"Your son and your daughter-in-law pay respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"Su Wan'er! Kneel down before this old woman!" The Empress Dowager suddenly threw the Buddhist beads in her hand at Su Wan'er. Si Junlin immediately stepped in front of her to block it, allowing the beads to hit him.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please calm your anger—" Everyone in the palace knelt down upon seeing this scene. Only then did Su Wan'er notice that all the important people were here today. Besides Concubine Mei and Noble Consort Xi, three out of the Four Concubines were present, except for Concubine Liang Yang. It seemed that fate was on her side for what she was about to do.
Si Junlin frowned and didn't sound very kind as he told them to get up.
"Noble Consort Xi, my dear child, sit down quickly. Don't tire yourself and harm the baby in your womb." As soon as the Empress Dowager said this, everyone in the palace naturally focused their eyes on Noble Consort Xi. Noble Consort Xi looked very proud. It seemed like she hadn't felt this way for a long time.
But Su Wan'er was puzzled. How could Noble Consort Xi be pregnant?
"Since the Emperor is here, it's time you knew. This afternoon, the imperial physician sent by this old woman himself diagnosed Noble Consort Xi. This child is truly blessed. She's already over two months pregnant." When the Empress Dowager mentioned this, her expression softened a lot.
Si Junlin wasn't very happy, though. God only knew where this child came from. Could it be... from that drunken night?
He looked back at Su Wan'er and only said, "Take good care of yourself." Then he fell silent.
At this moment, Su Wan'er was thinking that her guilt was finally confirmed. At least there was an imperial heir now. She had sprinkled the powder in Noble Consort Xi's palace yesterday. Slandering the mother of the imperial heir could be counted as harming the imperial heir, right?
However, she didn't feel happy. Si Junlin finally had a child. Didn't he and the Empress Dowager always long for a child? But she, as a general's daughter and the queen, couldn't give birth to a prince. Now it was great. The Empress Dowager's niece was pregnant. Everyone should be happy.
Su Wan'er found herself thinking too much. Why think about these things? Maybe she wouldn't be the queen once she left this door today. Who cared if Si Junlin had a child? Anyway, she wouldn't have a child with him.
"Humph, if it weren't for this happy event, this old woman's bones might fall apart today." The Empress Dowager looked coldly at Su Wan'er.
"Mother, please calm your anger. I wonder if your son has angered you again?" Si Junlin pretended not to know and tried to calm the Empress Dowager down.
"Today, this old woman won't talk to you as a mother and son." The Empress Dowager seemed determined. "Today, this old woman wants to talk to you about the palace rules, about the rules set by the ancestors of the Great Jin. Let's see if you, Si Junlin, dare to disobey!" The Empress Dowager knocked her walking stick on the ground loudly.
Su Wan'er secretly cheered in her heart. Ginger is still spicier when it's old. It seemed that the Empress Dowager was finally ready today. She was determined to depose the queen.
"Your son is terrified." Si Junlin frowned.
"Come, present it." The Empress Dowager called out a female official. The female official was holding a box carved with phoenix patterns. In this palace, only two women were allowed to use phoenix patterns as decorations. Everyone present might guess that the box belonged to the Empress Dowager. But Su Wan'er knew very well that the box came from her own palace, and inside it was the powder.
"What is this?" Si Junlin said impatiently to the female official, his eyes full of warnings.
But the female official was the Empress Dowager's confidant. How could she be threatened by him?
"Your Majesty, this is something that your maidservants found in the Queen's palace. According to the memories of the two maids in Concubine Mei's palace who were taken to the Punishment Department for interrogation, the people in their palace did see the herb from the Queen's palace that day."
"Mother, what do you mean? Concubine Mei is already immoral. Now she wants to frame the queen?" Si Junlin thought that the Empress Dowager, being a Buddhist, wouldn't find out about this so soon. So he wanted to give Su Wan'er some time to change her mind. But he didn't expect his mother to act so quickly. He didn't even have time to stop her.
But Su Wan'er didn't seem to appreciate his kindness. She, the one being framed, hadn't even shouted out the word "innocent" yet. Why was Si Junlin in such a hurry?
"If it were just Concubine Mei, would this old woman call everyone here and make such a big fuss?!" The Empress Dowager motioned for the female official to continue.
"Your Majesty, not only in Concubine Mei's palace, but in the palaces of all the concubines where this thing was found this noon, there are maids to testify that they saw the herb. Some said they were delivering the Queen's rewards, and some said the Queen asked for talisman water to clean the palace." The female official held the box and reported truthfully.
"I understand. You may step back."
"Queen, the evidence is conclusive. Do you have anything else to say?" The Empress Dowager stared at Su Wan'er.
Su Wan'er finally stepped forward. She felt that it was finally her turn to perform: "Your daughter-in-law... Your daughter-in-law is innocent." She thought that no matter what she said, as long as she didn't tell the truth, the effect would be the same. Anyway, she just had to keep insisting on her innocence. There was no need to waste more words.
"You!" The Empress Dowager was very angry at her perfunctory answer. She thought that Su Wan'er was being too arrogant and lawless because of the Emperor's favor.
"Fine, the queen still refuses to admit her guilt?"
"Mother, Wan'er she—"
"This old woman is trying a case. What are you interrupting for, Emperor?" The Empress Dowager interrupted Si Junlin. Su Wan'er almost laughed out loud. That's right. It would be best to drive him out. He was just ruining things here.
"Then the queen might as well explain why such a big box of this thing was found in your palace. What was that maid in your palace doing when she ran to so many other palaces these days?!" The Empress Dowager was determined to teach her a lesson.
"Your daughter-in-law... is innocent." Su Wan'er said the same words again.
"You!" Now it was Si Junlin's turn to glare at her. This woman was clearly doing it on purpose!
"Making a scene! This old woman won't be as easily fooled as the Emperor." The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and a personal maid came forward with a book in her hand.
Su Wan'er looked up and saw that it was exactly the same as the one she had read in her palace a few days ago. It seemed that this thing was really passed down from generation to generation. Every queen had a copy.
She was relieved then. She had checked according to this book, so it naturally matched the requirements for deposing the queen very well. But she had spent so much effort to find it. The Empress Dowager was old. Wouldn't she have trouble finding it?
"Don't you still want to admit your guilt?" Si Junlin frowned and whispered to remind her.
But Su Wan'er ignored him. She watched as the Empress Dowager casually flipped to the back of the book with great skill.
Su Wan'er couldn't help but admire in her heart. Sure enough, being a queen required talent. The words in this book were so small. It was amazing that the Empress Dowager could find what she was looking for so quickly.
"Queen Su has used such dirty means to frame many concubines. Now that Noble Consort Xi has been found to be pregnant, her crime is even more serious. What do you all think?" The Empress Dowager looked at the concubines below.
"Your daughter-in-laws will follow Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's instructions." As if they had discussed it beforehand, although they hated Su Wan'er to the core, none of them dared to be the first to stand up.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, your daughter-in-law thinks that the queen has lost her virtue. Today, your daughter-in-law dares to risk her life to plead with you to depose her."
Sure enough, a pregnant woman was different. She had the confidence to speak. Su Wan'er admired in her heart again.
"Presumptuous!" Si Junlin shouted angrily.
"You're the one who's presumptuous!" The Empress Dowager even stood up. "Everyone, speak your minds today. This old woman is still alive! The harem can't be in such a mess!"