The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 1)

Chapter 117 - Rage

The palace maid was brought forward. Having already been dealt with by the eunuchs for her disobedience, her hair was disheveled, her clothes covered in footprints, and she looked utterly wretched.

"Who ordered you to assassinate Ming Jieyu?" Ning Chen asked coldly, his gaze fixed on the maid.

Yuan Jiu stepped forward and removed the cloth from her mouth.

"Cough, cough... Who ordered me? No one! I did it because I want her dead!" The woman, half-mad, glared fiercely, her sunken, sallow face looking ghastly.

The Empress frowned and sternly asked, "How dare you! What grudge do you hold against Ming Jieyu to attempt an assassination on the Emperor's concubine?"

At the Empress's words, the palace maid suddenly burst into wild laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Hah! The Emperor's concubine? Your Majesty, do you still remember me? You once bestowed the title 'Li' upon me, praising my beauty. Look at me now! Do I still possess that same charm?"

With clenched teeth, the woman lifted her chin, her smile twisted as she stared directly at the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, she... she seems to be Jin Shi," Shu Fei stammered, clearly frightened.

The title "Li" referred to the former Li Meiren—Jin Shi, who had been demoted to a commoner for plotting against the imperial heir.

"Wasn't Jin Shi placed under house arrest and strictly monitored? How did she manage to escape and harm someone?" Jing Fei questioned, her confusion evident.

Everyone's eyes shifted uneasily. With Ye Yun now favored, jealousy abounded. The Empress, Yi Meiren, and Wen Defei were all under suspicion.

It was impossible for Jin Shi to have escaped and attacked on her own—someone must have helped her. The only question was who.

Emperor Ning Chen's eyes darkened. "Yuan Jiu, send someone to bring those responsible for guarding Jin Shi here immediately."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will handle it personally," Yuan Jiu replied, understanding that foul play was likely involved and that he needed to remain vigilant.

"Your Majesty, I..."

"There's no need to say more, Empress. I trust you," Ning Chen interrupted.

Though Ye Yun was favored, she was still only a Jieyu and posed no significant threat to the Empress. If the Empress were to target anyone, it would more likely be Wen Defei, not Ye Yun.

Yi Meiren stood silently, clenching her handkerchief. She was filled with both resentment and relief. She had not yet had the chance to act, but if she had, she feared the Emperor's investigation would have exposed her. Still, she was bitter that Ye Yun had survived.

The Empress, initially tense, began to relax after the Emperor's assurance. She had been worried he might suspect her involvement.

"Your Majesty, do you know why I'm still alive?" Jin Shi suddenly spoke again, her voice filled with bitter sarcasm. "It's because someone has been secretly helping me. I nearly died of illness, but someone gave me medicine. Why do you think that is?

"And today, I was able to escape thanks to a powerful benefactor. Your Majesty, your harem is filthy—whether or not I'm here, the schemes will never stop!"

Jin Shi had clearly gone mad. She knew she wouldn't survive this ordeal, and she was aware that those who had helped her were merely using her. But her desire for revenge on Ye Yun consumed her, and she was willing to do anything to hurt her. Since she couldn't survive, she wanted to drag everyone down into the dirt with her.

Seeing her state, Ning Chen realized she truly didn't know who had orchestrated this. He no longer wished to hear her ranting and signaled the servants to gag her once more.

At that moment, Bai Zhu limped in and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, the reason Ming Jieyu left her chambers tonight was that a young palace maid claimed that the Empress Dowager had summoned her to Cining Palace. Ming Jieyu could not refuse and went out, but it turns out someone dared to impersonate the Empress Dowager's maid to carry out this vile act. This wasn't just an attempt on Jieyu's life, but an effort to tarnish Empress Dowager's reputation and drive a wedge between you and her!"

"What did you say?" Ning Chen's face darkened further. "Someone claimed to be from the Empress Dowager's household?"

"I swear on my life, Your Majesty!" Bai Zhu kowtowed.

While he had his suspicions about the Empress Dowager, as a servant, he couldn't openly accuse her. Instead, he implied that someone else was trying to link the assassination attempt to the Empress Dowager, leaving the Emperor to draw his own conclusions.

This incident was far from resolved. If Empress Dowager had been implicated, Tai Guifei from the Yao family might have also been involved.

What had initially seemed like a conflict between concubines was now entangled with the Empress Dowager, making the situation much more complicated.

Just at that moment, Yuan Jiu returned, dragging in two eunuchs who were completely drunk.

They were the ones responsible for guarding Jin Shi tonight.

"Your Majesty, when this servant arrived, these two were already this drunk. We've given them hangover soup, but it seems they've had too much to drink and won't be sober for a while," Yuan Jiu reported.

Fang Xiuyi covered her nose, a look of disgust in her eyes. "Your Majesty, this person first used the Empress Dowager's name to lure Ming Jieyu out, then found a way to get the eunuchs guarding Jin Shi drunk, and even sent a message to Jin Shi, instructing her to lie in ambush on Ming Jieyu's route. Jin Shi has been demoted for a long time, yet for this person to have planned so far in advance, it shows that they have many informants and are well aware of the inner workings of the harem!"

Hearing this, it became clear that for someone to understand the harem's affairs so thoroughly and to plan so meticulously, they must have deep roots. This cleared much of the suspicion from the newer concubines who had just entered the palace.

In fact, just using Empress Dowager's name to deceive Ye Yun into leaving the palace was already an incredibly bold move—something an ordinary person wouldn't dare attempt.

Ning Chen's mind was in chaos. He was already troubled enough with the affairs of the court, and now this incident had pushed him to the brink of rage.

The Empress, having been his wife for many years, could sense his emotions and took the initiative to speak.

"Your Majesty, these two must know something, but since they are still too drunk to interrogate now, why not have them imprisoned for the time being? Once they've sobered up by tomorrow, we can question them thoroughly."

"Let it be as the Empress suggests. Yuan Jiu, imprison these two and have someone guard them. If there are any more deaths or injuries, you may as well relinquish your position as chief steward," Ning Chen said coldly.

The Empress's heart tightened at his words.

For some reason, she felt that Ning Chen wasn't just warning Yuan Jiu—he was also sending a message to her.

After all, the last criminal had mysteriously died under her watch.

As he looked at the room full of women, Ning Chen's irritation grew. Thinking of the woman in the inner chambers whose condition was still unknown, he had no desire to stay with these people any longer.

"All of you, leave now. Stay in your respective residences, and until this case is thoroughly investigated, no one is allowed to communicate or move about. If anyone disobeys, I will show no mercy!"