"Your Majesty, though I may be impulsive and irritable on ordinary days, I am a person of integrity.
Even if I don't like this Miss Ling Shan, I don't need to risk my own life to frame someone."
Concubine Xue finally managed to recover from that near - death state. Just thinking about the struggle between life and death a moment ago,
her eyes welled up with tears involuntarily, and her chest heaved with anger.
Although she entered the palace as a concubine and came from a noble family, being in an in - law relationship with the Wang family of Langya, it didn't mean that she had no feelings for Emperor Jun Wuyuan at all.
The complex relationship between the noble families and the imperial power, along with those open and covert games, all pushed these noble ladies to scheme and move forward.
However, Concubine Xue never expected that Jun Wuyuan would protect that little coquette so much.
Already feeling unwell physically, she was even more enraged inside, and a blush even appeared on her face.
Concubine Xue said firmly, "Your Majesty, I'm very sure that someone pushed me from behind!
Someone actually dared to plot against a concubine in broad daylight in the harem. Please seek justice for me, Your Majesty."
[Tsk, it really sounds like something the silly goose would do?]
Ling Shan: "..."
Excuse her?
At least she was a decent and normal person. She always adhered to the principle of "if others don't offend me, I won't offend others".
Concubine Xue just wanted to pick a fight. She wasn't a maniac. Why would she kill someone...
Wait.
There was something she had overlooked and suspected before, and now she could be very sure of it.
The Emperor must know that she had killed Cao Jing!
That's why she thought he was being so "kind" today, allowing her to "catch up" at Cining Palace. There was actually such a "truth" behind it.
However, after seeing her "mercilessness", Jun Wuyuan didn't touch her. Maybe he really found her interesting?
"You said someone pushed you into the water from behind, and there was no one around. How can I seek justice for you?"
He wasn't all - seeing and all - hearing, able to foresee everything in the world.
This merciless sentence completely tore through the thin veil in Concubine Xue's heart, and her face instantly paled.
Gritting her teeth, she said, "I chased after Miss Ling Shan and got close to the lake. I didn't expect not to see her. Maybe Miss Ling Shan saw the culprit?"
Well, forcing the noble lady of the Xue family, a fifth - rank concubine, to change her words. It seemed that the feud was completely set.
Ling Shan sighed silently in her heart.
But on the surface, she still bowed her head respectfully. "Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, this servant didn't know that Your Ladyship was behind. After leaving Cining Palace, I came straight to Yuhua Lake. I really don't know about Your Ladyship falling into the water."
[It sounds like it's true... But the silly goose shouldn't be that stupid, right?]
What was the point of killing Concubine Xue?
If it were him, he would naturally get rid of the old witch in Cining Palace first.
At the very least, there was the Noble Consort in Xianfu Palace, with whom he had an "irreconcilable feud". Why bother to target Concubine Xue?
In fact, Jun Wuyuan still trusted Ling Shan quite a bit.
At least for now, the consequences of killing a concubine from a noble family and a eunuch were definitely not comparable.
Without Jun Wuyuan giving a hint, Liang Jiusi said,
"Replying to Concubine Xue, Miss Ling Shan came to Yuhua Lake an hour ago."
From the place where Concubine Xue fell into the water to the time she was fished out with a fishing rod, having walked through the gate of death, it definitely wouldn't have exceeded an hour.
In other words, unless Ling Shan could perform the art of splitting herself, how could she be the one to commit the crime and then appear at Yuhua Lake?
Hearing this, Concubine Xue's already pale face turned even whiter.
[I'm hungry. I want to eat sweet - and - sour fish.]
Ling Shan's eyebrows twitched, and she had an idea in mind.
Jun Wuyuan missed his fish. If he didn't have a bit of a mind to watch the silly goose make a fool of herself, he would have dragged the person away just now.
After listening for a while, all he heard was Concubine Xue's unconvincing words that couldn't even stand scrutiny.
If the show couldn't go on, how could he watch the fun?
It was better to go fishing. He must really catch a big fish today!
Ling Shan silently complained in her heart: I'm afraid you won't even see a small fish.
"Sister Xue, you've just fallen into the water and your body is still weak. There may be other hidden reasons behind this incident. For the sake of your health,
how about we go back and report to the Empress Dowager first? After all, the Empress Dowager has always taken care of the affairs in the harem. His Majesty is busy with the affairs of the court. Let's not bother him."
Concubine Cui's face was still gentle, and her soft - spoken words gave Concubine Xue a way out.
After all, it was well - known that Jun Wuyuan didn't interfere in the affairs of the harem.
Concubine Xue was both angry and embarrassed. Concubine Cui's words had greatly saved her face.
She was just about to nod and take the opportunity to leave this humiliating place, but unexpectedly, an uninvited guest arrived and interrupted her again.
The person who came couldn't really be called a person. It was a wet corpse just fished out of the lake.
As soon as it appeared, Concubine Xue's pupils constricted violently, and she sat up straight from Fu Ling's support.
"This servant pays respects to Your Majesty, Concubine Cui, and Concubine Xue. This maid was fished out of a well not far away by our servants. We sent someone to check, and she just died not long ago."
Concubine Xue's face was extremely ugly because she had seen the silk ribbon around that maid's waist before she fell into the water!
Coincidentally, the person had just died in the well nearby. It was obvious that she had been silenced.
The maids' clothing in the palace had specifications, and they could only make slight modifications in small details.
By coincidence, Ling Shan's maid's uniform was very similar to that of this "culprit", at least the color and style were the same.
This showed that the person who did it behind the scenes was so cautious that they didn't leave a single clue.
There were countless little maids like Ling Shan in the imperial city. Concubine Xue was pushed into the water alone in a secluded place.
Now that the person was dead, even if she knew there was someone else behind it, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack to investigate further.
Concubine Xue couldn't stay here and let the cold - blooded Jun Wuyuan humiliate her again.
Anyway, the maid who pushed the person had already emerged. She didn't believe she couldn't find out who was behind it.
"Your Majesty, since the culprit has been found out, this concubine and the others won't bother you anymore. We'll take our leave first."
Concubine Cui bowed gracefully and led the obviously shocked Concubine Xue away. The people around the emperor quickly surrounded Yuhua Lake again.
Jun Wuyuan glanced lightly at Ling Shan, a hint of something unclear flashing in his eyes, and then sat down again to fish.
[How about letting the silly goose fish too? If I don't catch anything, wouldn't that be too embarrassing?]
Ling Shan: "?"
Excuse her. Is there a possibility...
"Ling Shan, come here!"
Jun Wuyuan thought that at least with someone as a foil, he wouldn't lose face.
But he forgot that there was a possibility that Ling Shan was a fishing expert.