Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

After the Emperor left, the hall remained quiet for a long time.

Consort Rong sat on the soft couch, holding a teacup and sipping her tea slowly. Sui He stood to the side, not daring to breathe. Jiang Shuoning remained kneeling in place, head bowed, motionless.

The teacup was placed on the table with a crisp sound.

"Go to Changmen Palace." Consort Rong's voice wasn't loud, but it chilled one to the bone. "Deliver medicine and food to that mute servant. You're quite kind-hearted."

Jiang Shuo Ning lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise her head: "It was this servant's oversight that almost implicated Your Highness. This servant dares not beg for forgiveness, I only beg Your Highness to forgive me."

"Inconsiderate?" Consort Rong sneered. "If you were truly inconsiderate, would you have remained by my side for four years?"

Jiang Shuoning said no more, but simply lowered her head even further, revealing no emotion on her face.

Suihe stood to the side, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Shuoning twice, before suddenly stepping forward and kicking her to the ground.

"You vile woman, spouting nonsense before the Emperor! Did you steal those earrings and secretly give them to Xiao Shunzi?"

As she spoke, as if she had suddenly realized something, she turned around and knelt down in front of Consort Rong, pointing at Jiang Shuoning with a wronged expression:

"Your Majesty, I understand. This lowly maid must have stolen the earring and used it to bribe Xiao Shunzi so that she could easily see that mute servant."

Jiang Shuoning knelt down again and kowtowed heavily: "Your Majesty, it was all my doing. Punish me if you must."

Suihe sensed something was wrong, turned her head sharply, and her voice became shrill:

"What do you mean you did this all by yourself? Neither Her Majesty nor I know anything about this. Jiang Shuoning, what exactly are you up to?"

Consort Rong remained silent. Her gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them.

A few days ago, Suihe was punished for making inappropriate remarks in the courtyard, saying that the Ninth Prince resembled the Emperor. On New Year's Eve, she was made to wear coral earrings, and her expression was off. She had lost something; normally she would have said so long ago, but this time she didn't.

Rongfei then looked at Jiang Shuoning. This girl admitted to going to Changmen Palace in front of the Emperor, and only said "I've seen" when talking about the earring. She always took the blame for herself when she spoke, as if she was protecting someone.

Rongfei tapped her fingers lightly on the low table, once, once.

After a long pause, she spoke, her voice devoid of emotion: "Instead of bribing the head eunuch of Changmen Palace, you went and bribed a nobody little eunuch. Shuo Ning, tell me, are you truly stupid, or are you just pretending?"

Suihe was stunned, looking at Consort Rong with a blank expression. Consort Rong's phoenix eyes swept over her indifferently, and she felt a chill run down her spine, immediately lowering her head.

Consort Rong picked up her teacup, noticing the foam on the surface, and her tone softened:

"The earring ended up in Xiao Shunzi's hands, and you personally admitted to going to Changmen Palace in front of the Emperor. Feng Xi will naturally interrogate you. This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one, but no one in my palace can be involved with Changmen Palace."

She took a sip of tea and put down the teacup: "Once the interrogation is over, if it is found that someone deliberately framed our Yihua Palace, I will naturally have the right to ask the Emperor for justice."

After saying that, Consort Rong didn't look at them again, and called out, "Fengchun."

Fengchun entered the palace from outside, bowing low, and knelt down on both knees: "Your Majesty."

Consort Rong said, "Feng Xi is interrogating them. Take the two of them with you and hear what that Xiao Shunzi has to say."

Upon hearing this, Feng Chun glanced sideways at Jiang Shuoning and Sui He, and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

(under)

Shenxingsi

Bao Zhong bowed and walked to Feng Xi's side, his smile carrying just the right amount of flattery: "Godfather, Eunuch Zhu and Eunuch Qiao told us everything before they even asked any questions."

Feng Xi sat in his chair, raised his eyebrows slightly, then smiled and looked at Zhou Zhengyin and Xiao Shunzi: "What about you two? Will you speak for yourselves, or should I speak for you?"

Zhou Zhengyin was tied to a chair, his hands bound to the armrests with leather straps. His dark hair fell down, obscuring half his face, revealing only his thin lips, which were trembling slightly.

Xiao Shunzi was also tied up, but his legs were flat and taut, with three bricks placed under his heels. He was in so much pain that he was covered in sweat, and his voice was trembling with tears:

"My lord, I'm innocent! I really did pick up those pendants. I was just greedy for a small gain; I wouldn't dare do anything else."

Bao Zhong walked up to Xiao Shunzi, bent down, and spoke in a low voice, as if he were having a casual chat:

"Little Shunzi, I've seen plenty of people here who still claim they're innocent. But in the end, not one of them backs out. Guess why?"

Xiao Shunzi's lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Bao Zhong straightened up, put his hands behind his back, and spoke slowly:

"Eunuch Qiao said you never gave him any money, and Eunuch Zhu also said that you asked him to keep the pendant. You spent twenty taels to buy a new set of clothes and gave Eunuch Qiao fifteen taels. Xiao Shunzi, I know how much your monthly salary is. You could never save up twenty taels in your whole life."

Xiao Shunzi's face turned white then green, then green then white again. His lips moved a few times, but no sound came out.

Bao Zhong smiled, a gentle smile, as if he were coaxing a child:

"Tell me, did Suihe often go to Changmen Palace to meet with you in secret? She gave you those pendants to get you a job in Consort Liu's palace. You know Consort Rong dislikes Consort Liu, and besides giving you benefits, Suihe also threatened you, didn't she?"

Xiao Shunzi suddenly looked up, glanced at Bao Zhong, then at Feng Xi, as if he had suddenly understood something, his voice trembling:

"You...you're trying to harm me? Those pendants are bait? You want me to harm Consort Rong?"

Bao Zhong didn't reply. He raised his chin, and the little eunuch next to him shoved another brick under Xiao Shunzi's feet. A scream erupted in the small room, like a pig being slaughtered.

Zhou Zhengyin trembled. He had never seen such a scene before. His palms were sweaty, and his heart was pounding so hard that his eardrums were ringing.

He turned his head away, unable to bear looking at Xiao Shunzi's legs, which were on the verge of breaking.

Bao Zhong walked up to him, his black boots landing beneath his downcast eyes.

"Dumb slave." Bao Zhong's voice came down from above, tinged with amusement, though the amusement didn't reach his eyes. "Did you discover that Sui He often came to Changmen Palace to meet with Xiao Shunzi in secret? Is that why Xiao Shunzi beats and scolds you so often? Sui He felt guilty and secretly brought you medicine and food?"

Zhou Zhengyin slowly raised his head. Through the gaps in his hair, his eyes were red and filled with fear. He looked at Bao Zhong for a long time, then slowly shook his head.

Bao Zhong frowned slightly: "What does shaking your head mean? You don't want to testify?"

Zhou Zhengyin did not move.

Another scream came from beside him as another brick was shoved in. The sound was like a knife, cutting into his heart again and again.

Xiao Shunzi always bullied him, and this should have been a good opportunity for revenge. If he just nodded, Xiao Shunzi wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Suddenly, Granny Yu's voice rang out: "Your Highness, the roads in this palace are difficult to walk, but no matter how difficult they are, we cannot climb up by stepping on the bones of others. We cannot forget our roots, and we cannot lose our conscience."

Thinking it over, he knew the gravity of the matter. Once he agreed, Xiao Shunzi would be accused of more than just theft. Adultery with palace maids, collusion from within and without—any one of those charges would be enough to get him killed several times over.

Even if Xiao Shunzi is wicked, he wouldn't risk his life for it.

He cannot give false testimony or harm others.

Suddenly, Feng Xi's voice came from behind Bao Zhong, unhurriedly: "Bao Zhong, since the mute slave refuses to speak, then torture him too. Under torture, he will eventually be willing to speak."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyin trembled violently.