Xianyue's heart moved and she said: "Your Majesty, since you want to ask, why don't you just send the third elder brother to ask as well."
"That's fine." Following Hongli's words, Sixi left again, and soon brought Yongzhang and two nannies over. Six-year-old Yongzhang was very obedient and knelt down on one knee without waiting for others to remind him.
, said: "My son, I have met Huang Ama, and Huang Ama is auspicious."
"Get up." Hongli beckoned him to his side, stroked his head and said, "Yongzhang, Huang Ama wants to ask you, have you ever seen your mother-in-law making clothes in the past half month or so?"
Yong Zhang blinked and nodded: "Yes, I have seen it several times."
While he was talking, Xianyue had already ordered someone to bring the shoes and hat, handed them to Yongzhang and said, "Brother San, what about these two? Have you seen them?"
Seeing those two things, Yongzhang's expression became hesitant. After glancing behind Chao Xianyue, he shook his head and said, "To tell you the truth, I haven't seen them before."
Xianyue looked back and found that Kang Delu was standing behind her. He immediately lowered his head as soon as he caught her gaze. Xianyue saw this scene in her eyes and said calmly: "Is it true? Yongzhang,
Now that you are studying with Taifu, you should understand the meaning of sincerity and trust, and you must not lie."
Yongzhang lowered his head and wrung his fingers. Kang Delu was afraid that Yongzhang would be coaxed into telling the truth by Xia Yue, so he quickly said: "Mother, those shoes and hats are really not made by the master. What the third elder brother said is the truth. Actually, I want to know
It is not difficult to find out who made the shoes and hats. They are inlaid with pearls and hats, and there are records of the comings and goings of each palace's treasury. You only need to check the records to find out."
Xianyue looked at him coldly and said: "I am talking to Third Brother, when will it be your turn to interrupt? Furthermore, Concubine Yi said just now that the pearls and hats were taken from the Chonghua Palace warehouse.
, if I follow your words to investigate, then it will definitely be traced to Concubine Yi."
"Your Majesty, it is clear that what Concubine Yi said is not trustworthy at all, slave..." Kang Delu was interrupted by Xia Yue in the middle of his words, "You don't need to say more, the Emperor and I will investigate this matter on their own."
After scolding Kang Delu, Xianyue turned her eyes to Yongzhang again, "Brother San, I ask you again, have you ever seen shoes or hats?"
"No, I have never seen it." After Yongzhang said something hastily, he raised his head and said: "Huang Ama, where is E Niang? Why didn't I see E Niang?"
"Your mother-in-law is sick and is resting in the Nuan Pavilion." After hearing this, Yongzhang suddenly became anxious and shouted that he wanted to see the Jin family. Hongli asked Xiaowu to take him in.
After Yongzhang entered, Kang Delu gritted his teeth, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I have the courage to say something to you."
Hongli glanced at him and said coldly: "Speak."
Kang Delu glanced at Xianyue quickly and said: "The imperial concubine has always been on good terms with Concubine Yi, so since she came to Chonghua Palace, she has been helping Concubine Yi to speak, just like the third elder brother just now
Although she had already said that she had never seen the pair of shoes and hats, the empress asked her again and again. She clearly did not believe what the third elder brother said and wanted to make him change his story and say that he had seen the pair of shoes and hats. Your Majesty, the imperial concubine is so frank, how can you be so frank with your slave master?
It’s really unfair.”
Huang said angrily: "Kang Delu, your concubine is always fair in dealing with matters. How can she be biased and frank? Don't try to provoke her in front of the emperor."
Kang Delu ignored her, kowtowed to the gloomy-looking Hongli and said again: "Your Majesty, I know that as a slave, I am not qualified to say these words, but I really don't want to see my master suffer so much harm and be tortured."
If someone deliberately targets someone, the master will be wronged."
"Whether you are unjustly accused or not, I will find out on my own. As for the imperial concubine..." Hongli glanced at Xianyue and said, "I believe that the imperial concubine is not a selfish person. You can rest assured that even if that is the case, I am still here.
I will uphold justice."
Kang Delu was startled. He didn't expect that he had said so much without arousing Hongli's suspicion about Xianyue. He wanted to say more, but seeing Hongli's hesitant expression, he had to swallow his words and nodded in agreement.
After the people in the ordering palace dispersed, Xianyue said: "Your Majesty, I have a question in my mind and would like to ask Liu Mei a few words. Is that okay?"
"If you have anything to say, just ask." After getting Hongli's permission, Xianyue walked up to Liu Mei and said, "You said that when Concubine Jia was fighting for clothes, she was not very impressed by the embroidery in your hand.
I pricked my finger with a needle and was poisoned, right?"
"Yes!" Liu Mei choked and said, "It was all the slave who caused the master's poisoning and suffering. It would have been better if the slave had been more careful at that time."
Xianyue nodded noncommittally, and then said: "In other words, what we were fighting for at that time were the clothes that Jinping had already changed, right?"
Liu Mei followed the words and said: "Yes, when she changed her clothes to be coated with strychnine poison, she was discovered by the slaves, and a fight broke out. The slaves just made it clear."
Xianyue said with a half-smile but not a smile: "I am really curious. According to what you said, the embroidery needle has not been removed from the set of clothes brought by your master;
How come there are embroidery needles? Could it be that by coincidence, Concubine Yi also forgot the needles in her clothes?" She just recalled Liu Mei's words over and over in her mind many times, and finally she caught this loophole.
Liu Mei trembled all over, clenched her hands hanging by her side, and said in a panic: "I don't know this, but when we were fighting in the main hall, the set of clothes that the master brought was also there, maybe it was torn off at that time.
"
Xianyue raised her eyebrows and said, "Oh? Is this really the case?"
"Yes." After Liu Mei had the courage to say this word, Xianyue ordered Aluo to get the non-toxic clothes, carefully looked at them inside and out, and then handed them to Hongli and said: "Your Majesty, here are
All the threads on this piece of clothing are very neat, and you can tell at a glance that they were cut with scissors, and there are no signs of tearing as Liu Mei said."
Hongli took it and looked at it carefully. As Xianyue said, he said coldly: "Liu Mei, how do you explain this?"
Liu Mei's heart became more and more panicked, and he stammered: "Slave... I don't know what happened. Maybe when I pulled it off, the break was relatively flat, so I can't see it."
Xianyue sneered: "It's not that you don't know, but everything you said is just lies. The person who wants to murder the fifth elder brother is not Concubine Yi, but Concubine Jia!"
Hearing this, Liu Mei hurriedly denied: "No, it has nothing to do with the master. The master doesn't know anything. Everything was done by Concubine Yi."
Xianyue stared at her and said: "This piece of material was given to Concubine Yi by me. Once something happens to the fifth elder brother because of this, if it is traced, not only Concubine Yi will be involved, but I will also be involved. Killing two birds with one stone... Ha,
Liu Mei, your master’s thoughts are really far-reaching.”