Chapter 18 Jin Ling 18
"Jinling, you're here." Ruan Cuiyun sat beside a small food table and beckoned her, "Come quickly. The Empress Dowager gave me some silver taro balls today. Come and try some."
Jin Ling glanced at the cakes on the table, then glanced at the pair of blue-lacquered chopsticks in her hand. Knowing that they were covered in diamond powder, she declined.
"Thank you, Ruan Sizhen, for your kindness. I just went to see Sanhao and saw her serving her sentence in the torture chamber. I'm having a hard time eating for a while."
Ruan Cuiyun also sighed when she heard this. Seeing that she was worried, she comforted her, "Fortunately, the Queen Mother and His Majesty both trust Sanhao as a person. It's only a month's stay, but she will be spared from physical pain."
"Yes, the Queen Mother is kind-hearted and is a blessing to us." Jin Ling nodded in agreement, ignoring the emperor.
Ruan Cuiyun, who was still immersed in her own thoughts, naturally didn't notice it. When she saw Jin Ling throwing herself at Sanhao, she felt that she had not misjudged the other person. Such character made her feel more at ease.
"Jinling, I hope you can take Sanhao's place temporarily while she is being punished."
"Ah? I, I can't do it. Ruan Sizhen is still..."
"You don't have to say anything. I've seen your performance over the years. In terms of craftsmanship, character, and personality, you're no less than Sanhao. Back then... I can only say it was fate. Aside from Sanhao, I trust only you to take over the position of treasure."
Ruan Sizhen pressed his abdomen and felt a dull pain in his stomach, thinking he had an upset stomach.
Jin Ling opened her mouth to refuse again, but she suddenly cried out in pain, coughed up a pool of blood, and fainted.
"Ruan Sizhen!" Jin Ling hurried over and gently laid her down. She turned around and quickly called for someone to go to Shang Pharmacy. She and her men gently moved her to the bed.
…
“Poisoned!”
In the lobby, Lady Cai and three department heads exclaimed in surprise, looking at Jin Ling in disbelief as she looked serious.
"You were in the same room with Ruan Sizhen just now. Report everything she ate, drank, and used."
"Yes, everything in Ruan Sizhen's room was the same as before today. When I went there, she was eating silver taro balls. There was nothing unusual otherwise." Jin Ling lowered her head and spoke her lines according to the original plot.
"Silver taro balls?" Before Cai Shanggong asked again, she saw Queen Mother Zheng walking in with a mighty group of people.
"Your Highness and I pay our respects to the Queen Mother."
"No need to be polite. How is Ruan Sizhen doing now?"
Several people exchanged glances, and it was Consort Cai who spoke first: "Reporting to the Queen Mother, the imperial physician diagnosed Ruan Sizhen as being in a coma due to poisoning. His life is now safe, but he is not yet conscious."
"Oh? Have you found out who poisoned me?"
"I suspect the poison may have been placed on the silver taro balls that Ruan Sizhen ate today."
Now it was the Queen Mother's turn to be surprised. "The silver taro balls were a tribute sent from Jiangnan. I gave them to the Sizhen and Sizhi rooms. How could they be poisonous?"
Cai Shanggong also nodded, confirming the Queen Mother's doubts: "That's right, all tributes must be sealed with paper and can only be opened after they are delivered to the harem. Logically..."
"Zi Lan, what's different this time?"
Zi Lan hesitated for a long time before carefully revealing the news that Empress Dowager Guo had opened the tribute, causing everyone to shift their suspicion to Empress Dowager Guo.
Jin Ling secretly glanced at Hu Sishe who was at the edge, and saw a flash of pride on her face. If she didn't know who the murderer was in advance, she probably wouldn't have discovered it.
After watching the play, Jin Ling returned to her residence and began to make the silver armlet that Queen Mother Zheng would wear.
This is key evidence, so of course it must be prepared in advance.
Two days later, seeing that the matter had almost fermented to the point of escalation, she took the armlet to ask Ruan Sizhen for advice. After the armlet turned black when it touched the chopsticks, she knew that Hu Sishe was completely finished.
With the loss of a Sishe from the Shanggong Bureau, Shanggong Cai is probably suffering from liver disease. In this way, if there is no accident in the future, as long as she does not kill Eunuch Bu.
Ruan Cuiyun will take over as the new palace lady, and her weaknesses are Wan Jianfeng and the son who is living away from home; Zhong Xuexia will concurrently serve as the head of the Sizhi and Sishe departments, and her weakness is her adoptive father, Eunuch Bu; Liu Sanhao will be promoted to Sizhen, and she is her friend who is as close as a sister.
The most important kitchen was headed by Tan Sishan, who had nothing to do with her on the surface, but in fact, Ru Bing was her hidden agent.
The entire Shanggong Bureau is inextricably linked to her. Even if Ruan and Zhong are unwilling to do anything unfair, as long as they are in the right position on the surface, they will definitely side with her.
Seeing Hu Sishe committing suicide out of fear of punishment, Jin Ling realized that the time was ripe.
This time, she wanted Li Yi to go through a lot of trouble and make all kinds of plans to invite her into the palace. After all, she was a sunflower that yearned for freedom. If he wanted to plant her in his own yard, he would of course have to pay enough effort and price.
Love in the world is like this. The more you give, the more you cherish it, and the more you give, the harder it is to let go.
This is true for women and men as well.
After Hu Sishe's death, everyone was filled with emotion. Unfortunately, their regret for Hu Sishe didn't last long. An unexpected incident attracted everyone's attention. Hu Sishe's death was easily forgotten.
That day, Jin Ling planned to visit San Hao as usual, but unexpectedly, despite Cheng Yingfang's death, Zhao Chunxi appeared again. When she arrived, she saw him knock San Hao to the ground, and his palm hit a sharp stone brick.
Before the other party could pick up the basin of water to pour over her, Jin Ling rushed in, poured the cold water on the woman, kicked her to the ground, and then helped Sanhao up from the ground.
After a period of chaos, Sanhao came out of the torture chamber early. This time he did not catch a cold due to the cold water, but his palm was still seriously injured and needed six fen of acupuncture.
Jin Ling entered the emperor's Hall of Supreme Harmony for the first time that night.
"Jin Ling! What trouble have you encountered that brought you here so late at night?" Li Yi didn't wait for her to bow, but hurried down to help her up. This was the first time Jin Ling had come to him on her own initiative since he ascended the throne.
Yao Jinling didn't notice his expression at all. She used her acting skills that could win her a villain award and grabbed the man's arm. "It's not me. I came here to ask the emperor to find a way to cure Sanhao's hand!"
Seeing that Li Yi didn't respond, she quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Jin Ling knows that she is forcing others to do what they want, but Sanhao's hands are more important than her life. Jin Ling has no choice but to beg the emperor to find a way to heal her delicate hands."
It was the first time Li Yi had seen her so frightened. She couldn't help crying when she mentioned Sanhao's right hand, her eyes filled with grief and self-blame. She had actually taken all the blame for Liu Sanhao's injury on herself.
The awkward depression surged into his heart once again, causing him to suddenly blurt out, "Do you care so much about Liu Sanhao?!"
Jin Ling's eyes widened when he asked her this, and she seemed to not understand why he would ask such a question in such an occasion.
Li Yi saw that her eyes were red and she was staring at him blankly with a frightened look. Although he was still a little angry, he couldn't help but soften his heart and hurriedly took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Jin Ling subconsciously turned her head away, then came to her senses and looked at him with a timid expression, afraid that he would be angry.
"You only act so flattering towards me when it's for the sake of the Three Good Things." Li Yi threw the handkerchief on her hand and turned to point at the imperial physician beside him:
"Your Majesty, I have just made it clear that Liu Zhangzhen's hand must be treated with the golden needle method. However, I have never penetrated more than six tenths of the flesh. If I rashly apply the needle, I am afraid..."
After listening to the imperial physician's explanation, Jin Ling showed a look of disappointment: "Is there no other way?"
"If...if someone else tested the needle on Liu Zhangzhen's behalf..."
Before the imperial physician could finish, Jin Ling agreed immediately: "I am willing to test the acupuncture on Sanhao's behalf!"
"No!" Li Yi also refused outright. He looked deeply at the determined woman and said in a more serious tone, "I will never allow it!"
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