Seeing that all the officials' wives had fallen silent, Shi Muyuan knew it was time for her to take action.
She first walked up to Concubine Rui and spoke in a voice only audible to the two of them.
"If you don't want those dirty things you've done to be exposed today, then find a way to settle this matter. You must ensure the safety of General Qin and me. Otherwise, even if I have to tear off all pretenses, I'll make sure you, this imperial concubine, lose your life."
Although it was obvious that Shi Muyuan couldn't really resolve this matter, the threat in her words still frightened Concubine Rui.
There was a hint of unwillingness in her tone. She had finally set up such a scheme. How could she let it go so easily?
"Sister can expose all the things I've done before. Then the whole world will know that the late emperor was cuckolded. I'm afraid it will only bring trouble to sister and the emperor in the end, right?"
"Who gave you the audacity to threaten me?"
"Humph, sister should think it through. It's best not to push me too hard, or we'll all end up in a lose - lose situation."
"So, you're not going to solve today's problem?"
Shi Muyuan narrowed her eyes slightly, and a dangerous aura emanated from her.
But Concubine Rui still foolishly continued.
"Sister has always been so smart. Can't you even handle such a small matter? If sister really wants today's matter to pass, how about we make a deal?"
Before she could finish her words, she was directly interrupted by Shi Muyuan. Even a fool could guess what she was up to.
"I'm afraid sister doesn't know the meaning of 'unworthy of one's position'. Otherwise, you wouldn't be daydreaming about taking my place every day. It's just a cuckold. The late emperor has been gone for so many years. Even if something really happened, all the people in the world will only feel sorry for the late emperor."
Concubine Rui was stunned by her calm analysis. Wasn't she afraid that the late emperor would lose face and the entire royal family would be disgraced?
Shi Muyuan was just a person from modern times. Everything in ancient times didn't mean much to her, except for a few people. She never cared about things like face.
In modern times, if you were too concerned about face, you couldn't even make ends meet. Besides, haven't you heard the saying? "Thick - skinned people eat well." From a psychological perspective, people would only sympathize with the victim.
Concubine Rui had had multiple affairs. If she then asked her elder brother to do something secretly and spread some rumors, all the people in the world would only think that the late emperor was kind - hearted, which was why he had allowed Concubine Rui to stay alive until now.
After carefully weighing the pros and cons, she felt there was no need to waste any more words on this woman.
"Since sister doesn't want to clarify this matter, don't blame me for being merciless."
After saying that, just as she was about to turn around and tell everything, something unexpected happened.
"Anyway, since we've come this far, I have something very important to tell sister."
Shi Muyuan had a bad feeling in her heart.
"You can say it after I expose all the good things you've done before."
"I'm doing this for sister's own good. Sister had better listen first before deciding whether to do this or not."
Shi Muyuan was stunned. Did this woman have some other tricks up her sleeve?
Sure enough, Concubine Rui was really scheming.
"Before the late emperor passed away, he prepared two imperial edicts for me. Those two edicts can guarantee that I'll always stay in this position. And one of the edicts clearly states that if sister wants to depose me, she must be deposed together with me."
Shi Muyuan widened her eyes and looked back at this woman.
Their eyes met. Concubine Rui was calm and even showed a hint of pride.
"If sister doesn't believe me, I can go back and get the edicts for sister to see."
How could she not believe it? Back then, the late emperor had never even touched the original owner, let alone had any feelings for her. It was reasonable for him to do such a thing.
Shi Muyuan gritted her teeth. It seemed that today's matter couldn't continue. However, she also had to establish her authority. Otherwise, this woman would only become more and more arrogant in the future.
"Even if the late emperor left the imperial edicts and I'll be deposed together with you, there's still the Shi family behind me. You can escape this disaster today, but you must find a way to settle this matter yourself. Otherwise, you should know what will happen to you."
Her reaction was unexpected. Concubine Rui was cornered and had no choice but to agree.
"Then it's settled."
The people beside them were very curious about what the two had said. But before they could hear clearly, Concubine Rui had already changed her attitude.
"So that's the case. Sister might have really misunderstood me. How about sister call out that palace maid and we'll confront each other face - to - face?"
"Sure. Someone! Go and call out the palace maid who knocked over the box just now."
As soon as Shi Muyuan finished speaking, Xiao Xiao rushed in from outside.
She leaned over and whispered, "My lady, when I chased after that palace maid just now, she had already taken poison and killed herself."
"How could it be such a coincidence?"
She deliberately raised her voice so that all the ladies around could hear clearly.
"What exactly happened to make the empress dowager so surprised?"
"The palace maid who knocked over the box just now, for some unknown reason, took poison and killed herself. She didn't leave any useful clues."
Hearing this, Concubine Rui began to cry.
"What should we do then? Won't there be no one to prove my innocence?"
A lady beside her asked curiously.
"What do you mean, Concubine Rui? Does it mean that the things in that box are related to you?"
Concubine Rui nodded, looking extremely pitiful.
"Yes. The things in that box were originally a painting that sister asked me to do last time. General Qin had never been to our country before. Sister hoped to give General Qin a gift to recognize his current status of surrender. Knowing that I'm good at painting, sister entrusted this task to me. I didn't expect someone to tamper with it in the middle. Now that the palace maid is dead, I don't know how to prove my innocence. How about I prove my innocence with my life?"
She described it so vividly as if this was really the truth. And after she finished speaking, she really tried to crash into the pillar beside her. It was Xiao Xiao who reacted the fastest and pulled this imperial concubine back.
It was a close call. The officials' wives gradually believed what she said.
Shi Muyuan even went against her usual self and stepped forward with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay, sister?"