Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012: Delivering a Message
Nanny Qian whispered, "This time a loyal servant saved her life; next time she might not have such luck."
The Empress sneered, "That vile maid has a heart of a snake and scorpion, yet someone is still completely devoted to her."
As they were speaking, a palace maid announced from outside, "Your Majesty, a eunuch requests to see you and deliver a message."
The Empress raised an eyebrow, "Let him in."
The young eunuch entered, knelt on the ground, and whispered, "I serve Eunuch Quan."
"Eunuch Quan has instructed me to inform Your Majesty that Commander Zhu has confessed, and the woman he was involved with used to be called Xiu Er."
Upon hearing this, the Empress was somewhat puzzled but nevertheless nodded, "Go back and tell your master that I appreciate his gesture and acknowledge his favor."
Nanny Qian stepped forward and handed the young eunuch a piece of broken silver.
The young eunuch hesitated before adding, "Commander Zhu is not dead yet, but his tongue has been severed, leaving only half. The Imperial Physician says he won’t be able to speak in the future."
Once the young eunuch left, Nanny Qian said, "I understand now; the deceased Aunt Xue might not have originally been called Xiu Er at home—this could be Commander Zhu’s fabrication."
The Empress nodded, "Hmm, let’s find someone to investigate further when we return to Xiang City."
Nanny Qian said, "However, Your Majesty should not expose it yet, even if the investigation reveals discrepancies. The Noble Consort has a silver tongue; she might fabricate a lie, and His Majesty might just believe it."
"As for Commander Zhu, it’s a pity his tongue is severed, and we can’t extract anything more."
The Empress shook her head, "Even Quan Dahai couldn’t get anything out; we shouldn’t expect more either. This matter seems to end here."
Nanny Qian added, "I think neither the National Lady nor Lord Chief Minister knows the details of the matter. Your Majesty might as well reveal some to them."
The Empress showed a bitter smile, "The National Lady is slippery and elusive."
"Lord Chief Minister is incredibly shrewd; I don’t dare make any moves now. Every time I try to win them over, I feel they see through everything."
"Perhaps they even secretly ridicule me."
Nanny Qian said, "That’s not likely; I see the National Lady is a person of integrity. She would definitely not mock Your Majesty behind her back."
The Empress waved her hand, "Living in this palace is truly exhausting."
"You might not want to vie, yet others push you to compete, and one wrong step leads to utter ruin."
Nanny Qian said, "Your Majesty, do not speak like that; remember, the Second Prince and the Third Princess still need Your Majesty’s support."
The Empress nodded, "Indeed, I cannot fall. If I do, these two children will be like fish on others’ chopping boards."
She narrowed her eyes, "That vile maid Rong Lihua, I will sooner or later eliminate her!"
The next day, Nanny Qian specifically went to inform Yun Jiao of the matter.
Yun Jiao waited for Jiang Youzhi to return and told him everything.
Jiang Youzhi would definitely not believe anything about the Noble Consort’s palace maid wanting revenge because the Second Prince had humiliated her.
The palace maid was clearly taking the blame for Consort Rong.
The crux of the matter lies in whether His Majesty is willing to believe.
It was unclear whether His Majesty’s male pride was at play or if he genuinely cherished Consort Rong to the point of self-deception.
Yun Jiao leaned against Jiang Youzhi, "No wonder when I went to see the Empress Dowager that day, Consort Rong stared at my purse for quite a while; she was probably contemplating how to frame me."
Jiang Youzhi sneered, "She desires her son to become the emperor in the future. Ha, not while I’m around."
"Let the Rong Family jump around for a few more days; once we’ve gathered their weaknesses, we’ll wipe them out completely."
Yun Jiao looked up at him, "Husband, when you say things like this, you resemble a force—a those treacherous ministers."
