the palace
The fact that Princess Qingle was almost forced to death caused an uproar in the entire capital, Emperor Dongming was very angry, glanced at the indifferent County Princess Jinshu, and sneered, "Send someone to invite the Queen Mother! "
Eunuch He responded and left the hall immediately.
"Brother Huang, it's just that I haven't seen Qingle for a long time, and I miss it a little. I happened to meet Mrs. Qin, and Mrs. Qin insisted on dragging me and said, there is a man hiding in Qingle's house, of course I don't want to." In a fit of anger, he quarreled with Mrs. Qin."
County Lord Jinshu glanced at Mrs. Qin angrily, and opened her mouth to blame Mrs. Qin, in order to clear her name.
Mrs. Qin knelt on the main hall, the coolness between her legs also cleared her mind a little.
"Your Majesty, the servant girl who is the minister's wife witnessed Qin Yu, the second son of the Qin family, enter the princess mansion. Firstly, the minister's wife was worried about Qin Yu's health, and secondly, she was afraid of causing trouble to the princess and delaying the princess's innocence. "
Mrs. Qin was thinking about how to get over this matter along the way, and she had already thought about her speech.
"To be honest, Qin Yu has lied a lot since he was a child, and he doesn't listen to discipline. Qin Yu is too ambitious and always wants to climb up, and because he is a bastard, he feels wronged in the Qin family. The minister's wife is just worried about the princess. I will be deceived by Qin Yu's rhetoric, so I made this decision in a moment of urgency."
Mrs. Qin simply pushed the matter to Qin Yu, since Qin Yu was not there anyway.
"All these are all fabricated by Mrs. Qin out of thin air and maliciously slandered. If you are worried, why go to the princess' mansion with great fanfare instead of going to the princess to explain in private?"
Concubine Xiao arrived in time and bowed to Emperor Dongming, "Your Majesty, the princess is in a critical situation at this moment. The servant girl and the princess grew up together, and the relationship is extraordinary. I also ask the emperor to uphold justice." .”
"Xiao Jiu!" Mrs. Qin glared at Xiao Concubine with displeasure, "I'm your aunt."
Xiao Concubine glanced at Mrs. Qin, "I'm helping the manager but not my relatives. The facts are in front of me. Why should Mrs. Qin deny it?"
"You!" Mrs. Qin choked, and said after a while, "I didn't find those people at all, and I wanted to discuss it with the princess, but the princess refused to let me go, and I was forced to search the house. .”
Xiao Concubine raised her eyebrows, "Since Mrs. Qin is so confident that Qin Yu is in the princess's mansion, why did three groups of people search the mansion, but they didn't even find a single person? Besides, you are just Mrs. Qin's mansion. What qualifications do you have to lead someone to search the princess' mansion!"
Xiao Yu's unceremonious questioning and accusation made Mrs. Qin a little bit embarrassed.
Concubine Xiao continued to ask, "If everyone thinks like Mrs. Qin and uses suspicion as an excuse, is there any law?"
"Xiao Jiu." Qin Yunting raised his eyes and glanced at Concubine Xiao, "It's true that mother did something wrong, but it's not mother's intention to make such a big fuss."
"Yes, I am also very worried about the princess's injury." Mrs. Qin immediately agreed.
Concubine Xiao sneered, "If I remember correctly, the princess said something inappropriate in the Empress Dowager's Palace yesterday, which offended Mrs. Qin, but by such a coincidence, something happened the next day, so it's hard for people not to think about it. "
"Xiao Jiu, don't be aggressive!" Qin Yunting frowned, "The Qin family is indeed at fault in this matter, don't be presumptuous in front of the emperor!"
Emperor Dongming waved his hand, "It's okay, there is always a right and wrong in things, I want to hear what's going on!"
Qin Yunting was speechless now.
Xiao Concubine nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, although Qingle is in the future, the minister's daughter was also present for this matter. The minister's daughter dared to ask how Mrs. Qin knew that Qin Yu was hiding in the palace of the princess?"
"It was the servant girl who witnessed it with her own eyes."
"Which maid!"
"Jian Cui." Mrs. Qin looked back at Jian Cui beside her.
"Let me ask you, when did you see Qin Yu in the princess' mansion?" Concubine Xiao turned to Jian Cui, "Don't be careless in front of the emperor, it's a death penalty to lie to the majesty!"
Jian Cui shuddered for a moment, and glanced at Mrs. Qin, "The servant girl was yesterday... No, it was the afternoon of the day before yesterday."
"You are the servant girl by Mrs. Qin's side. You serve Mrs. Qin on weekdays. Why did you leave the house suddenly? Why did you see me the day before yesterday? Didn't you come to the door the day before yesterday or yesterday?"
"The servant girl is buying some pastries for Madam, and it just so happens that the shop is sold out of pastries, and the servant girl just returned home empty-handed." Jian Cui's voice tightened, fearing that Concubine Xiao would ask which shop she bought it from, she had a quicker head and didn't say anything dead .
He said again, "Madam originally wanted to come to the door yesterday, but the Queen Mother summoned her yesterday, so she delayed the matter."
Mrs. Qin nodded, "That's right."
Concubine Xiao bent her lips, "Then let me ask you, when did you leave the mansion?"
"It's Sishi!" Jian Cui blurted out, because she did go out of the house at Sishi, Jian Cui quickly regained her composure.
"You're lying! That day, my servant girl and I saw you grabbing medicine at the pharmacy and went to visit your sick sister. We didn't return to the mansion until the afternoon. The princess mansion is on the west side of the East Qin mansion. There are two directions at all, and it is impossible to pass by the county. Lord's mansion, across the high walled courtyard, you actually said that you saw Qin Yu enter the princess' mansion, Jian Cui, you are so brave, why don't you tell me who ordered you to do this!"
Jian Cui subconsciously retorted, "Master, this servant did not lie, and this servant went to the pastry shop in the east afterward, there is absolutely no way this servant could have mistaken the Second Young Master."
Qin Yunting suddenly frowned.
"The shop on the east side... You can tell me which shop is on the east side. The princess's mansion is not on the east side."
After Xiao Concubine's words fell, Jian Cui's face paled instantly, and only then did she realize that she had said the wrong thing, "Servant..."
"Your Majesty, Jian Cui is full of lies, someone must be instigating her behind her back, and she begs the Emperor to punish her severely." Xiao Concubine said.
Emperor Dong Ming glanced at Jian Cui, "Drag it, you'll die!"
"Madam, save your servant." Jian Cui was completely panicked, holding on to Mrs. Qin's hand tightly, with a look of panic on her face, "Save this servant..."
Mrs. Qin's body softened, seeing Jian Cui being dragged away, a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.
"Auntie, let's tell the truth, otherwise no one will be able to help you, give yourself a chance to pay off your merits." Xiao Yu suddenly said, "Otherwise, Auntie will delay the entire Duke of Qin and ruin my cousin's future in one fell swoop." , In the future, my cousin will not be able to hold her head up as a human being, and you will be implicated in everything."
Mrs. Qin glanced at Xiao Concubine and clenched her fists tightly. She would not let this matter go without a result. It was the first time that Mrs. Qin wanted to kill Concubine Xiao.
At this time, Jian Cui struggled and knelt on the ground, "The servant girl said that someone sent a letter to Madam, so Madam confirmed that the Second Young Master is in the County Lord's Mansion, and sent a letter to County Lord Jinshu, saying that it was for Qingle The princess is so ugly."
"Jian Cui!" Mrs. Qin's expression changed drastically, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Baby maid!" Hearing the words, the county magistrate Jinshu ran towards Jiancui very quickly, and slapped Jiancui on the face with her backhand, "If you dare to speak nonsense, believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart !"
Emperor Dongming's face sank, and he slapped the table with one hand, "Enough!"
The county magistrate Jinshu was pulled away, panting heavily, and glared at Jiancui angrily.
"Mrs. Qin, what are you trying to hide at this time, do you want to torture me before you confess!"
Empress Dowager Lian walked in with a cold face, County Lord Jinshu saw that Empress Dowager Lian was coming, and hurried forward, "Mother Empress."
The Empress Dowager Lian looked at County Mistress Jin Shu with disappointment in her eyes, "Jin Shu, you have disappointed Aijia so much."
The county magistrate Jinshu looked embarrassed, and wanted to help the Empress Dowager Lian, but was pushed away by the Empress Dowager Lian, and had no choice but to stand where she was.
Even the Empress Dowager glanced at Mrs. Qin condescendingly, "Mrs. Qin believed in who sent the letter to Mrs. Qin. If you don't explain clearly, the entire Qin family will be handed over to Jing Zhaoyin for interrogation. We must investigate." When the truth comes out, give the royal family an explanation!"
Even the Empress Dowager was very angry when she found out about this, she cursed at the idiot several times, and even annoyed Mrs. Qin for not opening her eyes, causing this matter to stir up trouble.
Mrs. Qin's heart skipped a beat, and she was scared later. She didn't expect to make this matter so big, and she regretted it long ago.
"My wife..." Mrs. Qin hesitated, and even the Empress Dowager turned her eyes to Jian Cui, "As long as you speak the truth, the Ai family will spare you!"
Jian Cui was overjoyed when she heard the words, originally she was still thinking about carrying this matter, but when she was dragged down just now, Mrs. Qin didn't say a word, which made her feel disheartened.
"The slave said that the man delivered the letter to Madam early in the morning, and arranged for someone to stay overnight at the princess's mansion. As soon as the sky dawned, Madam brought people to the door."
"Qin family, who is it?"
Mrs. Qin thought for a while, and now that the matter has been revealed, she can only fight it out, "I don't know who this person is, there is only a letter saying that Qin Yu is in the princess's mansion, so my wife went to the county In the lord's mansion, the minister's wife only wanted the princess to hand over Qin Yu, but she made a big mistake and begged the queen mother and the emperor for forgiveness. This matter is all the fault of the minister's wife and has nothing to do with the Qin family."
"Mother." Qin Yunting was taken aback. Until just now, he thought that Qin Yu must be hiding in the princess' mansion. It turned out that her mother was bewitched by others.
"Queen Mother, my mother was also taken advantage of by others in a moment of confusion, and that's why she made a big mistake. I beg the Emperor and Queen Mother to forgive me."
Qin Yunting kowtowed to Empress Dowager Lian and Emperor Dongming.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, my servants have something to say." Xiao Concubine straightened her back, "Mrs. Qin was induced to make a big mistake for a while, and the real abomination is the person behind the scenes, who seriously hurt the royal family's face without any malicious intentions. This person must be caught."
Emperor Dongming glanced at Xiao Concubine, "How to check?"
"The courtier caught a secret guard guarding outside the princess' mansion last night, but she didn't know what to say or not to say." Xiao Yu said.
"It's already this time, what's there to hide, who is behind the scenes?"
Even the Empress Dowager interrupted Xiao Concubine displeasedly, but Emperor Dong Ming didn't stop him, and nodded, "Speak!"
"My daughter handed this person over to my father. My father interrogated him last night and learned that this secret guard is from the residence of the servant of the Ministry of Rites, Zhenfu."
As soon as Xiao Concubine finished speaking, Qin Yunting retorted subconsciously, "Impossible, how could the Zhen family interfere in this matter, the Zhen family and the princess's mansion have no grievances or enmity, why do you slander the princess?"
Mrs. Qin was also stunned, "Zhen Mansion?"
Xiao Concubine glanced at Qin Yunting who was full of disbelief, and then at the guard at the door. The guard understood and immediately dragged a man in black to the hall. The man had a cloth stuffed in his mouth and was covered in injuries.
Xiao Yu reached out and took off the man's clothes in black, revealing the word "Zhen" on the back and left shoulder. The hidden guards of each family have special marks, which are difficult to remove and even harder to add, just to prevent people from impersonating.
The Zhen character on the man's left shoulder can be seen as old.
Concubine Xiao took off the cloth from the man's mouth, "Last night, you said that you were ordered by Zhen Yan to release news on purpose to make the Qin family and the princess's mansion vengeful, so as to relieve the hatred of Princess Qingle's humiliation, right?"
The man bit his lips tightly and remained silent, and the next moment he bit his tongue while he was unprepared and committed suicide, and fell down with a bang.
"He didn't say anything, it doesn't mean it was ordered by the Zhen family." Qin Yunting defended Zhen Yan again, "Miss Zhen is not such a narrow-minded person, Xiao Jiu, you must have made a mistake."
Xiao Yu picked up her lips and smiled, "But as the guard of the Zhen family, he didn't defend his master, but committed suicide in fear of crime, isn't it strange?"
Concubine Xiao turned to look at Mrs. Qin, "My aunt was bewitched for a while and made a big mistake. As long as I can find out the real culprit behind the scenes, I believe the princess will forgive my aunt."
Mrs. Qin was stunned for a moment, she really couldn't believe that this matter had something to do with Zhen Yan, Zhen Yan was her daughter-in-law, if she spoke up, there would be no possibility for Yun Ting and Zhen Yan in the future.
Mrs. Qin hesitated.
It doesn't matter if the Qin family is punished if the Qin family can be completely separated from the Zhen family. This is Xiao Yu's goal.
"Mother… ."
"Madam Qin, why are you still hesitating? Is it possible that the entire Qin family should be used to make amends, concealing the facts, and covering up criminals is a death penalty!" County Master Jin Shu couldn't help but yelled at Madam Qin.
Mrs. Qin was shocked, "It was Zhen Yan, it was Zhen Yan who tipped me off, saying that a maid beside her was sister to the maid in the princess's mansion, and that maid saw Qin Yu, and I believed it in a moment of confusion."
In fact, Mrs. Qin didn't know who reported the letter at all, but she just followed Xiao Yu's words and was led astray by Xiao Yu, thinking that what Xiao Yu said was true and that the hidden guard belonged to the Zhen family, so she also believed in this It was Zhen Yan who did the thing.
"Mother!" Qin Yunting couldn't believe his ears.
"Yun Ting, it's really Zhen Yan who sent the letter to her mother. She took the lead in arranging everything. Before that, she had been whispering in her mother's ears that it was the Princess' fault. Mother could no longer protect her."
In the eyes of Mrs. Qin, Zhen Yan is just a girl she likes and intends to marry her home as a daughter-in-law, but the future daughter-in-law is nothing compared to the prosperity of the Qin family.
So Mrs. Qin bit Zhen Yan. With the big head of the Zhen family, Mrs. Qin's responsibility was much smaller.
The Empress Dowager Lian glanced at Emperor Dongming, "The facts are right in front of my eyes. County Lord Xinling has a vicious mind, and designed to frame Qingle. What was damaged was the face of the royal family. He must be punished severely!"
Emperor Dongming nodded, "Eunuch He, pass on my will, the minister of the Ministry of Rites is not good at teaching his daughters, so he will be demoted to be a servant of the Ministry of Rites from now on, and his daughter Zhen Yan has owed the emperor's favor, deprived of the title of the county lord and demoted to a commoner, and punished for imitating women's virtues." A thousand times, sincerely repent for three years, and within three years, you will not be allowed to step out of the Buddhist gate."
Emperor Dongming glanced at County Mistress Jinshu, who turned pale, and looked at Empress Dowager Lian begging for help.
"County Master Jinshu was foolish enough to listen to slander and become a mother, which really disappointed Ai's family. From now on, she will be exiled from Kyoto and fined to Suizhou. She will not return to Beijing without an edict. Jinshu, think about your mistakes in Suizhou. If you let Ai The family heard a bad rumor, let the emperor be a witness, and you go to guard the imperial tomb."
Even the Empress Dowager looked disappointed. In order to keep the county lord Jinshu, even the Empress Dowager had suffered a lot of infamy. She continued to toss, and sooner or later Prince Chen was tossed in. Even the Empress Dowager was so disappointed in her.
"Suizhou is too poor, and it's far away from the capital. My daughter can't stand the bumpy road." County Lord Jinshu didn't want to say anything at that time.
Even the Queen Mother snorted, "If you don't want to go, go to Lincheng to guard the imperial mausoleum, it's close!"
After being yelled at by the Empress Dowager Lian, the County Lord Jinshu immediately fell silent, and obediently nodded in resignation, not forgetting to stare fiercely at Mrs. Qin, the troublemaker.
"Brother Huang, she was the one who instigated me. The Qin family must be severely punished!"
Emperor Dongming glanced at County Mistress Jinshu in displeasure, his pupils flashed a cold light, which made County Mistress Jinshu shrank her neck in fright and stopped speaking.
Mrs. Qin's heart sank, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and there was a faint premonition in her heart.
"Your Majesty, I was also present at the time and failed to stop my mother in time. I was also at fault. I also ask the emperor to severely punish my minister and spare my mother."
"Yun Ting, no, it's because my mother was fooled by a ghost for a while, and I beg the emperor to punish the minister's wife severely."
Mrs. Qin kowtowed to Emperor Dongming, taking the responsibility on herself.
Emperor Dongming slapped the table and said coldly, "It is an unforgivable crime to openly slander the majesty of the royal family, but for the sake of Qin Guogong's military service for the country all his life, come and drag the Qin family's mother and son out and punish the 80th board, as an example to others!"
Mrs. Qin fainted immediately after hearing this, and the 80-year-old planner would definitely kill her.