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Dong Mei and Nanny Sun rushed over in horror, trying to save her, but it was already too late.

With a "bang!" Beauty Li finally hit the ground and stopped, lying motionless on her back, her eyes tightly closed.

Instantly, Nanny Sun’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground, then frantically crawled over, emitting a wail like that of a slaughtered pig, "My lady, my lady, wake up, please don’t scare this servant!"

Dong Mei took a few steps forward, then stood frozen in fear, trembling, and stammering, "My lady, my lady..."

The Young Eunuch who had been pushed to the ground by Xiao Qing was also stunned, with only one thought in his mind: This is not what was planned...

If anything happened to Beauty Li, none of them would escape!

Nanny Sun, with a terrified face, crawled to Beauty Li’s side, and with trembling hands, tried to support her, her right index finger trembling as she touched Beauty Li’s nose and felt breath, she let out a deep sigh of relief, leaving only the haggardness after the scare, soaked in sweat.

It was also fortunate that Beauty Li had used her hands to cushion the fall, not hitting her head—she had only fainted, but it seemed her hand was broken.

Dong Mei’s eyes widened in terror, and her voice trembled as she asked, "Nanny, Beauty Li...she..." She couldn’t continue, paralyzed by fear.

Nanny Sun turned her vacant gaze towards Dong Mei, her eyes darting as she said, "The lady is still breathing."

After a little while, she came to her senses, weeping with relief, and said, "Quick, go fetch the Imperial Physician, Wu Shui, hurry!"

The Young Eunuch, hearing his name and knowing the lady was alive, scrambled up and with an "Alright," he ran off.

Nanny Sun also touched Beauty Li’s wrist, felt a strong pulse, and knew that she had fainted, her expression finally relaxing.

Then, with venom in her eyes, she looked up at Lian Hua and shouted loudly, "Someone has been murdered, Daying Lian of Canglan Court has committed murder!" Her voice carried far and wide.

While Dong Mei and Nanny Sun were running to Beauty Li’s aid, Xiao Qing was startled and ran from the other side of the pavilion towards Lian Hua.

She didn’t know what had happened, how it came to be that the Young Master was on top, Beauty Li on the bottom, but seeing that Beauty Li was in trouble, she felt relieved that it wasn’t the Young Master who had fallen.

As she was running, she also feared that Beauty Li’s accident might implicate the Young Master...

When she reached Lian Hua, she couldn’t help crying worriedly and asked, "Young Master, are you alright?"

Hearing Xiao Qing’s words, Lian Hua withdrew her gaze from the drama below and turned to look at her with an expressionless face, commanding her, "Go back to Canglan Court now."

Xiao Qing shook her head vigorously, wiping her tears and saying, "Young Master, I will not leave." She knew there was trouble, and she couldn’t leave, she had to stay with the Young Master.

Lian Hua’s gaze turned icy as she said, "If you still acknowledge me as your master, then go back to Canglan Court now!"

Xiao Qing quickly knelt down, grabbing Lian Hua’s skirt, sobbing, "Young Master, don’t send this servant away, I won’t leave."

The Young Master wanted to protect her, but she didn’t want this; she was useless, always watching the Young Master suffer without being able to do anything, yet today, no matter what, she couldn’t leave.

By now, Nanny Sun, having assessed Beauty Li’s condition below the pavilion, began to call out fiercely about murder. Lian Hua looked towards the distance, knowing that people would soon arrive.

After a while, she looked down at Xiao Qing and said indifferently, "What can you do here? If you go back, you and Xiao Jizi can think of a plan, staying here will only hinder me." Saying this, she yanked her skirt away from Xiao Qing’s grasp and looked away.

Tears streaking her face, Xiao Qing gazed blankly at Lian Hua. After a moment of realization, she said, "Right, I’ll go find Xiao Jizi, he will have a way, Young Master, you must wait for me, you must wait for this servant!"

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but choke up and, getting to her feet, she stumbled as she ran toward Canglan Court.

After the others had left, Lian Hua’s eyes felt warm. She turned her head to look in the direction where Xiao Qing had gone and smiled gently—what a foolish girl. When dealing with slander, it was crucial to cut the mess quickly, how could she expect them to wait for her?

Below the stairs, Nanny Sun and Dong Mei were crying out hoarsely, their wails mournful, every sentence laced with tears, accusing her of pushing Beauty Li down the stairs—a crime against her superior, potentially lethal.

Before long, the sound of people approaching could be heard in the distance, seemingly alerted to the incident and coming from various courts and palaces.

Lian Hua watched with a mocking smile at the edge of her lips. The scene before her seemed to overlap with a memory, as if it had all happened before, causing her to feel disoriented, unsure if she was in the present or back in that memory.

Inside Huaqing Palace.

Cai Xia hurried into the Inner Palace and, seeing the Noble Consort, whispered something to her.

The Noble Consort’s spirits lifted—Beauty Li had truly lived up to expectations, acting so swiftly. But she hadn’t expected that fool to be so foolish as to actually injure herself in the fall.

However, it didn’t matter. An injury was even better, the more severe the better. That way, the crime of Little Daying could be charged even more heavily, and she would have no way to escape it.

Thinking this, the Noble Consort smiled coldly—seemingly, another lesser Concubine would soon be departing this palace.

With a pleased smile, the Noble Consort commanded Cai Xia, "Go at once and fetch a few Punishment Matrons, bring everyone back to me, and don’t miss a single one."

Infected by the Noble Consort’s mood, Cai Xia responded with a smile, "Yes, Consort. As soon as I received the news, I immediately sent people over. However, it seems that Beauty Li has broken her hand and scratched up her face, and she remains unconscious. How shall we proceed?"

Caressing the Armor on her hand, the Noble Consort said, "Have Beauty Li brought to Huaqing Palace as well, and place her in the Side Hall. Summon an Imperial Physician to treat her!"

How could they ensure the charges against her were thoroughly applied if the person was not brought back? Besides, arranging for her treatment in Huaqing Palace would also showcase the Consort’s grace and mercy.

"Yes." Cai Xia responded respectfully and withdrew to carry out her orders.

After Cai Xia had left, the Noble Consort turned to her attendant and commanded, "Cai Qin, help me change clothes."

A Palace Attendant with a Plum Blossom Hairpin and a delicate appearance stepped out from behind the Noble Consort and bowed, saying, "Yes."

Once the Noble Consort had changed clothes and everyone had gathered, she set aside her thoughts. With a serene and solemn dignity, she gracefully made her way to the throne.

Inside Canglan Court.

Xiao Jizi was grinding corn cobs, with a bag already filled with ground corn beside him.

Being the only eunuch in Canglan Court, he took on all such heavy tasks—although Xiao Qing was not weak, a girl is still a girl, and he was always tender toward the fair sex.

He had just put down a handful of corn kernels and was about to start grinding when he heard a frantic voice calling his name.

Xiao Jizi put down the work in his hands and listened closely—wasn’t that Xiao Qing’s voice?

She had gone out with the Young Master to stroll through the garden. Why had she suddenly run back alone?

The voice grew nearer, and he could hear the panic in it.

A sense of foreboding struck Xiao Jizi’s heart. What had happened? Dropping his tools, he rushed toward the source of the sound.