Chapter 187 The Cicada and the Oriole
"emperor……"
Jianqiu spoke vaguely, but when she presented the plum blossom hairpin, Yixiu immediately recognized that this so-called "mark" was actually the clan seal of the Ulanara clan.
Although Yixiu knew that everything Rouze had done was definitely with the help of the Ulanara clan, it was still difficult for her to escape this connection, even though she had distanced herself from her family, by having it so blatantly laid bare before the Emperor. As a daughter of the Ulanara clan, it was hard to shake off this relationship.
Yinzhen patted Yixiu's hand reassuringly, then turned to Jianqiu and asked, "Where is Cui Jinxi?"
"Your Majesty, she and Consort Zhen are currently locked in a side hall."
"Su Peisheng, go, I need to know the truth."
"Yes, sir." Su Peisheng accepted the order and entered the side hall. The others, however, were confused, as they were far away and had no idea what was so strange about the plum blossom hairpin.
Since the Empress's family was involved, it was naturally inappropriate to have everyone eavesdropping. With a wave of his hand, Yinzhen ordered all the concubines to leave. Apart from the Empress, only Consort Wan Rouze, Consort Hua Nian Shilan, Consort Shu Song Wan'er, and Consort Zhuang An Lingrong, who originally resided in Yanxi Palace, remained at the scene.
As the principal consort of Yanxi Palace, Song Wan'er naturally had to stay behind when Yuan Yuxiu gave birth. However, An Lingrong was quite perceptive and knew that this was not something she could interfere in, so she volunteered to go to the delivery room to take care of Consort Yuan.
Rou knelt on the ground, silent, her fists clenched tightly. Ever since Jianqiu presented her with that plum blossom hairpin, her heart had been in her throat.
Cui Jinxi had previously received favors from Zhen Huan and became one of her subordinates. Zhen Huan initially disliked Cui Jinxi's appearance, so she sent Cui Jinxi to her side, a move that was ultimately unintentional.
Until she wanted Yuan Changzai's child and wanted to use the opportunity to frame Zhen Huan, she contacted Cui Jinxi. She entrusted the specific matters to other spies of the Ulanara clan. However, Rouze just couldn't understand why she had to choose this particular medicine when there were so many available.
Hopefully, Cui Jinxi is truly grateful for her kindness and won't bring her into the open.
At this point, Rou felt uneasy and tense, yet strangely relaxed; perhaps she didn't really want to live anymore.
"Squeak"
The door to the side hall was pushed open, and Su Peisheng walked out with Cui Jinxi's confession, his face grim.
"Your Majesty, Cui Jinxi has confessed."
Su Peisheng hesitated, but under Yinzhen's prompting, he dictated Cui Jinxi's confession: "Cui Jinxi confessed that she was originally placed in the palace by the Ulanara clan through the Uya clan's connections, and had not been put to use until after the Emperor ascended the throne, when Cui Jinxi received orders to contact Consort Wan..."
Rou looked up with slight surprise, clearly not expecting that Cui Jinxi had been a member of the Ulanara clan from the very beginning.
“A few days ago, Consort Wan sent someone to contact her, asking her to cooperate in stimulating Consort Yuan to have a premature birth and to frame Consort Zhen. The medicine under the osmanthus tree was deliberately buried by her, and the fragrance on Consort Zhen's body was also something she managed to apply.”
"Why would you want to provoke Consort Yuan into premature labor?" Yi Xiu was puzzled. It wasn't that she didn't believe Su Peisheng's words, but if Rouze simply wanted to target Zhen Huan, why would she need to involve Consort Yuan? Wouldn't it be easy to be discovered? Could it be that she also had a grudge against Consort Yuan?
Su Peisheng paused, then lowered his head and continued to report: "When this servant pressed for details, Cui Jinxi confessed that Consort Wan was interested in Consort Yuan's unborn child and wanted to remove the mother and keep the child."
"Leave the mother and keep the child? How can she guarantee that Consort Yuan's child will definitely belong to her as a minor noblewoman?" Nian Shilan glanced contemptuously at Rouze, who was slumped on the ground. She was angry, but not brainless. Did Rouze really go to such lengths to come up with such a flawed scheme?
Regaining her senses from the rage, Nian Shilan clearly realized that someone was using her as a pawn to provoke her into attacking Rouze. Rouze was indeed not innocent, but the person behind this dared to scheme against her, Nian Shilan, and naturally wouldn't get away with it either.
Su Peisheng glanced at Yinzhen's face and, seeing that he didn't show much change in expression, continued, "After my repeated questioning, Cui Jinxi confessed that Consort Wan would take a drug that would cause her to have no offspring after the incident, and all the clues would point to Consort Zhen. At that time, Cui Jinxi would step forward to expose her, and then Ulanara would exert her influence to give Consort Yuan's child to Consort Wan."
Upon hearing this, everyone else present was shocked. Was Rouze really that reckless? But soon, they realized that Rouze must have been unable to have children in the first place, otherwise she wouldn't have set her sights on Consort Yuan.
"Have the imperial physician take Consort Wan's pulse."
Yinzhen clearly thought the same thing, and immediately ordered the imperial physician to examine Rouze's pulse on the spot. Sure enough, Rouze herself had difficulty conceiving.
Everything was thoroughly investigated, and it appeared that Rouze's insatiable greed caused the disaster, with the Ulanara clan also playing a role in fueling the flames.
But Nian Shilan didn't believe it. She didn't believe things were that simple: "According to you, Cui Jinxi has been a member of the Ulanara clan from the very beginning. How could she confess so easily? Could it be a lie?"
Before Su Peisheng could reply, a sudden commotion came from the delivery room.
"What are you doing... taking her down..."
Soon, the door to the delivery room was opened, and An Lingrong, along with her entourage, brought a midwife into the courtyard.
"Your Majesty, this person deliberately obstructed Consort Yuan's labor, pushing the already emerged imperial heir back into the birth canal..."
An Lingrong stood aside, pretending to be calm as she explained, but inwardly she felt incredibly unlucky. Why did she always seem to stumble upon scenes of harm?
"How dare you! Who ordered you to do this?" Yi Xiu shouted angrily. It was truly one problem after another. Who was involved in this?
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent..." The midwife lay on the ground, trembling, constantly crying out her innocence.
"Everyone else in the delivery room saw it with their own eyes, how dare you deny it!" Si Shu, Yuan Yuxiu's personal maid who was escorting her out, was indignant. She immediately knelt down and pleaded for her mistress: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, please do justice for our mistress!"
"You dare to lie in front of the Emperor? Confess now!"
Hearing Su Peisheng's stern rebuke, the midwife probably knew she couldn't hide it any longer. Suddenly, she looked up at Rouze and cried out, "My lady, I am incompetent and cannot serve you faithfully!" Then she bit open the poison sac hidden in her mouth.
"Oh no, she's taken poison!"
Before Su Peisheng could stop her, the midwife had already died as soon as he grabbed her mouth; it was clearly a deadly poison.
The sudden death startled everyone present. No one spoke, except for Rou, who frantically explained, "It wasn't me, she really wasn't someone I ordered to..."
Nian Shilan glanced at her disdainfully, thinking that only Rouze was so dim-witted. The midwife's behavior and Cui Jinxi's testimony clearly contradicted each other, making it a blatant frame-up. Only Rouze panicked; who else present would believe her?
Nian Shilan's gaze shifted from Rouze to Yixiu, and she said coldly, "Your Majesty, the people of the Ulanara clan are not only those that Consort Wan can use. I've heard that Jingren Palace has been unusually lively lately..."
Outside the delivery room, a tense silence fell over the Empress's questioning of Consort Hua. Inside, Yuan Yuxiu gripped the bed curtains tightly, her body drenched in sweat, unable to give birth. Large beads of sweat rolled down her face, her expression a mixture of crying and laughing.
"I thought I was a sparrow... but... but I was just a cicada..."
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