manynovel Chapter 191 Questions
Chapter 191 Questions
Ruyi and Ling Yunche arrived at Yongshou Palace at the same time.
Ling Yunche knew that he had caused trouble for Ruyi again. He felt very guilty and was anxious about his future fate.
Ruyi looked at Ling Yunche's anxious expression and gave him a look that told him not to worry.
"I, my concubine, meet the Emperor!"
"I, my concubine, meet the Queen!"
After Ruyi and Yanwan paid their respects, they stood aside, quietly waiting for the emperor to speak.
The emperor asked Yanwan to sit down and asked Ruyi casually.
"What happened in the Imperial Garden, how is the Queen going to explain to me?"
Ruyi couldn't tell what the emperor was thinking from his tone.
Are you angry? Do you believe in her innocence? Or do you just not care?
Ruyi said, "Your Majesty, the road was slippery after the snow, and I didn't stand firmly. Ling Yunche saw that I was about to fall, so he helped me up. Please understand, Your Majesty!"
Ling Yunche knelt on the ground with a plop and hurriedly apologized to the emperor, "It has nothing to do with the Queen! It was because I was afraid that the Queen would fall, and I was anxious at the moment, which caused the misunderstanding. I am guilty of death!"
The emperor said, "So the queen admits that this is true, and it's not just a rumor spread by the outside world to deliberately slander you?"
Ruyi felt that what the emperor said was not right. Seeing that Concubine Ling was sitting beside the emperor without saying a word, she felt that Concubine Ling had slandered the emperor again before she arrived.
"What I meant was that Ling Yunche did help me up when I was about to fall. I did not admit that those unfounded rumors were true. There is nothing wrong between me and Ling Yunche!"
"It's only been an hour since this happened, but the Emperor already knows all about it. He even asked Jinzhong to summon me to Yongshou Palace for questioning. Did the Imperial Concubine Ling report this to the Emperor again?"
The emperor snorted coldly, "Although this incident only happened an hour ago, it has already spread throughout the palace! Is the queen trying to say that the palace servants discovered such a thing and should keep it secret from me?"
Ruyi was anxious and angry when she heard the emperor deliberately misinterpreting her meaning. "That's not what I meant. I just felt that the news spread too fast, and I was afraid that someone was deliberately plotting against me and Ling Yunche!"
Now that things have come to this, it would be inappropriate for Yan Wan to remain silent.
Yan Wan made it clear, "Your Highness, do you mean that I deliberately framed you and Xiao Lingzi to meet, made you hug each other in public, and then reported you to the Emperor?"
Ruyi stared at Yanwan and asked, "Could it be that what I said is wrong? This matter has nothing to do with you, Noble Concubine Ling?"
Yan Wan cried out to the emperor, "Your Majesty, please speak a fair word for me. Today is Yonglin's birthday, and I specially invited the Empress, but she said she was not feeling well and was recuperating in the Yikun Palace."
"Besides, how could I know that the Queen would run into Xiao Lingzi in the Imperial Garden today? How could I frame the Queen?"
When the emperor heard this, he questioned Ruyi, "Yanwan has been worrying about how to celebrate Yonglin's birthday recently, so she invited me and all the concubines in the palace to Yongshou Palace to celebrate for Yonglin."
"Yan Wan visited you three times and asked you to come to Yongshou Palace, but you said you were not feeling well and couldn't come. I also asked Yong Ji today, and he said the same thing."
"You were recovering in Yikun Palace, why did you go to the Imperial Garden? Xiao Lingzi worked in the flower room, and Lingzhi worked in the Sizhiku, how did you run into each other by chance? Queen, don't you think you should explain to me first?"
Ruyi had indeed used her ill health as an excuse to deliberately decline the banquet in Yongshou Palace. When questioned by the emperor, Ruyi felt guilty.
"Your Highness, I am indeed ill. But I feel a little bored staying in Yikun Palace, so I want to go for a walk in the Imperial Garden. I have heard that someone was bullied innocently in the palace before, and I think we should not encourage such evil practices."
"So I asked Rong Pei to take Lingzhi to apologize to that person. When they got there, they found out it was Ling Yunche. I asked Lingzhi to apologize to Ling Yunche. I originally thought that Lingzhi was sincerely repentant."
"I didn't expect that Lingzhi would deliberately frame me and Ling Yunche as soon as she saw someone coming. Please investigate, Your Majesty!"
The emperor asked in return: "So, you sent Lingzhi to the Ministry of Punishment for trial?"
Ruyi nodded, "I know Lingzhi. She would never dare to do this alone. There must be someone behind her! Once Lingzhi is tortured, the truth will be revealed and I will be cleared of all charges!"
Yan Wan said, "The Queen just said that we should not encourage the evil trend of innocent palace maids being bullied. How come the Queen wants to torture Lingzhi in the blink of an eye? Isn't this contradictory?"
Ruyi was even more certain that this matter was planned by Concubine Ling, so when Concubine Ling heard that Lingzhi was going to be tortured, she was afraid that Lingzhi could not bear the torture and would betray Concubine Ling.
"What's the contradiction? Lingzhi slandered my reputation, can't I give her a light punishment?"
The emperor looked at Ruyi's targeting of Yan Wan and said unhappily, "Lingzhi has been working in the Sizhiku for the past few years and has no dealings with the Yikun Palace. Why would she slander you?"
Ruyi had not set foot in Yongshou Palace for many years. As soon as she came in, the emperor asked her to stand and answer, and asked Concubine Ling to sit.
Is the Emperor going to interrogate me, the Queen, in front of Concubine Ling? !
Does the Emperor still regard himself as the Empress and his wife?!
Ruyi said angrily: "I am the victim. If Your Majesty wants to know the truth, shouldn't you ask Lingzhi?!"
The emperor asked, "I will ask Lingzhi myself, but I want to know more. Little Lingzi has been working in the flower room for almost a year. How did you know that he was bullied and why did you stand up for him?"
Ruyi said, "I just happened to meet Ling Yunche a few days ago. Seeing that he looked haggard, I asked him a few questions. Then I learned that Ling Yunche was assigned by Aunt Li, the head of the flower house, to help in the Sizhiku and the laundry bureau."
"I feel that this is against the rules, so I asked Rong Pei to tell Aunt Li and Lingzhi that they should not treat palace maids harshly. Lingzhi agreed, but who would have thought that she would slander me in public today!"
At this time, Mao Qian stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, three days ago, I was ordered by the Imperial Concubine to go to the flower room to select flowers and potted plants. I happened to see Rong Pei going to the flower room to question her. She wanted to arrest Aunt Li as a warning to others."
"I felt that this was against the rules, so I argued with Rong Pei. Rong Pei saw that she was in the wrong, so she said a few harsh words. I had something important to do, so I didn't bother with it anymore."
When the emperor heard this, his face became even gloomier.
"The Queen has been living in seclusion in Yikun Palace and not caring about palace affairs. I was originally curious about why the Queen would stand up for the servants for no reason. It turns out it's for Xiao Lingzi again?!"