Yan Xiu’s phoenix eyes swept coolly over the bowed heads of the people kneeling: "Who saw it? Stand up and answer."
At his words, the already trembling crowd lowered their heads even further.
Beauty Zhou, supported by Mingzhen, staggered out from the inner room. Before she even reached Yan Xiu, she was already choking with sobs: "Emperor, you must stand up for this concubine. This concubine truly saw that it was someone in bright green clothes who pushed this concubine into the water."
By the time she finished speaking, Beauty Zhou had already come close. She bent her knees, about to kneel down.
"Please, Emperor, do not blame Princess Consort De. Princess Consort De only acted impartially after hearing what this concubine said."
Mingzhen supported Beauty Zhou, and the two of them knelt down together.
In the instant before her knees touched the ground, Beauty Zhou’s heart rose with hope, hoping that Yan Xiu would help her up; but when her knees met the icy floor, her heart gradually sank to the bottom.
"Emperor, Beauty Zhou has caught a chill." Seeing Beauty Zhou’s heartbroken and sorrowful expression, Shen Quan sighed helplessly in his heart and could only softly remind Yan Xiu.
"If she’s caught a chill, then she should take medicine and rest. Standing here in front of Us, do We have some miraculous elixir to give her?"
Yan Xiu showed not the slightest sign of catching Shen Quan’s hint.
Shen Quan: ...
Ahem, he had really tried his best. All of the Emperor’s affectionate attention was spent on Lady Li; he was helpless too.
After hearing this, Beauty Zhou’s body swayed, nearly collapsing, a breath stuck in her chest until she almost fainted.
"Emperor, please look at my mistress. She choked on water today, her body has always been weak, and now her old illness is about to flare up again!" Mingzhen called to Yan Xiu in distress.
"Didn’t they say Han Cairen jumped into the water and rescued Beauty Zhou? Did Han Cairen choke on water and catch a chill?"
Yan Xiu’s tone was impatient.
Han Cairen, who had been named, walked over at an unhurried pace and knelt to answer: "Replying to the Emperor, this concubine can swim, so this concubine did not choke on water. Sister Zhou was pushed into the water without warning, and in her fright the cold invaded her body, so naturally her condition is more serious."
Hearing this, Beauty Zhou, eyes red, looked over at Han Cai, and in her heart increasingly felt that within the entire harem, only Han Cairen treated her with true sincerity.
Even the Emperor, she feared, had never truly kept her in his heart.
Beauty Zhou forced herself to steady her mind, her shell teeth biting into her lips; the sting gave her quite a bit of courage.
"Emperor, please stand up for this concubine and for Han Cairen!" Beauty Zhou shook off Mingzhen’s hand and kowtowed toward Yan Xiu: "Today this concubine nearly lost her life, and if anything had gone wrong with Han Cairen, her life would also have been in danger. Please, Emperor, uphold justice for us concubines!"
Yan Xiu frowned.
What kind of farce was this?
He pressed his lips together, his phoenix eyes calm as he looked over everyone, recalling and sorting through the words he had just tossed out of his mind.
He understood.
Beauty Zhou was saying that it was someone dressed in bright green who had pushed her into the water, that she had almost died, and she hoped he would punish the person who had shoved her into the pond.
Yan Xiu’s phoenix eyes shifted slightly and fell on the only two people present dressed in bright green, Hua Yin and Feng Yin.
"The one who went to the Lotus Reflection Pavilion with Lady Li was you, Hua Yin?"
Yan Xiu asked.
"It was indeed this maidservant." Hua Yin knelt and replied.
This time Li Yuyu did not stop her.
"Mm. Then let Us ask you—were you the one who pushed Beauty Zhou into the water?"
"Replying to the Emperor, this maidservant has been wronged. The place where Beauty Zhou was standing was very far from this maidservant; she was behind Noble Lady Ying. At that time Noble Lady Ying intended harm toward Lady Li, and this maidservant shielded Lady Li behind her and faced Noble Lady Ying head-on. How could this maidservant have pushed Beauty Zhou?"