Unlimited Save System for Palace Intrigue

Chapter 453: The Empress Dowager’s Audience “Since the person behind this wants to frame me, they certainly won’t stop here. They might have something else up their sleeve. We need to come up with a plan soon. Only by finding the culprit can we truly clear my name,” Ruyi said. “Now that these three palace maids have framed you, I wonder how the Empress Dowager will react. What if she takes their word at face value and sends people to arrest you right away?” Aunt Sun said. “The Empress Dowager hasn’t sent anyone to arrest me yet, so she clearly still has some doubts. However, if we don’t catch the real culprit soon, my situation won’t look too good. Auntie Sun, you must send people immediately to investigate who is behind this,” Ruyi said. “Yes, my lady. I’ll send people to investigate immediately. I will not let the person behind this go unpunished. To dare to frame my lady is truly an unforgivable crime,” Aunt Sun said. Although she had sent Aunt Sun to investigate, Ruyi still felt uneasy. After all, since the other party was trying to frame her, they certainly wouldn’t reveal any loopholes easily. Ruyi remained deeply concerned. The Empress Dowager already disliked her intensely, and this frame-up provided the perfect pretext for her to take direct action. If the Empress Dowager truly sent men to arrest her, Ruyi would be powerless to resist. Moreover, until the matter was fully investigated, even the Emperor likely wouldn’t be able to intercede on her behalf—and besides, he might not even take her side or fully believe her. Thinking of her dire predicament, Ruyi’s brows furrowed. “My lady, please do not worry so much. We have already sent people to investigate this matter, and I am sure we will have results soon. You are innocent, and it will not be so easy for them to frame you,” Xiangling said. “I hope we hear good news. After all, I am far too conspicuous in this harem, and there are plenty of people eager to see me fall. If the culprit isn’t identified and they frame me outright, even if I’m not punished, I won’t have an easy time of it,” Ruyi said. Because Ruyi had placed spies close to both the Empress Dowager and Lin Wanxian, she learned of this news quickly. However, others were not as well-informed; at most, they had only heard that the Ninth Prince had met with misfortune, without knowing that the palace maids who had been poisoned had directly accused Ruyi of the crime. Although the Empress Dowager had been dissuaded by Lin Wanxian, she did not wish to let Ruyi off lightly. Even if Ruyi were not the true culprit this time, the Empress Dowager could use this opportunity to teach her a lesson. However, since Ruyi was the Emperor’s favorite concubine, the Empress Dowager would not go too far. The Empress Dowager sent for all the concubines in the harem, intending to uncover the culprit. The concubines who knew of the Ninth Prince’s misfortune felt a surge of anxiety upon hearing the Empress Dowager’s summons. Although they had not committed the crime, they were still deeply concerned by her call. Upon learning that the Empress Dowager had summoned all the concubines in the harem, they felt somewhat relieved—as long as it wasn’t directed at them. “My lady, the Empress Dowager has sent someone to summon you. Should we inform His Majesty? The Empress Dowager has always disliked you—might she use this opportunity to make things difficult for you?” Auntie Sun said. “There’s no need. With the Empress Dowager making such a big fuss, the Emperor must already know about this. If we send someone to find him now, wouldn’t that embarrass the Empress Dowager? It would clearly show we don’t trust her,” Ruyi said. “But Mistress, what if something unexpected happens? What then?” Aunt Sun said with some concern. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I have nothing to fear for what I haven’t done. The truth will prevail, and falsehoods will be exposed. I’m eager to see who is framing me this time,” Ruyi said. In truth, Ruyi wasn’t entirely opposed to seeking the Emperor’s help. However, the Empress Dowager had summoned everyone to her presence, and Ruyi wasn’t sure if the Empress Dowager would make things difficult for her. If she were to go to the Emperor for help at this moment, wouldn’t that make her appear guilty? Besides, everything hinges on evidence. Even the Empress Dowager couldn’t punish her without cause. If there were evidence, even summoning the Emperor wouldn’t help. “Princess, the Empress Dowager has sent word for you to come to her palace,” Princess Wanrou’s maid said. “The Empress Dowager has summoned me. Did she summon anyone else? Surely she wouldn’t have called only this princess?” Princess Wanrou asked. Hearing the Empress Dowager’s summons, Princess Wanrou felt a bit nervous. Could it be that the Empress Dowager had discovered she was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes? But upon further reflection, Princess Wanrou dismissed the idea as impossible. After all, she had been so discreet. The Empress Dowager couldn’t have discovered it so quickly. Apart from those three palace maids and her own confidants, no one knew she was the one behind it all. Princess Wanrou didn’t believe those three maids would dare risk having their entire families killed by her just to confess to this. Her confidants would never betray her either; there was no way the Empress Dowager could know she was the one responsible. Sure enough, her maid’s words proved that she had been overthinking it. “The Empress Dowager has summoned all the consorts in the harem. Your Highness is merely one of them. The other consorts have already set out. Shouldn’t we depart immediately as well, Your Highness? It would be unwise to anger the Empress Dowager by arriving late,” Princess Wanrou’s maid said. “In that case, let’s go. We mustn’t keep the Empress Dowager waiting,” Princess Wanrou replied. Although Princess Wanrou held a unique status within the harem, she dared not challenge the Empress Dowager’s authority. After all, the Emperor was a dutiful son; even as a princess, if she were to displease the Empress Dowager, she would likely fall out of favor as a result. Princess Wanrou also knew that even if Great Wei needed an alliance with Qin, it didn’t mean she would automatically gain favor. If she truly angered the Empress Dowager or the Emperor, they would simply keep her under their care, and Qin would not come to her defense. After all, Great Wei was currently powerful while Qin was weak. Even if Great Wei needed Qin as an ally, Princess Wanrou dared not overstep her bounds—especially since she was not even the most favored princess in Qin. Soon, all the concubines in the harem arrived at the Empress Dowager’s palace. Summoned by the Empress Dowager, they dared not show the slightest delay and came immediately, though they had no idea why she had called them there. The group remained silent, waiting for the Empress Dowager to speak. “I have summoned you here today to ask you about a matter. I am sure you have heard that the Ninth Prince was poisoned in the Imperial Garden today. Although the imperial physicians managed to save him, the repercussions of this incident are too grave. Someone actually dared to instigate a palace maid in the Imperial Garden to brazenly poison the Ninth Prince—this is nothing short of showing utter contempt for this Empress Dowager and the Emperor. Attempting to murder a prince is a capital offense. I have summoned you all here today to identify the culprit behind the attempt on the Ninth Prince’s life,” said the Empress Dowager.