Chapter 15 Your Highness has wronged me
Yan Xue forced herself not to think about it, banishing those absurd and unbearable thoughts from her mind, and shifting her attention to the pill in her palm.
Although he was blind, his sense of smell was more acute than that of ordinary people. He could indeed smell a faint, almost negligible bitter medicinal scent in the pill, in addition to the sandalwood fragrance.
His intuition told him that there was something unusual about this pill.
Chi Ying, fearing he might think it was medicine for Consort Zhuang's internal use, quickly explained, "It rolled out from under the bottom of the wooden box where Mother Consort kept her Buddhist beads, about seven or eight beads."
Aunt Qionglin came out from behind the screen and was curious about the pills. She quickly picked up the sandalwood box, lifted the Shu brocade lining at the bottom, and sure enough, she saw the broken mortise and tenon joint. However, the mortise and tenon joint was not made of sandalwood and fit perfectly. Instead, it was filled with eight pills that matched the size of the mortise and tenon joint. It was only when the box was broken that these pills, which were hidden very deep, rolled out.
Qionglin felt a chill run down her spine as she thought of something: "This string of Buddhist beads was a gift from Her Majesty the Empress five years ago. She said it had been blessed by a high-ranking monk from Chong Sheng Temple. It was sent to us in this box that day. Her Majesty almost never puts it down when she chants sutras and recites Buddhist prayers. I never expected that there would be a hidden secret inside..."
Upon hearing this, the room fell silent.
Chi Ying cautiously looked at King Zhao, whose face was colder than ever before, and whose indifferent, gray eyes were chilling and piercing.
Qionglin and Fangchun exchanged a glance, each seeing a hint of unease in the other's eyes, as if a secret they had never discovered was about to be revealed.
Lin Yuanpan rushed over in the dead of night with his medicine box. He felt that the atmosphere in Shouchun Hall was colder and more oppressive than usual. He dared not say much and went straight in to take Consort Zhuang's pulse, prescribe a calming and soothing prescription, and then perform acupuncture treatment on several acupoints such as Shenmen and Baihui.
After finishing everything, Yan Xuecui handed him the box of pills, saying, "Take a look, is there anything unusual?"
Judge Lin dared not be careless. He immediately reached out and took the pill to examine it carefully. He then used a sharp knife to cut open the pill and check its contents. After confirming the contents several times, his expression became increasingly solemn.
"May I ask, Your Highness, where did this pill come from?"
Qionglin erased the Empress's existence, only saying that the medicine had been hidden in the Buddhist bead box for many years and was only discovered today.
Judge Lin's face was solemn, even showing a hint of fear: "This pill is made from the juice of the Soul-Separating Grass. Taking it can cause mental confusion, auditory and visual hallucinations, and insane behavior, eventually leading to death from self-harm due to madness."
As soon as he finished speaking, the people in the room looked at each other, all showing expressions of fear and lingering apprehension.
It's a poison that drives people mad!
Qionglin's voice trembled: "Are you saying that our Empress's hysteria is very likely caused by this Soul-Separating Pill?"
Judge Lin said, "Although the Soul-Separating Pill is hidden in a box, over the years, the beads in the box will also be tainted by the scent of the Soul-Separating Pill, causing the wearer to become agitated, behave abnormally, have confused memories, and suffer from constant nightmares. These... seem to almost match Consort Zhuang's hysteria?"
Fangchun: "Your Majesty does indeed have these symptoms..."
On several occasions, the Empress even showed signs of self-harm or suicide.
Qionglin's lips trembled, and tears streamed down her face: "This box has been here for five years. Every time Her Majesty finished reciting scriptures or went to bed, I would put the prayer beads back in the box, and I never noticed it until now..."
Lin Yuanpan sighed: "The Soul-Separating Grass itself has only a faint bitter taste, which is masked by the sandalwood fragrance, so it is naturally not easy to detect. Moreover, after so many years, most of the medicinal smell has dissipated. If the wooden box had not been broken, no one would have been able to detect it."
Qionglin said bitterly, "Our Lady was murdered by a villain!"
The matter was of great importance, and she didn't dare to reveal the name.
It's really hard to understand why the Empress would poison the Consort, since she was always kind and had no grudges against her and had no children.
Qionglin looked at Yan Xuecui, trembling all over.
Yan Xuecui's face was icy cold. She closed her eyes, concealing the sinister and madness surging within them, and said in an extremely calm voice, "Don't make this public for now. I will investigate thoroughly."
Qionglin and Fangchun nodded immediately. Since it involved the person in Kunning Palace, neither of them dared to speak recklessly and alert the enemy.
Seeing the tense atmosphere in the room, Judge Lin still comforted her, saying, "Although it took five years to discover this, Your Majesty should stay away from this wooden box and Buddhist beads from today onwards. With daily treatment of herbal medicine and acupuncture, your mental state will surely improve, and you may even be able to slowly make up for the previous losses."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Qionglin looked at Chi Ying gratefully: "This time, we really owe a debt to the Princess. Otherwise, I don't know when I would have discovered the existence of the Soul Separation Pill."
Chi Ying dared not take credit: "I was just caught off guard. If it weren't for me, Mother wouldn't have been so angry..."
She glanced at King Zhao secretly. Although it was a coincidence, she had stumbled upon a key point and hoped that it would dispel some of his suspicions about her, making things easier for him in the future.
Yan Xuecui keenly noticed her gaze, the coldness on her face dissipated, and she turned to her and said, "Thank you very much for today, Your Highness. My mother's hysterical episodes are always like this, it must have frightened you."
Chi Ying shook her head: "No."
Yan Xue nodded and then instructed Qionglin: "Today, with Judge Lin here, you take people to re-examine everything that Mother Consort usually comes into contact with, and pay attention to whether there is anything else suspicious."
Qionglin immediately agreed.
Yuan De stayed behind and took the sandalwood box, prayer beads, and soul-separating grass with him.
Chi Ying followed Prince Zhao away and only then did she notice that Prince Zhao had not brought his white cane when he entered. As she crossed the threshold, she subconsciously reached out and supported his arm, saying, "Your Highness, please be careful."
When the guard in the corridor handed her a bamboo cane, she immediately withdrew her fingers and carefully kept her distance from him.
The soft touch of her arm was fleeting, but Yan Xue calmly pressed down on the black jade inlaid on the head of her cane and walked down the steps.
Remembering something, she suddenly asked, "Your mother had a hysterical episode just now, and you were afraid, so why did you stay in the room?"
Chi Ying: "I wanted to help soothe my mother's emotions, but I didn't expect..."
Yan Xue asked, "Are you injured?"
Chi Ying shook her head, but only then did the pain belatedly surface in her ankle that had been hit.
Yan Xuecui frowned when she heard a slight tremor in her footsteps and asked, "Did you hurt your foot?"
Chi Ying hurriedly said, "I was just bumped by the tea lid, it's nothing serious. Shuyu Zhai has wound medicine, I'll apply it when I get back."
Yan Xuechui tapped her bamboo cane lightly and slowed her pace to wait for her.
Chi Ying always felt it was a bit strange to have a blind man accommodate her walking, and being by his side always reminded her of last night.
He threatened her with the phrase "I'd rather die than marry you," and vaguely claimed she was going to assassinate him. But aside from these unpleasant incidents, they even became intimate.
As for what he said... Chi Ying thought about it and decided it would be best to explain it to him, so as not to be wrongly accused.
"Your Highness..."
The girl's voice was soft and gentle, and Yan Xuecui felt a tickle in her ear. "Mmm."
After hesitating for a long time, Chi Ying finally said in a low voice, "Your Highness has wronged me. I have never had the intention to harm Your Highness, nor am I a spy. Last night..."
Yan Xuecui laughed, the gloom on her face dissipating, and her words carrying a hint of mockery: "If you're not a spy, why are you so guilty?"
Chi Ying: "..."
She couldn't hide her guilty conscience and wanted to clarify the facts, but she was also afraid that he would find out her identity. She had already lied to him and done something wrong, so she really didn't have the confidence to be upright.
He could only weakly defend himself, saying, "I'm not guilty, it's just... I don't like the feeling of being wronged."
The voice, like a dull, blocked string, gently plucked at his heart, stirring up an indescribable emotion in Yan Xuecui's heart.
I can almost picture her: wronged, vulnerable, pale, as if he had bullied her.
Unfortunately, he never wronged a single good person in his life.
Whether based on conclusive evidence or intuitive judgment, there has never been a mistake.
If all those assassins and traitors had knelt before him, weeping and claiming their innocence, he would have believed them long ago and met a terrible end.
Yan Xuecui remained indifferent, but smiled and spoke in his usual gentle tone: "Yes, it is my fault. I should not have wronged my queen without any evidence."
He apologized lightly, but Chi Ying still felt somewhat stifled.
The Prince's Mansion was cool and refreshing at night, with dew adding to the chill. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, scattering silvery light across the ground. Chi Ying stepped onto the moonlit bluestone slabs and felt a chill creep up from her feet, making her feel heavy and breathless.
Shuyu Zhai and Yan Gui Lou are not in the same direction. With such a big incident happening today, he must return to Yan Gui Lou to thoroughly investigate the matter of the Soul-Separating Pill. Chi Ying simply bowed and took her leave.
Day and night made no difference to him; he could move freely and had guards by his side, so he didn't need her to fawn over him.
Yuan De, having finished packing the wooden box, saw this scene from afar in the Prince's Garden. He quickly ran after her, catching his breath before asking, "Didn't the Princess say she would send you back?"
Although His Highness moves normally, he is blind after all. Doesn't the Princess Consort have even the slightest concern for His Highness?
Yan Xue didn't stop walking, and chuckled coolly: "Perhaps you're angry."
Yuan De was stunned. The princess was... angry?
A note from the author:
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During the day, he coldly smiles and doesn't care; at night, he's desperately seeking out Yingbao. [Angry][Angry][Angry]
Keep the red envelopes coming!
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