He asked you to serve him in bed and become his concubine, how did you manage to win his heart and s

The investigation has encountered obstacles, and there is no other way but to expand the search area.

Yunxi had a low profile to begin with, so she didn't arouse suspicion. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was a shrewd woman. She suddenly remembered that Lanpin had said she wanted to drink medicine that day. The person who delivered the medicine was an old nanny, but the person who came with her before was a young palace maid.

"Investigate where that little palace maid went afterward, and who she spoke with. I refuse to believe that this chess player can completely hide his tracks!"

Granny Li agreed and immediately had Yunxi bound hand and foot and brought to Shou Kang Palace.

Fortunately, Yunxi was cooperative, did not struggle or resist, and obediently followed behind Granny Li.

The Empress Dowager was indeed formidable.

Although Li Mama was initially identified as a suspect, no one dared to arrest her and throw her into prison. She is still serving the Empress Dowager and her position remains unshakable.

Admitting his mistake to Li Ruolan that day was merely a way to delay the inevitable.

After all, the Empress Dowager would never bear to see her suffer in the dungeon, much less allow her to be unjustly accused.

Yunxi and the others had already investigated and found out that she was the daughter of a convicted slave, who became Li Ruolan's personal maid only because she was honest and obedient.

There's not much to investigate about her, and her background is pretty much the same as other palace maids.

Seeing that she was so cooperative, Granny Li did not use torture, but simply asked her to confess everything she knew.

"Granny, I am just a lowly palace maid by Her Majesty's side. That day, Granny Gui came to deliver medicine and said that she would serve Her Majesty from now on, so I had no choice but to leave."

Originally, I was supposed to go back to Yaoguang Palace, but then I remembered that Granny Gui had asked me to go to the Imperial Household Department to choose a nice jacket to make a scarf for the Empress, so I didn't slack off and went directly from Shou Kang Palace to the Imperial Household Department.

I didn't hide any information. On the way there, I even ran into the Emperor and Eunuch Richard, and some trouble ensued. The Emperor asked me how the Empress was doing, and I told him that the Empress was in good spirits today and had even gone to Shou Kang Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

But the Emperor seemed to be acting strangely. Just as he was about to go find the Empress, a eunuch came to report that the Empress had fainted. So I had no choice but to return to Yaoguang Palace with the Emperor.

This is exactly what I did that day; I dare not lie.

Yunxi spoke in a very soft voice, and her tone was humble enough.

He never mentioned forgiveness, yet every word he uttered was an attempt to clear himself of suspicion and plead with Granny Li for mercy.

Such palace maids are the least likely to be frightened and the easiest to control.

Granny Li, having risen from the ranks of a palace maid, saw Yunxi's pathetic state and felt she couldn't cause any trouble.

But she still felt something was unclear, her sharp eyes fixed on Yunxi's expression, not letting go of any detail.

"I ask you, how did you come to meet the Emperor that day? Was it really just a coincidence?!"

"It was indeed by chance that I met the Emperor. I hadn't been in the palace for long and had never been to the Imperial Household Department. The roads were a bit chaotic, and I had to ask a few palace maids for directions before I found my way. I didn't see the Emperor then, but I did see a group of eunuchs waiting there. I was thinking of going around them, but that eunuch named Xiao Shunzi saw me and gave me a severe scolding..."

It was the Emperor! The Emperor was merciful and recognized me as Consort Lan's personal maid, rescuing me from dire straits...

This servant dares not utter a single falsehood, much less deceive the nanny.

Yunxi spoke with great emotion, as if she were back to the day she was bullied.

In the palace, the most perverted were the eunuchs who had some power. Perhaps because they had lost their roots, they had no bottom line in their actions. They liked to bully the young palace maids, and even humiliate them.

Eunuchs and palace maids were supposed to be of equal status, but in some ways, eunuchs were often cruel.

Li Mama understood perfectly and suddenly realized why Yunxi was so emotional when she brought up the matter, and even her humble and timid voice sounded like she was about to cry.

"Was it Xiao Shunzi who bullied you?"

"Yes, Granny, this servant would not dare to utter the slightest falsehood!"

Yunxi's response was affirmative.

Xiao Shunzi is currently being punished in the Imperial Laundry. Such eunuchs are more adept at holding grudges. When Granny Li asks him, he will surely exaggerate and say how shameless she is.

In this way, Yunxi had an alibi.

The Imperial Household Department and Yaoguang Palace are two different routes. It's impossible for her to risk going to the Imperial Household Department while carrying a mission to poison someone.

People who do bad things will feel guilty and will never want to show their faces in public again.

Only someone with truly unfathomable cunning would have such audacity.

Yunxi looks like an ordinary, somewhat timid palace maid, and she couldn't possibly be this good.

She's just entered the palace; what waves can she possibly make?

Everyone thinks this way, but because of these perceptions, many details are overlooked.

Even Li Gen found out that Granny Li had spoken to Yun Xi in private, told Li Cha the latest news, and then reported it to Mu Xiao Ci.

"You mean, the Empress Dowager believes it was done by Consort Lan's people?"

"It's very possible that Yunxi was just a maidservant by Consort Lan's side. It's said that when Consort Lan was in Shou Kang Palace, it was Granny Gui who brought her the medicine. Granny Gui was there to serve her afterward, and then Yunxi was sent back. That's when people suspected that it was this maidservant Yunxi who secretly poisoned her."

"She went to spread poison?"

Mu Xiaoci pondered repeatedly, replaying in his mind the night he threatened the palace maid and saw her watery eyes.

Soon, he realized that he couldn't remember what the palace maid looked like at all, except that she had a pair of captivating eyes.

How could that woman's face be so blurry!

Mu Xiaoci believed he had a photographic memory and a clear mind, but he had forgotten two women.

The first is the woman in the pavilion that night, and the second is Yunxi, Li Ruolan's personal maid.

But he couldn't connect the two people.

One was stunningly beautiful and alluring, with a mysterious and captivating charm; the other was an ordinary, timid palace maid.

A refined demeanor is not something one is born with; it is something that is cultivated.

A slave palace maid would never have such composure and confidence; all she has is tears and a cowardly temper that turns red at the slightest provocation.

As the emperor, he disliked women who cried and wailed.

He inherently prefers women who are bold, confident, and assertive, as this fuels his desire to conquer them.

Mu Xiaoci is still young and doesn't know how fickle women can be. He also doesn't know that fickle women are more to his liking, forever keeping him on tenterhooks and forcing him to submit to them.

Every time he thought of that palace maid, his heart raced. He barely managed to suppress his curiosity before asking Richard, "Besides that palace maid, are there any other clues?"

"Yes, there is. The imperial chefs have also identified the chili powder as the Sichuan chili commonly used in the imperial kitchen. As for the fish paste, the fact that it can be made into such a fine powder suggests that it is probably not from the imperial kitchen."

"Oh? Go on."

"There are many people coming and going in the Imperial Kitchen, making it difficult to investigate. However, we can still target the fish paste. We have already sent people to check the kitchens of each palace that have small kitchens."

Furthermore, Li Gen also discovered another piece of information: it seemed that the Empress Dowager's people had discovered something secret in the bushes of the garden, possibly left behind by the poisoner.

Richard told everything he knew without holding anything back.

The retelling was devoid of any personal emotion; the speaker simply wanted to know what Mu Xiaoci was thinking.

This matter involves the Empress Dowager and is even more related to the royal offspring. If it gets out, it will definitely damage the royal dignity.

In the past, I would definitely have kept this a secret.

The Empress Dowager wants to harm the royal offspring; how can this be allowed to get out?

Where will the royal family put their face now?

Richard knew the gravity of the situation and dared not say anything, waiting for Mu Xiaoci, the true master of the Forbidden City, to make the decision.

Hearing this gave Mu Xiaoci an even bigger headache.

"Alright, since the Empress Dowager has said she will take over this matter, she will give me a good explanation later. As for Consort Lan, tell her to rest and recover well today and not to move around too much. Send her some more tonics and don't neglect her."

Mu Xiaoci spoke these words with a hint of anger.

The Empress Dowager was angry that she had overstepped her bounds, but she was also annoyed that she couldn't do anything about it.

Filial piety comes first. As a monarch, he is a role model for all people. There are some things he can do, but he cannot do them boldly or in a way that everyone knows about.

The Empress Dowager is playing hard to get with him; how could he not know that?

Mu Xiaoci hadn't figured out what to do next, but he regretted giving the power to the Empress Dowager instead of letting Consort Su continue to hold it.

However, this shows that the harem was truly in chaos, and it was uncertain whether his only child would be born safely.

Now, he needs to spend some time with Li Ruolan to ensure he has no children.

During his three-year reign, his offspring were a constant concern for his ministers, who repeatedly urged him to have more children.

But he wasn't livestock; he was clearly the emperor. Even this kind of thing had to be forced upon him, which made him even more disgusted.

Adding to the crisis the Empress faced, Mu Xiaoci was somewhat reluctant, fearing that if he really had a child, the Empress would harbor even more resentment towards him.

The empress's father, who is now the prime minister, still harbors resentment towards him.

It also contains many unspeakable emotions, which Mu Xiaoci has to face, cannot escape, and cannot avoid.

He still remembers his promise to Li Ruolan: after finishing his official duties, he would take some time to check on her recovery.

Li Ruolan is now unable to move around easily and still lives in Yaoguang Palace.

On the contrary, Consort Wan has been staying with the Empress Dowager these days. The Empress Dowager does not allow her to return, and Mu Xiaoci cannot say anything about it.

I can only say that not seeing her makes me feel much better.

Inside Yaoguang Palace, Li Ruolan's smile never stopped. Once the palace gates closed, she was simply "unrestrained".

Consort Wan is no longer in Yaoguang Palace, so she is now the mistress of Yaoguang Palace.

But that's not the important thing right now. What's important is that the Emperor has been coming to see her every day lately. Even when he's busy, he makes time to dine with her. That's what matters most.

This matter even reached Zhaoyang Palace.

Consort Su was furious, but she still had to put on a smile, select some tonics, and pay a visit, saying she wanted to see how well Consort Su was recovering.

This time, I didn't come for Li Ruolan, but to wait for the Emperor.