously: "Sister, what did you say to him?"
Concubine Zhe said mysteriously: "I'm sorry, I'll give it a try. I'll tell you later, but this time, Abi will definitely do it."
When Mingyu was doubtful, the execution eunuch brought a basin of water and placed it beside him. He first dipped the whip in the water and then whipped it on Abi.
When the first whip fell, Abi felt something was wrong, because the force of the whip was similar, but the pain was so painful that she almost fainted, and the place where it was struck was burning, as if there was a fire. The next part
Each whip hurt more than the last, and she wished she could faint immediately so she wouldn't feel the pain.
Every lash made her feel like she was falling into hell. Later, even her consciousness became blurred and she begged for mercy incoherently. When the thirteen lashes were reached, Concubine Zhe signaled the palace attendants to stop, and then walked to the palace where the pain was still there.
In front of the trembling Abi, he leaned down and said, "How about it, Abi, are you willing to say it?"
Abi looked at Concubine Zhe in a state of confusion, and said in a trembling voice: "Don't... hit me, slave... slave... I can't say..."
"Can't you say?" Concubine Zhe sneered and said, "In other words, you do know, so keep fighting."
After another twenty lashes, Abi was almost half alive, but she still kept repeating the words "can't say".
Concubine Zhe glanced at the water in the copper basin that was dyed light red with the blood from the whip, and said in a dark voice: "Pour it all on her back. If she still refuses to say anything, keep pouring it until she does.