Tang Youyou gave a cold smile. She looked at Rong Xun, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, since Concubine Su has admitted her mistake, this matter..."
Before she could finish, Rong Xun simply said the next sentence, "You are the mistress of the six palaces. Leave these matters to you to handle. Punish and enforce justice as you see fit."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou glanced at Su Nian'e in front of her. The woman's face was streaked with tears. Tang Youyou naturally knew what her fate would be. But at the thought that it would be Tang Youyou who would carry out the punishment, Su Nian'e felt even more aggrieved.
How dare this woman ride roughshod over her again and again? And Wen Ruxue, the one who had used her as a pawn, how could she stay out of trouble at a time like this!
However, this time she had completely lost. And Tang Youyou was not at all polite. With Rong Xun's approval, she became even bolder in her actions.
Tang Youyou spoke again. Every word was like a thorn piercing into Su Nian'e's heart. She said, "Regarding the name on that voodoo doll, which is mine, we already have a result. But as for the late Lady An, the person who harmed her has not yet been found."
Thinking of this, Tang Youyou continued, "So, Concubine Wen and Eunuch Yin just said that it seemed that you all saw me drown Lady An."
Tang Youyou's words were not in the slightest bit questioning, but rather a statement of fact.
At this moment, Wen Ruxue, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt her heartstrings tighten again. Right, this matter had not been resolved yet. How could Tang Youyou let it go!
Wen Ruxue remained silent.
In the blink of an eye, Tang Youyou, who had been sitting on the upper seat, slowly walked down. She glanced at Wen Ruxue beside her and asked gently, "Concubine Wen, aren't you the one most qualified to speak on this matter?"
Wen Ruxue immediately explained, "Your humble concubine only heard it from others. It was someone under my command who saw it. Your humble concubine is not very clear about it."
These words made the concubines who had been partial to Wen Ruxue start to complain. Wasn't this clearly being a fence-sitter?
Seeing Wen Ruxue's calm expression, as if spreading rumors was something to be proud of, Tang Youyou pretended to be surprised and paced slowly towards Lady An's memorial tablet.
The next moment, she took out the handkerchief tucked in her waist and began to sob softly. Her crying was so exaggerated that it was as if her parents had just died. It was truly heart-wrenching.
However, in Tang Youyou's eyes, it was nothing but crocodile tears.
Tang Youyou suddenly said, "Concubine Wen, crying like this might tire your body. It's better to bring out the person who spread the rumors."
Immediately afterwards, Wen Ruxue stopped crying. With her bloodshot eyes, she looked at Tang Youyou and nodded carefully, signaling Fuzhi beside her to bring the person over.
After a while, a eunuch appeared in the main hall. His face was very unfamiliar. Even Su Nian'e, who lived in the same palace as Wen Ruxue, had never seen him before.
The little eunuch quickly knelt on the ground. Before Tang Youyou could even ask anything, he confessed on his own.
"Your Majesty the Queen, that day this slave didn't see you at all. It was just that for a moment this slave's mind was clouded, so this slave thought of spreading rumors to gain the favor of the ladies. This slave thought it would make things easier for myself, but this slave didn't expect such consequences. Your Majesty the Queen, this slave knows it was wrong. Please forgive this slave and Your Majesty!"
His crying and sniveling was extremely ugly, making Tang Youyou, who had originally wanted to say more, instantly speechless. One had to admit that eunuchs were truly strange creatures.
She said, "Since that's the case, you're not really sure who exactly killed that person, right?"
Hearing this, the little eunuch nodded slightly.
"Exactly. But this slave could tell that the person was wearing a golden robe, which was very similar to the one Your Majesty the Queen wore the other day. That's why this slave misidentified the person."
As soon as he finished speaking, a sobbing woman appeared at the door. She was crying so pitifully. Tang Youyou's eyes darkened slightly. It seemed that the Qingliang Hall was truly bustling today.
She glanced at the maid casually. The maid's legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground.
The maid sobbed as she came in front of Tang Youyou. Her actions were exactly the same as the little eunuch's. She started to describe what had happened at that time as soon as she came in.
Did she really think Tang Youyou was stupid?
"Your Majesty the Queen, it was this servant. This servant saw Lady An looking for something in the water. Then she accidentally fell in. This servant can't swim at all, so there was nothing this servant could do to save her. But seeing that the person had stopped breathing, this servant was scared and left without trying to save her anymore."
The maid's words were reasonable and concise.
Wen Ruxue was satisfied. This was exactly the effect she wanted.
And Su Nian'e, who was still kneeling on the ground, looked at Wen Ruxue with hatred in her eyes. This woman always made perfect arrangements for her own retreat.
This matter had already taken too much time. Tang Youyou glanced at Rong Xun beside her. Seeing him nod slightly at her, Tang Youyou gained the confidence to act.
She returned to the upper seat and looked down at the people below. The little eunuch, the maid, and Su Nian'e had made this whole thing so exciting.
Tang Youyou spoke again. Her words left no room for doubt. "Since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to this palace, this palace will make the arrangements."
"The little eunuch shall have his tongue cut out and be beaten to death with a rod! The maid shall be beaten with forty rods! Concubine Su shall be beaten with twenty rods! Concubine Wen shall be beaten with ten rods! As a warning to others!"
Hearing this, Wen Ruxue, who had been smiling just now, suddenly changed her expression. She looked at Tang Youyou in disbelief and asked excitedly,
"Why does Your Majesty the Queen want to punish your humble concubine?"
Tang Youyou said unhurriedly, "This palace has its own reasons for doing things. Do you think this palace would abuse its power to harm you?"
But Wen Ruxue still refused to accept it and said, "Then please tell your humble concubine the reason for punishing your humble concubine. Your humble concubine can't be punished without knowing what's wrong!"
Finally, there was a change in Tang Youyou's face. She said calmly,
"First, as the mistress of a palace, you allowed others to spread rumors. Second, as a concubine, you failed to take good care of the other concubines and notice something wrong with the concubines in your palace. Third, as a concubine, you lack courtesy and have repeatedly offended this palace. So do you think this palace has no right to punish you!"
Tang Youyou's words hit the nail on the head. Wen Ruxue, who had originally wanted to say something, was immediately speechless. The grievance on the tip of her tongue was also swallowed back. She had no choice but to swallow her anger.