I died tragically in my previous life, and I want to be an empress in my next life

"This, this was accidentally contaminated when I went to the kitchen today." Lu Yun explained hurriedly, while waving at the flies around her, trying to drive them away.

She knelt on the ground, her voice tinged with tears, "Please forgive me, Princess. I really didn't mean to do that. I have offended you, Princess. I deserve to die!"

"What a sharp-tongued little maid!" Pei Zhiyan sneered, with a sharp flash in her eyes, "Hmph! Don't pretend to be ignorant. You know in your heart that this is not the reason for this!"

Lu Yun was frightened by Pei Zhiyan's gaze. She kowtowed repeatedly with a trembling voice, "Princess, you are very observant. I really don't know what you are talking about. Please spare my life!"

Pei Zhiyan's eyes turned cold, and her voice became even more severe, "It seems that you won't cry until you see the coffin! You obviously put on the fishy smell on your body on purpose. Cats love to eat fish. You deliberately attracted those wild cats here, hoping that they would bump into Madam Yue'e, isn't that right?"

Lu Yun's face turned pale instantly, but she still insisted on denying it, "Princess, please spare me! Princess, please spare me! I really didn't do this, please believe me!"

Pei Zhiyan's eyes flashed with impatience, and she ordered coldly: "It seems that you won't tell the truth unless you suffer some physical pain! Come, give me twenty lashes first!"

Yinliu immediately stepped forward and kicked Luyun to the ground. Several servants immediately stepped forward to hold her down, ready to carry out Pei Zhiyan's order. Luyun screamed in fear, but no one paid attention to her pleas for mercy.

Lu Yun watched helplessly as the maids picked up the wooden board. She turned pale with fear and cried out in sobs, “Princess, please spare me! Princess, please spare me!”

The servants ignored her pleas for mercy and stuffed a piece of rag into her mouth. Then, they slammed a wooden board down on Luyun's butt, making a crisp sound.

After twenty blows, Green Cloud was already on the verge of death.

Pei Zhiyan looked at her and asked calmly, "Can you tell the truth to this princess now?"

Lu Yun raised her head with difficulty, her eyes full of tears and unwillingness. She replied weakly, "Princess, I am truly wronged."

Pei Zhiyan smiled gently, picked up a cup of hot tea, blew on it, and let the tea leaves expand in the hot air.

She took a sip, her eyes showing a chill, and said lightly, "You are still very stubborn, but I wonder if your life is that tough? Today, if you don't admit it, even if this princess lets you go, some people won't let you go."

Pei Zhiyan said this while looking at Aunt Yun meaningfully, and Aunt Yun's eyes obviously avoided her gaze.

At this time, Pei Zhiyan's voice sounded again, her tone revealed indifference and determination, "Today, if you tell the truth, this princess will save your life. But if you still insist on not changing your ways, don't blame this princess for making your life worse than death, with cruel means!"

After hearing this, Lu Yun weighed the options in her mind for a moment, and seemed to think that this was her only chance of survival. She struggled to get up, using all her strength, and asked in a trembling voice, "Princess, if I really tell the truth, will you really protect me?"

Pei Zhiyan's eyes flashed with a hint of sharpness, but her voice was unusually calm, "Once this princess has spoken, it is impossible to take back her words."

After receiving Pei Zhiyan's assurance, Lu Yun seemed to have found a life-saving straw. She took a deep breath, pointed at Aunt Yun standing beside her, and said loudly, "Princess, Madam, it was Aunt Yun who asked me to do this!"

"What?!" Mrs. Pei asked in shock. She didn't expect Aunt Yun to be so cruel.

"You're talking nonsense!" Aunt Yun's face turned pale in an instant. She quickly stood up to refute Lu Yun's words, "When did I ask you to do this? It's obviously you, a girl, who is lazy and dissatisfied after being blamed by the lady, and you want to harm the lady!"

"Princess, old lady, you can't believe this girl's nonsense, can you?!"

Lu Yun continued, "No, Princess, it was Madam Yun. It was Madam Yun who really asked me to do it!"

"Princess, a few days ago, I accidentally broke a vase in Madam's room, and Madam scolded me. I hid in a corner and cried secretly. Then, Madam Yun appeared. Madam Yun comforted me and said she had a way to make Madam suffer a little."

"I was so angry at the time that I agreed to Madam Yun's request. Afterwards, I regretted it, but when I thought about how Madam scolded and punished me on a daily basis, I was lucky and thought that it would only be a small pain for Madam, and it shouldn't be a big problem."

"Princess, I have been wronged!" Aunt Yun knelt in front of the hall and defended herself with a trembling voice, "I have never ordered Lu Yun to do anything, and it is impossible for me to have the intention to harm Madam!"

"Madam Yun told me that there are some wild cats outside the Madam's courtyard. Wild cats love to eat fish. We just need to create some fishy smell to attract the wild cats and scare the Madam."

"Aunt Yun also gave me a jade bracelet as a reward, which she placed in the package in my room." Lu Yun said in a trembling voice.

Pei Zhiyan nodded slightly, and signaled Yinliu to follow a maid to Luyun's room. Not long after, a jade bracelet was found in the room. Yinliu took the jade bracelet and walked to the front of the hall, showing it to everyone.

Prime Minister Pei took the jade bracelet, looked at it carefully, and his face suddenly changed. He recognized the jade bracelet, which was a gift he had given to Aunt Yun. He turned his eyes to Aunt Yun, with deep doubt and disappointment in his eyes.

"We've caught the culprit red-handed, Aunt Yun, what else do you have to say?!" Pei Zhiyan said coldly.

Aunt Yun's face was ashen at this moment. She knelt and crawled to the feet of Prime Minister Pei in panic, tightly tugging at his sleeves, "Prime Minister, Prime Minister, I am innocent. You must believe me. I am innocent!"

Prime Minister Pei looked at Madam Yun's miserable state, and felt disgusted. He snorted coldly and fiercely shook off Madam Yun's hand, "I was really blind to believe in you, a vicious woman! You actually did such a cruel thing for your own purpose!"

After saying that, Lord Pei strode out of the room, leaving Aunt Yun kneeling on the ground alone, crying.

Madam Pei looked at Aunt Yun crying and screaming, and she was so angry that she covered her chest, "You vicious woman! My Pei family has always been kind to you, but you turned a blind eye to kindness and did such a heartless thing!"

Madam Pei nodded, took a deep breath, and tried to calm herself down. Then, she said majestically, "Come here, lock this vicious woman in the woodshed first, and let Yue'e decide her fate after she wakes up!"

Several servants immediately stepped forward and mercilessly dragged Madam Yun. Madam Yun struggled in fear and shouted loudly, "Madam, please spare me! Madam, please spare me! I am really innocent!"

Several servants came forward and held down Aunt Yun, dragging her towards the woodshed without mercy.