Free Web NovelChapter 119: Chapter 59: Turning Around and Digging a Pit
Her mood soured at the thought that she, too, was just one of those little soldiers.
Having received the Emperor’s express permission, Consort Shu’s eyes swept over Consort Zhuang. She then took a few steps forward to look at Beauty Zhen. "It’s so hot out, and you’ve been kneeling for a long time. Consort Zhuang has surely had her satisfaction. You may rise and answer." Turning to Consort Zhuang, she added, "Consort Zhuang, you don’t have any objections, do you?"
Consort Zhuang met Consort Shu’s provocative gaze and sneered internally, but she said aloud, "Consort Shu is truly kindhearted. How could I dare have any objections?" freewebnovel.cσ๓
’Playing the saint by stepping on my face. Isn’t she afraid of a long fall from a high place?’
Beauty Zhen was quicker on the uptake this time. She hurriedly kowtowed to Consort Shu to express her gratitude, then performed a deep bow to Consort Zhuang. Only then did she shakily allow her little palace maid, Cuiju, to help her up. Her knees were in agony from kneeling for so long; she nearly plopped right back down the moment she stood.
"Beauty Zhen," Consort Shu began, looking at her with a calm and composed air, "I ask you: before you came to the garden, besides the Palace Attendants with you, did anyone else speak to you about coming here?"
Beauty Zhen paused, thought for a moment, then shook her head. "In response to Your Highness, no one else."
Consort Shu gave a slight nod and turned to Cuiju. "Cuiju, I ask you, why did you suggest that Beauty Zhen go to the garden?"
Cuiju quickly replied, "In response to Lady Shufei, this servant saw that my mistress had nothing to do after breakfast. Thinking the scenery in the garden was lovely, I made the suggestion."
Song Yunzhao nodded to herself. ’Makes perfect sense.’
Consort Shu asked again, "Then did you know that Consort Zhuang’s flowers were in the garden?"
Cuiju froze for a second before speaking. "In response to Your Highness, this servant seems to have heard someone mention it, but I never saw them with my own eyes. I used to be on duty in the Six Departments and was only recently assigned to serve at Lanyue Palace, so I’m truly not very clear on the matters of the garden."
Consort Shu then looked back at Beauty Zhen. "Beauty Zhen, when you were with Dong Guiren and Chen Guoji, did you hear either of them mention anything about the garden?"
Beauty Zhen thought back carefully, then shook her head. "In response to Your Highness, we were only admiring the scenery as we walked and didn’t speak of anything else."
"I’ll ask you again: why did you suddenly want to pick the flowers? There must have been a reason."
"In response to Your Highness..." Beauty Zhen trailed off, suddenly glancing sideways at Cuiju.
Cuiju kept her head bowed, seemingly oblivious.
"At the time, Cuiju mentioned that Lanyue Palace was rather bare, and it would be nice to pick a few flowers to display. I thought that made sense, so I set my sights on the hydrangeas that were in full bloom." After speaking, Beauty Zhen stared at Cuiju. "Cuiju, were you deliberately guiding me to pick the flowers?"
Cuiju trembled in fear and immediately fell to her knees. "I didn’t! How would this servant dare do such a thing? At the time, I truly thought that placing a few flowers in the palace would lift Beauty’s spirits, which is why I dared to say it."
Beauty Zhen hesitated upon hearing this. ’That seems to make sense, too.’
Consort Shu, however, no longer looked at Beauty Zhen. She focused on Cuiju and asked, "Since you came from the Six Departments, where were you on duty before, and whom did you work under?"
Cuiju’s expression tightened. With her forehead pressed firmly to the ground, she said, "In response to Your Highness, this servant was previously on duty in the Clothing Bureau, under Nanny Fan."
Consort Shu then turned to Dong Guiren and Chen Guoji. "Did the two of you notice anything unusual at the time? Or do you remember anything else this Cuiju said?"
Dong Guiren’s face had been pale all along. Now, being questioned, she shivered with fright and hastily replied, "In response to Your Highness, although this concubine was with Beauty Zhen, I was some distance away from her while we were admiring the flowers, so I’m not sure what Cuiju said." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Consort Shu looked at Chen Guoji, who immediately said, "In response to Your Highness, this concubine was right next to Beauty Zhen at the time. I did indeed hear Cuiju say that one thing, but I didn’t hear her say anything else. Right after Beauty Zhen picked the flower, someone came over and rebuked her for her insolence and disrespect toward Consort Zhuang. This concubine was terrified, so I didn’t pay attention to anything else."
Song Yunzhao watched as Consort Shu, with swift and decisive action, summoned the Palace Attendant who had caught Beauty Zhen picking the flower for questioning. She also sent someone to investigate Cuiju’s past in the Clothing Bureau. The atmosphere immediately grew delicate.
’From the looks of it, Cuiju must have been put up to this, deliberately guiding Beauty Zhen to make a mistake.’
She tried hard to recall the plot, but she couldn’t quite remember if this incident had been mentioned. In the original story, the plot had mainly revolved around Qin Xiyue battling Consort Zhuang. The two of them clashed verbally for three hundred rounds, holding a debate over whether Beauty Zhen should be punished by kneeling. Qin Xiyue had then launched her attack from a humanitarian perspective, using the weakening of the harem’s hierarchical system as her opening to accuse Consort Zhuang of bullying others with her status, ultimately achieving a resounding victory.
