Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C095 pt2

Not only her, but the Empress Dowager, Princess Changhe, and a whole host of others had arrived.

Princess Consort Zhao spoke with particular righteous indignation, "Today it is Third Sister-in-law and Eighth Sister-in-law, but who knows who it will be tomorrow? To extend one's hand even to Cining Palace, that person truly has the gall of a bear and the courage of a leopard! What do you say, Princess Consort Jin?"

Princess Consort Jin was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Indeed, that person must not be let off lightly if caught."

Princess Changhe said, "Alright, all of you be quiet for now. What is the situation?" She looked at Prince Wei, then at Wushuang, "Princess Consort Wei, are you alright?"

"Replying to Your Highness, this concubine is fine. It is not this concubine who is in trouble, but Eighth Sister-in-law."

"What exactly happened?"

Xiadie represented the several palace maids who had been dispatched to attend to Wushuang, and recounted what had occurred. Linglong and Liuye were also present, each representing Wushuang and Wan Chun'er, respectively.

Having heard that the bowl of bird's nest soup was originally intended for Princess Consort Wei, but because the people of Cining Palace were unaware that Princess Consort Wei did not eat lilies, Princess Consort Wei had given the bird's nest soup to Eighth Princess Consort and ate white fungus and lotus seed soup herself, almost everyone realized that the problem lay with that bowl of bird's nest soup.

Xiazhu originally dared not speak, but she was eager to exonerate herself, and seeing that the Empress Dowager remained silent, she spoke of how she had discovered the suspicious Nongqin at the time of the incident, and how she had encountered Nongqin in the small kitchen when she was delivering the bird's nest soup to Princess Consort Wei.

After speaking, she deeply lowered her head, not daring to say another word.

There were still those who didn't know who Nongqin was, that she could frighten this palace maid to such an extent. The Empress Dowager spoke at this moment.

"Nongqin is Commandery Princess Minghui's personal maidservant."

"So it turned out to be Commandery Princess Minghui's people. Now the truth was revealed. Was Commandery Princess Minghui the one who did it?"

All those present exchanged glances. Princess Changhe frowned and said, "Minghui, how could you do such a thing?"

Commandery Princess Minghui, holding back tears, said, "I didn't do it..."

At this time, the Empress Dowager spoke again.

"Prince Wei, whether you believe it or not, this matter was not done by Minghui…"

Just then, a Chamberlain walked out from inside, looking hesitant.

"How is the Eighth Prince's Consort?" Ji Yang rushed over and asked.

The young Chamberlain didn't know what to say. He looked at the Empress Dowager, then at Wushuang.

The Empress Dowager said, "Speak your mind. There's no need to hesitate."

She then said to the crowd, "Since I brought you all here, I didn't intend to conceal anything. I already asked Minghui, and it truly wasn't her doing. Of course, now is not the time to worry about this matter. What's important is how the Eighth Prince's Consort is."

The young Chamberlain finally spoke.

"The imperial physician took the Eighth Prince's Consort's pulse. The Eighth Prince's Consort did not miscarry; she is having her menses!"

These words, once spoken, astonished everyone.

"Not a miscarriage, but her menses?"

Thereupon, all eyes turned to Wushuang. This was also the reason why the young Chamberlain had looked at Wushuang earlier, because the entire affair, including having someone invite the imperial physician and saying that the Eighth Prince's Consort had miscarried, was orchestrated by Prince Wei's Consort.

Wushuang was also stunned. Could it really not be a miscarriage? But Wan Chun'er bled so much...

Seeing her face flushed with embarrassment, Prince Wei also thought that perhaps she had been frightened and made a mountain out of a molehill. But in front of others, he had to protect his wife, so he spoke, "It's fortunate that nothing happened. This matter..."

"Good for you, Mei Wushuang! You actually dared to frame me!" Commandery Princess Minghui rushed forward and said.

In truth, one couldn't blame her for being so enraged. Anyone who had been splashed with a body full of filth, unsure if it could even be washed clean, would naturally be angry and prone to conspiracy theories when the situation suddenly shifted.

"I did not frame you…"

Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps sounded, and a palace maid rushed in from outside.

"It's terrible! Nongqin has hanged herself!"

She hadn't anticipated such a scene in the hall and was immediately struck speechless with fright.

A flash of inspiration struck Mei Wushuang, and she said, "Find a physician. There's still some of that bird's nest soup left uneaten. Have the physician examine it."

The truth was finally brought to light.

It turned out that someone had indeed tampered with the bird's nest soup. The physician had detected the presence of aconite within it. This aconite was also known as wutou. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* stated: 'Aconite governs wind-cold coughs and rebellious qi... and also induces abortion, being the chief of all medicines.'

Such was the potency of its medicinal properties!

However, aconite was not inherently a poison. It could be used to dispel cold and alleviate pain, so it would not cause harm to someone who was not pregnant. It just so happened that Wan Chun'er was expecting her monthly flow in these past few days, but it had been delayed due to a previous chill. This bowl of bird's nest soup laced with aconite immediately dispersed the already congested menstrual blood, causing her to bleed profusely. In truth, that blood was what she should have been expelling anyway.

Therefore, the person who had tampered with the bird's nest soup was none other than Nongqin. However, Nongqin had already hanged herself. Thus, the matter returned to its original state, and the situation was even more dire than before.

The Empress Dowager had brought everyone here so readily because she was forced to by the circumstances, and also because she trusted Commandery Princess Minghui, thinking that since she hadn't done it, she would surely be able to uncover the truth.

Now that Nongqin was dead, it created a situation where—regardless of what the Empress Dowager and Commandery Princess Minghui said here at Cining Palace—outsiders would view it as sophistry and shielding.

Just look, the maidservant had even died to take the blame for her mistress.

***

Emperor Taihe had actually received the news long ago, but he was temporarily unable to leave because there were foreign envoys at the banquet.

Now that he had managed to extricate himself, he hadn't expected to encounter such a scene.

"Enough, stop gathering here. Those who don't know better would think something had happened to Cining Palace!" Emperor Taihe said with a frown.

Since he had spoken, the Four Consorts and the assembled Princess Consorts dared not linger. They hurriedly performed their courtesies and withdrew.

Prince Wei said, "This son believes that Commandery Princess Minghui is not responsible..."

Emperor Taihe had originally expected to face Prince Wei's cold gaze—just imagine, this son of his had finally married a Princess Consort, and she was finally pregnant. The plaque for the carriage to enter the palace was something he had begged for himself before, protecting her like the apple of his eye. Now, such a thing had suddenly happened.

To punish Commandery Princess Minghui would inevitably mean facing the Empress Dowager's pleas. He had originally intended to dismiss everyone, allowing Prince Wei to spare Minghui this time for the sake of the Empress Dowager's face. In the future, he would no longer permit Minghui to enter the palace, and he would compensate Prince Wei's Princess Consort afterwards.

Prince Wei would certainly be unwilling with such a disposition, but for now, this was the only way, after all, he had to consider the Empress Dowager's feelings. Who knew that Prince Wei would actually say he believed Commandery Princess Minghui was not responsible?

Prince Wei's words, on the surface, were spoken for Commandery Princess Minghui, but in reality, he was saying that he believed the Empress Dowager would not harm Wushuang.

The Empress Dowager finally felt somewhat better. She had no intention of harming anyone and had done her best, yet she never expected things to escalate to this point.

She sighed and said, "Minghui is a child I raised. Even if she is foolish, spoiled, and even cruel, she has one redeeming quality: she still listens to me. I asked her as soon as I returned, and she said it wasn't her doing, but it was precisely her maidservant..."

Prince Wei said, "In truth, these are common tactics used by people in the palace. The apparent perpetrator is usually not the real one. Since they take action, they naturally make thorough preparations and find scapegoats."

As he spoke, he beckoned, and Fusheng hurried forward.

Fusheng spread the handkerchief he held in his hands before Emperor Taihe and the Empress Dowager.

Prince Wei explained, "This is poison that I had people discover hidden in the maidservant's teeth after her death. Her hanging herself was likely to solidify the matter completely. In fact, even if Wushuang hadn't had her apprehended, she probably would have actively exposed herself and sought death."

No matter how much the palace concubines scheme against each other, their means are limited. If they want to do something bad, at most, they can only bribe a few palace servants. As long as one follows the clues, the truth can always be found. At worst, when the subordinates are caught, the servants will commit suicide to protect their masters.

But hiding poison in one's teeth is clearly the method of a death soldier or a spy.

Others might not be clear, but Prince Wei was, and Emperor Taihe was as well. Before he ascended the throne, when he fought with his brothers, he had encountered such death soldiers.

And now, this person had actually infiltrated Cining Palace and was hidden by Commandery Princess Minghui's side.

Emperor Taihe repeatedly sneered coldly.

The Empress Dowager, however, was covered in a cold sweat.

Princess Changhe sighed and said, "What a sin!"

***

When they bid farewell, not only was Wushuang's little face flushed, but Wan Chun'er's little face was also completely red.

Clearly, her menses had arrived, but she and Third Sister-in-law thought it was a miscarriage. It was likely that in a few days, everyone in the palace would know that the Eighth Prince's Princess Consort had caused such a blunder.

"This time, no one will dare to gossip about you."

"What's wrong?" Wan Chun'er asked, puzzled.

Ji Shao recounted the general situation, causing Wan Chun'er to exclaim in astonishment. It was the first time the young couple had witnessed such palace intrigues, and it broadened their horizons.

On the other side, inside the Prince Wei's mansion carriage.

Mei Wushuang said, "Fortunately, Eighth Sister-in-law is alright, otherwise I would have felt guilty for the rest of my life."

"After this incident, you can enter the palace whenever you wish, or not go if you don't want to. No one will be so ignorant as to say anything." This was the only benefit that could be counted after the incident.

"I wonder who is so vicious, plotting so deeply."

This time she escaped, but what about next time?

Mei Wushuang felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it. She then recalled how many similar hardships he must have suffered when he was still in the palace. No wonder he, who was usually so calm and composed, was so wary, even nagging, about her entering the palace. She once thought he was exaggerating to scare her, but now it seemed he was not exaggerating at all.

"Father Emperor will investigate this matter, and so will the Empress Dowager."

How could it be otherwise?!

The Empress Dowager had played the role of a kind old woman in the palace for decades, all to avoid being feared by Emperor Taihe and to avoid getting involved in disputes. But now, one thing after another, first Prince Qin's people sought to marry Commandery Princess Minghui, and then they stretched their hands to Cining Palace again.

If either of these two things succeeded, the Empress Dowager's peace would be reduced to ashes.

Both times, they targeted Commandery Princess Minghui, and everyone knew that Commandery Princess Minghui was the Empress Dowager's lifeblood.

Now that Minghui had not yet married, who knew how many spies had been planted in her Cining Palace, and who knew how many people still wanted to take advantage of her and use her. Therefore, although the Empress Dowager appeared to be fine on the surface, she was truly enraged.

Because there were many banquets in the palace these past few days, the Empress Dowager did not act rashly.

After the eighth day of the month, she used the pretext of rectifying palace discipline to take back the power to manage the palace, which had originally been divided among the four Concubines, and began ordering people to verify the number and identities of people in each palace, and restricted the number and frequency of entries and exits from the palace.

Previously, anyone who wanted to leave the palace only needed to report to one of the four Consorts and register their name at the palace gate. The people of the four Consorts could even enter and leave the palace without reporting at all, directly using the tokens issued by the four Consorts. They could leave whenever they wanted and return whenever they wanted.

Now, that was no longer possible. And it wasn't just that. The Empress Dowager had been immersed in the palace for many years and understood the methods of the people in the palace very well. As soon as she took action, she caused the people in various palaces and places to complain endlessly.

But complaining was useless, because Emperor Taihe had also spoken.

No one expected that the incident that happened on the first day of the month would be delayed for a few days before its repercussions were seen. However, seeing this commotion, the person behind the scenes knew that the attempt to frame someone had failed, and now everyone in the palace would be implicated by her.

There were a few people who knew a little about the inside story, and they cursed the person who acted behind the scenes quite a bit in their hearts. But cursing was cursing, if they could do it again, the other party would probably still act.

After all, the reason the matter failed was not due to a flawed plan, but because of an unforeseen accident. If not for the accident that was the Eighth Prince's Consort, if not for the fact that they were unaware Princess Wei did not eat lilies, this matter should have succeeded.

***

In the blink of an eye, it was already the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month.

Ever since returning from the palace on the first day of the new year, Wushuang had not entered the palace again, and felt truly bored cooped up in the Prince's mansion. In truth, this matter was also Ji Yang's fault. If he hadn't mentioned it, Wushuang wouldn't have thought about it. He asked Wushuang if she wanted to go out to see the lanterns on the Lantern Festival, and that was how he stirred up her desire.

Prince Wei initially disagreed, but he couldn't control Ji Yang, and Wushuang had also spoken to Wan Chun'er, who then spoke to Ji Shao. Thus, it was decided that the two families would go to the lantern market together on the Lantern Festival.