little emperor of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 161
Faced with the empress dowager's questioning, Queen Wang stood up and left her seat, slowly came to the queen dowager's seat and knelt down without saying a word.

The sunlight from outside shone on her pale face through the window lattice, which gave off some mottled light and shadow, alienation and desolation fragility for no reason.

Since the incident happened this morning, these eight words have been tossing up and down in Queen Wang's heart, and there is a bitterness in it, but only she knows it.The young husband and wife with the emperor lived aloof for half of their lives, respected each other like ice for half of their lives, and were touched by Zhu Changluo's favor. Just now there were some signs of spring ice turning into water, but unexpectedly it was followed by a catastrophe.

Queen Wang who was kneeling on the ground felt that she was very tired, not because she was speechless, but because she was so full of words that she had nothing to say.

The so-called sorrow is greater than heart death, and human death is second, and Queen Wang is in such a mood at the moment.

Seeing her so disheartened, Empress Dowager Li felt very uncomfortable, and sighed long: "The Ai family doesn't believe that you did this, but after all, something happened to the emperor in your palace, if you can ask clearly, it will be natural It's best; if you can't ask clearly, you need someone to stand up to this matter after all, do you understand?"

"The Empress Dowager is the master of everything. The death of my concubines is not a pity. I just ask God to bless the Emperor. The Holy Body is a blessing." The Queen closed her eyes sadly, two lines of tears ran down her face, and she knelt on the ground for a long time Sorry.

Empress Dowager Li's heart was sour and uncomfortable, she had always doted on the queen like a daughter, and with her deep understanding of the queen, even if she was killed, she would not believe that the queen would do such a thing.

This matter must not have been done by the queen, then someone must have deliberately framed it!But who could have done it? ...The result of the tiger being in power must be someone who wants to get rid of it quickly. Thinking of this, Empress Dowager Li glanced towards Concubine Zheng with cold eyes.

Concubine Zheng sat at the side with her head lowered and her eyebrows lowered. There was an inexplicable sneer and sarcasm on the corner of her mouth, but there was a viciousness in her eyes that was ready to go. Facing the eyes of Empress Dowager Li, she looked If not, take it easy.

"The Ai family has believed in Buddhism and chanted scriptures for many years, and has always been kind to others. I never thought that Gongzhong Gangji would be corrupted to this extent. This matter cannot be tolerated and must be thoroughly investigated!"

Empress Dowager Li is as imposing as a mountain, she entered the palace as a court lady back then, and no one would have thought that she would have such a supremely honored position today. The heart of fame and fortune gradually became indifferent under the influence of Buddhism, but that was only indifferent.

Just because she doesn't care doesn't mean she can't see it. There is a line in the Queen Mother's heart. No matter how hard some people struggle in the palace, as long as they don't touch her bottom line, she has the right to pretend she can't see it.But this incident has greatly exceeded her bottom line, Queen Mother Li absolutely cannot tolerate it!
"Come here..." After Queen Mother Li stopped drinking, Huang Jin ran in with wind on his feet, "Go and call in all the kneeling servants and maids outside. The Ai family has something to ask them."

The court ladies and eunuchs who were kneeling outside filed in and knelt down without ordering.

Huichun is the grand maid of Kunning Palace, so of course she kneels in the first place.

"Huichun, Aijia asks you, do you know this cup?"

After returning from the Ciqing Palace, Huichun was much calmer than before, and raised his head to take a look: "Back to the Empress Dowager, I know this is the Nine Dragons Holding the Sun Rhinoceros Horn Cup in our Kunning Palace. The emperor held it at the banquet last night. It's just a cup."

"Very good, now Aijia tells you that the emperor drank wine from this cup, and then lay on the queen dragon bed!" Empress Dowager Li suddenly stood up, pointing like a sword, and uttering words like a knife: "Speak, Who has touched this cup on weekdays!"

The thunderstorm, like a violent storm, frightened all the servants including Huichun, they couldn't kneel down, and some of them collapsed on the ground and shook into a ball.

Hui Chun cried: "Back to the Empress Dowager, although the slaves and servants are in charge of the palace, they are mainly in charge of the Empress's clothes and jewellery. Mi Qiu is in charge of the wine and utensils."

Before the Queen Mother could take the initiative to ask, Mi Qiu, who was kneeling behind Hui Chun, suddenly cried: "Back to the Queen Mother, the wine utensils are indeed in charge of the servants, but the servants swear to God, the servants have no courage to do such things, the servants of the Nine Dragon Cup have always been careful Keep it in safekeeping, and every time you use it, it will be recorded and inspected, the empress dowager is wise, and the slaves are wronged."

Mi Qiu, the leader, burst into tears, causing everyone below to feel insecure, and couldn't help crying.

Empress Dowager Li sneered and said nothing, suddenly Concubine Zheng yelled at the case: "Shut up for me! The emperor is still lying in the back, if he dares to howl again, it is a taboo, first cut off his tongue!"

Concubine Zheng Gui has been in charge of the Six Palaces for many years, she has monopolized power and is extremely majestic, she is indeed a unique figure in the Ming Palace.Many people in the palace feared her as a tiger, and she was so majestic that all the crying mice fell silent instantly like a cat.

Empress Dowager Li cast a gloomy and meaningful look at her, while Concubine Zheng lowered her head and lowered her eyebrows, but did not see her.

Looking across the faces of the crowd, Empress Dowager Li spoke slowly: "The Ai family will tell you the truth today, your emperor, the emperor of our Ming Dynasty is lying on this queen dragon bed right now... The imperial doctor has already made a conclusion, The emperor is poisoned!"

Originally ignorant and ignorant, the court ladies and eunuchs were all stunned... the emperor was poisoned?Isn't that a serious crime of killing the king? It's not as simple as a big guy losing his head.

Empress Dowager Li's low voice continued: "Ai Jia told you that the imperial doctor has already experienced that the cause of the emperor's poisoning was on this cup. Someone put poison on the mouth of this cup!"

The crying has long since disappeared, and what is left is only death-like silence, and the word despair is written on everyone's face.

"From now on, the Ai family will give you a stick of incense time. As long as anyone can come up with something, even if it is a clue, as long as it is true, the Ai family will be the master and spare him...The opportunity is rare, you must know how to grasp it, otherwise you Just go to the Underworld Hell and wake up before the King of Hades, there is never a shortage of ghosts in this palace!"

Huang Jin took an incense burner swiftly with his hands and feet, took a stick of bamboo breath and lit it and inserted it. A faint blue smoke rose straight up, and life was slowly disappearing with the bright and dark incense head at that time...

What the Empress Dowager did was like a lice on a bald head. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this was an intentional attempt to exonerate the Empress. Concubine Zheng could see clearly that the handkerchief in her hand had already been tightly twisted into a ball.In fact, Concubine Zheng Gui guessed right, Empress Dowager Li really had this thought, and it would be best to avoid such things as hitting the mouse and hurting the jade bottle.

The incense burned very quickly, and it was halfway through in a blink of an eye.

Huichun's face was pale, without a trace of blood, he closed his eyes and waited for death wholeheartedly.

Min Qiu's face was covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were twitching non-stop.

Behind her, a little maid opened her mouth a few times, with a look of panic.

Ah Man, who had been sitting obediently beside the Empress Dowager, turned his big eyes a few times, and suddenly leaned against the Empress Dowager's ear, and said softly, "Mother-in-law Empress Dowager, you see, that little maid seems to have something to say."

Unexpectedly, Ah Man would have such an intimate act. Empress Dowager Li looked back in astonishment, and saw a small snow-white face that looked like a dough kneaded with milk and white flour. that?"

Ah Man jumped up with a smile and said: "That's the one, hey, let's talk about you, don't look at it!"

Following the direction of Ah Man's finger, everyone's eyes turned to the little maid.

Empress Wang raised her eyes and recognized Xiaochun, the second-class maid in Kunning Palace.

Xiaochun is usually only responsible for sweeping and sweeping in Kunning Palace, and usually runs around to pass meals or something. Although she is not very old, she is a clever and sensible girl.

Empress Dowager Li gave a wink, Huang Jin had already lifted her out of the crowd with swift steps, and led the Empress Dowager to kneel down in front of her.

Xiaochun knelt on the ground, so terrified that he wished he could die immediately, his whole body was shaking like chaff.

When everyone's eyes fell on Xiao Chun, Ah Man's eyes fell on Min Qiu.

"Xiaochun, what do you know?"

Xiao Chun was so shocked that his face paled, he opened his mouth and stammered: "Slaves... Slaves..."

Who is Empress Dowager Li, so you can't tell what she's thinking. She stretched out her hand to slap the case, and shouted sharply: "It seems that you have forgotten the rules in this palace!" He stretched out his hand and pointed at Huang Jin, "Slap!"

Huang Jin stepped forward a few steps, twisted her face with one hand, slapped her face cleanly and repeatedly, and saw Xiao Chun's small face instantly swelled up, and blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

Huang Jin scolded: "You dare to distract yourself when the queen mother asks you. It seems that you have lived enough. If you dare to play tricks, I will kill you!"

Panicked by the beating, Xiao Chun fell on the ground and cried, "Don't dare again, I'll tell you everything, the empress dowager please forgive me."

Empress Dowager Li breathed a sigh of relief: "Say it, don't let the flesh and blood suffer for nothing."

Xiao Chun held her face and cried: "A few days ago when the servant was sweeping the garden, I saw Sister Miqiu and Sister Ziyan talking behind their backs, and Sister Ziyan handed a box to Sister Miqiu. Seeing that the box is very beautiful, I don't know what is in it, after Sister Ziyan left, the servant girl went up to ask her, but was scolded by Sister Minqiu."

All eyes turned to Min Qiu who was kneeling behind, whose face was as white as a piece of paper.

Empress Dowager Li sneered, "Who is Ziyan again?"

Before Xiao Chun could speak, Zhu Xi whispered: "Back to the Empress Dowager, Ziyan is a maid of Changchun Palace."

"Eternal Spring Palace? Concubine Duan?" Empress Dowager Li was startled!Queen Wang was also stunned, only Concubine Zheng pursed her lips tightly.

The Changchun Palace is the fourth of the six east palaces, where Concubine Zhou Duan, who was bestowed by Wanli as the master of the first palace, lives there, and is the biological mother of Zhu Changhao, the fifth son of the emperor.

"Pass the order of mourning the family, quickly summon Concubine Duan to Kunning Palace, and remember to bring Ziyan too... Quietly, don't let the wind go!"

Never seen the Queen Mother so angry, Huang Jin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, answered and hurriedly left.

"Give me this lowly maidservant!" The two old eunuchs behind him responded, and lifted Min Qiu to the front like an eagle catching a chicken, and knelt down side by side with Xiaochun.Min Qiu seemed to be dumbfounded by fright, paralyzed there as if stunned.

Empress Dowager Li turned her head and stared at Xiaochun: "Aijia asked you, if you saw that box at this moment, would you still recognize it?"

Xiaochun nodded in horror, "Your servant... has a very good memory."

"Very good." Empress Dowager Li laughed a few times, unable to speak, "Huichun, go and bring all the boxes from Miqiu's room, let Xiaochun identify them."

In response, Huichun struggled to get up and stumbled away.

For a while, the eyes went black, and the queen who was kneeling suddenly fell down, and the hall was suddenly in a panic.Empress Dowager Li sighed, a look of pity flashed in her eyes, she slightly tilted her head, Zhu Xi knowingly stepped forward and helped up with a few maids, and placed the queen on the chair.

Someone next to him brought hot tea, and Queen Wang finally calmed down after taking a few sips, her pale face turned gray and tired.

"You are a queen, you are really too weak!" The Empress Dowager Li gave her a resentful look, and her tone of resentment and blame was quite angry and mournful for her misfortune.Queen Wang couldn't help crying, and replied in a weak voice: "It's the concubine who is incompetent, and the Queen Mother blamed it."

At this time, footsteps came from outside, a lady with palace make-up followed by a maid came in anxiously, it was Concubine Zhou Duan and Ziyan.

As soon as she entered the palace, she didn't expect such a battle. Before Concubine Duan came back to her senses, Empress Dowager Li said with a sullen face, "Kneel down and talk!"

In this Daming Palace, although Concubine Duan was not as good as Concubine Zheng in favor of Concubine Duan, she was far stronger than Empress.She is good at narrowing her eyes and dancing with long sleeves. Not only is she very much in the favor of Emperor Wanli, but she is also a little humble in front of Concubine Zheng, flattering her in every possible way.Being able to give birth to the fifth son Zhu Changhao under the nose of Concubine Zheng and grow up safely, Concubine Duan's mental skills can be seen.

Last night's incident in Kunning Palace, due to the timely handling by the Empress Dowager, no news was leaked.

No matter how clever Concubine Duan is, she is not a fairy, and now she was stunned by the Queen Mother in a flash of lightning when she met her.

When she saw Xiao Chun and Mi Qiu who were kneeling in front of her, for some reason, Zi Yan's pink face instantly lost all color.

At this moment, Hui Chun came out with several boxes in his hands, "Going back to the Empress Dowager, I found all the boxes that are commonly used in Mi Qiu's house."

Min Qiu shivered all over, and suddenly shouted: "Queen Mother, I have something to say..."

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(End of this chapter)