CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 118: THE BAREFOOTED ARE NOT AFRAID OF THOSE WEARING SHOES

"There’s a Little Guizi by your side; he probably has a pouch like this too!"

As she spoke, she explained further, "Xiao Xizi is a bit clumsy. Once, when he went to fetch meals, he accidentally bumped into Little Guizi, who serves Your Highness. Xiao Xizi compensated him with a pouch. It wasn’t a big deal, and Your Highness might have... even forgotten about it!"

Consort Hui Pin listened to her and seemed to recall the incident, so she smiled and nodded in agreement. "Indeed, that did happen!"

Her voice was pleasant to hear, like a warbling oriole, soft and tender.

Xia Ruqing also smiled lightly and gave a respectful bow.

Xia Ruqing then moved to the other side of the seating area, in front of Consort Yun. Consort Yun actually found her very displeasing, but she was under orders from the Noble Consort to lure Honored Lady Lan and Honored Lady Xi into her grasp. Therefore, she had to be polite to Xia Ruqing, who was on good terms with both of them.

Xia Ruqing then said, "Cai Die, who serves Consort Yun, also has one."

Moving before Consort Zheng Pin, Xia Ruqing thought for a moment, then said, "Although I’ve never disturbed Your Highness, Hong Yun has been to Zhaohua Pavilion twice, so she should have one too!"

Consort Zheng Pin was immersed in schadenfreude; she was extremely unwilling to admit it, but... it was indeed true!

Once, Hong Yun had told her that the servants in the palace were all saying Lady Xia was very generous and loved to reward them. After speaking, she had even handed the pouch Lady Xia had rewarded her with to Consort Zheng Pin.

Seeing how small the pouch was, worth less than a single tael of silver, Consort Zheng Pin had waved it off dismissively, saying, "The pouch isn’t bad. You keep it!"

Only then did Hong Yun dare to accept it.

These were all facts, easily verifiable; lying was useless, and it was too late to destroy any evidence.

Some breathed a sigh of relief, while others were secretly annoyed. Regardless of their inner thoughts, no one let it show on their faces.

The atmosphere then fell silent for a moment as everyone stopped speaking.

The Empress, countered to the point of having nothing to say, could only utter dryly, "Even so, Lady Xia, you are still a suspect!"

Before Xia Ruqing could say anything, Honored Lady Hu immediately interjected, "The Empress is right! Lady Xia, in Palace Maid Xiao Hui’s room, the only item found was the one you sent. This means you’ve had contact with that palace maid!"

With that, Honored Lady Hu scoffed mockingly, "A palace maid from the sewing room, with no special standing—why would you reward her?"

After finishing, she smiled triumphantly, looking like a rooster that had won a fight.

The surrounding people, who had initially been leaning towards Lady Xia, were swayed once more, leaving everyone indecisive.

The Empress watched with interest, not intending to speak up for Lady Xia.

Finally, it was Consort Hui Pin who spoke up for her. "Lady Xia is courteous to everyone; this is well-known in the palace. I remember that Eunuch Li, who serves the Emperor, also has such a pouch, and his apprentice, Little Zhuzi—they both have them too!"

Xia Ruqing gratefully glanced at Consort Hui Pin and gave a respectful bow. "Thank you, Consort Hui Pin!"

Consort Hui Pin smiled faintly and nodded, her demeanor still as graceful as a painting.

Xia Ruqing then bowed to the Empress, her back ramrod straight. "Empress, to conclude that I poisoned the Noble Consort and endangered the royal heir based merely on a single pouch—this servant cannot accept such an accusation!"

The Empress looked down on her from her high seat. After a long moment, she finally bade her rise and said, "Although you say that, the current trail of evidence indeed points directly at you, Lady Xia!"

Speaking again, she pondered for a moment before adding, "It’s true the Noble Consort’s pregnancy was disturbed! The Imperial Physician personally stated it was due to someone’s malicious actions!"

"How about this: go and apologize to the Noble Consort. As long as the Noble Consort forgives you, I will not pursue this matter further. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Ruqing suddenly looked up. The others gasped.

Honored Lady Hu and Consort Zheng Pin laughed dismissively. Seeing that Lady Xia is still headed for misfortune, we can rest assured.

Xia Ruqing sneered inwardly. Some people were really craning their necks, just waiting for her downfall! Conspiring against the imperial heir—that was a capital offense. Once convicted, neither the Empress nor the Noble Consort would spare her. And let’s not forget, even if this incident hadn’t occurred, the Noble Consort was already trying to kill her. As for the Empress, given the circumstances, she probably wouldn’t spare her either. By then, she feared, even the Emperor couldn’t save her. Heh, every single one of them was pushing her towards her death! Too bad for them... She certainly wouldn’t give them the chance! Did they take her for dead? Did they really think she was just some pretty, useless vase? Utterly ridiculous!

Xia Ruqing organized her thoughts and then spoke with calm composure, "Empress, there is no rule in the palace prohibiting the rewarding of servants! Therefore, this servant has done nothing wrong and naturally does not need to apologize to the Noble Consort!"

After speaking, she continued, "Furthermore, since Your Majesty the Empress has stated that I am a suspect, shouldn’t Your Majesty continue the investigation? Either produce irrefutable evidence to convict this servant, or find the real culprit to clear my name. Your eagerness to close the case and handle it so hastily seems inappropriate, doesn’t it? Never mind what the Emperor would think upon learning of this; the other consorts in the palace wouldn’t accept it! Even this servant finds it unacceptable!"

Her words completely dismantled the stage the Empress had set.

The Empress, seated in her high position, felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, her face burning.

She was the Empress. In her heart, three things were paramount. First was her status. Second were her children (the reason for this stemmed from the first). Lastly, her husband, the Emperor (again, the reason stemmed from the first). Therefore, if anyone were to say her actions were improper, that she was neither virtuous nor moral, she would panic as if her life depended on it (the reason, again, being her status). Even if she wasn’t favored by the Emperor, as long as her reputation remained pristine, her throne as Empress was secure. But now, with her reputation on the verge of being tarnished, how could she not panic? However, no matter how flustered, she was still the Empress. She had weathered great storms and grand occasions before; she possessed considerable mental fortitude.

At that moment, she steadied herself and slammed her hand on the table. "Presumptuous!"

Seeing the Empress infuriated, everyone knelt, crying out, "Empress, please calm your anger!"

Xia Ruqing also knelt, yet her spine remained erect.

They wanted her life! If she didn’t fight, she would die! Of course, she would fight to the very end! As the saying goes: those who are barefoot aren’t afraid of those who wear shoes. The worst that could happen was death; she would die whether she fought or not. But the Empress was different. She had an entire clan to consider. If a scandal like this broke out, wouldn’t it bring shame to eighteen generations of her ancestors? That’s how things are in the harem. With the Noble Consort pregnant, you, the Empress, must be the most anxious one! Anyone could figure out who was behind this with half a thought! Your hurry to close this case surely reveals your guilty conscience. If you have the nerve, let’s continue the investigation. I’d like to see if you, the Empress, can remain so composed then!

And just as Xia Ruqing had thought, the Empress truly was finding it hard to remain composed.

With a sea of people kneeling on the ground before her, she was truly caught in a dilemma.

What to do? What to do? A single pouch wasn’t enough to convict. Logically, she had to continue the investigation! Investigate? But she was the one behind it—how could she possibly investigate?