Chapter 33 Flaw
Meng Yan has been a royal concubine for half her life, and her greatest skill is her domineering aura.
What's more, she has not lost her power yet and is still the most favored imperial concubine in the six palaces.
She still didn't know why Lin Yanrong was poisoned, whether she wrote and staged it herself, or was really murdered by someone else. But she wanted to use the evidence of this palace maid's lack of etiquette to destroy the pitiful impression of Lin Yanrong in the emperor's mind, so as to prevent Lu Haozhi from losing his mind under the influence of Lin Yanrong's halo as the heroine and punishing her without any consequences.
Xiuzhi had never seen such a powerful aura before. She was immediately suppressed and couldn't breathe. She fell to the ground and trembled.
Liang Chengbi looked at the situation, thinking to herself that something was amiss. She stepped forward and said with a smile, "This maid was given as part of Concubine Lin's dowry. She must have just arrived and hasn't learned the proper etiquette yet. From now on, we can assign an aunt to teach her. But she's able to tell the whole story, which shows her eagerness to protect her master and her straightforwardness."
Meng Yan glanced at Liang Chengbi slowly. With these two sentences, she easily covered up the servant's rude defiance and made it look like she was loyal to her master.
"Sister Imperial Noble Consort is truly a kindhearted person. Since this maidservant was consorted by Consort Lin, she should have been taught the rules and regulations before entering the palace. Yet, she still behaves like this after entering. The person who was sent to teach her the rules should be brought to the Ministry of Punishment and charged with dereliction of duty."
This statement was a slap in the face of the Imperial Noble Consort. After all, she was the one who handled almost all matters concerning the newly selected concubine's entry into the palace.
Meng Yan stared at her face and said word by word, "Her master hasn't even been favored yet, and the servants under her are already so powerful. If Consort Lin gains power in the future, won't the harem become the world of master and servant? I wonder whose power they are relying on?"
Her words were sharp, but they were meant for Lu Haozhi to hear.
Anyway, Concubine Meng has just this kind of temper, so no one would find it strange if she behaved this way.
Lu Haozhi's expression was indifferent, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry.
He turned around and sat in the boxwood armchair beside him, silent.
He actually understood what Meng Yan meant, but it was also a fact that Lin Yanrong was poisoned.
"Let's put everything else aside and first find out about this poisoning."
Meng Yan raised her eyebrows, but then curled her lips.
She hadn't expected that she could just use the little palace maid's rude defiance to cover up the matter. It was just to disgust Liang Chengbi and Lin Yanrong who was lying in the room.
Since Lu Haozhi didn't want to get involved, she also had a plan for the remaining matters.
As a supporting actress, if you rely on the male protagonist to uphold justice in everything, you might as well hang yourself.
When Liang Chengbi heard the emperor's words, his face suddenly lit up.
She walked to Xiuzhi's side and said softly, "Don't be afraid. First, explain the whole story clearly. With the emperor in charge, he will definitely give your young lady justice."
She is really a good actress. Meng Yan almost wants to applaud her.
Seeing the Emperor's words and the Imperial Noble Consort's support, Xiuzhi felt instantly reassured and said, "Yes! Your Majesty, Imperial Noble Consort, as I've said before, our young master never liked ginger soup, but was forced to drink it today. Within half an hour of drinking it, she was poisoned and fainted. Your Majesty, I'm telling you that I was rude just now, but I was also worried about my master. I hope you'll forgive me."
After saying that, she kowtowed three times to Meng Yan.
Meng Yan watched coldly from the sidelines. Xiuzhi was indeed Lin Yanrong's right-hand man. Although she was still green and immature at the moment, her quick wit and ability to adapt to changing circumstances showed her brilliance.
She bowed to Lu Haozhi and said, "Your Majesty, I have something to ask this palace maid."
Lu Haozhi glanced at her, his eyes deep, and nodded slightly, "Ask."
The voice was indifferent and one could not tell what was going on in it.
Meng Yan then asked Xiuzhi, "You said your young lady was forced to take the ginger soup, and you also said the person who delivered the ginger soup claimed to be following my orders. So where did this person come from? What's his name? What does he look like?"
Xiuzhi hesitated for a moment, then replied, "The messenger said... he was sent here by the Imperial Hospital. I don't even know his name. As for his appearance... he's neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin."
This is bullshit!
There are hundreds of such people in the palace.
It is still unknown who was responsible for Lin Yanrong's poisoning, but it is certain that they intended to frame him.
Meng Yan smiled faintly. It was her sudden idea to order the Imperial Hospital to make ginger soup. There was no such plot in the book, so Lin Yanrong's poisoning must have been a sudden idea. They definitely could not have made such a thorough arrangement in such a hurry.
Sure enough, when I asked about this detail, Xiuzhi started to hesitate and stammer.
"Since that man's words were so rude and mean, how come you can't even remember what he looked like?" Meng Yan casually asked, then immediately asked, "How did you know that Concubine Lin was poisoned?"
Xiuzhi was dumbfounded, "It's...it's the imperial physician..."
Meng Yan ignored her and suddenly asked Doctor Zhang, who was standing beside her, "Doctor Zhang, what did Yongshou Palace say when they sent someone to the Imperial Hospital?"
Zhang Yuangui had been working in the palace for a long time and had seen a lot of struggles in the harem, so he understood the intricacies behind it.
"Reporting to the Imperial Concubine, someone from Yongshou Palace reported that Concubine Lin had suddenly been poisoned, so the Deputy Court Judge sent this humble official to attend to her."
Meng Yan's smile deepened as she asked Xiuzhi, "The imperial physician hasn't arrived yet, and your master is only vomiting blood and fainting. How do you know this is poisoning?"
Xiuzhi's eyes flickered, and she didn't dare to look into her eyes anymore. She whispered, "Yes... yes... The master looks like she's been poisoned..."
"Nonsense!" Meng Yan scolded harshly, "This symptom can occur if you eat a foreign object, scratch your esophagus, or suffer from a sudden illness. How can you, Yongshou Palace, insist that Concubine Lin was poisoned before the imperial physician even arrives?! Who would call a doctor and not describe the symptoms, but instead make their own conclusions first?! Could it be that you knew all along that Concubine Lin was definitely poisoned?!"
A series of questions forced Xiuzhi to turn pale, speechless, tears welling up in her eyes, and she couldn't utter a word.
Originally, Lin Yanrong had discussed with her that as long as the emperor arrived, she would rush over and cry, acting extremely aggrieved and weak, and the emperor would surely feel pity and send someone to investigate the case.
How could one investigate such a headless case? Tripterygium wilfordii was a common medicinal herb, readily available; and the bowl of ginger soup had long since been consumed, leaving no evidence.
This case will end up in nothing. Lin Yanrong just wants Meng Yan to leave a vicious impression in Lu Haozhi's mind to avenge her for ruining his noble status.
As for Meng Yan, the master clearly said that she was a jealous, brainless and stupid woman, and there was no need to take her seriously.
But the Concubine Meng in front of him had clear and quick thinking, and every word she said hit the nail on the head. How could she look stupid at all?
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