Chapter 409: The Concubine Who Was Buried with the Emperor VS The Ruthless and Romantic Emperor 57
Inside the prison, the flickering candlelight illuminated the mottled stone walls, and the air was filled with a damp and oppressive atmosphere.

Nanny Qin was tied up with thick iron chains in a dark corner. She used to be the queen's right-hand man, but now she was like a stray dog, with a look of despair in her eyes.

Opposite her was a Queen's secret guard who was tied up, with a pale face and empty eyes, and it was obvious that he had also experienced a lot of torture.

And the trembling midwife.

"Madame Qin, why are you so stubborn?" Lu Xi walked in slowly, holding a long whip in his hand, and said in a cold voice, "What the Queen did is obvious, why do you still have to keep it a secret for her?"

Nanny Qin raised her head. Although her clothes were ragged, her eyes still revealed tenacity. "I only know that loyalty is a lasting duty until death. The Queen has treated me well. How could I betray her?"

"Humph, foolish loyalty!"

Lu Xi snorted coldly and turned to the midwife beside him, "What about you? Are you also the queen's pawn?"

The midwife's jaw was removed and she was unable to speak, but she shook her head to indicate that she didn't know.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to say it, but her family is in the hands of the Queen and she can’t say it.

Lu Xi snorted coldly and looked at the secret guard again. The secret guard lowered his head and said nothing, as if he didn't want to pay attention.

He simply stopped asking questions and just whipped him hard, one whip after another.

After beating Nanny Qin, she went to beat the midwife, and then the secret guard. The three of them took turns beating them until they were willing to speak.

If he still doesn't speak, then try other tortures.

Nanny Qin and the midwife were both old, and they could not bear such a severe beating. They cursed and screamed.

I soon felt dizzy.

If they faint, they will be awakened by water and tortured...

The secret guard was not in much better condition. His already pale face was now as white as paper.

Finally, he could not hold it in any longer and confessed that it was Nanny Qin who found him and said that it was the Queen Mother who ordered him to go to the Heavenly Prison and kill the midwife.

The midwife's eyes widened, a look of extreme shock.

He risked his life to keep the secret for the Empress, but the Empress wanted to take his life.

She slowly closed her eyes, then opened them again and looked at Lu Xi, as if she had something to say.

Lu Xi signaled to the jailer beside her to reattach her jaw.

The jailer walked forward, exerted a little force with his hands, and with a "click", the midwife's jaw was reattached.

This little pain is nothing compared to the torture he suffered in the prison in the past few days.

The midwife adjusted herself for a moment, and then spoke in a trembling voice: "Eunuch Lu, I am forced into a desperate situation. The Queen threatened my family's lives, and I had no choice but to obey. Please show mercy, and save my family's lives. I will tell you everything I know."

From the moment she learned that the queen wanted to kill her, she didn't want to hide it.

But her family members were all in the hands of the queen, which made her afraid to speak out easily.

"If I had known today, why would I have done it in the first place?"

Lu Xi sighed, "Okay, I promise to try my best to rescue your family, but I can't guarantee whether I can succeed."

The midwife knew that such things could not be guaranteed, but she was already very grateful that the other party had agreed.

She kowtowed to the ground, the iron chain in her hand clattering as she moved, and she thanked him repeatedly: "Thank you, eunuch. Thank you for your kindness."

Nanny Qin was so angry that she trembled and cursed: "You shameless bitch, how could the queen treat you unfairly? How dare you slander the queen like this? Aren't you afraid of retribution?"

The midwife shrank back, and although there was fear in her eyes, she still stiffened her neck and said, "Madame Qin, I am also concerned about the lives of my family. What the Queen did is already intolerable, so why are you covering up for her?"

Nanny Qin's face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth and cursed, "You are talking nonsense. The Queen is virtuous and kind. You villains must have colluded with each other to frame her."

Lu Xi frowned and scolded, "Madame Qin, you are still stubborn. The midwife has already told the truth, and it will be useless for you to keep pestering her."

Nanny Qin turned to look at Lu Xi and gnashed her teeth and said, "Lu Xi, don't think you can cover the sky with one hand. You are forcing us like this, you must be under the instigation of those treacherous concubines, wanting to overthrow the queen."

Lu Xi sneered, "Madame Qin, please stop slandering me. The Queen's actions will be judged by justice. This midwife is just the beginning, and the truth will be revealed sooner or later."

Lu Xi waved to the jailer and said, "Treat them well. No matter what method you use, you must knock their mouths open."

He pointed at Nanny Qin with the whip in his hand.

He wanted to see how tough this old man's mouth was.

Lu Xi snorted coldly, threw the whip in his hand to the ground, turned around and left the prison.

"Yes, Eunuch Lu Xi."

When the jailer received Lu Xi's order, a ferocious smile appeared on his face.

He walked towards Nanny Qin, grabbed her hair and forced her to look up.

"Don't be so stubborn, old man. If you speak out now, you can suffer less."

The jailer said gruffly.

Nanny Qin spat on the jailer's face, "You bastard, don't be rude to me. I will never betray my queen even if I die."

The jailer was so angry that he slapped her hard on the face and cursed: "You old thing, you have no shame."

He picked up the red-hot iron and waved it in front of Nanny Qin. "Look what this is. If this falls on you, it will be a very unpleasant experience."

Nanny Qin closed her eyes, ready to die. "Come on, if I humph, I will not be the Queen's man."

The jailer sneered and pressed the branding iron hard on Nanny Qin's shoulder.

Nanny Qin's body began to tremble violently. She bit her lips until they bled, but she didn't let out a single scream.

The jailer felt a little bit of admiration when he saw this, but he did not stop.

This old guy is so stubborn, we have to use other torture methods.

In the imperial study, Emperor Jing was dealing with a mountain of memorials. The scent of ambergris and ink intertwined, and the place was quiet and peaceful.

Lu Xi hurried into the palace and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, this old servant has come to report."

Emperor Jing did not raise his head, but continued to deal with the memorials. He said in a cold voice, "Speak."

Lu Xi stood up and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the midwife has revealed some of the secrets. She said that the queen threatened her family's lives and forced her to do evil. Moreover, the queen's secret guard was tortured into saying that Nanny Qin was ordered by the queen to go to the prison to kill the midwife to silence her. But Nanny Qin was very stubborn and refused to admit it no matter what. She also insisted that the queen was virtuous and was framed."

The red pen in Emperor Jing's hand paused slightly, his brows furrowed, but he still did not raise his head, and just said lightly: "Do you have any evidence?"

The queen was the mother of the country and his first wife, even if they had no feelings for each other. But without solid evidence, even he couldn't easily depose her.

Lu Xi hurriedly stepped forward and presented the note he had found from the secret guard's residence and the remaining poison that the midwife had hidden under her fingernail:
"Your Majesty, this is the note and poison residue found in the secret guard's residence. It was taken from the midwife's fingernail. Please have a look. In addition, Nanny Qin was captured by me when she was meeting with the secret guard. A large amount of money, gold, silver and jewelry were also found in the secret guard's residence. I have ordered people to guard that room."

Emperor Jing put down his red brush, glanced at the evidence, and his face became gloomy. "I always thought that the queen was dignified and virtuous, and a model for the country. I didn't expect that she would do such a vicious thing. Where is Nanny Qin now?" Lu Xi replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, Nanny Qin is still in the prison. No matter how the jailer tortured her, she refused to give in, insisting that the queen was innocent and was framed."

Emperor Jing snorted coldly: "This Nanny Qin is a loyal person, but it's a pity that her loyalty is misplaced."

Lu Xi stood there respectfully without saying anything.

Emperor Jing tapped the table with his fingers, was silent for a moment, and said, "I remember that Nanny Qin has a grandson. Go and capture him. You don't have to capture him. Just take an object that Nanny Qin can recognize."

Lu Xi instantly understood what the emperor meant and said respectfully, "I understand. I will do it right away."

Then he left the imperial study.

After Lu Xi left, he quickly sent someone to Qin Ma's home.

Soon, the men brought back the longevity lock that was hanging around the neck of Qin Ma's grandson.

The longevity lock was finely crafted, with "Long Life" engraved on the front and her grandson's birth date engraved on the back.

Nanny Qin could recognize her at a glance.

Lu Xi came to the Heavenly Prison again, holding the longevity lock in his hand.

In the prison, Nanny Qin endured another round of torture and was already dying, but she still refused to talk. The jailer tortured her in every possible way but she refused to speak.

The jailer was afraid that he had killed someone, and he was at a loss as to what to do.

When the jailer saw Lu Xi coming, his eyes lit up and he hurried forward, "Finally, the eunuch is here. This old man is very stubborn and won't talk no matter how hard we beat him."

Lu Xi frowned, glanced at the jailer, and reminded him, "Don't beat her to death. The emperor still needs her."

The jailer bowed and smiled apologetically, "Yes, sir. This old man is really stubborn. I have no other choice."

Lu Xi ignored the jailer and walked to Nanny Qin. He squatted down and shook the longevity lock in front of Nanny Qin. "Nanny Qin, do you recognize this thing?"

Nanny Qin opened her eyes with great effort. The moment she saw the longevity lock, her body began to tremble and her eyes were filled with fear and worry.

Her lips trembled, she seemed to want to say something but stopped herself, and her expression was struggling.

Seeing this, Lu Xi struck while the iron was hot: "Mammy, if you continue to be stubborn, your precious grandson's life will be in danger. As long as you tell the Queen about her crimes, the Emperor may spare your grandson and your family."

After she finished speaking, she took out a piece of her son's underwear.

This was taken from Nanny Qin's house by my subordinates.

In addition to these objects, Nanny Qin's family has also been controlled by them.

When they went to Nanny Qin's house, they found another group of people were also looking for this family.

If Lu Xi guessed correctly, it should be the Queen's man.

Unfortunately, the speed is not as fast as theirs.

Nanny Qin looked at her son's underwear, and the struggle in her eyes became even more intense.

She knew very well that if she continued to hold on, her family would suffer a devastating disaster.

Although she was loyal to the Queen, in her heart, her sons and grandsons were more important.

Finally, Nanny Qin seemed to have lost all her strength. She slowly lowered her head and said in a weak but clear voice: "Old slave...speak."

Lu Xi smiled slightly and said hurriedly, "Mammy, please tell me in detail."

Afterwards, Nanny Qin explained in detail how she secretly killed the original midwife, replaced her own midwife and entered the Qionghua Palace, and then ordered the midwife to take action when Concubine Chen was giving birth, so as to create a double corpse.

Even after the matter was exposed, she confessed that the Empress ordered her to secretly deal with the midwife, including contacting the secret guards.

In addition, Nanny Qin even revealed that even Concubine Yun's premature birth and even her death in childbirth, as well as the eldest prince's congenital weakness, were all secretly caused by the Queen Mother's orders.

There was also Concubine Shu, who was more than seven months pregnant, and they secretly gave her drugs that weakened the fetus and the pregnant woman.

The ending is no different from that of Concubine Yun.

Because they used the same medicine, only Concubine Chen had been living in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, so it was difficult for them to take action and they failed.

Lu Xi had served the emperor for many years and was accustomed to the secrets of the harem.

But at this moment, when Nanny Qin told him everything the Queen had done, he still couldn't help but feel shocked.

He had never expected that the conspiracy and scheming in the harem could be so cruel.

No one expected that Concubine Yun’s death in childbirth was caused by the Queen.

And there is Concubine Shu, whose belly is so big and she is about to give birth.

If the Emperor knew that the baby in Concubine Shu's belly was destined not to be born, and even if it was born, it would be too weak, he would probably be very sad.

Lu Xi tried to remain calm, knowing that the matter was of great importance, and ordered people to keep an eye on Nanny Qin and others.

Without delaying for a moment, he hurriedly left the prison and went to the imperial study.

Lu Xi hurried to the imperial study and bowed again: "Your servant greets the emperor."

Emperor Jing put down the memorial in his hand, and looked at him inquiringly: "Has Madam Qin said anything?"

Lu Xi replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, Nanny Qin said that what she confessed was truly a heinous crime."

Then he repeated everything Nanny Qin had said and presented his confession.

Emperor Jing took the confession and looked at it quietly, his face gloomy and his eyes becoming increasingly cold.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, and after a long moment, he slowly spoke.

The voice was deep and majestic: "I have always thought that although the queen and I do not have much affection, she can manage the harem and be dignified and polite. I never thought that she would do such a cruel thing. She really betrayed my trust and failed to be a queen."

Lu Xi lowered his head and dared not breathe.

Emperor Jing was silent for a moment, then continued, "Pass on my decree. The Empress will be deposed from today, all honorific titles will be stripped, she will be demoted to a commoner, and sentenced to death. The men in her family will be exiled to the frontier and will never be allowed to return to the court; the women will all be confiscated and become prostitutes by the Jiaofang Bureau, and will not be pardoned."

"I obey your order." Lu Xi replied.

Emperor Jing continued, "Although Nanny Qin told the truth because of her family, she participated in many evil deeds and is unforgivable. She should be executed. The secret guard was an accomplice to the evil and should also be executed. Although the midwife was coerced, she is also to blame and should also be executed."

Lu Xi took the order and hurried to arrange the relevant matters.

When the news reached the harem, there was an uproar.

Those who had been attached to the queen were all in a state of panic, fearing that they would be implicated.

Although those who had been oppressed by the queen were secretly happy, they also felt sad because of the cruel struggles in the harem.