Chapter 163
Facing Xiao Jingheng's sudden question,
Song Zhao was startled and shocked,
but her eyes did not show any evasion. On the contrary, she looked straight into Xiao Jingheng's hesitant gaze.
From her eyes one could vaguely see the flickering of tears,
mixed with loss... or disappointment.
"What?"
She had clearly heard Xiao Jingheng's words, but it seemed as if she could not believe her own ears and asked again.
Xiao Jingheng hesitated for a moment, slowly letting go of Song Zhao's wrist he had been holding,
"Nothing."
The two looked at each other in silence.
What broke this terrifying silence was Song Zhao's pained questioning afterwards,
"Does His Majesty doubt his concubine? Does His Majesty think that his concubine falsely accused Li to escape punishment in the past?"
Her voice choked up a little, but the tears in her eyes just circled in her eye sockets without falling,
"Does His Majesty really think that his concubine is such a scheming and cunning woman?"
Song Zhao's aggrieved appearance made Xiao Jingheng waver for a moment.
His expression softened a little as he comforted her, "I just asked casually and made you overthink. It's just that since this matter was Zhao's own sin, I really don't understand why Li ended up being the scapegoat in the end."
"His Majesty doesn't even understand what happened, yet he wants his concubine to give an explanation?"
Song Zhao rarely put away her gentleness and instead questioned Xiao Jingheng, "During that time, his concubine asked to be confined, and His Majesty sent people to investigate the whole matter. What did the people in front of His Majesty find out? How could his concubine influence that? If His Majesty has doubts about this, he should summon everyone who investigated it at that time and question them one by one. Firstly, it would eliminate His Majesty's doubts, and secondly, it would prove his concubine's innocence."
Her agitated emotions were completely revealed in front of Xiao Jingheng.
Like anyone who was wrongly accused,
Xiao Jingheng could not see any panic or fear on her face at all.
All he saw was stubborn insistence and vaguely revealed grievances.
Xiao Jingheng was used to seeing the faces of hypocrites in front of him,
so when he saw Song Zhao like this, his doubts about her had already dissipated somewhat.
He was about to take Song Zhao's hand and say some soothing words,
but Song Zhao deliberately put her hand behind her back. She said lightly,
"His concubine is feeling a little uncomfortable tonight, I'm afraid I can't accompany His Majesty."
After speaking, she bowed and said, "His concubine will take her leave."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left by herself,
ignoring Xiao Jingheng calling her several times behind her. She did not look back or stop.
This was the first time Xiao Jingheng saw a hint of fierceness in this bright and beautiful woman.
If she was really wrongly accused in this matter,
it would probably really chill her heart.
For this, Xiao Jingheng also felt very remorseful.
But as the emperor, holding the power of life and death over the world in his hands, he had seen too many schemes since he was a child.
Suspicion was ingrained in the blood of the royal family. He had to suppress his feelings with reason at all times.
So in the end, Xiao Jingheng did not go after her that day either.
Instead, he ordered Jiang Deshun, "Go check the people involved in Li's matter again and see exactly what happened. I remember that at first, Li was convicted because a pharmacy in the capital city said they saw Li's servant girl coming to buy aconite. "
He rubbed the ink jade ring on his thumb, silently paused for a long time, then stopped the movement of his hand and sternly said:
"Bring the shopkeeper and helpers of that pharmacy and interrogate them strictly. If anyone dares to utter another false word, kill them directly, no need to report back to me."
*
During the time Jiang Deshun thoroughly investigated this matter, Xiao Jingheng did not visit Song Zhao once.
Since he didn't come, Song Zhao did not take the initiative to see him either.
The two were in a stalemate
until three days later, when Jiang Deshun brought back several confessions to report back to Xiao Jingheng,
"Your Majesty, under severe torture, the shopkeeper and helpers of Tongji Hall have all confessed. This matter is indeed unrelated to Concubine Li. Her servant girl Fu'er also never bought aconite. The reason why people from Tongji Hall said so was because someone had given them money and Fu'er's portrait, and told them that as long as anyone asked about this matter, they must insist on seeing Fu'er come to purchase it. "
Xiao Jingheng asked, "Who gave them the portrait and money?"
Jiang Deshun said, "It was the inner eunuch Xiaojingzi from the Household Department who was responsible for purchasing. He is waiting outside the hall now. Does Your Majesty want me to summon him?"
Xiao Jingheng nodded silently, and Jiang Deshun immediately said, "There is indeed a Liu Changzai in the palace. She entered the palace last year together with Concubine Hui, Concubine Xiao and Concubine Li."
With his reminder, Xiao Jingheng finally had some impression of Liu Changzai.
It seemed that when she first entered the palace, he had favored her a few times,
but every time Liu Changzai lay in bed, she was like a dead piece of wood, not saying a word or making any sounds.
Gradually, Xiao Jingheng stopped favoring her, to the point that after such a long time, he had almost forgotten her existence.
"Since it was her, go bring her over."
Jiang Deshun nodded, and then asked Xiao Jingheng, "Your Majesty, how should I deal with this eunuch?"
Xiao Jingheng casually said, "You decide how to deal with him, but remember one thing. In the future, if any of the eunuchs in the palace dare to help convey messages between inside and outside the palace again, I will punish their families to the third generation without mercy!"
Although he told Jiang Deshun to decide by himself, wasn't he already telling Jiang Deshun how to deal with it?
So Jiang Deshun took Xiaojingzi out and had him beaten to death with rods.
Afterwards, he punished his three families outside the palace.
He should have sentenced them all to death, but thinking that they were also servants, Jiang Deshun did not act too harshly. He just exiled them all to Lingnan, leaving them to fend for themselves.
That day, when Liu Changzai was summoned to Chaoyang Palace, it was just at dusk.
She lived in Zhaochun Palace together with Concubine Hui.
After she lost Xiao Jingheng's favor, she lived like a walking corpse every day.
She would get up at the set time to pay respects to the Empress, then spend the rest of the day eating three meals in the palace.
When the sun set, she would go to bed, repeating this cycle as if counting down the days until her death.
She never had the mood to take another look at the scenery trapped within these red walls.
Now, standing outside Chaoyang Palace, watching the afterglow of the setting sun spill onto the glazed golden tiles of the hall, reflecting dazzling and bright splendor, she smiled helplessly.
The palace maid escorting her asked, "What are you laughing at? Hurry up and walk!"
She whispered, murmuring to herself:
"I used to think everything in the palace was good. This imperial city was shining, and once I entered, the road ahead would surely be bright and splendid. But now looking at it, I was just laughable."
Chapter 163
Facing Xiao Jingheng's sudden question,
Song Zhao was startled and shocked,
but her eyes did not show any evasion. On the contrary, she looked straight into Xiao Jingheng's hesitant gaze.
From her eyes one could vaguely see the flickering of tears,
mixed with loss... or disappointment.
"What?"
She had clearly heard Xiao Jingheng's words, but it seemed as if she could not believe her own ears and asked again.
Xiao Jingheng hesitated for a moment, slowly letting go of Song Zhao's wrist he had been holding,
"Nothing."
The two looked at each other in silence.
What broke this terrifying silence was Song Zhao's pained questioning afterwards,
"Does His Majesty doubt his concubine? Does His Majesty think that his concubine falsely accused Li to escape punishment in the past?"
Her voice choked up a little, but the tears in her eyes just circled in her eye sockets without falling,
"Does His Majesty really think that his concubine is such a scheming and cunning woman?"
Song Zhao's aggrieved appearance made Xiao Jingheng waver for a moment.
His expression softened a little as he comforted her, "I just asked casually and made you overthink. It's just that since this matter was Zhao's own sin, I really don't understand why Li ended up being the scapegoat in the end."
"His Majesty doesn't even understand what happened, yet he wants his concubine to give an explanation?"
Song Zhao rarely put away her gentleness and instead questioned Xiao Jingheng, "During that time, his concubine asked to be confined, and His Majesty sent people to investigate the whole matter. What did the people in front of His Majesty find out? How could his concubine influence that? If His Majesty has doubts about this, he should summon everyone who investigated it at that time and question them one by one. Firstly, it would eliminate His Majesty's doubts, and secondly, it would prove his concubine's innocence."
Her agitated emotions were completely revealed in front of Xiao Jingheng.
Like anyone who was wrongly accused,
Xiao Jingheng could not see any panic or fear on her face at all.
All he saw was stubborn insistence and vaguely revealed grievances.
Xiao Jingheng was used to seeing the faces of hypocrites in front of him,
so when he saw Song Zhao like this, his doubts about her had already dissipated somewhat.
He was about to take Song Zhao's hand and say some soothing words,
but Song Zhao deliberately put her hand behind her back. She said lightly,
"His concubine is feeling a little uncomfortable tonight, I'm afraid I can't accompany His Majesty."
After speaking, she bowed and said, "His concubine will take her leave."
After she finished speaking, she turned and left by herself,
ignoring Xiao Jingheng calling her several times behind her. She did not look back or stop.
This was the first time Xiao Jingheng saw a hint of fierceness in this bright and beautiful woman.
If she was really wrongly accused in this matter,
it would probably really chill her heart.
For this, Xiao Jingheng also felt very remorseful.
But as the emperor, holding the power of life and death over the world in his hands, he had seen too many schemes since he was a child.
Suspicion was ingrained in the blood of the royal family. He had to suppress his feelings with reason at all times.
So in the end, Xiao Jingheng did not go after her that day either.
Instead, he ordered Jiang Deshun, "Go check the people involved in Li's matter again and see exactly what happened. I remember that at first, Li was convicted because a pharmacy in the capital city said they saw Li's servant girl coming to buy aconite. "
He rubbed the ink jade ring on his thumb, silently paused for a long time, then stopped the movement of his hand and sternly said:
"Bring the shopkeeper and helpers of that pharmacy and interrogate them strictly. If anyone dares to utter another false word, kill them directly, no need to report back to me."
*
During the time Jiang Deshun thoroughly investigated this matter, Xiao Jingheng did not visit Song Zhao once.
Since he didn't come, Song Zhao did not take the initiative to see him either.
The two were in a stalemate
until three days later, when Jiang Deshun brought back several confessions to report back to Xiao Jingheng,
"Your Majesty, under severe torture, the shopkeeper and helpers of Tongji Hall have all confessed. This matter is indeed unrelated to Concubine Li. Her servant girl Fu'er also never bought aconite. The reason why people from Tongji Hall said so was because someone had given them money and Fu'er's portrait, and told them that as long as anyone asked about this matter, they must insist on seeing Fu'er come to purchase it. "
Xiao Jingheng asked, "Who gave them the portrait and money?"
Jiang Deshun said, "It was the inner eunuch Xiaojingzi from the Household Department who was responsible for purchasing. He is waiting outside the hall now. Does Your Majesty want me to summon him?"
Xiao Jingheng nodded silently, and Jiang Deshun immediately said, "There is indeed a Liu Changzai in the palace. She entered the palace last year together with Concubine Hui, Concubine Xiao and Concubine Li."
With his reminder, Xiao Jingheng finally had some impression of Liu Changzai.
It seemed that when she first entered the palace, he had favored her a few times,
but every time Liu Changzai lay in bed, she was like a dead piece of wood, not saying a word or making any sounds.
Gradually, Xiao Jingheng stopped favoring her, to the point that after such a long time, he had almost forgotten her existence.
"Since it was her, go bring her over."
Jiang Deshun nodded, and then asked Xiao Jingheng, "Your Majesty, how should I deal with this eunuch?"
Xiao Jingheng casually said, "You decide how to deal with him, but remember one thing. In the future, if any of the eunuchs in the palace dare to help convey messages between inside and outside the palace again, I will punish their families to the third generation without mercy!"
Although he told Jiang Deshun to decide by himself, wasn't he already telling Jiang Deshun how to deal with it?
So Jiang Deshun took Xiaojingzi out and had him beaten to death with rods.
Afterwards, he punished his three families outside the palace.
He should have sentenced them all to death, but thinking that they were also servants, Jiang Deshun did not act too harshly. He just exiled them all to Lingnan, leaving them to fend for themselves.
That day, when Liu Changzai was summoned to Chaoyang Palace, it was just at dusk.
She lived in Zhaochun Palace together with Concubine Hui.
After she lost Xiao Jingheng's favor, she lived like a walking corpse every day.
She would get up at the set time to pay respects to the Empress, then spend the rest of the day eating three meals in the palace.
When the sun set, she would go to bed, repeating this cycle as if counting down the days until her death.
She never had the mood to take another look at the scenery trapped within these red walls.
Now, standing outside Chaoyang Palace, watching the afterglow of the setting sun spill onto the glazed golden tiles of the hall, reflecting dazzling and bright splendor, she smiled helplessly.
The palace maid escorting her asked, "What are you laughing at? Hurry up and walk!"
She whispered, murmuring to herself:
"I used to think everything in the palace was good. This imperial city was shining, and once I entered, the road ahead would surely be bright and splendid. But now looking at it, I was just laughable."
