Chapter 13 Song Changzai is in trouble
The screams were particularly piercing in the snowy night, instantly waking everyone in Changxin Palace!
In the west wing, Narcissus opened her eyes almost simultaneously.
She threw off the warm quilt and sat up, her movements swift and decisive, her eyes clear in the darkness.
Yinzhu also quickly got up, lit the candle, and stood guard protectively beside Shuixian.
Outside, the sounds of hurried footsteps, panicked inquiries from palace servants, and heart-wrenching wails from Consort Song's trusted maid could be heard.
Narcissus put on a thick, plain-colored cloak and whispered to Silver Pearl, "Let's go take a look."
As soon as the master and servant stepped out of the west wing, they bumped into Consort Yi, who had also been alarmed and was rushing over in a gorgeous fox fur coat.
Consort Yi's hair was slightly loose, and her face showed just the right amount of astonishment, as if she had just been startled awake from a dream.
"What's going on? What's causing trouble at the East Annex?" Consort Yi asked, pursing her lips.
"Your Majesty, it seems...it seems that Consort Song has encountered some trouble!"
A young eunuch came running up to report, his voice trembling.
Consort Yi frowned, looking worried: "Quickly! Come with me to see!"
As she spoke, she led the palace servants and hurried toward the east side hall.
Narcissus followed behind at a leisurely pace, carrying silver beads.
The east annex was filled with a suffocating odor, an indescribable sour and rotten smell.
Consort Song's personal maidservant was ashen-faced and trembling like a leaf, clinging to the corner of the wall, trying her best to stay away from Consort Song who was lying on the bed.
Song Changzai lay sprawled on the ground in an extremely painful posture, the ground littered with the vomit she had left before her death. The vomit had soaked through her thin nightgown, leaving a long trail on the floor. One of her hands was stiffly outstretched in front of her, as if desperately grasping at something.
Consort Yi covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, revealing only a pair of disgusted eyes.
She quickly took a step back, as if unable to bear the horrific scene before her: "Oh my god... Sister Song... how could she suddenly..."
She turned to the narcissus behind her, her voice urging, "This place is filthy and smells terrible. Shall we go back to the main hall first? With such a serious matter, I have already ordered someone to report to the Emperor immediately."
Shui Xian's gaze swept over Song Changzai's stiff corpse, and her face showed just the right amount of reluctance.
She nodded slightly, her voice trembling slightly: "I will leave it to Your Majesty's arrangements."
As she turned to leave, her gaze swept over the silver bead beside her with utmost subtlety.
Yinzhu immediately understood and subtly fell half a step behind.
Her gaze was sharp, fixed on every palace servant in the hall, watching their every move.
Her presence was extremely subtle, like a shadow blending into the shadows behind the door, silently observing the people coming and going.
In the main hall of Changxin Palace, the burning stove dispelled the chill brought in from outside, but could not dispel the heavy atmosphere that permeated the hall.
Consort Yi sat in the main seat, holding a cup of hot tea that had just been served by a palace maid.
She kept rubbing the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, looking like she was still in shock.
Narcissus sat quietly at the lower end, looking down at her hands resting on her knees, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the smooth satin of her cloak, as if deep in thought.
The wait wasn't long. Emperor Zhaoheng, braving the wind and snow, strode into the palace gates as the eunuch announced his arrival.
Several coroners and imperial physicians dressed in official robes followed him with their hands clasped and heads bowed, hurrying along.
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze immediately fell on the narcissus.
Seeing her sitting there calmly, though her face was slightly pale, her eyes were calm and there was no obvious fear, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
Emperor Zhaoheng parted his thin lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
"Your Majesty!" Consort Yi rushed forward, like a startled bird throwing herself into Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, her voice trembling with tears, "Your Majesty...you've finally come! I was in the East Annex Palace just now, and when I saw Sister Song...that...my heart ached so much..."
Emperor Zhaoheng was forced to reach out and support her after she lunged at him.
Looking at Consort Yi's tearful face in his arms, and remembering that she had served him in the palace for more than three years, he softened his voice and said soothingly, "My beloved consort has been frightened."
He then instructed the imperial physician behind him, "Take a look at Consort Yi and Consort Shuixian."
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your concern..." Consort Yi leaned against Emperor Zhaoheng's arm, sobbing.
The imperial physician stepped forward and examined the pulses of both Consort Yi and Narcissus, confirming that they were only slightly frightened and had no other serious injuries.
Just then, the coroner who had gone to the East Annex Hall to investigate strode in, knelt down and bowed solemnly.
“Your Majesty,” the lead coroner said in a steady voice, “preliminary examination reveals that Consort Song… died of poisoning.”
The atmosphere inside the hall instantly plummeted to freezing point.
The coroner continued, "We found a significant amount of sedative ingredients at the bottom of the remaining medicine bowl in the Song Changzai Palace. And in the leftover soup from the evening meal... we found a large amount of powdered red flame fruit seeds from the southern border."
He paused, his voice cautious, "The kernels of this Crimson Flame Fruit are extremely hot and potent. A small amount may warm the blood and dispel cold in ordinary people, but if taken with calming herbs... it's like cooking oil over a raging fire, extremely poisonous! The two clash, enough to cause one's blood to surge backward! Consort Song must have died from this poison caused by the incompatibility of medicine and food!"
"Crimson Flame Fruit?" Emperor Zhaoheng frowned, his voice icy. "I have heard of this, but it is not produced in our Central Plains. How come the Imperial Kitchen has this?"
The imperial physician hurriedly bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, while the seeds of the Crimson Flame Fruit are rare, their warming effect is exceptional, and they are occasionally used as a precious tonic by noble ladies in the palace during winter. However... the dosage has always been extremely cautious and minimal. How could it be that Consort Song consumed them with the calming soup, leading to this adverse reaction..."
"Food and medicine incompatible?" Narcissus, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, her voice clear and melodious.
She raised her eyes to look at the imperial physician, and finally spoke: "According to you, this calming soup is incompatible with the Crimson Flame Fruit..."
Shui Xian asked doubtfully, "The concubines in the harem inevitably suffer from headaches and fevers and need to take calming medicines. They may also use warming and drying substances for winter tonics. Over the years, I have never heard of such a tragedy. Could it be that... this incompatible poison needs to reach a certain dosage to be fatal?"
The imperial physician was taken aback by the question. He stroked his white beard and pondered, "What Consort Shuixian said is quite true. Usually, a small amount accidentally ingested would at most cause abdominal pain and vomiting, but would certainly not lead to immediate death. Consort Song's situation this time... is probably related to her recent excessive worry and weakened constitution. Her emotional distress and blood deficiency had already weakened her internal organs, and when she suddenly encountered such a fierce and deadly poison, it was... beyond saving!"
Shui Xian wanted to ask more questions, but suddenly, Yi Fei burst into tears.
"Waaah...Your Majesty!" Consort Yi collapsed to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
"It's all my fault...it's all my fault! I've seen Sister Song unable to eat or sleep these past few days, looking so haggard, and it breaks my heart...so I specially instructed the Imperial Kitchen to send some highly nourishing ingredients to Changxin Palace. I never expected the Imperial Kitchen to use those Crimson Flame Fruit seeds, and I certainly never expected Sister Song to take calming tonics..."
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Consort Yi, who was kneeling at his feet and crying her eyes out. He also thought about how the Song family had just been convicted, and how Consort Song was indeed filled with worry and fear. The imperial physician's words about her being weak and anxious seemed to make sense.
He sighed and bent down to help Consort Yi up: "Alright, my beloved consort. I know you meant well and didn't mean any harm. This matter... was truly an accident, so you don't need to blame yourself too much."
Accident?
Narcissus sneered inwardly.
The time when Consort Song died suddenly from an illness in her previous life almost coincided with the downfall of the Song family.
In this life, it's just a more plausible excuse... incompatibility between medicine and food, physical weakness and worry.
All the clues point to coincidence, to Song Changzai's own misfortune.
Consort Yi cleared herself of all charges and even earned a reputation for caring for her sisters.
There must be a master pharmacist lurking by Consort Yi's side!
This person can accurately grasp the incompatible elements and subtly control the dosage and timing, making a murder seem perfectly legitimate!
There's no need to stay any longer...
Shui Xian rose and gave a graceful bow to Emperor Zhaoheng and Consort Yi, her voice tinged with weariness: "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I am feeling unwell and would like to take my leave now."
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze immediately returned to her.
Seeing that her complexion was indeed worse than before, and her delicate chin looked particularly fragile against the backdrop of the plain cloak, one could only assume that she was frightened by the sudden death.
A feeling of pity for Narcissus welled up in his heart again, and he nodded and said, "Go, and get some rest."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shui Xian lowered her eyes and quietly withdrew from the main hall of Changxin Palace.
Back in the west wing, Yinzhu was already waiting there.
Narcissus led Silver Pearl into the inner room for a conversation.
Yinzhu first whispered that people were coming and going in the East Annex Hall just now, and no one destroyed any evidence.
Narcissus, who already knew the cause of Song Changzai's death, nodded slightly.
There's no need to send anyone to destroy the evidence.
The reason given for food-drug incompatibility is flawless, as if Song Changzai's own bad luck led to her death.
In her previous life, she was still young and naive in the palace and did not pay attention to the people serving Consort Yi.
It seems that Consort Yi likely had someone knowledgeable in pharmacology by her side, which allowed her to escape unscathed from the death of Consort Song.
Narcissus closed her eyes in thought, her fingertips tapping lightly on the table beside her.
She recalled the medicinal soup that Consort Yi would have Xue Mei bring her after each time she received the Emperor's favor...
In this treacherous palace, one must have a capable person by one's side, otherwise one might die suddenly without knowing why.
She slowly raised her eyes and looked at Yinzhu beside her.
"When you were in the palace, did you ever notice a young eunuch named Xiao Chuanzi? He was quite young, about sixteen or seventeen, and especially... he seemed to know a lot about herbs and spices."
Seeing Yinzhu nod, Shuixian slowly said:
"Please introduce me to someone."
After giving the instructions in a low voice, she dismissed Yinzhu.
Narcissus sat in front of the dressing table, dipped a handkerchief in pearl powder, and gently pressed it onto her lips.
In the bronze mirror, her face appeared even paler and more fragile.
Not long after, just as she had predicted, Emperor Zhaoheng knocked on the door of her west wing.
The man's voice was low and deep, tinged with worry.
"Is Xian'er... asleep?"
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