Chapter 35 Since I can't quit, then I won't quit...
Yan Xuecui accepted the case and immediately went with Kang Fu to Zhanghua Palace, where Princess Rui was located.
After the discovery of the aphrodisiac on the same day, Prince Rui detoxified his wife, and the couple temporarily stayed in his mother Consort Yi's palace to cooperate with the investigation by the Censorate.
Despite Emperor Yongcheng's order not to spread the word, the matter still got out of hand. During this time, some concubines from various palaces used the excuse of casual visits to come to Zhanghua Palace to appease Princess Rui's emotions, and also wanted to take this opportunity to show their own attitude: they were upright and had nothing to fear, and they were not afraid of the strict investigation by the Censorate.
Consort Yi coldly observed these hypocritical faces, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to spit on them to their faces. These people wanted to ruin the Eighth Prince's marriage, so why didn't they take their own daughter-in-law down with them? What had her daughter-in-law done to deserve this?
Princess Rui was heartbroken and attempted suicide several times, but fortunately, she was persuaded to stay afloat each time.
When Yan Xue arrived, the Empress and several concubines were in the side hall of the Princess Consort Rui, comforting her with words of comfort.
Yan Xue explained his purpose to Prince Rui. Prince Rui was initially surprised that his father had entrusted him with the case.
But on second thought, the Eighth Prince was framed, and all the princes would be suspects, including himself. He was also a victim, so he was not suitable to preside over the trial. On the contrary, the Seventh Prince was blind and had not been involved in politics for two years, and had already been eliminated from the struggle for the throne. It was most reasonable and fair for him to investigate.
Since it was an investigation, there was no reason to obstruct it. His wife and the ladies-in-waiting were all in the side hall. Although Prince Rui harbored resentment over the matter of the Eighth Prince, Prince Zhao was blind, so there was nothing to hide. He was directly led into the hall along with an imperial physician and two officials from the Censorate.
The Empress, Consort Li, Consort Lan, and others were all in the hall. When they saw that it was Prince Zhao who had come, a look of surprise flashed across their faces.
Yan Xuechui greeted everyone.
The Empress smiled and said gently, "With you here, I am at ease. I believe this case will be solved as soon as possible."
Consort Lan also breathed a sigh of relief.
She was the biological mother of Prince Qing and was highly suspected in the case. She was also someone who did not want to get involved in trouble. Although she had not done anything, she was afraid that others would suspect her, so she was uneasy for several days.
Prince Zhao was exceptionally intelligent from a young age. At the age of ten, he helped the Dali Temple solve several old cases, and his ability to solve cases was evident to all. Back then, Prince Rong plotted to frame Prince Ding, which was truly flawless and ruthless. However, Prince Zhao still started from the slightest clues and gradually uncovered the truth, eventually bringing down Prince Rong and avenging his brother.
I'm afraid that now that he's blind and has been silent for two years, I don't know if he'll be able to find out the truth this time.
Consort Li, standing to the side, laughed and said, "His Majesty is really something. Knowing that you have difficulty moving around, he still summoned you to the palace to trouble yourself. Is there really no one in the entire palace who can investigate the case?"
These words were indeed a sarcastic jab at both the Empress and Prince Zhao. However, the Empress had grown accustomed to her barbed words over the years and did not take it to heart. Yan Xuecui also simply laughed it off and asked Prince Rui to retrieve the Princess's personal belongings from the banquet that day for a second inspection.
If there were no problems with the food and drink, then the most likely source of the aphrodisiac was the sachet, handkerchief, hair oil, or cosmetics that Prince Rui had already placed in a brocade box. However, the Ministry of Justice had inspected the items multiple times but found nothing unusual.
Upon opening the brocade box, a strong scent of cosmetics and perfume wafted out, causing Yan Xuecui's forehead veins to throb, but she still patiently focused on discerning the scent.
Knowing that he was blind, Prince Rui was about to introduce each item one by one when Yan Xuecui suddenly wrapped a comb in a brocade handkerchief and handed it to the imperial physician who was knowledgeable about fragrance.
Everyone turned their attention to him.
The imperial physician took the comb, held it to his nose, and sniffed it carefully. He indeed detected a very faint, warm fragrance. His eyes lit up, but he hesitated and said, "But this comb alone doesn't seem enough to have caused the Princess Consort to be so severely poisoned..."
Prince Rui immediately replied, "But there's no poison in hair oil."
Yan Xue frowned, already showing some impatience. "Where is the peony from that day?"
If it weren't for the fact that Ah Ying's medicinal matter was not something that could be easily spread, he would have made it clear long ago.
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
Consort Li clenched the handkerchief in her hand tightly, her face turning pale, but she quickly managed to calm herself down.
Prince Rui's expression changed slightly, and he immediately ordered people to search for the peony from that day.
On that day, in order to cure his wife's poison, the two made love, and their hairpins and jewelry were scattered. The peony had long been thrown off the bed and disappeared.
Fortunately, the palace maid who was tidying up the bedding saw that the crimson jade flower was large and full, and was a rare and exquisite specimen, so she couldn't bear to throw it away. Instead, she kept it in a water vat outside the back room.
After the peony was brought back, the imperial physician immediately examined it carefully and indeed discovered something amiss.
The scent of the aphrodisiac had dissipated for more than three days, but a faint, exotic fragrance could still be detected when brought close to the nose. The imperial physician immediately said, "The problem probably lies with these peonies!"
The Empress's expression hardened slightly, and she immediately summoned the palace maid from the flower room who had prepared flowers for Princess Rui that day for interrogation.
The palace maid gave the same testimony: "A palace maid I didn't recognize brought me a tray filled with a crimson gauze flower, saying that the color of that flower best complemented Princess Rui's purple dress. I thought she was a new maid in the flower room, so I didn't think much of it and delivered the flower. Sure enough, the princess was very satisfied. Princess Zhao also chose another flower at the time. I never expected that the crimson gauze flower contained a warm fragrance..."
This palace maid in the flower room used to work at the Ruyi Pavilion and often dealt with the palace painters. She had a good eye for recognizing people by their faces and had some impression of the palace maid who poisoned her. She described her as having "long, narrow eyes", "a slightly fleshy nose", "thin lips", and "a strong fragrance".
Based on her description, the painter created another detailed portrait.
Yan Xuecui could not see the portrait, but said, "Since all the ladies are here, why don't you all come and identify them?"
The Empress examined the woman in the painting carefully but had no clue, so she handed it to Consort Lan beside her.
Consort Lan had never seen this person before, so she showed him to the nanny beside her, who said with certainty, "There is no such person in our palace."
Consort Li snatched the portrait, staring at the features that resembled the person in the painting by five or six points. Her palms were slightly sweaty, but she still spoke with full confidence: "I have never seen this before either. However, Consort Ying, Consort Wen, Noble Lady Shu, and Noble Lady Min are not here today. Could it be someone from their palace?"
Yan Xuecui smiled faintly: "Your Highness, there's no need to worry. With this portrait, we can find it by searching every palace."
Consort Li glanced at Princess Rui: "Also, the person who poisoned us may not be from the palace. There are many people coming and going inside and outside the palace during the banquet. Princess Rui, why don't you think about whether you have offended anyone?"
Princess Rui clenched her fingers, her face flushing red and then turning pale.
Consort Yi glared at Consort Li, "Everyone who came and went in the palace that day must be thoroughly investigated."
The Empress said, "Then let's make several more copies of this portrait and start the investigation from the inner palace."
Since this matter should not be made public, the Empress used theft as a pretext to investigate the palace maids in each palace against the portrait. However, after a whole day, she still found nothing. Anyone in each palace who resembled the person in the portrait by even a third was taken to the Imperial Prison for identification by the palace servants and guards involved. However, none of them were the palace maids they had seen at the banquet.
Upon hearing the news, King Xuan was understandably uneasy. The next day, after court, he went to Yongchun Palace to visit Consort Li and inquire about the progress of the investigation.
King Xuan dismissed his attendants and asked in a low voice, "Is that person still in Mother Consort's palace?"
Yesterday, it was discovered that the Warmth Fragrance came from Peony. Consort Li was initially somewhat worried, but after last night, Prince Zhao investigated all the palaces but found nothing. He has now begun to investigate the Imperial Garden and the Imperial Kitchen, presumably having given up on investigating the inner palace.
Thinking of this, Consort Li smiled lightly: "Don't worry, whether he is here or not, King Zhao won't be able to find out."
Having witnessed Yan Xuecui's thorough investigation into the case of Prince Ding's death in battle, Prince Xuan dared not underestimate his abilities even though he was now blind. "No matter who this person is, Mother should silence him as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen complications."
Consort Li said dismissively, "You seem to be more anxious than I am. Right now, all the palaces are still conducting strict investigations. If someone were to suddenly disappear from Changchun Palace at this time, wouldn't that be like trying to hide something obvious?"
King Xuan was still uneasy, "But..."
Consort Li then said, "Alright, Mother will find an opportunity to deal with this person quietly."
Behind the pillars outside the hall, a nimble figure quietly retreated and leaped over the palace wall.
...
After a night of investigation, Yan Xuecui finally returned to Yongyan Palace, where she used to reside in the palace, this morning.
In fact, he had felt a sense of anxiety since last night, and by this morning, the restlessness in his blood was like a wildfire spreading, almost uncontrollable, much like the days and nights of turmoil and unease he experienced when he first lost his sight, like a beast trapped in an abyss.
Even he himself was unwilling to admit that the three days he spent in bed with her, filled with intense passion, were a level of fulfillment and satisfaction he had never experienced before.
After just one day apart, he felt like he was going through a drug addiction, as if something had been suddenly pulled out of his body. In the boundless darkness and emptiness, everything around him seemed extremely noisy and irritating.
When Cheng Huai entered, he saw his prince leaning against the couch with his fingers on his brow. He guessed that the prince was worried about the case, so he immediately stepped forward and reported, "Your Highness, we have a lead."
Yan Xuecui's eyelids were half-closed as she asked in a deep voice, "Consort Li?"
Cheng Huai said, "Your Highness is very perceptive. Today, when Prince Xuan entered the palace, he indeed mentioned this matter to Consort Li. However, Consort Li is quite composed. I'm afraid that immediately punishing the palace maid would alert her. Now that Your Highness has openly begun investigating elsewhere, perhaps we should wait a few more days until Consort Li makes her move..."
"I'm not waiting anymore."
Yan Xuecui interrupted directly, saying, "That person won't easily show up for duty these next two days. Send someone to the servants' quarters in Yongchun Palace to spread the word that the Shenxing Division has uncovered the clues and that Consort Li will eliminate him tonight. That person will be afraid and will definitely take action."
"Also," Yan Xuecui pondered for a moment, then reminded her, "we should pay close attention not only to the palace maids, but also to the eunuchs' residences."
He had been thinking all night: since the palace maid was dressed plainly, it was understandable that she would use makeup to cover her facial features, but why did she use strong perfumes to attract attention?
The Imperial Prison's investigation yielded no results, and Consort Li was certain that he couldn't find anything. Perhaps this was because those with "fair complexions, powdered faces, and soft voices" were not necessarily only palace maids, while those with "slightly hunched postures" who needed to use perfumes to mask their body odor were very likely eunuchs.
After a moment's thought, Cheng Huai immediately bowed and accepted the order.
The hall fell silent, and Yan Xue rubbed her temples.
Only when the jade thumb ring was pressed against his brow did the spreading coolness remind him that this jade had once caressed her soft, snow-white skin time and time again, causing her to tremble all over and let out soft, panting moans...
Thinking of this, the restlessness and emptiness churning in my mind were somewhat relieved.
If I can't quit, then I won't quit.
He eliminated any possibility that she might leave him or betray him, keeping her forever by his side.
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Author's note: The first day away from my wife, I miss her, I miss her, I miss her...
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