Chapter 318: Chapter 261: Unlike What an Empress Would Do

The Emperor laughed in exasperation, the words "You think I don’t dare to punish you" stuck in his throat, unable to come out as he looked at her.

The anger in his heart and the helpless expression on his face forced the Emperor to end with a doting smile, as if he had no way to deal with her.

In Consort Xian’s palace, all the Emperor’s concubines gathered.

Seeing the Emperor’s expression, everyone was both envious and jealous.

Only Shen Ruoxi could leave the Emperor speechless, unable even to utter a word of punishment, ending up accepting everything indulgently.

This stirred a sourness and bitterness in their hearts.

"In the end, it’s Princess Consort Zhan’s mistake, isn’t it?" After a long silence, the Emperor squeezed out this sentence.

"Indeed, I am at fault too. But since Your Majesty doesn’t wish to punish me, shouldn’t we find out who exactly was responsible for poisoning Consort Xian?" Shen Ruoxi said calmly.

The Emperor knew well that the most he could do was to scold her; as for punishing her? That was nearly impossible.

Not to mention he was reluctant, since she was now Princess Consort Zhan and pregnant. To punish her would be truly unreasonable.

The Emperor initially wanted to seize the upper hand, making her think it was her fault. But seeing her unconcerned, he decided not to dwell on it.

With her, what does it matter who is right or wrong anyway?

The Emperor turned his gaze to the Empress and said coldly, "My dear, Imperial Doctor Zhou’s testimony claims you instructed him to do this, what do you have to say?"

The Empress, her face covered in tears, sobbed, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged terribly! I have never had any dealings with Imperial Doctor Zhou, much less instructed him to poison Consort Xian.

It has always been Doctor Wu who attended to me. I implore Your Majesty to look into this and clear my name."

Consort Xian was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke, "Your Majesty, perhaps you should bring the palace maids, eunuchs, and older servants from the Empress’s side for questioning.

A palace maid in my quarters mentioned seeing someone moving about in my small kitchen one day. Let them identify whether it was a servant from the Empress’s quarters."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor nodded in agreement.

Soon, the personal eunuchs, palace maids, and older servants by the Empress’s side were summoned.

They hurriedly bowed to the Emperor, then greeted the Empress and the concubines.

The Emperor, with a stern expression, fiercely questioned, "Has anyone among you ever drugged Consort Xian’s meals?"

The people from the Empress’s side came with fearful expressions, unanimously denying any such act.

Seeing no one confess, the Emperor turned to the palace maid beside Consort Xian and said, "Look carefully, among these people, is there anyone who was in the small kitchen of Consort Xian?"

The palace maid widened her eyes, scanning each face carefully, her expression tense and focused.

For a moment, the whole palace was filled with a heavy atmosphere as everyone held their breath, awaiting the maid’s response.

The Empress’s heart inexplicably tightened.

The palace maid from Consort Xian’s quarters suddenly became animated, pointing directly at a palace maid in a green uniform, shouting, "It’s her."

The accused maid instantly panicked, hastily defending herself, "You lie, I did not."

At this moment, the Empress’s heart inexplicably tightened.

She knew this was certainly not her doing, so why were so many people accusing her? Could it be Consort Xian’s conspiracy?

Consort Xian came from a distinguished family, yet her status was below that of the Empress, and her desire to replace the Empress was plausible.

However, upon careful consideration, it seemed unlikely, as why would she risk such a scheme involving offspring?

After all, this concerned offspring; what woman would dare gamble with such a thing?

The Empress’s mind was in turmoil, repeatedly pondering, yet she couldn’t find a reasonably explainable rationale.

The Emperor frowned deeply, his eyes piercing as he asked, "Are you sure it’s Yun Mei?"

So the name of the palace maid was Yun Mei.

The maid from Consort Xian’s quarters firmly replied, "Your Majesty, I absolutely wouldn’t mistake her, it is indeed her."

The Emperor’s expression instantly turned gloomy, his voice icy as he said, "Yun Mei, speak! Did you poison Consort Xian?"

At first, Yun Mei firmly denied, kneeling and crying out her innocence.

But under the Emperor’s authoritative pressure, she finally loudly confessed, "It’s the Empress. She was anxious about not bearing a prince and feared that Consort Xian might bear one before her, thus ordering me to poison Consort Xian’s meals.

The Empress is my mistress; I dared not disobey. Mercy, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, the Empress’s face turned ashen, her fingers trembling uncontrollably, as she roared, "Yun Mei, I have treated you kindly, why do you falsely accuse me in this manner?"

"Your Grace, I am deeply grateful for your kindness, but what is done is done, and I cannot lie to the Emperor. Please confess!" Yun Mei said with a resolute expression.

The Empress, infuriated, shouted, "I did nothing, what do you want me to confess?"

"Your Grace, His Majesty is here, please, tell the truth!" Yun Mei added once more.

The Empress shook with rage, nearly losing her composure.

The Emperor, looking indifferent, said, "Empress, you claimed Imperial Doctor Zhou accused you falsely, and now you say your own maid accuses you falsely. Who can believe such words? I never imagined you could be so vicious."

The Empress felt her world spinning, overwhelmed by grievance like an overflowing tide that found no outlet for release.

She knew clearer than anyone, once such an unfounded charge was confirmed, what awaited her was the abyss of endless darkness.

But this sudden accusation left her in a desperate and indefensible plight.

"Your Majesty, I have been by your side for six years, bearing you two princesses. Your Majesty, surely you must know what kind of person I am! I really didn’t do this, why would Your Majesty wrong me so?"

The Empress cried out hoarsely, clutching the Emperor’s leg, her tears streaming down as her makeup was long since smeared and chaotic.

Shen Ruoxi frowned, finding the scene before her utterly bizarre.

Her cousin, who should have been angrily questioning the Empress, the alleged perpetrator, stood instead with a dark expression and remained silent, as if detached from the situation.

Conversely, the Emperor no longer questioned the Empress further, swiftly attributing all blame to her.

Yun Mei was even more peculiar; as the Empress’s confidante, she confessed easily after only a few presses by the Emperor?

And the Empress’s demeanor, if she were guilty, she would not protest her innocence so aggrievedly. Shen Ruoxi could sincerely feel her grievance was not feigned.

"The evidence is conclusive, yet you still argue!" The Emperor shouted in rage.

Then, he loudly called, "Guards!"

No sooner had he spoken, a group of Imperial Army soldiers swiftly entered, bowing respectfully to greet the Emperor.

"Take the Empress to the Cold Palace and strip her of her title!" The Emperor’s decree echoed like thunder in the front hall.

In an instant, the entire front hall was enveloped in a deathly silence, an oppressive atmosphere as if suffocating.

Shen Ruoxi pursed her lips, watching someone roughly remove the Empress’s phoenix crown, and her luxurious outer garments were stripped away mercilessly. The Empress collapsed on the ground, as though all support had been stripped from her.

"Your Majesty, if I had done it, I would willingly bear the consequences, without complaint. But truly, I did not do it! Consort Xian, do you not want to find the real culprit?"

The Empress cried out in despair, yet everyone remained unmoved.

Suddenly, as if grasping at the last straw, the Empress broke free from the guards restraining her and crawled desperately to the feet of Shen Ruoxi.

"Princess Consort Zhan, you have always discerned right from wrong, just an earnest pursuit would reveal I am innocent. Imperial Doctor Zhou and Yun Mei were both bribed by malicious people, I am truly wronged, please seek justice for me."

"Take her away, and be warned, do not let any harm come to the Princess Consort!" The Emperor was fuming.

The Imperial Army, seeing the Emperor’s anger, hurried to drag away the deposed Empress, now a figure of utter desolation.

Shen Ruoxi’s hand clenched fiercely within her sleeve, her nails nearly digging into her palm.

This matter certainly bears hidden intricacies!