Who is the real culprit
Naturally, it's whoever the Emperor suspects or guesses it to be
Even if every woman in the harem were to be suspected, it would have nothing to do with Concubine Zhen
She is the biggest victim, nearly losing her life
Yan the Imperial Physician, who had just put his heart back in his chest, felt it leap again: "Con-Concubine Zhen, this humble servant is too stupid... I truly don't understand Your Highness's meaning. Please enlighten me
Jiang Xinyue used both carrot and stick, seeing that Yan the Imperial Physician was nearly at his breaking point. Judging the time was right, she sighed and said: "Uncle Yan, Xinyue's entry into the palace was not by choice. My father sent me here for wealth and glory. You've witnessed all the schemes and harm I've faced along the way. If I don't know how to protect myself, I'm afraid there will soon be no such person as Concubine Zhen in the palace
Her gaze was sorrowful, with tears glimmering: "Uncle Yan, our two families are old friends, and Xinyi was my closest friend before I entered the palace. My hardships are untold; I can only share a bit with you. Will you help me, Uncle Yan
Yan Xinyi is Yan the Imperial Physician's only daughter, truly innocent and kind-hearted, without any guile
Before entering the palace, the original owner of this body knew Yan Xinyi's identity and deliberately befriended her, thinking that after entering the palace, she could use Yan the Imperial Physician to gain the Emperor's favor
Now it benefited Jiang Xinyue, who had crossed over from another world. It was perhaps the only good deed the original owner had done
If the original owner hadn't made so many enemies everywhere, Jiang Xinyue wouldn't have to be schemed against by so many people. So she felt no guilt in using the original owner's connections
Moreover, in this palace, whether you fight for favor or not, those who aren't smart enough are doomed
That person impersonating Consort Shu's maid did exist and was indeed the Dowager Empress's person. Shuang Jiang twisted her ankle because they had applied oil to the cobblestones in advance
The Dowager Empress, as the highest-ranking figure in the harem, far above Empress Zhu, had countless spies reporting Jiang Xinyue's movements to her
If the Xuanwu Emperor investigated this point, the Dowager Empress couldn't escape being the mastermind behind the scenes
But after sending away Xi Que and Shuang Jiang, that maid only had someone catch her, slap her face, and tell her to behave and not covet things she shouldn't, such as the Emperor's favor
The Dowager Empress must have been angry that she had snatched the Emperor away from Consort Shu, thinking she intentionally opposed Consort Shu
She probably wanted to teach her a lesson but didn't want to strain the fragile mother-son relationship with the Emperor further, so she could only intimidate Jiang Xinyue this way
But her tactics were clearly not enough against Jiang Xinyue, a top scholar of "Empresses in the Palace
So she turned the tables, using what she had learned from her psychology doctorate to hypnotize herself on the spot
Consort Zhang, passing by the lake, only saw the maid push Jiang Xinyue into the water. She didn't see that Jiang Xinyue had deliberately provoked a conflict with the maid, and in the scuffle, even the maid couldn't remember if she had pushed Jiang Xinyue in or if Jiang Xinyue had lost her balance and fallen in
As for the guard pulling at her foot underwater, that was a character she had fabricated
However, the water weeds at the bottom were real and had been deliberately tied into knots
If someone fell in accidentally, they would certainly get tangled in panic, unable to untie them, and eventually die at the bottom
But fortunately, she wasn't pushed in unprepared. As soon as she hit the water, she changed her posture, diving headfirst. When she felt the knotted weeds, she immediately swam to a safe place
She held her breath underwater for a full three minutes, deliberately swallowed some water to appear as if she was choking, and then surfaced to call for help
When the Xuanwu Emperor questioned her, including her dizziness upon waking, it was because she was still under hypnosis, truly believing someone had been pulling at her foot underwater, and that she had barely escaped with her life after stabbing the attacker with her hairpin
When people lie, some subconscious expressions, movements, and eye movements can't deceive others
The Xuanwu Emperor is a shrewd person who is very good at observing micro-expressions. If such a person were to study psychology in the modern world, he would likely become a master in academia
Jiang Xinyue dared not underestimate him
Lying might be seen through, but if even she herself was deceived by her own lie, how could it be considered lying
What she said was all true
She was certain that even if she hadn't fallen into the water this time, someone would have pushed her in eventually. Those knotted water weeds at the bottom were specifically prepared for her
But that person probably wasn't the Dowager Empress. This time, the Dowager Empress was destined to take the blame for someone else behind the scenes
Jiang Xinyue had, by chance, avoided a fatal fall into the water that would have come to her not long after
As Yan the Imperial Physician left Hexi Palace carrying his medicine box, he looked up at the square blue sky and truly felt for the first time that the imperial palace was a cage that devoured people without spitting out bones
It could turn an innocent, unworldly young girl into someone so deeply scheming and terrifyingly cunning
But Concubine Zhen was right. He was getting old and had no heir to inherit his skills. The head of the Imperial Hospital had always been someone from Empress Zhu's faction. No matter how skilled his apprentices were, they had no hope of promotion
After he passed away, there would likely be no one to take care of his only daughter
Without the support of her maternal family, her future husband's family would bully her and look down on her
But what if his daughter was friends with a favored concubine in the palace
Which official's family wouldn't treat his daughter like a treasure then
Ordinary families wouldn't dare to make his daughter unhappy in the slightest
Concubine Zhen
Concubine Zhen had indeed fallen into the water and was seriously injured. He couldn't let the Emperor easily forgive those who had harmed Concubine Zhen
Xi Que patted her chest: "When did the mistress discover something was wrong with that maid
If she hadn't discovered it early, she might have lost her life
Jiang Xinyue looked at Shuang Jiang's swollen ankle and said: "I knew something was wrong when Shuang Jiang twisted her ankle. How could a cobblestone path be so oily that it covered the soles of Shuang Jiang's shoes
And it was such a coincidence that just as Shuang Jiang twisted her ankle, Consort Shu's maid came to invite her to Jingren Palace
Too many coincidences are not coincidences, but deliberate actions
Look at how the Xuanwu Emperor is turning the palace upside down for her sake. Consort Shu has fallen out of favor, and even the Dowager Empress is furious. Who knows what the outcome of the investigation will be
The biggest winner is her
Not only did she get a promise from the Xuanwu Emperor, but she was also granted the title of Concubine Zhen
Although the Emperor's promises can change as quickly as the wind and aren't worth much, it proves that her status in the Emperor's heart is already different from ordinary concubines
The Emperor's promises were worthless, but he himself didn't realize this. Any woman worthy of his promise was, at that moment, the one he loved most
Consort Shu and Concubine Li were both too foolish. They failed to secure more benefits for themselves within the Xuanwu Emperor's limited affection
She was different. She wanted everything except the Emperor's love
"But..." Xi Que looked at Jiang Xinyue with concern. "If His Majesty can't find a guard with a chest wound, wouldn't that prove that you, my lady, are lying