"Yi Pin, even though I am being punished by the Emperor now, you still have no right to humiliate !"
Consort Li straightened her back, unfazed by Yi Pin’s difficulties.
"Don’t I?" Yi Pin’s gaze shifted, looking at the few servants beside her, "These insolent slaves, seeing without kneeling, without paying respects, this is contempt, absolute contempt! Guards, kill all these insolent slaves!"
Imdiately, several more guards rushed in to seize the people around Consort Li.
"How dare you, who dares, stop, stop imdiately!"
The ones who rushed in were the Imperial Guards, all of them holding long swords, clad in armor. The palace maid eunuchs on Consort Li’s side were no match for them.
They were taken down with just a slight struggle.
Of course, there were indeed skilled martial artists among Consort Li’s people, but this was the Imperial Palace. It was inappropriate for them to reveal their skills, so they could only pretend to be caught, and watch the developnt.
"Disrespecting this palace, guards, beat these traitorous slaves to death!"
"Who dares?"
Consort Li naturally wanted to protect her people, but she clearly couldn’t.
The guards seed to be fearless, rushing to grab people, and Consort Li, trying to block them, was pushed aside.
"Yi Pin, you vile woman, dare to touch my people, I’ll fight you to death!"
Consort Li, filled with rage, suddenly pulled out a dagger and lunged it toward Yi Pin.
"Ah, mutiny, mutiny, Li Cai Nu actually dares to assassinate , truly rebellious. Hurry and seize her, deal with her by palace rules!"
"I think Yi Pin is the rebellious one!"
Just as the guards were about to seize Consort Li, a slightly weak but cold voice suddenly sounded from the palace gate. Yi Pin instinctively looked over, seeing Qi Junlian coming with people.
She was montarily stunned, then filled with joy in her heart. Being a prince, he was now sealed as a king, an outside minister. Entering the inner palace without the Emperor’s consent was improper, especially in the middle of the night; it was even more impossible!
In this way, it’s a cri of trespassing the inner palace!
Foolish, truly foolish, to commit such a blunder for his mother!
Of course, Yi Pin was delighted to see this outco.
"Prince Lingjiang, this is the harem. You ca here at such a late hour. Do you have the Emperor’s decree?"
Yi Pin, by reason, should first show respect, but she thought this mother and son were dood, so there was no need to be polite.
Qi Junlian quietly looked at her, his calm eyes tinged with anger. He was a filial son, after all, having lived a hard life with his mother in the past, where she raised him with all her might. Seeing Yi Pin humiliate his mother, he was naturally furious.
"I ca by my father’s order!"
"Oh? Really, do you have the Emperor’s decree then?"
Yi Pin sneered. If not, then it’s a false edict. She would make him regret this, not later, but imdiately!
"It is a verbal edict from the Emperor."
"A verbal edict? Hahaha, Prince Lingjiang, do you think I would believe you? Without an imperial decree, it’s a false decree. If I allow you in and the Emperor later blas , I cannot shoulder this responsibility!"
Qi Junlian said, "Consort Yi, my father has obtained evidence that my mother was frad. It’s still not too late for you to stop. Otherwise, no one will save you when my father arrives!"
Qi Junlian’s deanor was excessively calm when he said this, giving rise to a sense of unease. Logic dictated it was ti to avoid confrontation, but Yi Pin had already torn relations with Consort Li and couldn’t back down.
Either kill her or risk being killed by her if she lives!
In just a few breaths, Yi Pin made her decision, sternly shouting, "Prince Lingjiang is truly joking. If Li Cai Nu is truly innocent, why didn’t Eunuch Chen co to issue the decree? Your Highness, do not mislead yourself! Why are you hesitating? Kill these slaves imdiately!"
"I see who dares!"
In the distance, a pile of torches flared up, and a large group of people ca in force, led by Li Qingmu with Zhao ngran and others following behind.
Yi Pin’s heart sank at this sight.
Li Qingmu and Zhao ngran were both outside ministers, not related to the Imperial Family, yet they were here too, indicating that Prince Lingjiang was mostly speaking the truth earlier!
Did they find the evidence of Li Cai Nu being frad?
How was this possible?
This matter should have been foolproof!
"Consort Yi, coming here with people so late at night, what is your intention?"
Li Qingmu, dressed in official robes, looked coldly at Yi Pin, with an elderly woman behind him bearing a look of grievance.
Seeing this woman, Yi Pin was puzzled, having never seen her before due to her late entry to the palace.
However, a mammy next to Yi Pin, who was Empress’s confidante, disguised herself for the night and was here to bolster support. Upon seeing this woman, she instantly recognized her and exclaid, "You... how are you still alive? Are you a ghost?"
She regretted her foolishness just after speaking.
Wasn’t this a self-incrimination?
She was so angry that her face turned livid.
The elderly woman behind Li Qingmu slowly turned her gaze on her, "Liu Yingying, it’s been so many years since we last t! Back then, I was a female official in this palace, and you had to call aunt! Unexpectedly, thirty years later, you beca an Empress’s confidante, truly fate’s trick!"
Liu Yingying imdiately felt a chill run down her spine.
Wasn’t this person supposed to be dead? How was she alive?
Perhaps to answer her confusion, the elderly woman Li Ji said, "In those years, the Empress was just an ordinary concubine, always coveting the Empress’s position. But at that ti, her qualifications were shallow, so she lay in wait, plotting slowly.
Back then, in the court, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager’s two factions were at odds, and Empress Qiao orchestrated, making Consort Shu a scapegoat between them to gain the Empress Dowager’s support, thus ascending to the throne, a move of killing two birds with one stone!"
Hearing this, everyone wore expressions of shock; Zhao ngran was especially disbelieving that the Empress, revered by the world, could be such a sinister person?
"Aunt, you mustn’t speak recklessly!"
Zhao ngran hurriedly reminded her.
Li Ji sneered, "Reckless? I’m already halfway to the grave, a person about to die speaks the truth. Why would I falsely accuse the noble Empress for no reason? I was the one aiding her back then!"
As she spoke, she took out a pouch from her bosom, "To be honest, maybe many people in this palace don’t recognize , but tracing back to Consort Shu’s era, few wouldn’t know.
I, Li Ji Aunt, was precisely the female official by Lady Shufei’s side years ago! I... was seduced by the Empress, coerced and tempted, I betrayed my master! I... this servant is guilty!"
Li Ji Aunt finished speaking, kneeling, and bowed towards Consort Shu’s palace chambers of that year to apologize.
"Li Ji Aunt? I think I’ve heard the elders ntion, there was such a female official back then, foremost under the Imperial Concubine, who could command the wind and rain, and everyone in the palace had to show her so respect!"
"It’s her! But they said she was a traitor who later ca to a bad end..."
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