When they walked out of Jingyang Palace, Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi saw the Imperial Noble Concubine Wan Yuyao kneeling on the ground with her head low.

Wrapped in white, she let her long black hair loose with no adornment and wept to Emperor Jingxiao.

When Emperor went directly from the gate to the imperial carriage, she cried out in tears,

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! How is Concubine Yu? I am to blame. I should not have invited her to my palace. Your Majesty, I have committed an unforgivable sin. I will take any punishment."

The woman then bent over to kowtow, banging the ground with each hit.

When she looked up again, she was crying miserably.

On the sedan, Emperor closed his eyes with a long sigh. Gloomily, he managed to restrain his impatience and said to the woman,

"Go back now. You make noise here and only disturb Concubine Yu. She is resting. I will have the case investigated thoroughly tonight. If you are related, I will discard you despite our past. If not, I will personally punish the real culprit to clear your name."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The woman hid her face and sobbed.

Standing at the end of the crowd, with no expression, Leng Qingtang listened to the conversation between the two, but deep down he was shocked.

Wan Yuyao was indeed a scheming and vicious woman.

Leng Qingtang was sure that she was behind the incident based on his understanding of her.

But she was such a good actress.

Normally, if she wanted to harm Concubine Yu who was pregnant now, she would not take the initiative to invite her to Yongning Palace as a guest. After all, the whole harem knew it better to keep their distance from the distinguished mother-to-be. No one wanted to get involved in case she was hurt in an unguarded moment.

Now Wan Yuyao rushed to plead guilty right after the incident and acted like quite a different person in genuine repentance. That was to eliminate herself as a suspect. With the double insurance, she tried to convince everyone she was not the culprit!

By his side, Gu Yunxi was watching with dark eyes cold as blades. Pursing her lips and gritting her teeth, she stared at Wan Yuyao resentfully.

Sadly, Leng Qingtang looked straight ahead and reminded her in an undertone,

"Girl, my heart aches now just like yours. But for the greater good, we have to hold back at the moment."

...

The wind hit the windowpane, emitting a low, keening noise, whimpering like the cries of the dead in the hall where candles wavered forlornly.

In the gloomy and silent warm chamber, Gu Yunyao slowly opened her eyes.

Song Qin was waiting by the bed and gazing at her mistress, her eyes red and swollen with tears.

Seeing that her lady had awakened, Song Qin sobbed with joy,

"Your Grace, you have woken up. How do you feel now?"

Gu Yunyao moved her trembling arms and brushed her cold fingertips over her already flattened abdomen through the brocade quilt.

Heartbroken, Song Qin buried her face on the bed and cried painfully,

"Your Grace, it is my fault... Oh, the little prince is gone... Please punish me. It is I who have failed to take good care of Your Grace... "

"Where is Zhao An?"

"Lord Zhao and the others are being detained and interrogated by Emperor. Your Grace, we are incompetent..."

"Well, they must be having a tough time..."

Gu Yunyao spoke breathlessly. Her face was pale and cold. Her eyes were hollow and lax, fixed on the top of the canopy. Her peace was so unsettling.

Drops of tear rolled onto the soft pillow as the woman managed a bitter smile and continued sobbing.

"Perhaps, my boy should not come to this world. This is good. In the future, the three of us can live with Yunxi. That would be the best..."

…

The Qinming Hall was brightly lit.

Time dawdled in the silence.

This long night was quite torturous for Gu Yunxi.

Although she was not on duty at Jingyang Palace, she knew the chief maid and eunuch well. When she learned that they had been taken down by the enraged Emperor, she was worried about them.

Gu Yunxi was naturally aware of the torturous means in the forbidden court. Emperor had given a deadline and Zhao An was bound to suffer.

She cast her sharp eyes at the dragon chair. Suddenly, grief and hatred overwhelmed her like roaring waves.

The vivid and bloody nightmare that had haunted her since childhood came to her again.

Now, the person who was responsible for that nightmare was right in front of her eyes! Never before had she felt such intense hatred. Almost frantic, she wanted to draw her blade and kill the real culprit who had persecuted the Master and her whole family.

Fast footsteps came from outside the hall.

Lord Zhang walked up to the dragon chair with a horsetail whisk in hand and bowed.

"Your Majesty, I've given your order to the Court of Justice. In the interrogation, the maid Liu Xia had given in and admitted to being instructed to poison Concubine Yu. Here is the confession for Your Majesty."

The hall was filled with an uproar. Petrified and shocked, the crowd had different looks on their faces.

Emperor Jingxiao was stunned for a moment. His dull and sleepy eyes without sleep suddenly lit up when his face darkened. He glared at the Eunuch Superintendent and roared,

"What for? Bring that bitch up here now. I want to ask her personally why she is disloyal and framed her mistress."

Lord Zhang looked embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the blood and gore will stain your eyes after all the torture..."

"Bring her here!"

Emperor shouted a high note in rage, flapping his sleeve angrily at Lord Zhang.

Lord Zhang bowed and did not dare to interfere anymore.

"As you wish."

He turned around to walk away and soon came back with two eunuchs carrying a litter.

The air froze as the crowd kept their breath and looked at the dying woman on it.

When the litter passed Leng Qingtang, he squinted and his eyes sparkled with sophistication.

Someone from Jingyang Palace actually admitted it. Could it be so simple as that?

No, something must be wrong!

Gu Yunxi stood at the side of the Master, staring unblinkingly at the bloody figure on litter.

She was seriously wounded and blood was oozing, dyeing the rattan litter trickling through the cane to the floor. Trails of blood were left after her when she was carried inside and soon blended into the red carpet with dragon embroideries.

Clenching her fists, Gu Yunxi opened her eyes wide with a murderous gleam.

The litter was put down five steps from the dragon chair. The small bumps when it touched the floor woke its rider, who could not help but groan with a burst of pain in her body.

Lord Zhang bowed his head and shook his horsetail whisk.

"Your Majesty, the maid Liu Xia is here."

Emperor Jingxiao looked down at her and his face immediately was twisted by hideous hatred. Thumping his fat hand on the gold armrest, which was a dragon with a pearl in its mouth, he furiously questioned,

"Are you Liu Xia? Answer me, what is your position in Jingyang Palace? Who instructed you to mutilate Concubine Yu and my son!"

The withered maid struggled to raise her head. Her loose hair was smeared with blood and stuck together to the litter.

"Your Majesty..."

With great difficulty, the maid whimpered,

"Your Majesty, I'm a kitchen maid of Jingyang Palace... It was I who had put the abortifacient into Her Grace's porridge and caused the miscarriage..."

The terrified crowd murmured and exchanged glances, but did not dare to talk loudly.

The more chaotic it was, the more sensible Leng Qingtang became. He studied the woman on the litter and quickly began to analyze.

The man on the dragon chair had long been furious. When he roared, even the floor beneath his feet trembled.

"Why do you want to harm Concubine Yu? Tell me the truth."

Shivering, the maid wept.

"Your Majesty, my father was burdened by gambling debts and I was forced to steal in the Palace to solve the urgent needs without anyone knowing.

But she found out and threatened me to work for her, or she would turn me in. I was afraid of being punished, but also afraid to involve my family. So I had to do as she told me.

When she heard that the Imperial Noble Concubine invited Concubine to Yongning Palace today, she sent someone to meet me quietly and gave me this packet to put in Her Grace's food.

Her Grace only ordered the cubilose porridge after her return, so I had no choice but to add the drug in it."

All the courtiers and consorts looked horrified.

Emperor Jingxiao was infuriated by her explanation and shouted in anger,

"Tell me, who blackmailed you to do this?"

Faced with the Emperor's question, Liu Xia's broken body quivered. Her face was smeared with blood and none could discern it.

Quiet for a moment, she hung her head slowly and feebly.

Empress Qian was sitting on the phoenix chair at the side. She almost had a headache again due to her anxiety. She knocked her interlocked fingers on her lap and impatiently urged,

"Emperor has asked you a question. Answer now!"

"Yes, yes... It was Concubine Xu of Chuxiu Palace!"