Lanqin asked, "Do you know what kind of poison Consort Nian was poisoned with?"
Physician Yang said, "Your humble servant is not knowledgeable enough to determine what poison Consort Nian has been poisoned with."
"How could this be?" Lanqin said, "Even you didn't know."
"Where is Consort Nian's personal maid?" Lanqin asked.
Cui Ling, Bai Zhi, and the others walked up to Lan Qin.
“This servant Cuiling and Baizhi are here to attend to Consort Xi.”
Lanqin then began asking Cuiling and Baizhi, "Who is taking care of Nian's meals? Has anything unusual happened recently?"
Cui Ling and Bai Zhi were suspicious of Lan Qin and refused to cooperate, stammering and giving vague answers.
Seeing their expressions, Lanqin was filled with anger. "How dare you!"
Lanqin rarely lost her temper in front of the servants, so her shout startled everyone.
Baoqin advised from the side, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. Be careful not to upset yourself."
Lanqin didn't want to be angry, but seeing that they were still suspicious, she couldn't help herself.
Lanqin then questioned, "Where do you intend to put Consort Nian's life? Now that she has been poisoned, you are all responsible. If you were to ask the Emperor to punish her yourselves, you would all be punished."
Although Lanqin and Lady Nian have always been at odds, the repeated poisoning incidents in the palace are truly terrifying, so Lanqin is determined to investigate thoroughly.
Baoqin said to them, "How dare you disrespect our Imperial Concubine! Do you want to lose your heads?"
Bai Zhi and Cui Ling dared not disobey any longer. They said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We know we were wrong." After saying that, they told them about Nian Shi's daily life in detail.
From the reports of Cui Ling and the others, Lan Qin learned that Nian Shi used dew as a base, combined with pearl powder, to apply to her face in order to maintain her beauty. From the accounts of the maids, Lan Qin discovered that this was something Nian Shi never missed.
Lanqin also suspected that this was done by someone close to Consort Nian, but then she thought it didn't make sense. Consort Nian was an old hand in the palace and had seen all sorts of conspiracies and tricks. She wouldn't allow anyone other than her confidants to access her things.
"Did someone poison her personal belongings? And how did that person do it?"
Lanqin then asked, "Who handles your mistress's things normally? Isn't there a chance that someone with ill intentions might get their hands on them?"
Cui Ling said, "That's impossible. Your Highness's daily necessities were all prepared by us servants."
"What about food?"
"It was also made in the small kitchen of Yikun Palace. Even if it was food from the Imperial Kitchen, it still had to be tested for poison with a silver needle," Bai Zhi said.
"Has Consort Nian had any conflicts with anyone recently?" Lanqin asked.
“This…” Cui Ling and the others looked troubled.
Lanqin thought they still suspected her, so she couldn't help but scold them: "Do you really want me to go to the Emperor?!"
Cui Ling said, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. It's not that we don't want to say anything, but you know Consort Nian's temperament. If we're talking about who she doesn't get along with, we should say that there are very few people in the palace who have a good relationship with Consort Nian."
Lanqin thought about it and felt that Cuiling's words made sense. She had known Consort Nian for many years. Consort Nian was arrogant and relied on her maternal family's power. She didn't even respect the Empress. She had offended everyone in the palace, and anyone could potentially harm her.
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