Chapter 25 Suspicion
The emperor, empress and all the concubines were shocked by these words, and Pei Tingyue's mind went blank for a moment.
Everyone's eyes turned to the corner of the bedroom.
Xie Chen's eyes were filled with indistinguishable emotions. He pointed at the pile of powder and attacked Pei Tingyue.
"Pei Cairen, please explain."
I'm still fooled.
Even if she had been more cautious, she couldn't have escaped.
Pei Tingyue tried hard to suppress the bone-chilling coldness rising from the soles of his feet, and thought of countermeasures quickly in his mind.
She pretended to be at a loss, then stood up and knelt in front of Xie Chen in panic: "This Nanzhu hairpin is indeed a gift from this concubine to Her Majesty, but I would never dare to harm Her Majesty."
Before the Emperor and Empress could speak, Concubine Huang, who lived in the same palace as Concubine Jiang Shu, stood up angrily, pointed at Pei Tingyue and said bitterly, "The hairpin you gave me spilled aconite powder. Everyone in the palace saw it with their own eyes. Do you still want to deny it?!"
Pei Tingyue looked around the hall and saw that everyone had a cold expression.
She seemed to be afraid, her frail body was swaying, her eyes were red, and she was trying to defend herself in a trembling voice.
"Let's not talk about the fact that I have only been in the palace for a short time and my foundation is still shallow, so I can't get poison like aconite.
Speaking of motives, I have never had any grudges against Consort Shu, so why would I go to such great lengths to harm her?"
Huang Jieyu pondered for a moment and sneered, "No grudges? How could there be no grudges? For the past two months, you've been the sole recipient of the emperor's favor. And lately, the emperor hasn't been to the harem very often, and when he does, it's to visit Concubine Shu. You must feel that Concubine Shu has stolen your limelight, and you're holding a grudge and deliberately seeking revenge on her!"
Pei Tingyue calmly found the loophole and said sadly, "But I was the one who gave you the hairpin first, and the Emperor came to visit you because you were pregnant. How can you hold a grudge against me?"
Huang Jieyu choked and said with her neck stiff, "But it is an indisputable fact that there is aconite powder in the Nanzhu hairpin!"
She knelt before the Emperor and Empress, "This Concubine Pei won't cry until she sees the coffin. I beg the Emperor and Empress to search the palace!"
What Huang Jieyu said was indeed quite reasonable. Even if the palace was not searched, it would not prove Pei Cairen's innocence. However, searching the palace was not a trivial matter. Empress Cui hesitated.
"Your Majesty...this..."
Xie Chen pondered for a moment, then made his move. He solemnly ordered, "Liang Yao, you personally lead your men to search Pei Cairen's residence."
At the palace gate, Liang Yao led his men away.
Everyone waited anxiously.
Realizing the seriousness of the matter, the concubines watched their surroundings intently, not daring to utter a word, not even whispering.
Only Concubine Xie added fuel to the fire: "You really can't judge a person by his appearance. I didn't expect that Concubine Pei has such a pretty face but such a dirty mind!"
Empress Cui spoke out to stop her, "Until the matter is concluded, Concubine Xian must not speak rashly."
Concubine Xie showed a sarcastic smile at the corner of her lips and did not continue speaking.
From the moment he mentioned the word "search the palace", Pei Tingyue didn't say another word.
She knelt straight with her eyes lowered, frantically analyzing the situation in her mind.
Even though she had carefully checked her palace before leaving and found no problems, Pei Tingyue was now very sure that Liang Yao would find "stolen goods" in the back hall when he went there.
From the moment Concubine Jiang Shu started having abdominal pain, she fell into someone else's trap, one trap after another, and the person behind the scenes would not let her escape.
After the "stolen goods" were found in her palace, all the evidence pointed to her. No matter how much she explained or how much she cried out for injustice, it was useless.
Pei Tingyue could already imagine what would happen to her in a moment.
If the emperor thinks she is still useful and wants to continue using her as a shield, then her punishment should be demotion and house arrest!
If the emperor thinks she is useless, then what awaits her will be banishment to the cold palace, a path to certain death.
Who is it?
Who wants to kill her?
Concubine Xie, Concubine Lin Zhaorong, or Concubine Jiang Shufei!
By the way, Concubine Huang, who is usually taciturn but behaved out of character today, is also a suspect!
Anyone can...
Pei Tingyue pinched her palm hard, forcing herself to calm down.
She doesn't want either of these two results!
She wanted to break free from this situation.
Pei Tingyue took a deep breath and was about to review what had happened when she caught a glimpse of the golden hairpin thrown on the ground. A strange feeling flashed through her mind.
Her breathing stagnated, and she quickly grasped the strangeness and stared at the hairpin on the ground.
This South Pearl hairpin was specially made by a craftsman from the Imperial Household Department after she learned that Concubine Jiang Shu was pregnant.
The gold hairpin itself was made by a craftsman by melting an old-style hairpin, and the South China pearls used in the pearl flower were awarded to her by Concubine Song.
But now, she found something wrong!
The old-style gold hairpin was very thick, even thicker than this South Pearl gold hairpin, and it was solid.
Normally, the craftsman would use as much gold as she sent, but now the South Pearl gold hairpin was not only thinner than the original hairpin, it was also hollow!
The weight of gold doesn't match!
Pei Tingyue suddenly realized that she had fallen into the trap since she hit the hairpin.
The person behind the scenes not only bribed her maids and knew her intention of making the hairpin, but also bribed the craftsman to deliberately make the hairpin hollow in order to hide the aconite powder.
What a big situation.
But the mistake in the weight of the gold also gave her a breakthrough point.
Pei Tingyue did not expect to catch the person behind the scenes. She knew in her heart that this person dared to do it to Concubine Jiang Shu and frame her under the noses of the emperor and empress, so he must be able to get away with it.
But at least, this doubt can drag the matter of "Aconite harming the fetus" into a new situation. As long as it enters a new situation, she will have a possibility of escaping.
Pei Tingyue let out a sigh, secretly glad that she had noticed this.
About one stick of incense later.
Liang Yao came in hurriedly.
Everyone was so quiet that they waited for him to speak.
Liang Yao knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have found the result."
"This was found in the secret compartment of Pei Cairen's bed."
The young eunuch at the back immediately presented a handkerchief with something clearly wrapped inside.
Judge Xia stepped forward and opened it.
After a moment he said, "This is Aconitum powder."
There was an uproar in the hall.
Huang Jieyu looked at Pei Tingyue triumphantly, like a victorious rooster. "Talented Pei, do you have anything else to say?"
Pei Tingyue was stunned. She collapsed to the ground, her whole body drained of strength. She murmured, "How is this possible! How is this possible!"
The usually bright peach blossom eyes were instantly covered with a layer of mist.
She clutched Xie Chen's robe tightly, her expression fragile and pitiful: "I really didn't do that! I don't know what this is all about! What aconite, what harm to the fetus, it really has nothing to do with me!"
She pointed at the handkerchief on the ground and complained, "If it was really me who did it, how could I be so stupid as to keep such a big handle!"
Huang Jieyu's eyes were filled with disgust: "At this point, you're still stubborn, aren't you?!"
Pei Tingyue was about to continue her performance. When she was about to reach out to grab the golden hairpin, a weak voice came from the bed.
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