Qingcao couldn't keep up, and the other maids selected from the palace were even slower.
After much haste, Qingcao finally caught up just as Su Wan'er was about to enter the imperial study.
However, she was too late to stop Su Wan'er.
Out of habit, Su Wan'er pushed open the door of the imperial study forcefully.
But at this moment, Si Junlin had already left. When Su Wan'er opened the door, all she saw was the empty study and the neatly stacked memorials.
"Someone, there's a thief!" Just as Su Wan'er was about to leave the study, she heard a shrill cry from outside.
Su Wan'er quickly walked outside and found that teams of imperial guards were rushing into the courtyard. At the front, besides the commander of the imperial guards, there were also Concubine Hua and her personal maid.
Su Wan'er's eyes darkened slightly. She never expected that she would be seen by Concubine Hua when she came to the study at this time.
Judging from the speed at which the imperial guards arrived, it was likely that Concubine Hua had followed her all the way.
This woman was really...
"I pay my respects to the Empress. May I ask why the Empress is in the imperial study?" Although the commander of the imperial guards came with Concubine Hua, Su Wan'er was still his superior. When he saw Su Wan'er, he still saluted respectfully.
Su Wan'er signaled Qingcao, who had been hiding in the dark since the imperial guards entered, to leave first. She could figure out another way.
Although Qingcao really wanted to come out and help Su Wan'er, reason prevailed over emotion. She knew that if she was caught with Su Wan'er here, there might be no chance to rescue her mistress in the future.
So, after receiving Su Wan'er's signal, she couldn't come out.
Su Wan'er turned to the commander of the imperial guards. "General Chen, it seems that everyone already knows that I entered the imperial study. What's so strange about it?"
Concubine Hua finally caught Su Wan'er's mistake and naturally wouldn't let her escape so easily.
"Before, you could enter the imperial study because the Emperor was present and gave his consent. Naturally, we couldn't say anything." Concubine Hua sneered and continued, "But now, the Emperor is not in the imperial study, and you come here alone. Don't tell me you have no ulterior motives."
"I said I came to the imperial study to look for the Emperor. What are you going to say then?" Su Wan'er said calmly.
This was the truth, and she wasn't afraid to say it.
As soon as her voice fell, she heard a shrill cry from behind the imperial guards. "His Majesty the Emperor is coming!"
The familiar tone made Su Wan'er recognize at once that it was Fang Xi shouting.
As the imperial guards parted, Su Wan'er saw Si Junlin, surrounded by a group of eunuchs and maids, slowly walking through the imperial guards and directly to the front.
This time, not only Si Junlin came, but also the Empress Dowager.
Su Wan'er signaled Si Junlin with her eyes. "What on earth are you up to?"
Si Junlin didn't respond to Su Wan'er. He just supported the Empress Dowager in. Then, his gaze swept over everyone present and he asked, "What exactly is going on?"
Before Su Wan'er could say a word, Concubine Hua rushed to speak.
In front of Su Wan'er and Si Junlin, she exaggerated the story. In short, although Su Wan'er had done nothing, Concubine Hua made it sound as if she had evil intentions and wanted to steal the confidential letters from the imperial study and send them to the border.
Su Wan'er listened to her words but didn't intend to defend herself. Si Junlin should know what kind of person she was. After they exchanged souls, she had plenty of opportunities to send the confidential letters to the border. Since she didn't do it then, she certainly wouldn't do it now. That would be asking for trouble.
Si Junlin certainly wouldn't believe Concubine Hua's story. On this point, he and Su Wan'er thought alike.
During the good opportunity when they exchanged souls, Su Wan'er didn't send the letters, so she naturally wouldn't do such a thing when their souls were back to normal.
However, he didn't want to let Su Wan'er off so easily. This was such a good chance for revenge. If he let it go, he would feel sorry for himself.
Of course, he wouldn't let her be seriously hurt.
So, after listening to Concubine Hua's words, Si Junlin turned to Su Wan'er. "Well, Empress, do you have anything to say in your defense?"
Su Wan'er looked at Si Junlin in disbelief. She never dreamed that Si Junlin would ask such a question. This was very different from what she had expected...
Her mind was racing, and then she said to Si Junlin, "Your Majesty, I just thought of some issues and wanted to discuss them with you. But I didn't expect that you weren't in the imperial study. I was about to leave when Concubine Hua blocked me in the courtyard with the imperial guards."
Seeing that Si Junlin had no intention of speaking, Su Wan'er had to continue. "If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, you can send someone to check the imperial study to see if there are any signs of rummaging. If I had rummaged through the things in the imperial study in such a short time, it should be easy to tell."
When Su Wan'er said this, everyone's eyes turned to Si Junlin, waiting for his decision.
Concubine Hua was also anxiously watching Si Junlin's actions. Judging from the Emperor's previous doting on the Empress, if this matter continued like this, it would surely end without a proper resolution.
Now that Concubine Mei and Concubine Xi were under house arrest in the palace, this was a great opportunity for her to rise to power. If she didn't seize this chance to bring down the Empress, she would probably scold herself.
She secretly made up her mind. "I must bring the Empress to her knees."
"Your Majesty, all these are just your one - sided words. Have you ever seen a thief leave their evidence for others? Although you said you haven't been here for long, is there anyone who can prove it?"
"Of course there is. The eunuchs, maids here, and the imperial guards responsible for guarding the study can all testify for me." Su Wan'er said.
Hearing this, Concubine Mei couldn't help but show a sneering smile at the corner of her mouth.
She thought the Empress was so great, but it turned out she was just a fool.
It didn't matter that she was stupid. Concubine Mei could take her place.
She dared to slander Su Wan'er like this because she had made full preparations. She had bribed everyone from the eunuchs and maids to the imperial guards patrolling nearby.
Although her family didn't have much power, they were rich. For her, anything that could be solved with money wasn't a big deal.
She was really desperate to get the position of the Empress.
The result was obvious. When Si Junlin summoned the eunuchs, maids, and the patrolling imperial guards, they all sided with Concubine Hua.