"Unayanyu, what explanation do you have?" Kangxi asked sternly, his face grim.
"Your Majesty, I truly have no idea what's going on. I have never possessed such a thing, and moreover, I have absolutely no reason to harm Consort Lan!" Yan Yu lowered her head, flustered and at a loss for what to do.
The Fourth Prince pursed his lips, but finally spoke: "Your Majesty, the fact that the medicine bottle was under her carriage proves that Yan Yu definitely didn't put the medicine in there. Tell me, what thief would leave clues in such an obvious place?"
Lanqin glanced at the Fourth Master silently, and in her heart, she had to give this cold-faced king a thumbs up!
Emperor Kangxi stroked his beard and said, "Liang Jiugong, have you made any other discoveries?"
Liang Jiugong said, "Your Majesty, I have sent people to continue the search, but there has been no news yet."
Lanqin couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, I think Eunuch Liang doesn't need to search any further. This bottle should be the culprit that caused the horse to go mad. Now, we just need to find out who put this bottle of medicine under Yan Yu's carriage. Actually, it's not difficult to find out. There were many people outside at the time. Didn't anyone notice anything unusual? Eunuch Liang can just ask them."
Consort Hui never expected that the scheme she thought she had carefully laid out could be almost completely guessed by the Fourth Prince and Lanqin in just a few words. The last sentence undoubtedly made her even more worried: Had Suoqiu been seen by anyone? If she had been seen, it would be extremely bad.
Suoqiu, who was following behind Consort Hui, was already feeling her heart racing and her hands were trembling uncontrollably. She was hiding behind Consort Hui, otherwise she might have been noticed by others long ago.
Time had never seemed to drag on so slowly. Liang Jiugong and his men had been gone for quite some time. During this time, Doctor Meng came from the Netherlands and whispered a few words in Kangxi's ear, causing the latter to furrow his brow slightly.
Everyone noticed the change in Kangxi's expression and couldn't help but wonder what had happened on Consort Lan's side that made Kangxi frown.
Just then, Liang Jiugong returned with his men. Hui Guiren couldn't discern a trace of emotion on his calm face, but she was so tense she was practically breaking her fingernails. No one knew that her hands, hidden beneath her ornately embroidered sleeves, were clenched so tightly that her dark red fingernails were almost digging into her palms. Only a slight pain allowed Hui Guiren to maintain her composure, while Suo Qiu behind her, if observed closely, would have noticed beads of sweat on her forehead.
“Your Majesty, I have already questioned everyone around Princess Yan Yu. Many people went to the small hillside at the time, and none of the remaining people saw anyone throw a small medicine bottle under Princess Yan Yu’s carriage,” Liang Jiugong reported truthfully.
Consort Hui felt relieved, but she decided not to sit idly by and wait for her fate. So she suddenly walked up to Emperor Kangxi, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I think it is possible that Consort Yan Yu did such a thing."
Yan Yu never expected that Consort Hui, who had once taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with her, would betray her at this moment. She couldn't help but say, "Consort Hui, what are you saying? I would like to hear your reasons for harming Consort Lan."
Consort Hui said, “Sister, please don’t misunderstand. I’m just stating the facts. Actually, there’s a very simple reason why you’re targeting Consort Lan: you don’t want Consort Niu’s sister to gain favor again, because that would greatly benefit Consort Niu. And you, sister, naturally don’t want Consort Niu to have another sister who has been promoted to a high rank as a support for her family. As for why Xiao Ping was under your carriage, perhaps it was an accident. Your Majesty, I’m just guessing. Please, Your Majesty, understand!”
Yan Yu stared intently at Consort Hui's profile. At this moment, she hated Consort Hui, who appeared gentle and charming with a bodhisattva-like face.
Upon hearing her say these words, Yan Yu hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, I absolutely have no intention of harming Consort Lan. As for Consort Niu, I served the Fourth Prince with her and we have long regarded each other as sisters. How could I possibly harm Consort Lan!"
For a moment, Emperor Kangxi was unable to make a decision based on what the two men had said.
"Alright, I will investigate this matter myself. You may all return to your tents and continue our journey early tomorrow morning." Kangxi rested his hand on his forehead and waved his hand.
Everyone greeted each other and took their leave, leaving only Liang Jiugong, Consort Hui, and Suoqiu in the imperial tent.
"Peining, is there anything else?" Kangxi looked extremely tired, and he squinted as he leaned back in his chair.
"Your Majesty, I am fine, but I am worried that Your Majesty is overworking yourself," Consort Hui said with a concerned expression.
"It's alright, I still have some official documents to review. You may leave now," Kangxi said gently.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I shall take my leave." Consort Hui said this only to increase Kangxi's favor towards her, not because she really wanted to stay.
After she led Suoqiu away, Liang Jiugong whispered a few words to Kangxi. At this moment, Kangxi's face gradually darkened, and his brows furrowed tightly.
As for Consort Hui, after helping Suoqiu out, both of them felt as if they had survived a calamity.
"Suoqiu, you did very well. After this is over, I will certainly not treat you unfairly," said Consort Hui. However, Suoqiu could not see the slight chill at the corner of Consort Hui's mouth.
"Master, Consort Lan has already miscarried, why did you still poison her!" Suoqiu couldn't help but ask. She thought her master was someone who wouldn't even dare to step on an ant. This time, causing Consort Lan to miscarry was out of necessity. But after she saw Consort Hui put something in the Dutch medicine, her heart was filled with fear. What was her master going to do? Was she going to kill Consort Lan?
“Suoqiu, forget what you saw, and don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask. Luckily, you distracted Niohuru Lanqin just now, giving me the chance to put that stuff in Consort Lan’s medicine bowl and feed it to her. It only took a moment, enough to finish. Niohuru Lanqin thought she could keep an eye on me, but little did she know she had become a witness that I hadn’t harmed Consort Lan.” When Consort Hui spoke these words, her expression was completely different from the gentle, kind, and amiable Consort Hui of the past. This was the real her!
“My lord, aren’t you afraid the Emperor will become suspicious? You know, only you and Consort Niu went to Consort Lan’s tent just now,” Suoqiu said.
"With Lady Niu as my witness, what do I have to fear? Besides, all I need to do is get the Emperor to send Consort Lan away, and then I'll have my chance. Don't worry, she won't die," Consort Hui said coldly.
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