Chapter 682 Poison Testing
Li Sanqi smiled and said, "You say I bribed you? Then tell me, what did I use to bribe you? Do you have any evidence?"
The young maid was taken aback, then exclaimed in panic, "Although there is no evidence, Your Highness personally promised that as long as I poisoned the Empress Dowager, you would take care of my family! You would treat my mother's illness, find a wife for my brother, and pay for my younger brother's education... You said it yourself!"
“Father, she has no evidence. She also has no opportunity to get close to the Empress Dowager. Even if I wanted to bribe her, I would never bribe such a useless maid.”
After saying that, she ignored the maid and turned to look at the Empress Dowager's personal nanny, Aunt Fei Ruo.
“Aunt Fei Ruo, you are an old servant of the Empress Dowager. I grew up by the Empress Dowager’s side since I was a child. You have watched me grow up.”
Why are you accusing me of poisoning the Empress Dowager?
Aunt Fei Ruo glanced at Consort Liu Hui as if casually, then looked at Li Sanqi and said with certainty, "Princess, it was you who bribed this old servant!"
"You said you would help me find my long-lost brother and his family, and I would do things for you."
“A few days ago, you said you found my brother’s family. But all that’s left of my brother’s family is a destitute grandnephew who has become a beggar.”
"If you ask me to poison the Empress Dowager, then you will raise my grandnephew for me."
"Now that I have done it, I only ask that you keep your promise."
After saying that, Aunt Fei Ruo, with strength she didn't know she had, pulled out the silver hairpin from her hair and plunged it deep into her throat!
Because they were standing too close, Aunt Fei Ruo's blood splattered all over the young palace maid's face.
"Ah! Ah! I don't want to die! Princess, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"
The young palace maid acted as if she had gone mad, twisting her body, struggling, and crawling.
"It's Consort Hui! The one who truly bribed me wasn't Princess Huaiyang, it was Consort Hui!"
"It was Consort Hui who ordered me to keep an eye on everything that happened in the Empress Dowager's palace, and it was also Consort Hui who ordered me to slander Princess Huaiyang at the crucial moment!"
"I didn't poison the Empress Dowager! I didn't do anything!"
"Your Majesty, please have mercy! Your Majesty, please spare my life!"
The change of events happened too quickly, and the palace maid's change of address came too suddenly. Everyone stared in astonishment at this dramatic scene.
Consort Liu Hui, who was the first to react, immediately flew into a rage and shouted, "Shut up! You lowly servant! How dare you slander me?"
"When have I ever bribed you? And when did I ever order you to slander Princess Huaiyang?"
"If you dare to say another word, I'll kill you!"
As she spoke, Consort Liu kowtowed to Emperor Xiaozhao again, saying, "Your Majesty, I have never bribed this person! Nor have I ever instructed her to slander Princess Huaiyang! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
Emperor Xiaozhao waved his hand, "The confessions are contradictory and misleading. Drag them out and beat them to death with sticks."
Soon, Liu Xin ordered someone to cover the palace maid's mouth and drag her out.
Li Sanqi knelt upright on the ground, looking at Emperor Xiaozhao with an open and honest gaze. "Father, I am innocent. Please clear my name."
Emperor Xiaozhao looked at Consort Liu Hui, "You still won't confess your crime?"
Consort Liu was stunned and looked at Emperor Xiaozhao in disbelief. This favoritism was too obvious!
"Your Majesty, why should I confess to something I did not do?"
"When I went to see the Empress Dowager before, it was truly only to ask her to intervene and get my child back from the Qiao family!"
"Your Majesty, I was hoping that you would stand up for me and the Prince of Qi. Why would you poison her?"
Just then, the King of Chu suddenly spoke up: “What Consort Hui said makes sense. But it is hard to guarantee that Consort Hui will not deliberately take advantage of the conflict between the Empress Dowager and Huaiyang to harm the Empress Dowager and then frame Huaiyang in order to strike at me.”
King Qi's eyes widened, glaring furiously at King Chu. "King Chu, watch your words! How dare you slander my mother without any real evidence!"
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing, Emperor Xiaozhao rubbed his temples impatiently.
Seeing this, and just as Emperor Xiaozhao was about to lose his temper, Li Sanqi hurriedly said loudly, "Father, I propose that someone be sent to re-examine the cause of the Empress Dowager's death, to confirm what the poison was, and to trace its origin."
Emperor Xiaozhao nodded: "Granted. Summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital who are skilled in poisons."
Just then, Li Sanqi spoke up again, "Father, I suggest we invite Physician Mu as well. When it comes to detoxification, I'm afraid no one in the world can surpass him."
As he spoke, Li Sanqi looked earnestly at Emperor Xiaozhao.
Emperor Xiaozhao's heart stirred, and he immediately nodded: "Send someone to invite him."
The servants immediately sprang into action, some going to the Imperial Hospital, others leaving the palace to fetch Mu Jin; they all rushed off quickly.
Since the matter was still unresolved, Li Sanqi considerately suggested, "Father, you must be tired after guarding Grandmother for several hours. Why don't you go to the side hall to rest for a while? We can report back after the imperial physician and Doctor Mu have examined her and obtained their results."
Emperor Xiaozhao was indeed quite tired, and immediately nodded.
Li Sanqi immediately stood up and went to help him.
Emperor Xiaozhao did not refuse and allowed her to help him to the side hall.
Upon entering the side hall, Emperor Xiaozhao coldly looked at Li Sanqi and asked, "What do you want to do?"
Li Sanqi quickly said aggrievedly, "Father, I just wanted to use the excuse of re-examining the body to let Doctor Mu enter the palace openly to examine your pulse."
"If Father's strange illness can be cured, Grandmother will not mind the imperial physicians examining her body."
Emperor Xiaozhao's expression softened slightly. "It's kind of you to have this thought."
“However,” he frowned at Li Sanqi, “so you’re not confident that you can find the real culprit who poisoned the Empress Dowager based on the poison she was given?”
Li Sanqi said awkwardly, "Your subject truly cannot. But in the end, I fear that the death of the Empress Dowager will inevitably lead to a struggle for the throne!"
"It's all my fault! If I hadn't argued with my grandmother, allowing someone to take advantage of the situation, my grandmother wouldn't have..."
As he finished speaking, Li Sanqi's expression darkened, his eyes reddened slightly, and he seemed to be on the verge of tears.
Emperor Xiaozhao also sighed deeply and waved his hand weakly, "You may leave."
"Yes. Your subject takes his leave." Li Sanqi bowed and left the side hall.
Half an hour later, Mu Jin entered the palace, and the newly appointed imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital had already completed the examination of the Empress Dowager's body.
The Imperial Medical Academy could only confirm that the Empress Dowager had indeed died of poisoning and could identify several possible drugs in the poison, but they still could not identify what poison she had been poisoned with or how she had been poisoned.
More importantly, according to them, the drugs that caused the Empress Dowager's poisoning were common medicinal materials and had no toxicity!
Upon seeing the arrival of the renowned female doctor, Mu Jin, the staff of the Imperial Hospital stepped aside.
In recent years, the people of the Imperial Medical Academy have come to respect Mu Jin, this down-to-earth female doctor.
When they first heard that someone named Mu Jin had emerged in the capital, they were quite unconvinced.
It's truly laughable that a woman would dare to brazenly call herself a miracle doctor.
Over the years, Mu Jin cured many of the illnesses they couldn't treat. She also cured many of the poisons they couldn't cure.
Gradually, they had to admit that they were indeed inferior in skill, and that this "Divine Doctor Mu" truly deserved the title of "Divine Doctor."
Sure enough, Hibiscus once again gave them quite a shock.
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