An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

"Of course I believe you won't harm yourself, but it's hard to convince people when you say you have no idea there's a problem here."

Ling Rong didn't believe Kang Da Ying from the beginning, so she wouldn't let these two words sway her judgment. "You've been pestering Concubine Xia all day long, and as long as she leaves the Yanxi Palace, you'll follow her.

Even if she is resting in the Yanxi Palace, you have to visit her three times a day. Don't tell me that you are here to get closer to her.

Because if you are not a fool, you will know that this kind of behavior will only disgust others."

Kang Da Ying fell silent. She did not look at Ling Rong again, as if the excitement just now was all fake.

"When Concubine Xia was in pain, you pretended to care for her and pulled her. Eunuch Su saw all of this, so you can't fake it.

As for you, don't try to make excuses in front of me.

If you have the time, you might as well think about what you should say to minimize your guilt. I will also help you plead with the emperor to keep your position."

"Empress Sheng, I think you have misunderstood. I did all this unintentionally and never had the intention to murder Lady Xia."

"Okay." Ling Rong nodded. She did not give Kang Ying a second chance to speak. "Come here, put Kang Ying under house arrest in Chuxiu Palace, and put Wen Fang in the Ministry of Punishment. I will demand the result in half an hour.

There is no need to worry about whether he is dead or alive, just the signed testimony will suffice."

"Empress Sheng..." Kang Dasheng wanted to plead for mercy, but Lingrong had already stood up and prepared to leave.

Kang Da Ying called out a few more times, but Tang Di had already come up and politely asked her to go back to Chuxiu Palace.

As for Wen Fang, he had been suppressed by others and followed behind Ling Rong. He was about to be sent to the Ministry of Punishment.

Seeing that her mistress didn't want to save her, Wen Fang cried and screamed. She kept asking her mistress to save her, but someone slapped her in the face. She almost fell to the ground, and blood even seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Kang Da Ying was so frightened that he even stopped shouting. If he was a smart man, he would have asked Ling Rong whether she was going to confess under torture.

But Kang Da Ying was one of the instigators. She didn't dare to bet that Wen Fang could keep the secret, nor did she dare to bet that the Queen would come to save her.

"Empress Sheng! I am willing to explain everything!"

Lingrong stood at the gate of Yanx Palace. She turned her head and her eyes fell on Kang Da Ying's face.

"I can listen to you, but Wen Fang must go to the Ministry of Punishment."

Lingrong raised her hand and gestured, and Wen Fang was dragged away.

"Empress Sheng, I am willing to tell you everything. Why do you still want to take Wen Fang to the Ministry of Punishment?"

"Because..." Ling Rong sat down again. She gave Kang Da Ying a look, indicating that she should sit down as well. "You spoke too late. I only give you one chance."

"This...how can this be true?"

"Since I am the one who is investigating, my reasoning is the truth. There is still half an hour left. If Kang Da Ying has anything to say, you might as well say it quickly."

Ling Rong no longer had the weak demeanor she was pretending to be. After all, she had been a concubine for too long. If it wasn't for the matter of Concubine Xia confining Kang Da Ying, she wouldn't have put on that attitude.

Now that Concubine Xia's problem has been resolved, her true nature is revealed, and she asks Kang Da Ying to see how powerful she is.

"This sachet was indeed given to me by Concubine Qi, but Concubine Qi said that it only contained medicine that could cause abdominal pain, not musk.

Only then did I believe it and started wearing this thing every day.

As for following Concubine Xia, on the one hand it was to have more contact with her so that the medicine could take effect, and on the other hand it was the order of Concubine Qi, and I don't know why.

Concubine Qi even told me that if Concubine Xia went to Chengqian Palace, I would not have to follow her."

Kang agreed and looked at Ling Rong's face carefully. "I don't know the reason, but it sounds right, so I did as Concubine Qi said."

"So you know nothing except what's in the sachet."

"Yes, but actually..." Kang Da Ying coughed lightly, not daring to look at Ling Rong again, "I just thought the medicine in the sachet would cause abdominal pain.

Fortunately, Concubine Xia is fine, and I didn't make any serious mistakes unintentionally."

Kang Da Ying tried to clear herself of all charges. Ling Rong naturally didn't believe it, but she didn't expose it immediately. Instead, she asked about Concubine Qi's situation.

"Empress Qi has been under house arrest since she returned to the palace. How did she give you instructions?"

"The Concubine Qi always asks Cuiguo to come see me, and this sachet was given by Cuiguo."

"Did Cuiguo ever tell me why she wanted to harm Lady Xia?"

"This..." Kang Da Ying obviously hadn't come up with a good reason yet. She hesitated for a moment, "Maybe...maybe Concubine Xia offended Concubine Qi."

"Oh? Then why did you obey orders and murder Lady Xia?"

"My Lady Concubine Sheng, I am just a concubine, how dare I refute My Lady Concubine Qi?

If I am not careful, Concubine Qi will instruct Cui Guo to smash my mouth, so I have no choice but to do it. "

Ling Rong hummed, as if she believed what Kang promised, "Only an incense stick has passed. Kang promised, will you go back to Chuxiu Palace to rest under house arrest, or will you accompany me to wait for news from Wen Fang?"

"My lady, do you not believe what I say?"

"What do you think?" Ling Rong raised her eyebrows. She called Tang Di over and whispered something in her ear, "Tang Di, go and urge Eunuch Su to stop holding back."

"Yes, ma'am."

Although Lingrong lowered her voice, she deliberately let Kang Ying hear it clearly. Kang Ying's eyes followed Tang Di all the way out the door, and his hands were clasped together tightly.

Just as she was about to speak, Ling Rong raised her eyes and glared at her, signaling Kang to calm down.

"Your Majesty... your concubine."

"I told you that you only have one chance. When you use it up, shut up."

Lingrong finally got angry. Kang Da Ying was startled and turned his head away awkwardly, swallowing the words of pleading for himself.

About a cup of tea later, Tang Di came back with a signed testimony, which she respectfully handed to Ling Rong.

Ling Rong saw a few drops of blood on the paper and frowned unconsciously. She raised her hand to cover her nose and barely read the few lines of words.

"Tangdi, invite Kang Ying back to Chuxiu Palace. I will write a letter to Yuanmingyuan and ask the emperor to punish him severely."

"No, my lady, why, why do you want to punish me?"

Kang Da Ying pushed Tang Di away. She reached out to grab the testimony, but Ling Rong raised her hand to avoid it. "Kang Da Ying, are you planning to commit a crime?"

"No... Madam, what I said is true. Please don't believe Wen Fang's nonsense."

"Wen Fang has been to the Ministry of Punishment, so I naturally believe her. But you, who are full of lies, are the ones I cannot trust."

Lingrong did not give Kang Da Ying any more chance to speak. Wen Fang had already said that Kang Da Ying was instructed by the Queen, so this was the truth and there was no need to investigate further.

Holding the blood-stained testimony, Ling Rong returned to Chengqian Palace. Xia Dongchun was already curled up in a rocking chair under a tree, squinting her eyes and listening to a palace maid singing.

Seeing Lingrong coming back, she had no intention of getting up. Instead, she asked Lingrong to join her and listen to the little palace maid singing.

"No wonder the emperor favored Yu Ying'er. It's really a pleasure to listen to them sing."

"You might be happier after reading this testimony."

Ling Rong handed the paper to Xia Dongchun, who took it and looked at it with some shock, "Is it the Queen?"

"It was the queen, but the document pointed out the queen, but Kang Da Ying was unwilling to do so. However, the document has already explained the sources of the poison in the musk sachet and the ice jar. These things are all vaguely related to the queen."

"But the testimony says it was all about Concubine Qi. Only this sachet can be proven to be given by the Queen."

"Concubine Qi is the Queen's shield. Even if the matter is exposed to the Emperor, the Queen can still get away with it."

"What should we do then?" Xia Dongchun held the paper in her hand and told the maid to stop singing. "Should we go and try Concubine Qi?"

"Of course I have to interrogate her, but... she is also a concubine, so I can't treat her the same way I treated Kang Da Ying. I need to think of other ways. Let's rest for a night first, and I'll go to Changchun Palace tomorrow to take a look."

"You've taken the trouble to investigate. If I were to do it, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to find the Queen."

Xia Dongchun doesn't have to worry about anything now, and he is much calmer. However, he still has some health problems occasionally and needs to be treated with medicine from the imperial physician.

As to whether the royal heir in her belly would be deformed due to the poison, it is still unknown now, but everyone unanimously kept it a secret from Xia Dongchun to prevent her from worrying and causing any problems.

Wei Lin is Ling Rong's man, and He Anming is also good friends with her, so she naturally knows the answer to this question.

But she also chose to keep it a secret, and just asked He Anming to inform the emperor. It was better for the emperor to handle this kind of matter himself, and Lingrong just needed to investigate the current matter carefully.

Early the next morning, Ling Rong knocked on the gate of Changchun Palace. She had not sat down and chatted with Concubine Qi for a long time. At this moment, the two of them looked at each other in silence and could only drink tea.

"Empress Qi," Lingrong finally spoke first. She handed the testimony of Wen Fang to Concubine Qi, "This is the testimony given by Wen Fang who was with Kang Ying. You may want to take a look."

Although Concubine Qi was under house arrest, she knew that Ling Rong had returned to the palace to investigate the case. In addition, she was the one who helped the Queen murder Concubine Xia, so her hands began to tremble when she saw the testimony.

She tried to cover it up, but the sound of her voice gave it all away. "How could this servant be talking nonsense? I have confined her to her house as soon as I returned to the palace. How could she possibly instruct Kang to agree?"

"Mrs. Qi, I didn't believe it at first. But Kang promised to make it clear that the musk sachet on her body and the poison in the ice container were given to her by you, Pai Cuiguo.

The whole story, time and place were all clearly stated, so my sister couldn't help but believe it."

"This...she's talking nonsense to shirk responsibility. How can you believe it, sister!"

Lingrong shook her head. She reminded Concubine Qi to be careful with her testimony. Wen Fang almost died and he didn't have the strength to confirm it again.

"Really..." Concubine Qi smiled awkwardly. She squeezed the paper tightly and put it on the table, pretending to be afraid of wrinkling it. "Then leave it here, so that I won't get angry and tear up this testimony."

Concubine Qi picked up the teacup and accidentally spilled it. The tea soaked the testimony and the ink on it was immediately smudged.

"Ouch!" Concubine Qi screamed exaggeratedly and smeared the paper with her handkerchief. Soon all the handwriting was blurred and not a single word could be seen.

"Oh, sister, look at this...what should I do? I really didn't mean it."

Ling Rong looked at Concubine Qi's pretentious attitude and couldn't help but smile. She shook her head and said, "Sister Concubine Qi, why are you so careless?

This is important testimony. Since you destroyed the evidence like this, I can only believe that what Wen Fang said is true."

"How could that be? What Wen Fang said was all lies, and I didn't do it on purpose. Who could have predicted that the tea would spill?

You are right, Sister Shengfei."

"Don't worry, sister. The emperor will explain the matter when he knows about it. As for the evidence, I have kept the original and sent it to the Old Summer Palace for the emperor to see."

Upon learning that what she had destroyed was not the original testimony, Concubine Qi stood there in a daze. There was still tea on her handkerchief, wetting a corner of her sleeve.

"Then I won't bother you any more. The Emperor's decree will be issued in a few days. I'll be waiting in Changchun Palace. I'm sure the Emperor will not trust one person, nor will he let anyone go.

But my sister was punished to be confined to the palace because she made a mistake, and I am also worried that the emperor will punish her for multiple crimes, which will make her life even more difficult."

Ling Rong stood up, bowed to Concubine Qi, and was supported by Tang Di to go out. When she reached the door, she turned her head slightly and looked at Concubine Qi, "In fact, I believe in you. After all, you are kind-hearted. If you were not provoked by others, you would not have made mistakes one after another.

If my sister had not let go of all these mistakes, the Third Prince would not have been stripped of his yellow belt and given away as someone else's son.

Now that it has come to this, I would like to advise you to think carefully about yourself and the Third Prince. Blindly trusting others will only lead you into an irretrievable situation. "

The Third Prince is Concubine Qi's weak spot. Presumably, the Queen is taking advantage of this weak spot to make Concubine Qi listen to her obediently.

But the Third Prince's current situation is already very miserable. No matter how stupid Concubine Qi is, she should understand that the Queen has never really helped her.

Ling Rong was very curious about how long Concubine Qi could survive. However, her actions today were enough to make the Emperor believe that Concubine Qi was one of the masterminds behind the scenes.

"Your Majesty, we don't seem to have heard any news from Concubine Qi yet. Are you leaving just like that?"

“Sometimes you don’t need to ask everything. The emperor can see clearly. If you want to investigate further, just wait for the emperor’s news.

Now wait for two more days in the palace to investigate all the people in the Waterworks Department. You should know that you have to do other things while investigating."

Tang Di naturally understood the meaning of winning people's hearts and using them for one's own benefit. She immediately nodded and said, "I understand."