By saying this, she clearly showed her attitude.
The chief eunuch, listening by the side, was quite touched. He almost got Concubine Mo killed, yet he never expected that the Empress Dowager would not bear a grudge and was still willing to protect him. Where in the world could one find such a kind - hearted master?
The moved look in his eyes made the Empress Dowager a bit uncomfortable to meet his gaze. If this eunuch knew that she just wanted to use him as a witness to teach Concubine Rui a lesson, that look in his eyes would probably turn into one of resentment.
She had been here for quite a while, but still wasn't quite used to the deep - seated scheming of these people.
Helplessly, she could only turn her head to the side. "Have you made up your mind?"
"I'll go! I'll go! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager has such good intentions. This lowly servant will always remember it."
Just like this, the group smoothly stepped into Qingning Palace.
However, as soon as they walked in, they suddenly smelled a certain odor. This smell was extremely familiar to Concubine Mo.
"It seems that some people still manage to maintain appearances. No wonder we haven't noticed any abnormalities for so long. She was given enough time to set up such a big scheme."
Shi Muyuan twitched the corner of her mouth. She was also quite impressed by Concubine Rui's patience. She never thought that Concubine Rui could act so convincingly. If it were herself, she would surely have shown her true colors long ago.
While lost in thought, she had already reached the door. Ze Ze stepped forward and announced in his shrill voice.
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is here!"
A response soon came from inside. Even at this moment, Concubine Rui could still act flawlessly in front of outsiders.
"Sister finally deigns to visit me. I thought sister had forgotten about me. These past few days, this younger sister has deeply reflected on my previous actions. Please give this younger sister another chance. I will never do such a foolish thing again."
With a pale face, she was supported by a maid as she walked to the door and bowed. "Greetings, sister!"
Shi Muyuan sneered. "I haven't seen you for a few days, and sister has become so haggard. It seems that the people in the palace haven't taken good care of you. Why don't you come and stay with sister for a while?"
Concubine Rui had already coughed up blood at the corner of her mouth, but she still pretended to be strong.
"This younger sister is fine. Thank you for sister's concern. But sister's visit is rather sudden. This younger sister has been fasting while praying to Buddha, and there's nothing good in Qingning Palace to offer sister."
"I didn't come here today to ask you for anything. Take a look at the person beside me. Do you recognize him?"
Hearing this, the delicate - looking Concubine Rui looked at the chief eunuch.
Then, a look of confusion appeared on her face.
"What does sister mean? He's just an ordinary eunuch."
As soon as she finished speaking, before Shi Muyuan could reply, someone exploded first.
"Has Your Highness the Concubine forgotten what you promised me before? You've met me many times. Or are you going to renege on your words now? Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is here to seek justice for me."
Concubine Rui cursed "idiot" in her heart, but on the surface, she still pretended to be completely unaware.
"What do you mean? Are you saying that this Palace once instructed you to do things? Ridiculous! Judging from your appearance, you've never served in this Palace. How could I possibly know you?"
The chief eunuch got anxious. Remembering what the Empress Dowager had promised him just now - as long as he could get Concubine Rui to admit that she had instructed all those things, he could live a care - free life far away with the person he loved.
He didn't want to miss such a good opportunity. Just when everyone thought the chief eunuch had no way to refute, he suddenly took out a small pouch from his body.
"The silver in this pouch was all given to me by Your Highness the Concubine to bribe those people. Now that both the witness and the evidence are here, Your Highness the Concubine still wants to blame this on me?"
Concubine Rui was calm. She casually glanced at the pouch and just thought it was ridiculous.
"This is just an ordinary pouch. You can find them everywhere on the streets of Changjing. Do you think you can frame this Palace with this? It seems that you must be sent by someone else."
As if she had grasped a key point, she turned her head and stared intently at the person who had remained silent all this time.
"Sister, it must be so. You must believe me. This person is not trustworthy. Maybe he's in collusion with someone. Sister also knows that I've offended many people before. It's normal for them to want to interfere now."
Well, she still had some self - awareness and knew that she had offended many people in the palace. But what was the use of saying this now?
Shi Muyuan smiled slightly and turned to exchange a look with the chief eunuch.
"What evidence do you have for what you said? It's not that easy to frame a concubine like this, is it?"
In essence, she was asking the chief eunuch to produce the evidence. The chief eunuch wasn't stupid and understood the meaning. He quickly poured out the contents of the pouch.
"When I first got this pouch, I noticed there was something special about it. It seems that the embroidery inside can only be done by Concubine Rui in the whole world."
As for how the chief eunuch knew this, it was because he had served beside Concubine Wang a long time ago. Concubine Rui once showed off her embroidery skills in front of the late Emperor.
When that special embroidery technique was revealed, everyone was shocked.
Although Shi Muyuan had seen it in the original owner's memory, she was still truly amazed. Even in modern times, no one or machine could reproduce it.
Moreover, with such exquisite craftsmanship, if it were taken out, it would surely be sought after by everyone.
She couldn't help but feel a bit envious. How could Concubine Rui not only be so scheming but also know so many things?
Concubine Mo noticed her little sister's gaffe and had a black line across her forehead. Why hadn't she noticed before that this Empress Dowager was so easy to show her emotions?
Concubine Mo coughed twice, and finally managed to bring her little sister's mind back.
Her tone was a bit disappointed.
"Has Your Majesty the Empress Dowager forgotten the purpose of today's visit? Or are you going to let Concubine Rui go just because of this embroidery?"
After being lectured by her little sister, the Empress Dowager looked a bit embarrassed, but she quickly regained her composure.
"How could I? I will surely not forget the purpose of today's visit. Just watch. I will surely seek justice for you."
She deliberately let her face fall, then picked up the pouch.
"What else do you have to say, Concubine Rui? Someone has clearly pointed out that you're the mastermind behind all this. Now come back with me and let's talk this matter through and discuss what to do."
Concubine Rui bit her lower lip tightly. Things had come to this point. She had finally managed to keep her position, and she absolutely couldn't let all her hard - won efforts go to waste.
After thinking for a moment, she directly pushed the maid beside her out.