Chapter 36 Consort Rong Dies
"Your Majesty, Consort Rong... has passed away."
Emperor Zhaoheng, wearing his inner robe, frowned upon hearing this and subconsciously looked towards the inner chamber.
"Did the coroner go?"
Feng Shunxiang was an extremely meticulous person, and he whispered the arrangements to Emperor Zhaoheng.
Emperor Zhaoheng nodded. He went to the adjacent warm pavilion and summoned a maid to come in and change his clothes.
Yinzhu was on duty tonight. After helping the Emperor change his clothes with her head bowed, she heard Emperor Zhaoheng whisper as he left Chengming Hall, "Don't disturb your lady, let her sleep a little longer."
"yes."
Yinzhu knelt and respectfully saw Emperor Zhaoheng off from Chengming Hall.
After seeing Emperor Zhaoheng off, she didn't hesitate for long and quickly went into the inner room, only to find that Shui Xian had already woken up.
"Your Majesty, Consort Rong has passed away."
Yinzhu came to the bedside and whispered to Shuixian.
Shui Xian, wrapped in the quilt, had woken up as soon as Emperor Zhaoheng got up. She even felt him tucking the quilt around her before he left.
I went to bed very late last night, and the skin on the inside of my skin was chafed. Although I applied a cooling ointment, it still hurts a bit.
Narcissus touched her forehead.
"Yinzhu, help me change my clothes."
She paused, then said, "Call Xiao Chuanzi over."
Xiao Chuanzi was soon summoned; his injuries had mostly healed thanks to careful care in recent days.
Shui Xian dismissed the other palace servants, leaving only Yin Zhu by her side, and looked up at Xiao Chuanzi.
Her voice was extremely low, "Tell me again, in detail, about the poison packet from Granny Yan... from beginning to end. Was there any trace left behind? Especially Consort Rong, is there any possibility that she knows the inside story?"
Shui Xian vaguely sensed that the death of Consort Rong was definitely related to the Yi family and Yi Guichun.
She did indeed frame Yi Guichun, but it wasn't fabricated out of thin air.
When Xiao Chuanzi sneaked into Granny Yan's room to steal things, he accidentally discovered the packet of poison that Granny Yan had carefully hidden in the inner pharmacy.
She was merely going with the flow, and didn't even let Xiao Chuanzi risk going to the inner pharmacy to get the poison. Instead, she had Yin Zhu cleverly take out a small amount of the poison from the packet while Granny Yan was reporting to Yi Guichun at Changxin Palace.
Afterwards, through Ogawa's meticulous calculations, she took extremely small amounts of poison every day, which would not actually harm the fetus in her womb, but would also allow the imperial physician to diagnose the toxicity accumulated in her body at crucial moments.
Ogawa's expression hardened. He thought carefully, then shook his head firmly:
"Your Majesty, there is absolutely no way you could have left any trace! This servant would swear on my life!"
Narcissus unconsciously stroked the brocade cuffs.
Xiao Chuanzi's words reassured her somewhat. She could not allow any loopholes to be found by the Yi family or Yi Guichun, which could become evidence for Yi Guichun to overturn his case.
But... Consort Rong's death was too suspicious.
"I understand." Shui Xian pondered for a moment, then looked at Xiao Chuanzi: "Come with me to Changxin Palace."
When Shui Xian arrived at Changxin Palace with Xiao Chuanzi, Emperor Zhaoheng was already waiting in the main hall.
Although the hall had been simply cleaned, the lingering stillness made people feel oppressed.
Upon seeing Narcissus enter, Emperor Zhaoheng immediately stepped forward and naturally took her slightly cool hand in his: "Why did you come here? You didn't rest well last night, you should get some rest."
His gaze swept over her tired face, which clearly showed she hadn't rested well, and he felt a pang of heartache.
"emperor......"
Shui Xian's voice carried just the right amount of worry, "Your Majesty, I am truly concerned. When I came to see Consort Rong yesterday, although she was emotional, she was... but she seemed perfectly fine. How could she suddenly..."
Emperor Zhaoheng put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the main hall.
He said gently, "The yin energy here is heavy, and you are pregnant now, so you should avoid these things. Feng Shunxiang!"
"Your servant is here." Feng Shunxiang responded and entered.
"How's it going with the coroner?"
Feng Shunxiang bowed and reported: "Your Majesty, Consort Jin, the coroner has completed a thorough examination. Consort Rong did indeed die by hanging. There were no other fatal external injuries or signs of struggle, and she was not murdered by someone else."
Immediately afterwards, Feng Shunxiang took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and presented it with both hands:
"This is the suicide note found next to Consort Rong's body. This servant has ordered people to carefully compare it with Consort Rong's usual handwriting, and it is indeed written by her own hand, with no trace of forgery."
After he finished speaking, he unconsciously looked up and glanced at the daffodils beside him.
Narcissus noticed this and her heart stirred slightly.
Emperor Zhaoheng took the will and unfolded it.
Narcissus's gaze also fell on the note.
In her suicide note, Consort Rong confessed to all her crimes!
She claimed that she was jealous of Shui Xian's favor with the emperor and her residence in Chengming Palace... In addition, she had a long-standing quarrel with Shui Xian and had accumulated deep resentment, so she harbored a grudge in her heart!
Consort Rong confessed that she had instructed Granny Yan to bring the deadly poison into Chengming Palace with the intention of harming Narcissus! Knowing that her sins were grave and she could not escape death, she chose to hang herself to atone for her sins!
Finally, she pleaded with the Emperor to spare her family, considering her momentary lapse in judgment...
"How could this be...?"
Shui Xian rose from her seat, knelt before Emperor Zhaoheng, and tears of grievance instantly welled up in her eyes:
"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly! Every word Consort Rong uttered is slander! Although Consort Rong and I may have had verbal disputes, it was always Consort Rong who mocked me, and I never talked back. How could she have such a vicious heart to want to kill me?!"
Narcissus sobbed, "She...she's clearly taking the blame for someone else!"
Tears streamed down her face like broken beads, making her appear even more pitiful; Narcissus's eyes were blurred with tears.
"Your Majesty! Who does Consort Rong usually associate with? It's Yi Guichun! She's the mistress of Changxin Palace! I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me and thoroughly investigate Yi Guichun!"
The Yi family and Yi Guichun think they can clear their names with the death of Consort Rong? Don't even think about it!
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at the narcissus with tears streaming down its face, then looked down at the will in his hand, his brows furrowed, and fell into silence.
Granny Yan had already died from being beaten to death on his orders in a fit of rage, leaving no way to verify the truth.
As for Yi Guichun, who was confined to the cold palace...
He bent down and helped Narcissus up, his tone soothing: "Narcissus, get up, I believe in you."
He paused, his gaze turning serious. "Rest assured, I will not change my mind. Yi Guichun, she remains a commoner in the Cold Palace. Regardless of whether this matter is directly related to her, I personally witnessed her attempting to harm you with a knife in the plum grove of the Imperial Garden that day! For this alone, she will never have a chance to rise again!"
A chill ran through Narcissus's heart!
Emperor Zhaoheng's words... indeed shook his resolve!
What does it mean to ask whether this matter is related to Yi Guichun? Is Emperor Zhaoheng's suspicion of Yi Guichun softening?
Emperor Zhaoheng's next words relieved her: "I will never release her and put you and the child in the slightest risk."
His gaze fell on Narcissus's lower abdomen, and his protective instincts towards her and the child once again took over.
Narcissus understood that this decision was entirely due to the incredibly precious dragon offspring in her womb!
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"
Narcissus bowed in gratitude with tears in her eyes.
Emperor Zhaoheng then ordered the guards to search Changxin Palace again to find out if there was anything unusual before Consort Rong hanged herself. He then left Changxin Palace, which was filled with the atmosphere of death, with Shuixian.
Over the next few days, the guards searched Changxin Palace thoroughly, but they were unable to find any evidence that Consort Rong had been coerced.
Meanwhile, unsettling news also came from the previous dynasty.
Rong Shunchang (the father of Consort Rong) confessed without hesitation, claiming that the so-called "Beisheng" strange stone was completely forged by him!
He meticulously orchestrated this auspicious omen scam in order to curry favor with Yi Ming (Yi Guichun's father). He stated that Yi Ming was completely unaware of it, and that it was all his own doing, a deception and cover-up!
Shortly after confessing to all his crimes, Rong Shunchang committed suicide in prison by drinking poison.
In a short period of time, the Rong family father and daughter committed suicide one after another, which made Shui Xian feel extremely frightened.
This isn't a confession; this is clearly murder to cover it up!
It was the Yi family that swiftly and decisively severed all possible leads that could implicate them!
Not only did she fail to use Consort Rong to completely bring down the Yi family, she also greatly underestimated the Yi family's methods!
How did Yi Ming manage to do that?
In such a short period of time, under the close surveillance of Emperor Zhaoheng, how could Rong Shunchang be persuaded to willingly take on all the heinous crimes and voluntarily face death?
Just how terrifyingly entrenched and powerful is the Yi family in the imperial court?!
Although Yi Guichun had been deposed and now relegated to the cold palace, Shui Xian felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
She had no one in the previous dynasty!
Narcissus finally realized this fatal flaw!
Even though she was already the noble Consort Jin, enjoying the Emperor's favor and pregnant with his child, seemingly living a life of endless glory.
But all her foundation rested on Emperor Zhaoheng's favor and the unborn child in her womb!
She had no power base in the previous dynasty!
This counterattack by the Yi family served as a stark warning to her.
Relying solely on the scheming of the harem and the emperor's favor is far from enough!
To truly gain a foothold in the harem, to protect herself and her child, and to completely crush the Yi family, she must... she must cultivate her own power base in the former dynasty!
But... what should she do?
Narcissus frowned, lost in thought.
As a concubine in the imperial harem, with such a sensitive status, how could she interfere in the affairs of the court?
Her only relatives, her parents, though freed from their lowly status and becoming law-abiding citizens, were still ordinary people, powerless and without influence. Her younger sister, Shuixiu... just turned fourteen, innocent and carefree, what could she possibly do?
Shuixian picked up the warm medicine for preventing miscarriage, the rising steam blurring her vision. Her gaze inadvertently swept over the pair of jade unicorn ornaments bestowed by the Empress on the table, their warm luster shimmering in the candlelight.
What exactly... is she capable of?
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