Within the celestial prison, the flickering candlelight casts shadows on the patchy stone walls, filling the air with a sense of dampness and oppression.
The Qin Sagemother, once a dependable aide to the empress, now bound by thick iron chains in a dim corner, resembles a lost dog with a glare of unwillingness and desperation in her eyes.
Opposite her, a bound imperial guard with hands tied in five directions, pale face and empty eyes, obviously endured significant torment as well.
and the shivering midwife.
"Qin MaMa, why are you so obstinate?" LV XIH held a long whip, slowly walked in, his voice cold and stern. "Queen Mother's actions are already apparent, why do you still keep her secrets?"
Qin MaMa raised her head, even though her clothes were tattered, her eyes still showed resilience: "I only know that being loyal to a person means dying before giving up. Her Majesty the Queen treated me well, how can I betray her?"
"Hmph, foolish loyalty!"
LV XIH hmphed and turned to the midwife beside him, "And you? Are you also a pawn of the queen?"
The midwife had her jaw dislocated, preventing her from speaking. However, she shook her head to indicate ignorance.
It's not that she doesn't want to talk, but her family is in the queen's hands, and she can't say anything.
LV XIH coldly hmphed, turned his gaze to the imperial guard, who lowered his head without speaking, giving the appearance of ignoring everything.
He decided not to speak any further, directly holding the whip and violently lashing, one stroke after another.
He then whipped the midwife, and then the guard, whipping them in turns until they were willing to speak.
If they still don't open their mouths, we can try other harsh methods.
Qin MaMa and the midwife, both of whom were elderly, could not bear such a severe whipping. They cursed and screamed continuously.
They soon fainted.
Once they fainted, pour water on them to wake them up and continue with the harsh methods...
The imperial guard was no better off. His pale face, which was already white as paper, became even paler now.
He finally couldn't hold on any longer and vomited, revealing that Qin MaMa had found him and said that the queen had ordered him to kill the midwife in the celestial prison.
The midwife widened her eyes, her expression was extremely shocked.
She had risked her life to keep the queen's secrets, but the queen still wanted her life.
She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again, fixing her gaze on LV XIH as if she had something to say.
LV XIH gestured to one of the guards beside her to help her put her jaw back in place.
The guard walked forward, his hand slightly exerting force, "click" sounded, the midwife had her jaw dislocated and put back in place.
This amount of pain is nothing compared to the cruel tortures she had endured in the celestial prison over the past few days.
The midwife adapted to the pain, trembling as she spoke, "LV Official, I... I am also compelled. The queen has taken my family's lives as ransom, and I have no choice but to comply. Please be merciful and save my family's lives. If you do so, I will reveal everything I know."
Since she found out the queen wanted to kill her, she didn't want to hide anything.
But with her family in the queen's hands, it made her cautious, afraid to speak out too easily.
"If I knew today would be like this, why did I do it in the first place."
LV XIH sighed, "Alright, I promise to try my best to save your family, but I cannot guarantee that they will definitely be rescued."
The midwife knew that such things couldn't be guaranteed, but she was already grateful for the promise.
She knelt down and bowed, her iron chain making a loud clanging sound as she did so, repeatedly expressing her gratitude with words: "Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you for your great kindness."
Qin MaMa was trembling with anger and cursed loudly: "You shameless woman, the queen has never treated you unfairly. How dare you slander her in this way? Are you not afraid of divine retribution?"
The midwife shrank slightly, her eyes showing fear, but she stubbornly said, "Qin MaMa, I am only thinking of my family's lives. The queen's actions were unnatural and deserve divine retribution. Why must you cover for her?"
Qin MaMa's face was ashen, and she gritted her teeth with curses, "You're lying. The queen Mother is virtuous and kind, certainly not the kind of person you people are trying to frame. Why would you try to harm her?"
LV XIH frowned and rebuked, "Qin MaMa, you are still delusional until now. Steady Apotheosis has already revealed the truth. Your wrangling like this won't help."
Qin MaMa turned her gaze to LV XIH, gritting her teeth and saying, "LV Xi, don't think you can cover up the sky with one hand. You are being pressured like this because you are following the orders of those cunning concubines who want to bring down Her Majesty the Queen."
LV XIH coldly laughed: "Qin MaMa, do not falsely accuse. The queen's actions have been judged by justice. This stable woman is just the beginning. The truth will eventually be revealed to the world."
LV XIH gestured to the guards, "Treat them well, and by any means necessary, make sure to get them to talk."
He pointed the whip in his hand at Qin MaMa.
He's curious to see how tough this old bone's mouth is.
LV XIH hmphed coldly, dropped the whip on the ground, and turned to leave the celestial prison.
"Yes, LV Xi official."
The guards, following LV XIH's order, displayed a sinister smile on their faces.
He walked towards Qin MaMa, seized her hair with a fierce grip, forcing her to lift her head.
"Old woman, stop being so hard-headed. If you speak now, you can eat a little less pain."
The guard spoke in a gruff voice.
Qin MaMa spat at the guard, aiming the saliva at his face, "You dog, don't dare be disrespectful to an old servant of mine. I would rather die than betray the queen."
The guard, embarrassed, slapped her hard across the face, cursing: "You old thing, how dare you not take advantage of the favor."
He picked up a hot iron beside him, waving it in front of Qin MaMa's eyes, "Look at this. If it falls on you, the taste is terrible."
Qin MaMa closed her eyes, facing death as if it were nothing, "Come on, if I even sigh, I'm no longer the queen's person."
The guard snickered, and pressed the hot iron down hard on Qin MaMa's shoulder.
Qin MaMa's body trembled violently, biting her lips until they bled, but she managed to hold back any cries of pain.
Seeing this, the guard felt a bit of respect, but he did not stop.
This old thing, with such a hard mouth, we need to use other harsh methods.
In the imperial study, Emperor Jing was processing a mountain of petitions. The aroma of dragon incense and ink blended together, creating a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
LV Xi hurriedly walked into the hall, kowtowed deeply, "Your Majesty, the old servant has come to report."
Emperor Jing did not raise his head, continuing to handle the petitions, coldly saying, "Go on."
Standing up carefully, LV XIH said, "Back to the emperor, the stable woman has revealed some hidden facts. She said that the queen threatened her family's lives to coerce her into committing evil deeds. Moreover, the imperial guard, who is loyal to the queen, was tortured until he spoke up. He claimed that Qin MaMa followed the queen's orders to go to the celestial prison and kill Steady Apotheosis and silence her. However, Qin MaMa is very stubborn and refuses to admit it. She still insists that Her Majesty the Queen is virtuous and kind, claiming she was wronged."
Emperor Jing's brush paused slightly in his hand, his brows furrowed, but he still did not look up. He simply said in a faint tone, "Is there evidence?"
The queen is the mother of the country and his wife. Even if there is no real affection, she is still the one he is committed to. However, without solid evidence, even he cannot easily sentence and banish her.
LV XIH hurriedly stepped forward and presented the note found in the imperial guard's residence and the remaining poison hidden under Steady Apotheosis's nail caps:
"Your Majesty, this is the note found in the imperial guard's residence, and these remnants of poison, which were extracted from under the stable woman's nail caps. Please examine them. Moreover, Qin MaMa was caught while meeting with the imperial guard by the guards I ordered. A large amount of money and precious jewelry were also found in the imperial guard's residence, and the house has been secured by my men."
Emperor Jing put down his brush, looked at the evidence with a stern expression, "I have always believed that the queen is virtuous and gracious, embodying the majesty of the state. I never imagined she would do such evil things. Where is Qin MaMa?"
LV XIH replied respectfully: "Back to the emperor, Qin MaMa is still in the celestial prison. No matter how harshly the guards try to torture her, she refuses to admit it. She still claims that Her Majesty the Queen is innocent and wronged."
Emperor Jing coldly snorted: "Qin MaMa is a loyal person, but unfortunately, her loyalty was in the wrong place."
LV XIH stood respectfully in place, without speaking.
Emperor Jing tapped the table with his finger, silent for a moment, then said, "I remember Qin MaMa has a grandson. Send for him, but there's no need to bring him here. Just get something that Qin MaMa can recognize."
LV XIH understood the emperor's meaning immediately and respectfully said, "The old servant understands. The old servant will go and do it now."
Then he left the imperial study.
After LV XIH left, he quickly sent someone to Qin MaMa's home.
Shortly after, the attendant brought back a long-life lock that Qin MaMa's grandson had hanging around his neck.
The long-life lock was meticulously crafted, with the words "Longevity" inscribed on the front and her grandson's birth year and month inscribed on the back.
Qin MaMa could easily recognize it.
LV XIH came to the celestial prison again, holding the long-life lock in his hand.
In the celestial prison, Qin MaMa had endured another round of torture and was barely alive, but she still refused to admit anything, no matter how much the guards tortured her.
The guards were also afraid of killing her, and now they were flustered, not knowing what to do.
When LV XIH came over, the guards' eyes brightened and they rushed forward, "Gongfu, you've finally come. This old thing's bones are as hard as iron. No matter how much we torture her, she refuses to speak."
LV XIH frowned and looked at the guards, reminding them, "Don't kill her. The emperor still needs her."
The guards nodded and bowed, smiling apologetically, "Yes, Gongfu. That old woman is really stubborn. I truly don't know what to do."
LV XIH didn't pay attention to the guards and walked in front of Qin MaMa, crouching down, and waved the long-life lock in front of Qin MaMa's eyes, "Qin MaMa, do you still recognize this thing?"
Qin MaMa struggled to open her eyes, and when she saw the long-life lock, her body trembled, and her eyes were filled with terror and worry.
Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words, her expression contorted in struggle.
LV XIH saw this and took advantage of the situation, "If you don't speak the truth, your precious grandson's life will be in danger. If you reveal the queen's crimes, maybe the emperor will spare your grandson and your family."
After speaking, he took out another article of clothing worn by her son.
This is something that was also taken from Qin MaMa's home by the men under his command.
In addition to these items, Qin MaMa's family has also been controlled by them.
When they went to Qin MaMa's home, they also found that another group was looking for this family.
LV XIH guessed that it should be the queen's people.
Unfortunately, their speed was not as fast as the others.
Qin MaMa looked at her son's intimate clothing, and the struggle in her eyes intensified.
She knew that if she continued to hold out, her family would face a catastrophe.
Although she was loyal to the queen, the importance of her son and grandson was higher in her heart.
Finally, Qin MaMa seemed to have been drained of all her strength. She slowly lowered her head and spoke in a weak but clear voice, "Old slave... I'll say."
LV XIH smiled slightly and quickly said, "MaMa, please tell us in detail."
Then, Qin MaMa detailed how she had secretly killed the original midwife, replacing her with her own midwife, and waited for an opportunity during the delivery of the queen's consort to make it a case of "one death, two lives".
She also admitted to carrying out the queen's secret orders to deal with the midwife and her secret meetings with the imperial guard.
Furthermore, Qin MaMa revealed that even the premature birth of Princess Yun, her subsequent death due to complications, and the weakened constitution of the Crown Prince were all secretly arranged by the queen.
There were also cases where she secretly administered drugs to make the pregnant women and fetuses weak, including Princess Shu, whose pregnancy was already seven months old.
The end result would be the same as that of Princess Yun.
Because they used the same drug, it was only Princess Chen, who had been living in the Taihe Palace and was therefore difficult to target, that they had not succeeded.
LV XIH has been serving the emperor for many years and has seen many palace intrigues.
At this moment, when Qin MaMa detailed the queen's deeds one by one, he still couldn't help but be shocked.
He hadn't expected that the intrigues and schemes in the harem could be so ruthless.
He had never expected that Princess Yun's difficult delivery and death were all part of the queen's plan.
And Princess Shu, who was already heavily pregnant and nearing her due date.
If the emperor were to know that the child in Princess Shu's womb was doomed to be born dead or weak and fragile, he might be very heartbroken.
LV XIH forced himself to stay calm, knowing that this matter was of great importance. He ordered his men to keep a close watch on Qin MaMa and the others.
He dared not delay for a moment and hurriedly left the celestial prison to go to the imperial study.
LV XIH hurriedly arrived at the imperial study and again kowtowed respectfully, "Your servant has come to pay his respects."
Emperor Jing put down the imperial decree he was handling and looked at LV XIH with curiosity, "Has Qin MaMa spoken?"
LV XIH respectfully replied, "Back to the emperor, Qin MaMa has confessed. The things she has confessed to are truly heinous."
Then he recounted Qin MaMa's words verbatim and presented the confession.
Emperor Jing took the confession and read it quietly, his expression turning increasingly dark and his eyes grew colder.
He tapped the table with his fingers, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.
The voice was low and majestic, "I had always thought that although the queen and I had little real affection for each other, she could manage the harem and maintain decorum. I never imagined she would do such heinous things. It is truly a betrayal of my trust and a loss of her status as a queen."
LV XIH lowered his head and held his breath.
Emperor Jing was silent for a moment before continuing, "Issue my decree: From this day forth, the queen is to be deposed, all her titles are to be stripped, and she is to be demoted to a commoner and executed. Her family members are to be exiled to the borders and forbidden from ever returning to court; the women are to be enrolled in the House of Courtesans and cannot be pardoned."
"The servant will comply with the command," LV XIH answered.
Emperor Jing continued, "Qin MaMa revealed the truth due to her family's involvement, but she participated in many evil deeds and cannot be spared. Execute her. The imperial guard, who aided the tiger as a tame beast, shall also be executed. Although the midwife was under duress, she is also to blame and shall be executed."
LV XIH accepted the order and hurriedly went to arrange the relevant matters.
The news spread quickly to the palace, causing a commotion.
All those who had previously been aligned with the queen were in a state of turmoil, fearing they would be implicated.
Those who had been suppressed by the queen could not help but feel a sense of bitterness due to the fierce struggles in the harem.
