Chapter 610 - Having Suspicions of the Past and Throwing Consort Zhao into the Cold Palace (2/2)
Consort Zhao looked as if she had been struck by lightning when she heard that. Her face was pale, and her lips trembled a few times as she fell to the ground. No one was close to her? How could that be? There must be someone to cause her to fall and knock Consort Yu down. How could there be no one there? But she could not show any strong evidence.
Everyone pointed out that she was vicious and harmed Consort Yu. How could Consort Zhao not be so fl.u.s.tered that she could not speak?
However, her look was a sign of guilt in the eyes of everyone. They were nearly certain that Consort Zhao was in the wrong and that she had intentionally hurt the child in Consort Yu’s belly. A few consorts, who had come with the Empress and were usually extremely dissatisfied with Consort Zhao, wrung their handkerchiefs and said.
“Why is Sister Zhao so vicious? Even though Consort Yu is a little arrogant, she couldn’t be so vicious for the sake of the child in her belly.”
“That’s right. It was said that Sister Zhao was a kind person, but it turns out that she has been pretending. She has pretended for more than 10 years. I wonder if Consort Xian knew about it.” Another consort had been in the palace for a long time and knew about the secret in the palace. She also knew that Consort Zhao had gained the Emperor’s affection completely because she looked like Consort Xian, so she directly exposed Consort Zhao’s mask.
“Ahh, she tried to murder the Emperor’s child. Sister Zhao used to stay at Consort Xian’s palace, and I heard that King Xuan used to be poisoned as well. Could it be…”
The Empress said coldly, “At that time, I just went there to see Sister Xian and only brought some ordinary tonics. Unexpectedly… Consort Zhao was also there at that time, and the bowl of tonics was handed to Sister Xian by her!”
She didn’t say it completely, but Emperor Zongwen understood what she hinted. At that time, he also felt suspicious that even if the Empress didn’t like Consort Xian, she wouldn’t enter Anhe Palace openly and give Consort Xian the poison. When he arrived at Anhe Palace, Consort Xian was unable to speak. She just watched him, cried in despair and pity, and then died.
Emperor Zongwen almost dethroned the Empress because of this matter. However, the Empress Dowager and Ding General Manor had tried their best to protect her; besides, Emperor Zongwen looked into it but found that something was wrong; the criminal did not seem to be the Empress. Therefore, he had spared the Empress. Now when he heard the Empress mentioning it again, he realized that he seemed to have missed something!
Consort Zhao, at that time, said that she didn’t know the Empress’s bowl of tonics was poisonous, so she personally took it to Consort Xian. If someone else might poison it, it was Consort Zhao. The reason why Emperor Zongwen didn’t suspect her at that time was that she was so good to Consort Xian that she was almost willing to help Consort Xian with her life. Once Consort Xian fell ill, and it was Consort Zhao who kept staying beside her bed day and night. Another time, when Consort Xian was pregnant, and several Consorts almost b.u.mped into her, it was Consort Zhao who protected her, but Consort Zhao fell and broke her leg…
These things made Emperor Zongwen have no reason to doubt her!
But what if Consort Zhao was really pretending? Since she had done something to hurt the child in Consort Yu’s womb today, then didn’t she feel jealous when the Emperor doted on Consort Xian? If she had hidden it well, he had indeed ignored it.
Once one thing was suspicious, the Emperor felt everything was suspicious, including the fact that Feng Yuran got poisoned. At that time, Consort Xian was gone, but he had ordered people to guard Anhe Palace closely. How could Old Eight be poisoned? Unless the poison was not from outside, but from the inside of Anhe Palace.
He had asked Consort Zhao to stay in Anhe Palace so that the little Old Eight could be taken care of…
Emperor Zongwen’s expression grew darker and darker. Even though these words were not necessarily true and he had never thought about it in the past, it was not impossible as he thought about it now. Furthermore, the more he thought about it, the more likely they were. Consort Xian’s death had always been a pain in his heart. When he thought that Consort Zhao might have murdered Consort Xian and the implications behind her words yesterday, his eyes grew cold. “Somebody, send Consort Zhao to the Cold Palace.”
Since he was now suspicious of Consort Zhao, he would definitely find out what had happened in the past.
Being sent into the Cold Palace meant death. Consort Zhao turned pale with fright. She had never thought that the Emperor would be so heartless. She had wanted to soften the Emperor by using Consort Xian’s similar expression. Unexpectedly, the Emperor was so angry. Losing her nerve, she suddenly saw the Empress Dowager sitting to one side and moved two steps forward with her kneels anxiously. “Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, please save me. Please save me, Empress Dowager.”
She did not beg the Emperor and the Empress but begged the Empress Dowager instead. What did this mean…
The faces of the people seated at the front all changed. The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth hatefully and kicked Consort Zhao away before she snapped, “Somebody, drag her away!”
She said resolutely and decisively, and did not seem to want to protect her at all, which left Consort Zhao hopeless. Her body became limp and she lay prostrate on the ground. Then, she was pulled out unceremoniously by two eunuchs…
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