The Fourth Prince then said, "You found this brocade pouch in your maid's room, Hongqiao!"
Hongqiao felt a tightness in her back and immediately stepped out from that direction, standing behind Fucha Shi and quickly curtsied.
"Hongqiao, quickly explain to the Prince where this brocade pouch came from. How come I've never seen it before?" Before the Fourth Prince could ask any more questions, Lady Fucha turned to Hongqiao and said.
In that split second, the mistress and servant exchanged their thoughts. Hongqiao was terrified; she hadn't expected that in such a short time, she might lose her life here. Why hadn't she disposed of that brocade pouch last night? She had been so careless. The few glances that Fucha had given her just now were clearly a warning that she hadn't handled things properly, leaving her to take the blame for this fatal mistake.
"This servant...this servant hates Consort Nian for treating my mistress so badly. Our mistress has always been very respectful to Consort Nian, but she always takes advantage of her. This servant couldn't stand it anymore, so I took action." Hongqiao knew she was going to die here today. If she didn't confess, then it would inevitably be Lady Fucha's fault. If Lady Fucha was punished, she probably wouldn't escape death either. It was better to confess alone and let Lady Fucha find a way to save her. The few glances Lady Fucha gave Hongqiao just now clearly conveyed this meaning.
"Nonsense! Without your master's permission, how dare you, a mere servant, poison the concubine?" Upon hearing this, Nian Gengyao was certain that this master and servant were responsible. He was so angry that he wanted to rush down and chop them both to pieces. However, he still held back, mindful that this was the Yong Prince's residence.
The Fourth Prince said coldly to Lady Fucha, "Lady Fucha, do you think it's enough to just let a maid take the blame?"
Lady Fucha said, "Your Highness, I truly had no reason to harm Consort Hongqiao. It was Hongqiao who was momentarily bewitched. I beg Your Highness to spare her life, considering it is her first offense."
The Fourth Prince looked at the master and servant with a complicated expression. The Fuca clan had connections everywhere in the capital. Originally, his mother had assigned her to him as a princess, hoping he could leverage the Fuca clan's power, but now...?
"Your Highness, don't listen to her sweet talk. My sister is still lying inside. This Princess Fucha is so vicious! Please, Your Highness, seek justice for my sister!" Nian Gengyao refused to give up. How could he let Nian Shilan be poisoned like this? Although the Fucha clan was one of the eight great Manchu clans, the Nian family was not to be trifled with and would never let this go so easily.
Seeing the situation, Lanqin and the others realized that if the Fourth Prince didn't punish Lady Fucha today, Nian Gengyao wouldn't let it go easily. Moreover, if Lady Fucha and her servant weren't punished, they could poison people at will in the future.
Lanqin knew the Fourth Master's concerns, but at this moment she still leaned towards dealing with the master and servant. She didn't believe for a second that Hongqiao was the only one who did it.
"Please, Your Highness, investigate this matter thoroughly and give Consort Nian justice!" Lanqin said to the Fourth Prince after she had made up her mind.
Seeing that Lanqin had spoken up, Madam Song and Madam Wu quickly followed suit, saying, "Please, Your Highness, uphold justice for Consort Nian!"
Seeing that everyone had expressed their opinions, Lady Geng had no choice but to stand up and walk to the back of the group, saying, "Your Highness, Consort Nian manages the household affairs, but someone has poisoned the banquet Your Highness is hosting for General Nian. This is truly disheartening. Please, Your Highness, uphold justice for Consort Nian!" Lady Geng, who was usually silent, spoke up.
These words hardened the Fourth Prince's heart. He knew he couldn't afford to be stubborn with the Nian family just to avoid offending Lady Fucha, especially since he hated the insidious methods used in the inner quarters.
Lady Fucha's eyelids twitched, and she immediately said, "Your Highness, I truly did not lay a hand on Consort Nian. Hongqiao, you vile servant, who ordered you to do this! Speak!"
After saying that, she turned around and slapped Hongqiao hard. The slap was so sudden and she used almost all her strength, so it was very heavy.
Five red marks immediately appeared on Hongqiao's face, and her teeth seemed to have been loosened by Fucha's beating, with blood even flowing from the corner of her mouth.
“Master, I was confused for a moment, please punish me! Yes, it was Liu who instructed me.” Hongqiao immediately knelt down and said.
Lanqin glanced at the master and servant pair; they were now biting anyone they could get their hands on. Liu Shi had fallen out of favor several days ago, and she hadn't even come last night.
"That's utter nonsense. What evidence do you have that Liu instructed you to do this?" Fourth Master suddenly felt very irritated; the underhanded tactics used in the inner quarters were truly endless.
“This servant has, this servant has Liu Gege’s jewelry. This servant was momentarily bewitched and coveted what she gave me, which is why I did such a wrong thing.” Hongqiao had already steered the matter toward Liu Shi.
Seeing that she spoke with such conviction, Fourth Master immediately sent men to search Hongqiao's room for what she had just mentioned. A hush fell over the room as everyone went about their own business.
Lanqin thought that this Fucha lady and her servant were truly formidable; they already had all the physical evidence, yet they still managed to uncover other things. Now they'd even brought up Liu, who had always been neglected by the Fourth Prince. If this matter were confirmed, Liu would undoubtedly be dead.
Moments later, the men sent to search found the jewelry Hongqiao had identified in her room. They quickly brought it over and presented it to the Fourth Master for inspection.
Lady Fucha looked at it and was secretly pleased. The large batch of jewelry she had made had indeed come in handy.
The Fourth Prince examined the jewelry and confirmed that it indeed came from the Imperial Household Department and had been distributed to Lady Liu. Lanqin, looking at it from afar, also recognized a few pieces that looked familiar, as if they were indeed items Lady Liu had worn.
Everyone's eyes were filled with doubt; the matter was indeed becoming increasingly complicated.
"Your Highness, who is this Liu?" Nian Gengyao asked.
Fourth Master had no choice but to send someone to invite Liu Shi over.
Suddenly, a noise came from the inner room. The Fourth Prince and Nian Gengyao turned around almost simultaneously and rushed towards Madam Nian's bedroom.
Snap!
Lady Fucha struck Hongqiao again, shouting angrily, "You wretched servant! Haven't I treated you well enough? You've never lacked anything in terms of food or necessities. And yet you still covet Liu's jewelry. You actually dared to harm Consort Nian! You deserve to die! If anything happens to Consort Nian, how am I supposed to face the consequences!"
She accused Hongqiao again and again, as if she were extremely heartbroken by her maid's misconduct and wished she could beat Hongqiao to death.
Looking at Fucha's expression, Lanqin didn't believe it at all. The others, seeing Fucha's demeanor, assumed she truly didn't know, and that the maid was simply greedy for money.
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