TFSRITA Chapter 86

Just as she was starting to relax, feeling a cold sweat on her back, she suddenly realized she was being dragged away.

“What are you doing?” Xu Jin exclaimed.

The court officials were startled by her sharp tone and looked over to see a concubine being restrained by several eunuchs.

Yan Qing, feeling bored, was jolted by the commotion. Upon seeing the scene, she instinctively glanced at Ji Yezhen and asked, “What’s going on?”

Ji Yezhen smirked, his expression cold and sinister, but with his face bruised, it looked oddly comical. “It’s a small matter; just watch.”

Yan Qing frowned slightly, sensing that it might involve her. However, when she saw him look away, she chose not to ask further. She propped her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands as she watched.

Xu Jin, whose face had gone pale from fear and who was struggling to free herself, was pushed to the center of the room and forced to kneel with a cloth stuffed in her mouth.

The performers, who had been singing and dancing, stopped in fright, carefully exiting the stage without making a sound.

Yan Qing looked on, feeling serious about the situation. What had this person done to end up here, facing an open inquiry?

The woman looked terrified, her beautifully adorned palace dress in disarray, her hair coming undone, and her lovely eyes filled with fear.

Yan Qing wondered if something truly serious had happened.

The crowd exchanged glances, not daring to speak.

As Xu Jin was dragged onto the stage, several other palace maids and eunuchs were brought up as well, trembling in fear, their faces as pale as ghosts, breathing rapidly as if they might faint at any moment.

Ji Yezhen was now standing beside Yan Qing, casually stating, “These people conspired to harm the concubine by poisoning her wine…”

Yan Qing’s expression changed slightly as she touched her belly and asked, “Did you know about this beforehand?”

Upon hearing Yan Qing’s voice, Ji Wende immediately turned to her with a warm expression and reassured her, “Your wine is safe, Your Highness.”

There was no poisoned wine at all; they had been vigilant from the start, unsure of who was behind the poisoning, which is why they set a trap. They didn’t expect it to involve a mere palace concubine, with the real instigator still hidden.

Yan Qing let out a breath, glancing at the others in confusion. “Are they really that powerful?”

Ji Wende looked at Ji Yezhen, who nodded and explained, “Someone must be helping them. After all, this banquet…”

At that moment, a frightened female voice called out loudly, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, I know!”

Xu Jin’s breath caught as she recognized the familiar voice. She turned to see it was the very person she had in mind, and her eyes widened in disbelief. After stopping her struggles, she began to fight again, trying to spit out the cloth in her mouth, but was quickly restrained again.

Her eyes were bloodshot, full of grief and fury.

Yan Qing automatically imagined a scenario of betrayal.

The speaker was Yuan Xiu, whose pale face rushed over as she knelt in the center, bowing her head. “I think I know who helped Xu Zhaoyi. A few days ago, I went to visit her, and she mentioned that there was a minister who could help her eliminate the concubine, but it required my father’s help. Your Majesty is wise, and I dared not act recklessly, so I refused…”

“Wuwuwu…” Xu Jin’s expression grew even more ferocious.

A traitor, selling her out ahead of time!

She never dreamed that this seemingly stupid woman would betray her in advance!

A certain official, also betrayed, turned pale, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.

Yan Qing was shocked. “What benefit do you gain from killing me? You… your status isn’t even above Xu Zhaoyi’s, is it? There are still higher-ranking concubines above you!”

Since the Empress Dowager left the palace and the remaining two concubines were demoted, she was the only one left standing out. But this was Xu Zhaoyi, and there were still people above her. Even if she were deposed, they wouldn’t rise to power.

After Yan Qing finished speaking, the hall fell silent.

Ji Wende spoke softly, “Your Highness, they were once concubines themselves.”

No further explanation was needed; Yan Qing recalled who they were.

So it was them!

Yan Qing stared blankly and nodded. “Oh.”

Having only interacted with them a couple of times and not having seen them for so long, she had forgotten them, considering they weren’t important people.

“Ahem…” Ji Yezhen cleared his throat, reminding everyone to focus again. Their attention returned to the kneeling group.

At this point, Yuan Daren also stepped forward, kneeling in the great hall to pledge loyalty.

Upon seeing her reaction, Ji Wende realized that the concubine didn’t even regard these two women.

What a pity; they had schemed so hard against the concubine, yet she didn’t even remember them.

But it wasn’t only them who felt pitiful. The two women, seeing Yan Qing’s indifferent response, couldn’t help but feel desolate and somewhat ridiculous.

Especially Xu Jin, who harbored resentment and jealousy toward Yan Qing. All along, her family background was unremarkable, and she had worked hard to please the Empress Dowager in the palace, becoming the first to be elevated to a concubine, while Yuan Xiu had come later.

But Yan Qing’s arrival shattered everything she had hoped for. What she longed for, Yan Qing dismissed; what she yearned for, Yan Qing effortlessly attained; what she dared not even imagine, Yan Qing could achieve openly.

So, she didn’t want to see Yan Qing.

But now she was told that Yan Qing didn’t even recognize her and didn’t understand why she did all of this.

Ji Wende presented the charges, as well as the evidence and witnesses. Throughout this process, not a single court official spoke up.

Xu Jin felt disheartened, coldly observing them while also feeling a mix of surprise that there really was no evidence against Yuan Xiu.

She had covered her tracks well, which explained why she had borrowed people from Xu Jin before; it turned out she had sent her people to block her.

She had always thought Yuan Xiu was straightforward and lacked cunning, that she was foolish and laughable. Little did she know, it was Yuan Xiu who was truly clever.