Chapter 88:

Upon hearing these words, Consort De finally calmed down, seemingly sensing the Emperor’s affection for her.

“Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager,” she said, “if someone had deliberately plotted to frame me, then this situation is precisely what they intended. However, the truth is that I am truly innocent. The difference between my rank and that of Concubine Bai is like heaven and earth. Although I dislike her pretentious, delicate manner, there is no reason for me to harm her. What would I gain from harming her? If I gain nothing, why would I go to such unnecessary lengths?”

She paused, as if carefully considering a way out of her predicament.

“Your Majesty, since Rourou entered the palace, both the Emperor and you have always placed great trust in me. Therefore, I dare to request an investigation into this matter myself.”

Everyone kept their eyes lowered, unwilling to get involved in the affair when its outcome was still uncertain.

A faint smile flickered across the Empress Dowager’s lips as she gazed at Consort De for a while before sighing.

“All the consorts of the Inner Palace are present here. Since you insist, today I shall grant you this favor. However, for the sake of fairness, you alone cannot conduct the investigation. Otherwise, even if you uncover the truth, others may still suspect you of bias. Therefore, Consort De will lead the investigation, assisted by Consort Qi and Consort Hui.”

Perhaps everyone’s attention was focused on these three consorts, but Layue subtly glanced sideways at the expressions of Bai Youran and Chen Yulan.

One appeared cold and composed while the other remained silent, yet her eyes revealed a hint of joy.

Compared to someone like Bai Youran, Chen Yulan was indeed inferior.

From now on, Bai Youran would be the only daughter of Minister Bai in the palace. Who knows whether her father’s favorite concubine and cousin would still control the Bai family?

“Your Majesty, we obey,” the three replied together.

The Empress Dowager looked at the others and said, “Since Consort De claims innocence, and the truth remains unknown, I shall give the real culprit one last chance. Now, if you are willing to confess, I shall certainly spare your life.”

Seeing no one step forward, the Empress Dowager sneered, “Fine, since none of you are willing to admit it, kneel!”

All the women knelt simultaneously.

“I want all of you to swear to Heaven. If you are indeed the murderer responsible for this crime, may you be forever childless.”

Layue felt a chill in her heart—not because she was involved, but because the oath seemed too cruel. Every woman in the palace longed for a son, hoping to rise higher in status.

Of course, she might be overreacting. Observing the Empress Dowager’s expression more closely, she lowered her head and smiled slightly.

Actually, upon reflection, it was not impossible that the two major powers behind the scenes were responsible for Xiaodie’s death.

Now it seemed that something about this case was suspicious. Who had benefited the most from it?

She always believed that the person who benefited the most from an incident, even if not the murderer, must be closely connected to it.

Layue mentally listed those who had benefited the most: Bai Youran, Chen Yulan, and… the Emperor.

The first two had taken revenge, while the Emperor could use this incident to drag everyone in the Inner Palace into another turmoil. Clearly, the Emperor could not tolerate someone as malicious as Bai Xiaodie.

Each woman swore to Heaven, insisting it was not her doing.

If they refused to swear, they would be admitting guilt.

Afterward, the Empress Dowager nodded and said, “Chun Guiyi will stay. The rest of you may return. Consort De, I give you seven days only.”

Consort De’s expression was not good, but she nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Once everyone had left, Layue helped the Empress Dowager into the inner chamber.

“Layue, it has been a long time since we last played a game of chess. I wonder if your skills have improved.”

Layue smiled gently, “If Your Majesty plays, you will find out. I’ve secretly practiced when I had time.”

Seeing her playful expression, the Empress Dowager shook her head, “You are still so childish.”

Whether the Empress Dowager had genuinely invited Layue to play chess, she did not know. However, since the Empress Dowager did not mention the earlier events, Layue naturally refrained from bringing them up either. Despite the Empress Dowager’s status, Layue did not yield at all. They enjoyed their game of chess together.

“Bai Xiaodie is dead. What do you think about it?” the Empress Dowager casually asked. Layue stopped her move, looked up blankly at the Empress Dowager for a while, and then placed the piece back in its proper position.

“Your Majesty must have done this on purpose. Asking me such a question at such a critical moment is meant to distract me, isn’t it? If I lose focus, I will surely lose the game,” she did not answer but instead playfully complained.

The Empress Dowager gave her a sidelong glance and sighed, “You are indeed clever. That’s good. I wonder whether you can remain this way consistently.”

Their conversation was completely off-topic.

After a moment, Layue turned serious and said, “Your Majesty, Layue truly does not understand what you mean.”

The Empress Dowager lightly tapped her little hand and smiled.

“You naughty girl, you know everything, but you pretend not to. However, this personality of yours is quite suitable for the palace. The Emperor favors you, so you should serve him well. Other women in the palace may not understand this, but you are perceptive. Only foolish women would focus their attention on other women. A wise person should not behave that way.”

Hearing the Empress Dowager speak so openly, Layue was unusually sincere.

“I understand Your Majesty’s teachings. I am not smart, but I know that we entered the palace to serve the Emperor. When the Emperor is happy, everything is fine. If we make the Emperor unhappy, then, as you said, we would be the most foolish women indeed.”

Seeing her like this, the Empress Dowager nodded.

“It is good that you understand. However, I must remind you of one thing. Some people are like venomous snakes. Even if you help them, they may not treat you well. Do not, because of a moment of softness, end up joining a battle that you should not have been involved in.”

The Empress Dowager was referring to Chen Yulan, and Layue naturally understood. Sometimes, even if you avoid certain people, you cannot escape being dragged into their affairs. Since the Empress Dowager had said this, it meant that Bai Xiaodie’s death must be closely related to Chen Yulan.

If Chen Yulan had done all this, Layue would not be surprised. In fact, earlier in the outer chamber, she had not understood why Chen Yulan, her cousin, was heavily suspected, yet no one mentioned her, and instead Consort De was implicated.

She even began to suspect the Emperor himself. What was the truth?

She gave a bitter smile, “Sometimes, I think I have already been cold enough, but blood relations still affect me.”

This was also a way of being open with each other.

The Empress Dowager’s expression remained unchanged.

“Actually, I have always been puzzled. Chen Yulan has not treated you well. She has even tried to harm you repeatedly. Yet, aside from being cold to her, you have not retaliated or even spoken harshly to her. I do not understand whether it is because you are truly broad-minded or for another reason.”

Although the Empress Dowager had asked her this, Layue felt that it was a sign of trust. Otherwise, why would she bother to ask?

“It is merely out of respect for my aunt’s sake. In the beginning, my mother and my aunt did not have a particularly close relationship. Between sisters, jealousy is often inevitable. However, after my mother passed away, my aunt became more caring toward me. Thinking back, although my aunt and my mother did not have a very good relationship, she had always been kind to us children. My brother said that, in fact, their relationship was not as bad as it seemed. They had simply become accustomed to their way of interacting. Because of this, even though my cousin Yulan has plotted against me, although I am angry inside, I have not retaliated. Not because I fear regretting harming a sister in the future, but because I believe that my aunt has been good to me. She only has Yulan as her daughter. I can ignore her, refuse to help her, and be angry with her in my heart, but I cannot harm her.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager sighed deeply.

“What a pity. If only Chen Yulan had been a better person, you two could have been a pair of excellent sisters.”

“That is fate,” Layue did not pretend otherwise and sighed along with her.

Seeing her sigh as well, the Empress Dowager smiled, “Do you know why, among so many consorts, I favor you the most?”

Layue shook her head in confusion. This had always puzzled her.

“When you first entered the palace, you reminded me very much of myself in my youth. Perhaps seeing you reminds me of my past. However, after getting to know you better, I find that you are even better than I was. You are much more mature than I was back then. If I had been as composed as you are now, many things might not have turned out the way they did.”

Layue took the Empress Dowager’s hand, “Your Majesty, please do not say such things. Saying this truly humbles me. I am not smart. I only wish to serve the Emperor well. His happiness is my greatest joy. Perhaps you do not know how important the Emperor is to me.”

Only by gaining the Emperor’s favor could she steadily climb to a higher position, even reaching a place she had never dared to dream of in the beginning.

But clearly, the Empress Dowager had been misled by her words and nodded approvingly, “That is exactly what I admire most about you—your sincere devotion to the Emperor.”

After leaving Huici Palace, Layue raised her head to look at the blazing sun above. However, at this moment, she did not feel the heat. Everything had happened too quickly for her to reflect on each detail. However, she thought that her performance must have been acceptable.

Judging from this, Bai Xiaodie’s death must have been orchestrated by Chen Yulan. However, Layue clearly understood that even if Chen Yulan were bold enough, she would not dare to frame Consort De. Who had manipulated Chen Yulan, or who had known of her actions and used them for their own purposes—these remained unknown.

As for the Emperor, he had successfully used Bai Xiaodie’s death to make Consort De the scapegoat. The Emperor did not want peace in the Inner Palace, and Layue understood this clearly.

As for the Empress Dowager, her attitude toward Consort De and the deadly oath—Layue naturally thought of Consort Hui. Whether the Empress Dowager had done this intentionally or not remained unclear. Moreover, she wondered whether, in years to come, when Consort Hui still had no children, people would link it to today’s curse. Or perhaps the Empress Dowager herself was using Bai Xiaodie’s death as a preparation for the future?

Thinking about the Empress Dowager’s warning, if her meaning was correct, then the next step would likely involve Chen Yulan dragging Layue into the conflict. If she fell for it, she would not know who would benefit.

As for Consort De, even if she uncovered the truth, she would still face rumors and defamation. And who would benefit the most from her being slandered? Consort Hui? Consort Qi?

And Bai Youran—what a double blessing! She was pregnant and had eliminated her enemy. She must be smiling in her sleep!

In this case, Bai Xiaodie’s death had indeed served a purpose, as her death provided many people with opportunities to exploit.