Chapter 81 Self-Proof
"Yes, Your Highness, I was presumptuous. Please forgive me. Today's incident was caused by my failure to properly manage my servants, which has disturbed everyone. Please forgive me."
As she spoke, a few more tears fell.
However, even the most pitiful and lovely beauty sheds tears, and after watching it a few times, one becomes tired of it, not to mention that everyone present had already noticed Princess Min-young and the Fourth Prince's attitude and knew exactly what was going on—
Xiao Yuyao was rejected by the royal family, so there was no longer any value in befriending her.
"Wait, Yuyao, your servant may have made a mistake, but she did it all for you. How can we betray such loyalty? It won't take much effort to call the imperial physician. I also want to know what happened."
Qi Wenyue had long wanted to speak up for Xiao Yuyao, but she kept reminding herself not to forget what her father had said.
Finally, seeing that Yuyao was about to leave, she couldn't help but break free from the nanny's hand and step forward.
"Miss Xiao Wu should have no objection, right? It's just to check whether this thing is croton powder. Even if it is, it doesn't really prove that you put it in, it just confirms that someone is harming people."
Qi Wenyue felt her scalp tingling from the nanny's gaze, but in the end she still said something to make amends, as if she wasn't targeting Xiao Yuxuan.
Xiao Yuxuan maintained her calm expression throughout, and now showed even less emotion, saying indifferently:
"Then please ask the imperial physician to examine it."
"There's no need for me to look."
Qi Jun strode over from a distance, dressed in a black crown prince's robe, exuding great majesty. His face was solemn, and his brows were filled with coldness.
Those who remained in the hall were startled and immediately knelt down to pay their respects.
After they stood up, everyone could see that the young eunuch behind the crown prince was carrying a maid who was tightly bound and gagged with a handkerchief. Her beautiful face was pale and ashen.
The young eunuch tossed Chunwen to the ground before bowing to the group of young men and women and saying:
"This person was peeking around outside the washroom just now. When the servants caught him, he claimed to be Chunwen, a maid from the Xiao household. Does any young master or young lady know this person?"
Chunwen?
Isn't that the same person I just mentioned—Xiao Yuxuan's maid, the one who put chin powder on Xiao Yuyao?
"Now that Chunwen is here, let's take this opportunity to interrogate her thoroughly and see if she has been instructed to do anything filthy."
Zheng Yanling gave Xiao Yuyao a meaningful look.
She never expected that someone would cry foul like a thief, it was truly an eye-opener.
Caihe knelt on the ground, supported by Princess Wenyue. Although her legs were still trembling, she suppressed her fear and, under the gazes of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, secretly glanced at Chunwen, who was bound and unable to speak. She said tremblingly:
"Yes, it is Chunwen. This is Chunwen who serves the Fifth Miss. Your Highness, please be aware that our young lady was harmed by this Chunwen, which is why she behaved improperly before the Emperor!"
She didn't dare to criticize Xiao Yuxuan anymore, fearing that the Fourth Prince would say something like he would beat her to death as a warning to others.
Qi Jun was already in a bad mood, and now that he saw this person still daring to show off his skills in front of him, he frowned deeply.
Someone, with great shrewdness, stepped forward and briefly explained the cause and effect.
Qi Jun's gaze fell on the calm and quiet girl. For some reason, he felt that she wouldn't suffer any loss.
“Your Highness is busy with many affairs of state and should not have asked you to concern yourself with such trivial matters. It was we who have bothered Your Highness… Caihe’s words are so certain that I have already agreed to check the powder in the paper package. If it is indeed croton powder, and Chunwen has such a harmful intention, I, as her mistress, will not tolerate it.”
The young girl was quick-witted and eloquent, and her witty remarks completely refuted Qi Jun's offer to personally support her.
He could only grunt in response and give a wink to the servant beside him.
Why bother asking the imperial physician to find out if it's just croton powder? It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. The little eunuch who tastes the food could do that.
Before long, a young eunuch came running over respectfully and bowed to the distinguished masters.
He carefully took the paper package with both hands and unfolded it completely.
He lightly dipped a finger into the white powder in the corner, first placing it under the palace lantern and carefully observing it for a while in the brightness of the light, then sniffing it with the tip of his nose, and finally licking it with the tip of his tongue.
After a series of actions, he looked at his fingers with a puzzled expression, dipped them again, and put them in his mouth.
Seeing that the young master did not rinse his mouth immediately, Caihe even thoughtfully reminded him:
"Father-in-law, you should rinse your mouth quickly. Although the amount of croton powder used is small, it is still harmful to the body. What if..."
The young eunuch didn't even glance at her, but instead respectfully addressed the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince, and Princess Minying:
“Your Highnesses, this is just powdered sugar commonly used in making cakes and pastries, and there is nothing unusual about it.”
"How is this possible?!"
Startled, Caihe suddenly cried out.
After she shouted, everyone's eyes were on her, and she turned pale. She was so frightened that she immediately fell silent and lowered her head, her back covered in cold sweat.
"Are you so sure this is croton oil powder? Why?"
Zheng Yanling calmly crossed her arms and looked at her, as if she knew everything but wouldn't say anything, and kept asking questions until Caihe lowered her head lower and lower.
She never imagined that the small paper packet didn't contain croton powder!
Just to be on the safe side, after Chunwen administered the drug, Caihe approached her and took the packet of croton powder from her hand.
But before they could destroy the evidence, Xiao Yuyao suddenly felt unwell. The two women discussed it and decided to turn the tables on her, which led to Caihe identifying Xiao Yuxuan.
"This servant...this servant didn't! This servant was just confused because of concern! This servant knows she was wrong! This servant shouldn't have doubted her master! This servant deserves to die..."
Caihe was filled with despair and kept kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Her forehead slammed solidly against the ground again and again, quickly turning into a bloody mess that was too painful to look at.
Xiao Yuxuan watched this scene expressionlessly, without the slightest ripple in her heart.
That's not enough.
This amount of blood is not even a tenth of what Bi Sui lost.
Those who deceive their superiors and subordinates deserve to die—
Qi Wenyue couldn't do anything to Xiao Yuxuan, so why would she be wary of a mere maid?
She kicked Caihe in the chest, looking utterly horrified. If she had a sword, she probably would have stabbed Caihe to death.
"Picking lotus leaves!"
Xiao Yuyao quickly went to help her, looking extremely worried.
In those few short moments, she already knew she couldn't turn the tide and could only confirm her guilt for being cowardly, incompetent, and failing to discipline her servants.
Furthermore, she would have to cut off her own arm in order to prove her innocence!
“Caihe, sob sob... Why are you doing this to yourself? My fifth sister treats me very well now, I am already content, why do you have to stand up for me like this... sob sob…”
She held Caihe in her arms and pressed her fingers against Caihe's back, forcefully writing a few words.
Xiao Yuxuan watched silently as Caihe's eyes went from miserable despair to utter despair, and then to numbness and stiffness.
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