Upon hearing this, Lady Nian's eyes widened, and she stared at the two bracelets in Lanqin's hand before exclaiming, "Could it be that the concubine suspects these two bracelets?"
"It's not doubt, it's certainty. Think about it, who wouldn't want us to have children? And who could possibly orchestrate such a scheme?" Lanqin said resolutely.
Both Madam Song and Madam Geng found it utterly unbelievable; they couldn't fathom how such a small string of beads could conceal the poison of musk. Even Madam Nian, who prided herself on her intelligence and shrewdness, couldn't figure out what was wrong with the bracelet.
But our Lanqin is not a woman from three hundred years ago. She is a 21st-century single woman who has seen many palace intrigues and domestic power struggles. When Song said that Nian was also wearing the same bracelet, and then recalled that Geng had said that she was also poisoned by musk, Lanqin quickly came up with a plan. That is why she asked Song to bring Nian here today.
"Nianxue, bring the scissors," Lanqin instructed.
Everyone looked at Lanqin, puzzled as to what she was going to do, and just stared at her blankly.
"Now, I'll cut this bracelet open and see if there's anything hidden inside!" Lanqin said, taking the scissors Nianxue handed her and holding her bracelet in her hand, ready to cut it.
"This was a gift from the Fujin (wife of the emperor), are you really going to destroy it?" Lady Nian said, still incredulous.
Lanqin smiled disdainfully, thinking to herself: "Nian Shi is ultimately a woman of feudal tradition; her concept of the legitimate wife is probably deeply ingrained. She doesn't even dare to destroy the gifts given to her by the Fujin (the wife of the principal wife)."
Snap!
When the bracelet broke, the beads rolled off Lanqin's hand, scattering across the bed, with a few even falling to the ground. However, Cui Niang and Nianxue wouldn't let them disappear before their eyes; they immediately bent down and picked up the fallen jade beads.
Mrs. Nian watched in astonishment as Lanqin resolutely cut the bracelet, and immediately became worried about her own bracelet.
“Destroying items given by the primary consort without cause is considered disrespectful to her if investigated!” said Lady Nian.
Lanqin seemed not to have heard at all. She picked up the beads that had fallen onto the bed and examined them closely. It turned out that each bead was connected by a gold thread, so the eye of the bead was not visible at all. Now the string holding the beads together had broken, and all the jade beads had scattered.
Lanqin looked closely and was surprised to find that the eyes of all those jade beads were much larger than those of ordinary jade beads.
"Call Doctor Liang over!" Lanqin said, looking at the beads.
While Cui Niang went to summon Doctor Liang, Song asked Lanqin, "Did you find anything amiss?" You see, if the primary wife found out that someone had deliberately damaged her things, she could indeed be punished.
"Once Doctor Liang arrives, the strange things here will come out," Lanqin said confidently and slowly. She felt there must be something inside those jade pieces, otherwise the Fujin would have had no chance to harm Nian Shi.
Before long, Doctor Liang arrived. Lanqin instructed him to examine the beads. Several women watched as Doctor Liang gathered the beads one by one, then took out a strange object from his medicine box and began to examine the beads.
Only Lanqin recognized it; it was a Western magnifying glass.
Dr. Liang examined the pills carefully, then put down the magnifying glass and took out a thin silver needle from his medical kit.
Everyone watched in astonishment as Doctor Liang picked up another bead and inserted the thin silver needle into its eye. It seemed he had inserted something hard; Doctor Liang's hand tightened slightly as he slowly pulled the needle out. Finally, it appeared he had pulled something out of the bead, revealing a small, black object stuck to the tip.
Lanqin looked at the object, a slight smile gradually curving her lips, a subtle excitement welling up inside her: finally, she had irrefutable evidence that the Fujin had plotted to harm the Fourth Prince's offspring. How could she deny it now? How could she find a scapegoat? How could she defend herself?
Doctor Liang followed the same method again, taking the black stuff from five or six beads in a row, and finally gathered a few tiny things that looked like rat droppings in his palm.
"Your Highness, I need to go back and process this before I can determine what this thing is," said Doctor Liang.
"Alright, go quickly, the sooner the better, and come back immediately to report what this thing is!" Lanqin's voice sounded slightly trembling.
Song and Geng seemed to understand what those few things meant. If they were musk, then this time, the Fujin wouldn't be able to escape!
Ms. Nian felt her hands and feet turn ice cold. She watched in disbelief as Doctor Liang left, wearing the few dark bits he had picked out of the beads.
The whole room was quiet; no one knew what to say, and everyone patiently waited for Doctor Liang to announce the results. Lan Qin instructed Nianxue to put away the remaining beads and returned the bracelet to her.
“Princess Nian, if that thing is confirmed to be musk, and you also have the same thing in your bracelet, are you going to expose the Fujin?” Lanqin found a comfortable spot to lie down under the cushions that Cui Niang had placed there.
Her question was absolutely necessary. What if she went to the Fourth Prince and told him that the Princess Consort had put musk in her bracelet, almost causing her to miscarry? Even if the Fourth Prince believed her, at most he would only confine her to her quarters or treat her coldly; he would never punish the Princess Consort! This had already been proven by the first and second times that Lady Yin had harmed her, and Lanqin could even understand the Fourth Prince's situation. Ever since men could have multiple wives and concubines, the struggle between the principal wife and concubines had never ceased. This time it was still a struggle between wives and concubines, and no one had died; the Princess Consort wouldn't be seriously injured. In any case, the Fourth Prince had already completely neglected the Princess Consort, so another such tactic wouldn't be very effective. However, if Lady Nian was willing to join in, and she had miscarried, it would undoubtedly increase the Princess Consort's weight of guilt, forcing the Fourth Prince to consider it. He simply couldn't continue to allow the Princess Consort to do whatever she wanted to her concubines.
Lady Nian was speechless after Lanqin's question. Seeing her reaction, Lanqin's heart sank.
“Princess Nian, your child was harmed by her in this way. How can you bear it? This is such a good opportunity. If you and the concubine go together to talk to the Fourth Prince, perhaps the Prince will no longer be able to control everything in the inner quarters.” Madam Song said hurriedly.
“Yes, Princess Nian. How many people has the Fujin harmed over the years? She has succeeded time and time again, yet she remains unscathed. Princess Nian, you still cherish the things she gave you like they are treasures, never imagining that they would be the murderers of your child!” Geng Shi said hurriedly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
