Chapter 894 - 896: The Downfall of Jin Guifei (5)
"Your Majesty, I’ve been wronged, I really didn’t do it, it wasn’t me..." Jin Guifei was terrified by the Emperor’s demeanor, crying and kowtowing vigorously, thud thud thud, she knocked her head on the ground more than a dozen times until she was dizzy and bloody, yet the Emperor remained unmoved.
Her heart filled with sorrow, she looked toward the imperial concubines standing by the Emperor’s sides, hoping someone would speak up for her. However, as soon as they met her gaze, they either looked down, shifted their eyes away, or showed a schadenfreude expression. Desolate, she withdrew her gaze, only to catch sight of Chun Xiao kneeling to one side, and immediately grabbed her, shouting hoarsely, "Damn maid, you framed this palace, tell me, who instructed you to do it, you poisoned Yan Meiren, didn’t you?"
Chun Xiao wept bitterly, "Your Highness, I’m innocent, even if you gave me ten times the courage, I wouldn’t dare to poison my master, I’ve served Yan Meiren for two years with utter loyalty, I beseech the Emperor and Your Highness to see the truth..."
"Shut up, you still dare to argue, it must be you!"
Jin Guifei’s eyes were red with rage, by now she was almost certain Chun Xiao was hiding something, she pulled on Chun Xiao’s hair and urgently said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I feel this damn maid definitely has issues, please interrogate her strictly, and the true mastermind behind this will surely be revealed."
Concubine Yao laughed lightly, "Your Highness’s words are amiss, I’ve heard that under severe torture, miscarriages of justice often occur. If we only beat this palace maid without considering the evidence at hand, even if she confesses, it’s mostly because she cannot withstand the torture and is biting back wildly, which should not be trusted."
Concubine Yao, the legitimate daughter of Yao Yuanpan, had an unfortunate fall when she was six months pregnant, causing her to miscarry. She barely survived but was left unable to bear children again, and the Emperor’s favor towards her was severed. Therefore, she has long harbored deep hatred for the true culprit behind her fall, wishing she could perish together with them to avenge her unborn son.
After Concubine Yao’s remark, the Emperor suddenly lost his interest in interrogating Chun Xiao and then turned back towards Jin Guifei, looking coldly at her, who was now a tearful mess, "I have merely favored Yan Meiren a bit, and you couldn’t tolerate her, insisting on putting her to death. Could it be that in My harem, only you are allowed to exist?"