tallest building

Chapter 339 Consort Yun's Accusation

It was already quite dark, and there were two rows of eunuchs holding palace lanterns in the courtyard.

Everyone has shadows, large or small, on their faces, which makes them look thoughtful.

Consort Hui realized she had been tricked, just like in the case of Dong Gang.

This time, I became that praying mantis again.

But she couldn't defend herself. What could she possibly defend herself against? Was it the things she ordered people to put in Zhang Ma's room? Or was it that she had long suspected Zhang Ma's identity?

"So that's how it is. Then... I was really overthinking it." Consort Hui said awkwardly, "I never expected to stumble upon the Crown Prince's sacrificial ceremony. I deserve to die."

At this point, she could only play along and attribute everything to her own ignorance, which led to a misunderstanding.

The Emperor said nothing. Although the Empress was unhappy, she also thought that it was an unintentional mistake and that her intentions were good, so she softened her expression and said, "It's alright, you didn't mean it, so there's no need to blame yourself too much."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Your Majesty," Consort Hui quickly said with a smile. "However, I still feel bad. Since the Crown Prince's spirit is not at peace, let's continue the rituals in the palace. I will take care of everything."

She wanted to make amends for her mistakes, which is consistent with her usual style of doing things.

"The ritual can be redone, but I want to know more about who caused Tan'er's soul to be restless? Who is it that still won't let him go even after his death?" At this moment, the Empress had only this one thought in her mind.

Consort Hui was unsure how to respond. She sensed an air of conspiracy about this.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I risk my life to speak this out."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Consort Yun, who was always cautious in her words and actions in the palace.

Normally, Consort Yun is like a shadow, drifting by silently.

Many people in the palace had almost forgotten that such a mistress existed, as if her presence or absence made no difference.

"Consort Yun, what do you want to say?" The Empress did not like Consort Yun because she and Shen Fu were close back then, like sisters.

However, she is wise enough not to come near him and get in his way all these years.

She only came out to walk around after Princess Duanmin returned to the palace.

"I know something, but I haven't told anyone about it for so many years." Consort Yun's voice trembled slightly, but her attitude was very firm. "Firstly, I am of low status and my words carry little weight, and I might end up getting blamed for it. Secondly, if it weren't for today's events, I wouldn't understand what exactly happened."

If I had previously held back due to various concerns, now that I know the matter is of utmost importance, it would be unworthy of me to remain silent.

"What do you know?" The Empress certainly sensed that what Consort Yun was about to say was related to the Crown Prince; otherwise, why would she step forward at this time?
"Seven years ago, the Crown Prince passed away. I was also deeply saddened and personally prepared a funeral gift to express my condolences."

But Her Majesty the Empress was in deep grief at the time, and it was inappropriate for me to disturb her. So I thought of sending the funeral offerings to Consort Hui and asking her to burn them before her spirit tablet.” Consort Yun was referring to the early death of the Empress’s biological son, Ying Tan, seven years ago.

Everyone knew that the reason she wasn't sent to the Empress's palace was simply because the Empress didn't like her. If she had gone then, she might have been misunderstood as someone who went to watch the Empress's misfortune.

At that time, the Empress was filled with resentment and hatred. If Consort Yun had gone there, how could she have gotten away with it? "When I went there, it was already dark. When I arrived at Consort Hui's palace, I was feeling weak due to my illness, so I thought I would catch my breath before going in."

So he sat down by the railing of the palace steps, and before he could catch his breath, he heard someone come out from inside.

One said, "While there's not much of a crowd now, bury this thing. Make sure to put a Taishan stone on top of it; that way, it won't be able to cause any more trouble."

Another said, "Your Majesty is being far too cautious; in my opinion, it's unnecessary."

The other one said, "What do you know? It's always better to be careful. Besides, if the goddess hadn't taken his soul beforehand, how could it have been finished so quickly? This ritual needs to be performed in its entirety; this final step is all that's left, how can we be negligent?"

At the time, I found it all very strange and had no idea what they were talking about.

But you could tell that it was Granny Xia who gave the instructions, and it was Eunuch Hu who went to bury the things.

"Consort Yun, how can you spout such nonsense and make false accusations? When have we ever done such a thing? When have we ever said such a thing?"

Granny Xia and Steward Hu were so anxious they were almost jumping up and down.

The Empress glanced at them, and they immediately lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Consort Hui also wanted to defend herself, but she knew that interrupting Consort Yun at this time was not a wise move. She would only allow herself to speak after Consort Yun had finished speaking.

"Consort Yun, please continue." The Empress's voice was cold, as if frozen.

"Yes," Consort Yun replied, and continued, "I saw Eunuch Hu dig a hole under a peach tree in the southwest corner of Consort Hui's palace, bury what he was holding in there, and then put a stone on top of it. It must be the Taishan stone they were talking about."

"At the time, I didn't understand what they were doing. I only knew it seemed like witchcraft, but I wasn't entirely sure. But just now, I heard that you and His Majesty both had the same dream, saying that the Crown Prince cried in his dream, complaining of being suppressed and suffering greatly. That reminded me of what happened back then, and the more I think about it, the more suspicious it seems. Just in case, it's best to investigate. I hope I'm just being paranoid."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, I swear to Heaven! There has never been any witchcraft or sorcery in my palace. Consort Yun is simply framing me!" Consort Hui realized at this moment that the scheme they were setting up had ultimately targeted her.

They used the Crown Prince's death to frame her, implying that she had used witchcraft to kill the Crown Prince—a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of her family. How could she possibly admit to it?!
"Didn't you say back then that we needed to search Zhang Ma's room to be sure? If you want to clear your name and find out the truth, you have to see it for yourself." The Emperor, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

Consort Hui collapsed to the ground.

This time she finally understood completely: if even the Emperor was involved in this scheme, how could she possibly escape?!

"Go to Consort Hui's palace! Investigate!" The Empress had almost lost her senses; she had only one thought—investigate, and find out the truth.

The large group of people arrived at Consort Hui's palace, and hundreds of lanterns illuminated the courtyard as bright as day.

The eldest princess, unaware of what had happened, hurriedly came out and saw her mother looking distraught. She rushed to her side.

"Mother, what's wrong?" the eldest princess asked Consort Hui while looking at the Empress.

The Empress ignored her completely, only glancing at Yu Lu.

"You two come with me and move the stones under this peach tree. Search carefully," Yu Lu instructed the young eunuch who was following him.