"The Emperor is not in the Imperial Study at the moment. Concubine Lu, please follow me," the eunuch replied with neither subservience nor arrogance, urging her to keep up.
Upon hearing the eunuch's words, Concubine Lu dared not ask further and followed closely in his footsteps.
Before long, they arrived at Wei Ling's palace. As soon as she entered and saw both the Empress and the Emperor present, a sudden sense of unease washed over her for reasons unknown.
"Concubine Lu, is this cat yours?" the Emperor asked calmly, his expression unreadable.
It was only then that Concubine Lu noticed a cat in the room. If it wasn't hers, whose could it be? Could her visit today be related to this cat? Her mind swirled with questions, and she quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Highness, it is indeed this humble subject's."
"How dare you, Concubine Lu! Why did you frame Noble Consort Wei?" The Emperor's face suddenly turned stern as he reprimanded her.
Concubine Lu was utterly bewildered. Hearing the Emperor's words, she frantically tried to defend herself, "This humble subject does not understand what Your Majesty means. I have not left the palace grounds recently, so how could I have framed anyone?"
"You still wish to quibble? Your cat consumed something unclean, offended Noble Consort Wei, causing her to miscarry. This is a grave crime of plotting against the imperial heir," the Emperor said, his gaze dark as he looked at her.
"This humble subject truly does not know. My cat has been fond of wandering outside recently, only returning after dark. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may investigate," Concubine Lu said, trying desperately to recall while feeling immensely panicked. She could not bear such a charge.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor quickly instructed those beside him to go and inquire. SuDan Novel Network
Before long, another eunuch stepped forward and knelt respectfully. "Reporting to Your Majesty, we discovered this in Concubine Lu's palace. When I returned just now, I passed by the Imperial Academy and had the imperial physicians examine it. They said it is something that can induce madness."
Hearing this, the Emperor knew what it was. He surmised that the cat must have gone mad after consuming this substance.
Concubine Lu, upon hearing this, looked up. A chill ran through her body. Though she didn't know how this substance appeared in her palace, she was utterly speechless at this moment.
"I implore Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and restore this humble subject's innocence. I truly did not do it," she pleaded, unable to hold back tears. It seemed impossible to clear her name now.
Shortly after, the eunuch who had gone to gather information returned. It was indeed as Concubine Lu had said: the kitten had been venturing out frequently, particularly towards the lake, a secluded area rarely visited. Its whereabouts at other times were unknown.
Hearing them say this, she recalled Lin Ziqin's recent unusual behavior and suddenly had an epiphany. She quickly said, "If this humble subject remembers correctly, Noble Lady Lin's palace should be quite close to the lake. Furthermore, some time ago, she began visiting my palace more often, discussing matters of her sister with me. I found it rather sudden, as we are not close. Has Noble Lady Lin exhibited any unusual behavior recently?"
The Emperor's gaze involuntarily shifted to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch quickly replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, when I was investigating the cat's movements, I also inquired about Noble Lady Lin's residence. Her palace is quite desolate, with the backyard very close to the lake. There was a hole under the courtyard wall, but it has long since been blocked. Furthermore, according to palace staff, Noble Lady Lin has not left her palace for many days."
The eunuch truthfully reported the information he had gathered, refraining from embellishment.
"With witnesses and evidence present, what further defense do you have?" the Emperor exclaimed, slamming a teacup onto the table in anger.
Concubine Lu was rendered speechless. Although she had been framed, she didn't even know who had done it, nor could she provide any concrete evidence.
Seeing this, the Emperor directly instructed the Empress, "The remaining matters are entrusted to you."
With that, he left. Many national affairs awaited his decision in the Imperial Study, and he had no time to linger here with them.
The Empress looked at the cute white cat. Although she felt it had done her a great service, she still ordered the eunuch beside her to beat it to death.
Then, looking at the weeping Concubine Lu, she pondered for a moment before saying, "Although you did not personally cause Noble Consort Wei's miscarriage, you are not without fault. Plotting against the imperial heir is a grave crime. You are sentenced to a white silk rope."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Lu's tears ceased, and she raised her head in panic. She then crawled to the Empress's feet and tearfully pleaded, "Your Highness, I am truly wronged. It must have been Noble Lady Lin who harmed me. I can think of no one else. I beg Your Highness to see justice done."
"I do not wish to make things difficult for you, but without proof, if everyone were to act as you do, and I were to punish them based solely on suspicion, would not the palace fall into chaos?" With that, the Empress gestured to the palace maids beside her. Soon, two elderly wet nurses stepped forward and dragged her away.
That same night, news of her death spread. She was buried in a simple coffin outside the capital, not even within the imperial mausoleum.
Having avenged the original owner, she then visited Lin Ziyou. Taking a few people with her, she headed south, intending to personally search for the original owner's parents.
As the original owner was abducted as a child, her memories were somewhat vague and jumbled. At the time, she only remembered the place name "Lizhou." Amu Yun's people confirmed that such a place existed, but so much time had passed that it was unrecognizable, and she didn't know her own name, thus delaying her search for the family.
This time, her destination was Lizhou. To make her travels easier, she disguised herself as a man. As the nation was peaceful, her journey was quite smooth.
Walking through the streets of Lizhou, Wu Caiwei felt a sense of familiarity, even a touch of homesickness, which further solidified her belief that the original owner was born in this place.
They found an inn and settled in. They inquired of everyone they met if, twelve years ago, any household had lost a girl of three or four years old. However, everyone shook their heads, stating they knew nothing.
In despair, she would take her maidservant each morning after breakfast and wander through the streets and alleys of Lizhou, attempting to find familiar scenes from her memories.
Unfortunately, she never found a sense of familiarity. Her memory recalled two large phoenix trees in front of her house, where she often played with a little boy. However, their house's gate didn't seem particularly large, and a plainly dressed woman would often call her home.
She suddenly wondered if her direction had been wrong from the start. Perhaps she had always exited through the back door. This was something she hadn't considered initially. After all, her memories depicted a multitude of servants, indicating she was a mistress, so why would she constantly use side or back entrances?
She then tentatively explored the back and side doors of other houses. Initially, she found nothing. However, as she approached a dusty small door, she stopped as if guided by some instinct. Although it didn't match her memory of the place, a voice in her heart told her this was it.