I am the stepmother of my son, and the little villain has changed into a little cotton-padded jacket

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at the man who was tied up.

The man was wearing ordinary clothes and looked like an ordinary person.

Seeing this, the emperor frowned slightly, glanced at Liuxia, and said, "You little girl, you said he was the mastermind, but do you have any evidence? Besides, aren't you a maidservant beside the queen? How can you be so capable as to catch the murderer who poisoned your beloved concubine?"

Liuxia threw the bundle in her hand to the ground, knelt down and kowtowed to the emperor, speaking in a neither humble nor arrogant voice.

"Your Majesty, I serve the Empress. When she heard that Concubine Dun was murdered and nearly took poison, she immediately sent me to the Imperial Hospital to see if she could find any clues. But as soon as I arrived at the Imperial Hospital, I saw this man sneaking around the corner with a bag on his back, trying to leave. He even had the key to the palace gate in his hand! After Concubine Dun got into trouble, the man who wanted to leave in a hurry must have been involved in this incident. So I ordered someone to arrest this man and bring him to your Majesty and your Majesty for questioning. But I didn't expect this man to run away. It was obvious that he was guilty, so I immediately asked the guards to catch up with him and bring him here. Your Majesty and your Majesty will have to ask you personally for the other details."

After Liuxia said this, she knelt on the ground and did not get up, looking like she was waiting for the emperor to speak.

Hearing what she said, the Queen nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I did ask Liuxia to go to the Imperial Hospital. I didn't expect to run into this thief. If this person is not the real culprit behind the scenes, then he must be related to this incident. Otherwise, why would he be so anxious to leave the palace?"

The emperor touched his chin and looked thoughtfully at the man who was kneeling on the ground by the guards.

"Well, the Queen is right. Liuxia, you should get up first."

"Yes, thank you, Your Majesty." Liuxia said respectfully, stood up and quietly retreated to the side of the queen.

The emperor frowned and looked at the man, his voice was dignified without anger: "Raise your head, let me see who has such courage!"

The man was frightened and hesitantly raised his head slowly. Only then did everyone see his appearance clearly.

The most shocked person was Cui Li. After seeing the man's appearance clearly, he gasped and almost jumped up in shock. He pointed at his nose and exclaimed.

"It's you! Shaqi!"

The emperor looked at Cui Li in confusion and asked, "Do you know him?"

Hearing the emperor's question, Cui Li barely suppressed his shock and disbelief, lowered his head and responded: "Your Majesty, I do know this person. He is my...disciple."

After these words were spoken, everyone became even more confused, especially the emperor.

His eyes moved solemnly between Cui Li and Xia Qi, and he slammed the table hard.

"What the hell is going on! Cui Li, tell me the truth! Does this matter have anything to do with you? If so, why would your apprentice be sneaking around in the Imperial Hospital and trying to escape?"

Seeing that the emperor was angry, Cui Li kowtowed and begged for mercy. He was now like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his grievances in words.

Who would have known that his usually obedient and sensible disciple would suddenly appear at this time and get involved!

"Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with me! I don't know why Xia Qi is here!"

"Okay, okay, you don't know, right? Then tell me! Why were you sneaking around in the palace? If you can't explain clearly, I will kill all nine generations of your clan!" the emperor scolded coldly.

Xia Qi was forced to kneel on the ground by the guards, not daring to look up at anyone.

His voice was trembling: "This...this..."

"If you still insist on not speaking, I will not interrogate you. Anyone who has anything to do with this matter will be beaten to death as a warning to others!" The emperor looked coldly at Xia Qi who was hesitating, his voice indescribably cold.

Anyway, these people's lives are worthless to the emperor and can be eliminated at will.

Hearing what the emperor said, Xia Qi and Cui Li both shuddered.

Cui Li turned his head anxiously: "Xia Qi! Come on, tell me, I've always been very kind to you, how could you hurt me like this! If you have any difficulties, just tell me directly, His Majesty and the Queen will make the decision for you, but if you still insist on your wrongdoing, you will be beheaded!"

Hearing this, a struggle flashed in Xia Qi's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly kowtowed heavily to the emperor.

"Your Majesty! I was the one who added the ingredients to Concubine Dun's medicine!"

When these words were spoken, everyone present was stunned. They didn't expect Xia Qi to admit it so easily.

Cui Li also didn't expect that Xia Qi, who was usually timid and like a good guy, would do such a cruel thing as poisoning the concubine.

Without waiting for anyone to speak, Xia Qi continued, "But Your Majesty, I have my own reasons. I don't really want to poison Concubine Dun!"

The emperor snorted coldly: "Is there anyone forcing you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside the door, and the next moment Concubine Shu appeared at the door.

Her breathing was a little unstable, and she looked at everything in front of her in panic, especially when she saw Xia Qi, there was an obvious flash of panic in her eyes.

The moment Wen Shutang saw Concubine Shu, he snorted with disdain in his heart.

Aren’t the people who framed and coerced Xia Qi here?

The emperor frowned when he saw the panicked look of Concubine Shu, and said unhappily, "Why is Concubine Shu here? Didn't I ban you from walking? Who let you out?"

Hearing what the emperor said, Concubine Shu immediately put on a tearful look, knelt down in front of the emperor, wiped her tears weakly, and sobbed.

"Your Majesty, I heard that someone was trying to poison Sister Concubine Dun, and I was so anxious that I rushed here. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my rudeness and let me go to see if Sister Dun is okay. If she is, I will return to the palace immediately. At that time, Your Majesty will let me stay at home for as long as you want."

Hearing the delicate voice of Concubine Shu, the Queen frowned. What she couldn't stand the most was Concubine Shu's pretentious attitude.

It's disgusting just looking at it.

But her approach was very effective for the emperor. After hearing what she said, the emperor's expression eased a little.

"Forget it. I will forgive you this time because of your kindness. You can go back after this is over."

Hearing this, Concubine Shu was delighted and quickly bowed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your understanding."

As he said this, he stood up and walked towards the emperor.

"Your Majesty, the one who forced me to poison Concubine Dun was Concubine Shu!"

Xia Qi's sudden words almost startled Concubine Shu so much that she stepped on her right foot and fell to the ground.

Wen Shutang narrowed her eyes. It was exactly as she thought.