0p0 Chapter 469 Suicide
Chapter 469 Suicide
Emperor Shenwu said expressionlessly: "Since you dare not say it, then don't say it! Li Xiang, reward her with 100 taels of silver and send her out of the palace——"
Imperial Concubine Jiang had just frowned when she heard Cui Wu scream, "No! No! If I leave the palace now, I will die! Your Majesty, please save me! Imperial Concubine Jiang, please save me!"
Hearing those words, Concubine Jiang wanted to turn around and leave immediately, but she still gritted her teeth and scolded, "Then why don't you just tell me now!"
Cui Wu screamed, "It's the Empress! It's the Empress! I know the Empress hates me! I guess it's the Empress! No! It must be the Empress! I'm just a little maid doing odd jobs in Chuxiu Palace. Apart from the Empress who hates me, who else cares about me?"
Emperor Shenwu's face was so gloomy that it looked like water was dripping from it. He slammed his palm heavily on the table, "Do you know what you are saying? To accuse the Empress is to have your entire clan exterminated!"
Imperial Concubine Jiang also took a deep breath. "Think carefully before you speak anything ambiguous! Besides, why would the Empress hate you? Do you deserve the Empress's attention?"
Cui Wu was desperate at this time. She simply stood up and said word by word: "This servant said, except for the Queen, who else would hate this servant! I only hate that this servant has little influence and little luck. Just because Your Majesty took my hand and praised me for my skin being as white as snow, not long after that day, I was demoted from the job of making tea in the Imperial Garden to a maid in Chuxiu Palace who no one cares about. Since then, people have been warning me in my ears to stay away from Your Majesty! You are just a maid. His Majesty occasionally praises you on a whim, and you still want to go to heaven! They also said that the Queen is very jealous and has been favored by the emperor for many years. This is still... This is the first time I have touched another woman’s body. Although I only grasped her hand and praised her a few times, the Empress will come after me sooner or later! I am scared! Too scared! I can only stay in Chuxiu Palace every day, praying that the Empress will completely forget me, but there are still people who keep warning me. I can only stay in the room as much as possible and dare not come out, but... but several years have passed, and I still can’t escape the Empress’s murderous clutches! Your Majesty! Please help me! I just want to live a good life! I have never dared to have any improper thoughts! Why! Why won’t you let me go? Please, Your Majesty... Please, the Empress..."
There was silence in the hall, even Concubine Jiang was stunned. Now she really regretted staying here.
Emperor Shenwu still showed no expression. Imperial Concubine Jiang came to her senses and said through gritted teeth, "This is just your one-sided story. You said someone has been threatening you, but where is that person? Your story is full of loopholes. You haven't been in trouble for several years, so why did something happen now? If the Empress really disliked you, why would she have waited several years? Besides, there are so many concubines in the harem, and it's not your turn for the Empress to be jealous of anyone! There are many who are favored, princes and princesses. Don't you think too highly of yourself?"
Imperial Concubine Jiang's words hit the nail on the head. Cui Wu's pale face flushed bright red, provoked by anger. She raised her head abruptly, staring straight at Imperial Concubine Jiang: "You asked me to speak, and I have. If you don't believe me, I can't help it. But do I need to sacrifice my own hand to tell this lie? As for why he took several years to act, I don't know, I really don't know. He has been secretly threatening me. I was trembling with fear all day long, as if I were on the edge of an abyss. I only remember his voice was a little hoarse, but I have never seen his face!"
Emperor Shenwu chuckled, "I don't believe it! If you tell the truth, you still have a life! My queen won't let you throw dirty water on her with just a few words! If you keep repeating these few words, then I'll hand her over to the Ministry of Punishment for trial!"
Cui Wu was stunned halfway through listening, and then her body began to tremble more and more, and she could no longer control her expression. She suddenly shouted, "I didn't dare to say it because I knew no one would believe me! But I didn't lie! I really didn't lie! The Queen is a snake in the mouth, cruel and ruthless. I have been living in her shadow for several years. Now, God has blessed me and I have saved my life. I don't want to die! Your Majesty, I have no other witnesses, and I know that my status is lowly and I can't compare to the Queen, but it is really the Queen! I have no reason to lie!"
The Emperor Shenwu was extremely indifferent: "Come here! Take her away! Do you need to tell me about the Queen's character? Everyone in the palace has eyes! Don't you all think that the Queen and I are easy-going? Drag her away!"
Cui Wu was even more desperate. She said without hesitation, "To the people in the palace, they all think that the Queen is a good person, but to me, she is the worst villain! It is she who has made me into what I am now. Anyway, I am neither human nor ghost now! I will cry out that I am innocent even if I risk my life. Your Majesty, you don't even investigate and just assume that I am lying! Are you afraid of what you will find out?"
Concubine Jiang's head was buzzing. She wanted to crawl into the ground, but she also wanted to cover the palace maid's mouth!
Emperor Shenwu remained unmoved: "There is no evidence at all, just your words! I sent you to the Ministry of Punishment to find out the truth! Because I will not let a drop of dirty water splash on the Queen's skirt!"
He understood Lan Qingwu's weakness best, and could instantly guess the intentions of the person behind the scenes. Unfortunately, they had never anticipated that the Emperor Shenwu had practically accompanied Lan Qingwu from a little girl to a slender young woman. His trust in Lan Qingwu exceeded their wildest dreams! Furthermore, if Lan Qingwu had done something like this, the first person to suffer wouldn't have been a mere maid!
Emperor Shenwu even harbored a subtle thought: if one day Lan Qingwu was truly forced to do something similar, he would bear the full responsibility and never let anyone blame her! This wasn't just for his personal relationship with her, but also for the Crown Prince, the next emperor of the Dasheng Dynasty, his heir. Emperor Shenwu would turn a blind eye. How could the injustice of a little palace maid outweigh the weight of the country? More than the foundation of the nation? More than the people of the world!
What's more, the current situation clearly shows that there is something wrong with this little palace maid.
The words of the Emperor Shenwu drove Cui Wu completely mad. His Majesty said he wanted to find out the truth, but it wasn't to seek justice for himself, but because he was afraid that the Empress would be wronged! He was afraid that the slightest thing would tarnish the Empress's noble reputation. But what grievances did the high and mighty Empress have? She was the real victim!
Cui Wu's eyes were bloodshot and she was gasping for breath. Her whole body was shaking violently and layers of cold sweat were breaking out on her forehead.
The words of the Emperor Shenwu became the final straw that broke Cuiwu's back. Her bloodshot eyes almost glared at the Emperor Shenwu. Seeing Cuiwu's expression, Concubine Jiang's heart skipped a beat. Could this be true? Then she shook her head, she was really confused. How could it be possible?
Just as Concubine Jiang was in a trance, she heard Cui Wu's mournful cry: "This servant is innocent! The Queen is harming me!"
Then there was a "bang" sound, and Concubine Jiang trembled all over. Looking up, she saw that the bloody hole on Cuiwu's head was oozing blood, and soon there was a pool of bright red blood. She actually committed suicide to prove her innocence!
Emperor Shenwu fell silent. No one had expected that this little palace maid, who had appeared timid and cautious at first, would be so determined in the end to use her own life to prove her innocence.
Li Xiang immediately walked down from the hall, checked and said, "Your Majesty, he is dead!"
Emperor Shenwu's face was gloomy as he spoke to the two eunuchs kneeling on the ground. The two eunuchs were filled with bitterness and kowtowed to apologize: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. We didn't expect Cui Wu to suddenly have so much strength! It happened so suddenly. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Shenwu said calmly, "Go down and receive your punishment! She died of the right disease! Summon Li Zhong and have him take charge of the palace maid's severed hand case!"
Concubine Jiang shuddered. She thought, even if the Emperor Shenwu saw the Empress kill someone with his own eyes, he would probably scoop up a handful of dirt and cover the coffin tightly with the Empress! Really! Really!