To Hold One’s Joy

  Chapter 483 Death

   "Your Majesty, Governor Luo found this in the Xuande Building." Zhou Shan presented something.

  Because the concubine was involved, Governor Luo only handed in the things found after searching the Xuande Building.

  Emperor Yong'an took a closer look and saw that on the tray Zhou Shan was holding was a slender bamboo tube with one end sealed and the other open.

  Emperor Yong'an immediately glanced at the flower snake held in Jinwei's hand.

  It didn't take long for Xu Shi to return to the palace from Xuande Tower, and the palace was warm as spring, but the snake was quite energetic, with its drooping tail kept curling up.

  Emperor Yong'an said, "Put it in."

  Guards followed orders.

  Under the gaze of Emperor Yong'an, the flower snake slowly swam into the bamboo tube.

  The guard blocked the entrance with a wrench to prevent the flower snake from escaping.

  Emperor Yong'an ordered the guards to retreat and looked at several concubines.

   There are four concubines who are lucky enough to accompany the lantern viewing, and the highest ranking ones are Concubine An and Concubine Li.

  Concubine An has a distinguished family background, while Concubine Li is like a title, with a face like a full moon and skin like fat.

  The other two beauties are also quite favored among the noble ladies who entered the palace.

  As for those old people, Emperor Yong'an didn't bring any of them.

  Aged, decrepit and incapable of bearing children, it is totally unworthy of any attention in the heart of this emperor who is currently thinking about having children. Seventy-seven forty-nine newcomers who are in their young age are still too busy.

   "Tell me, who killed the imperial concubine." Emperor Yong'an rubbed his brows, breaking the suffocating silence.

  As soon as the words came out, the four concubines immediately knelt down and cried, shouting one after another: "Your Majesty, the concubine is wronged, even if you kill the concubine, you dare not harm the imperial concubine—"

  The four of them wept together, and suddenly they chirped like countless house sparrows.

  Emperor Yong'an drank: "Enough!"

   As soon as the crying stopped, the four raised their heads and looked at Emperor Yong'an with tears in their eyes.

  Emperor Yong'an didn't have the slightest thought of pity and pity, and said with a cold face: "That snake couldn't have come out of thin air, could it?"

  In such a cold day, snakes have long been sleeping in their nests, and it is difficult to find one. What's more, he brought it into the Xuande Building and climbed onto Concubine Xiao's cloak.

  Emperor Yong'an became more and more angry as he thought about it, his eyes froze when he looked at the four of them, and asked slowly: "Who was the closest to the imperial concubine at that time?"

  Pin Li's expression froze.

"explain!"

  Following Emperor Yong'an's shout, Concubine Li pressed her forehead to the ground and said in a trembling voice, "It's a concubine."

  Emperor Yong'an looked condescendingly at Concubine Li, and asked coldly, "What were you doing at that time?"

   "The concubine was concentrating on watching the fireworks at the time. This was the first time that the concubine went to the Xuande Building to watch the fireworks..."

  Before, she was still a girl from an ordinary Xungui family. She would go to the Lantern Festival with her sisters every year during the Lantern Festival, and she also looked longingly at the figures upstairs in Xuande Tower.

  It turns out that the heights are extremely cold.

Concubine Li slowly raised her head, tears slid down her soft cheeks: "Please be enlightened by the emperor, don't say that concubine has no reason to harm the concubine, even if she really has some bad intentions, how can she get that flower?" What about the snake?"

  The other three seemed to have been reminded, crying and complaining about their grievances.

   "Please tell the emperor, the concubine will be scared to death when she sees a snake, how dare she use it to harm the imperial concubine and empress."

   "Yes, snakes are so scary, I dare not touch them..."

  "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

  Emperor Yong'an heard this, and his eyes became more thoughtful.

  Although these four concubines are the most suspicious, it is not easy to get a snake in this winter.

   You must know that this is the imperial palace, not to mention this time, even in the lush summer, there are almost no snakes to be seen. There will be special palace people responsible for dealing with rats, ants, snakes and insects, so as not to surprise the nobles with these things.

   And it is even more difficult for these low-ranking concubines who have just entered the palace to bring things in from outside.

  Emperor Yong'an was pondering this way, when suddenly a face flashed in his mind.

   is Princess Changle.

   It was much easier for Changle to get a snake and bring it to Xuande Tower.

  When I first thought of Princess Changle, if I were a father who always regarded his daughter as the apple of his eye, his first reaction would be no, but Emperor Yong'an was not.

  He is not only a father, but also an emperor, and an emperor with a cold nature and a deep mind. After calming down, he only uses reason to analyze.

  Changle not only has this convenient condition, but perhaps also has this motivation——Emperor Yong'an thought of this, and the eyes became deeper and deeper, as thick as the night at this time.

   But Changle has never been close to Concubine Xiao Gui. If she really has the intention of harming Concubine Xiao Gui, how can she ensure that it will be realized smoothly?

  Emperor Yong'an was circling doubts in his heart, and his attention fell on the four concubines who were kneeling on the ground again.

   If there is something that cannot be figured out, it means that there is another mystery.

  The four concubines were around Concubine Xiao at that time, but they hardly had the conditions to get the snake; Changle had the conditions to get the snake, but they never got close to Concubine Xiao—

  Emperor Yong'an's eyes flashed, and a guess arose: What if Changle cooperates with one of the four concubines?

  With this thought, he looked colder at the four concubines.

  Emperor Yong'an remained silent for a while, and the four concubines didn't dare to cry any more, and they all knelt obediently.

  The four of them are at the age of flowers, with tears in their eyes, even if they kneel, they are pitiful.

  Emperor Yong'an stared at the four of them, and finally said: "Forget it, since none of you confess, then let's all die."

  The four of them raised their heads in disbelief when they heard this: "Your Majesty!"

  Emperor Yong'an was unmoved, and said indifferently: "Zhou Shan, bring poison and wine--"

  Zhou Shan was already startled by Emperor Yong'an's actions in his heart, but he didn't dare to show the slightest surprise on his face, and he complied with the promise expressionlessly.

   Not long after, Zhou Shan led four servants in, each with a glass of wine on their tray.

  The four concubines looked at the white porcelain wine cup glowing with cold light, and were terrified.

   "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare me—"

  By this time, the four of them still couldn't believe that the emperor would kill them all.

  How can you be so cruel and heartless?

   Facing the four people's cries and begging, Emperor Yong'an's expression did not fluctuate, and he said coldly: "Send the four of them on the road."

  The four servants took a step forward and said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, let's go."

   "No, don't!" Li Pin backed away with a pale face.

  Concubine An couldn't accept it even more: "Your Majesty, you said that your concubine looks like the Empress Yuan, and you also said—"

   "Shut your mouth." Emperor Yong'an interrupted An Bin coldly.

  An Pin stared blankly at the mountain-like emperor, as if meeting this man for the first time.

  One of the two beauties is surnamed Wang and the other is surnamed Zhang. Zhang Meiren seemed to be stupefied by fright, she didn't respond to the waiter who offered the poisoned wine, while Wang Meiren resisted fiercely.

  Emperor Yong'an came with a somewhat impatient voice: "If it doesn't work, call a few more servants, can't you do this well?"

  Hearing this, Wang Meiren's extravagant hopes were completely shattered, and she hissed: "The concubine said, the concubine said—"

  (end of this chapter)