After being reborn, the empress only wanted to seduce the emperor and seize the empress's posit

Chapter 62: What is the truth?

Consort Liang felt somewhat guilty after being asked this question, but wanted to retort, "Who knows if this is just an excuse you're using to defend yourself?"

Lu Jingning chuckled, looked at Physician Han, and asked, "Physician Han, is what I said reasonable?"

After some thought, Imperial Physician Han decisively said, "Consort Lu is right, she is correct."

Xiao Jingheng's gaze sharpened as he swept over everyone in the hall. He said in a deep voice, "Investigate who exactly entered the Empress's bedchamber yesterday."

Qingming trembled and whispered, "Your Majesty, only servants are allowed to enter the Empress's bedchamber on ordinary days."

She had barely finished speaking when her expression suddenly changed, as if she had remembered something. "But... but Greenie came in once last night."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their gaze to Greenie, who was standing to the side looking somewhat flustered.

Greenie's hands clenched so tightly that her nails almost dug into her palms. She forced herself to remain calm and whispered, "This servant... this servant was only helping Sister Qingming make the Empress's bed. How could I possibly have poisoned her?"

"Your Majesty, Qingming was my dowry maid. She would never do anything to poison me," the Empress quickly explained, seeing that suspicion was on Qingming.

Qingming seemed to have thought of something and immediately said loudly, "Last night, when I was making the bed for Her Majesty the Empress, Lü'e told me that Her Majesty's earrings were missing. So I asked Lü'e to help me make the bed while I went to look for Her Majesty's earrings myself."

"When she came back, Lü'e was very nervous. I even asked her why she dropped the sachet when she was leaving."

Xiao Jingheng's eyes narrowed, and he gestured to the guard beside him: "Take Lü'e away and question her carefully."

The guards obeyed and stepped forward to arrest Lü'e, but Lü'e's body went limp, almost collapsing to the ground. Feeling the Consort's gaze, she immediately retorted, "That doesn't prove I did it! Who knows if Qingming was bribed by Consort Lu, taking advantage of the Empress's trust in them to frame me? Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly!"

Seeing that she refused to admit it, and that the Imperial Concubine and Consort Zhen were targeting him at every turn, Lu Jingning realized that they might have orchestrated this. However, if she had poisoned him, there wouldn't have been time to move the poison.
"Your Majesty, this palace maid serves the Empress every day. If she truly poisoned the Empress, she wouldn't have had time to move the poison. Please order someone to investigate her residence."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingheng's eyes flashed, and he immediately ordered: "Search Greenie's residence immediately, without fail."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will lead men to search immediately." Zhou Shuo accepted the order and, in a flash, led his men out of the palace.

Greenie's face turned deathly pale, and a hint of despair flashed in her eyes. She secretly regretted forgetting to properly dispose of the evidence.

Before long, the guard hurriedly returned, clutching a package tightly wrapped in cloth. When he opened it, it gleamed with silver light and revealed several silver ingots. Beside it was a small bottle of dark brown powder.

Everyone in the hall tensed up, their eyes fixed on the physical evidence.

Greenie's legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her face ashen, her lips moving as she stammered, "Your Majesty, this...this is a frame-up! This servant knew nothing!"

"You say you've been framed, then where did this silver come from? Why would someone go to such lengths to frame a lowly servant like you, not only by poisoning but also by stabbing you in silver?"

Lu Jingning exposed her lie without hesitation.

"I...I..." Green Ge stammered, unable to utter a single word.

Consort Zhen and Consort Liang exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with complex and unreadable emotions.

Xiao Jingheng was furious and shouted, "Take this vile woman to the Imperial Prison immediately and interrogate her severely!"

Immediately, two guards stepped forward and roughly lifted Lü'e up. She struggled in vain, and could only stare helplessly, her eyes wide: "Your Majesty, spare my life!" Consort Liang moved gracefully forward, her face bearing a complex expression, a mixture of guilt and warning: "I truly didn't expect it to be you. Lü'e, do you know that your actions will implicate your family? They will lose their lives because of you!"

Lü'e understood the unspoken meaning in Consort Liang's words and could only admit to everything: "Your Majesty, it was this servant who did it. Please don't punish my family! Please spare my life, Your Majesty!"

Seeing this, the Empress gently shook her head, seemingly heartbroken by Lü'e's betrayal: "Lü'e never expected it to be you. I believe I have treated you well."

"Your Majesty, you only favor Sister Qingming. We are all your palace maids, yet you only side with her. I am not convinced, so I wanted to poison her and frame Consort Lu in order to save my own life," Lü'e said, weeping bitterly, but there was not a trace of remorse in her words.

Lu Jingning frowned, pressing him further: "You said you poisoned yourself, so where did the money come from? You're just a palace maid, your monthly salary is only a few taels, how could you have saved so much?"

Greenie's face turned even paler, a flicker of panic crossing her eyes, but she still forced herself to remain calm: "That, that's what I saved up little by little, I usually lived frugally..."

Lu Jingning sneered, his eyes blazing: "Saving money and living frugally? Hmph, who do you think you can fool? This is clearly a payment from someone else, meant to get you to do things!"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, grabbed Greenie's chin, and forced her to look into her eyes: "Tell me, who exactly ordered you to do this? If you don't tell me, I'll have your whole family arrested and interrogated one by one!"

A resolute glint flashed in Greenie's eyes as she decided to trade her own life for her family's.

Suddenly, she slammed her head against a pillar beside her. With a muffled thud, blood splattered everywhere, and her body slid limply to the ground, where she lay lifeless.

This happened so fast that Lu Jingning cried out in surprise, his face turning deathly pale instantly. He instinctively stepped back, nearly falling over.

Xiao Jingheng reacted swiftly, pulling her into his arms. Lu Jingning nestled against the Emperor's firm chest, still feeling her heart pounding: "Your Majesty?"

"It's alright, I'm here," Xiao Jingheng comforted him softly.

Consort Liang witnessed this scene, her gaze complex, a barely perceptible hint of relief flickering at the corner of her lips, which she quickly concealed: "Hurry up and drag this lowly servant away, lest she offend the Emperor and Empress's eyes."

"Yes"

After he finished speaking, several servants came up and carried Greenie's body out.

Xiao Jingheng surveyed his surroundings, his tone carrying an undeniable authority: "Lü'e plotted to murder the Empress; her entire family shall be executed."

The Empress watched as Lü'e was dragged away, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes. She finally spoke, "Your Majesty, while Lü'e's crimes are heinous, her family is innocent. Could you…"

Xiao Jingheng gazed intently at the Empress, and seeing the pleading look in her eyes, his heart softened: "Fine, since the Empress has spoken, let's drop this matter. But such evil deeds must not be tolerated."

After saying this, he gently patted the Empress's hand to comfort her: "Alright, I still have state affairs to attend to. You should take good care of yourself."

"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."

He had just stepped out the door when he stopped, walked up to Lu Jingning, and said, "I'll come to keep you company later."

"Yes, Your Majesty"

After saying this, he and Eunuch Zhao disappeared outside the palace gate.

(End of this chapter)