Upon hearing the report from a palace servant, Niohuru's expression softened somewhat, and she was no longer so angry.
"Oh! Tell me, what have you discovered? Report truthfully. If the information is true, I may reduce your punishment as appropriate."
Green Grass looked overjoyed and hurriedly thanked Your Majesty, "Thank you, Your Majesty!" Then she reported, "This servant is a second-class palace maid in the Imperial Kitchen, and I have always been in charge of the soups in the Imperial Kitchen. Two months ago, Aunt Plum Blossom saw that the maid Hongxiu was hardworking and clever, so she promoted her to a third-class palace maid and managed the soups with me."
She paused for a moment, then continued, “I hadn’t noticed anything wrong with her until a few days ago when I accidentally discovered that every time Hongxiu was making soup, she would secretly sprinkle some white powder from her fingertips into Wuya Changzai’s chicken soup when no one was looking.”
When Hongxiu heard Lüyin mention her name, her heart pounded violently. Thinking of what the man in black had said to her, her mind was filled with a thousand complicated thoughts.
After carefully finishing her explanation, Lüyin hurriedly cleared herself of any wrongdoing. "The reason I didn't report it was firstly because I lacked evidence, and secondly because I was afraid of being misunderstood. That's why I didn't rush to report it. I originally planned to wait until I found evidence and catch Hongxiu red-handed, but before I could, Consort Wuya had an accident. Without a doubt, the one who poisoned her is Hongxiu; she is the prime suspect."
Empress Niohuru did not particularly believe the young palace maid's words. Upon hearing this, she asked in a deep voice, "If you have no evidence, why did you suddenly stand up and accuse the palace maid Hongxiu?"
Fearing misunderstanding, Lüyin hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, although I have no evidence, I just saw that Hongxiu's fingertips still had powder on them. If you send someone to check on Hongxiu, they will surely find evidence that she harmed someone."
The eyes of everyone present turned to Hongxiu because of what Luyin said. Hongxiu was extremely nervous and hurriedly hid her hands in her sleeves. This evasive behavior seemed to confirm that she had something wrong.
Consort An also witnessed this scene and was furious at Hongxiu's foolish behavior, cursing her inwardly. "Fool! She's not discreet at all; not only did she let others find out, but she also didn't clean up her mess after poisoning someone."
Hongxiu has definitely been exposed. At this point, Consort An can only pray that she keeps her mouth shut and won't expose her.
However, things didn't go as planned, and things probably won't turn out as Consort An had hoped.
The palace maid, with her sharp eyes, saw this and immediately grabbed Hongxiu. At the Empress's signal, Imperial Physician Li stepped forward to examine Hongxiu's fingertips.
"Your Majesty, the white powder hidden on this palace maid's fingertip is safflower powder. Very little powder can be hidden on a fingertip, and its toxicity when added to chicken soup is also very weak. It can only be effective if taken for a long time. This is exactly the same as the symptoms of Consort Wuya."
Niohuru nodded; what Physician Li said was exactly what she had been thinking. Looking at Hongxiu, Niohuru said to her, "Tell me, how did you, a mere palace maid, obtain this poison? Who is the mastermind behind it all?"
Hongxiu lowered her head, gritting her teeth and remaining silent. This appearance enraged Niohuru, who coldly snorted, "Since you are so loyal and unwilling to reveal your master, then I'll see just how stubborn you are!"
"Someone, take the palace maid Hongxiu to the Department of Criminal Investigation and let the matrons interrogate her properly."
The palace servants roughly lifted Hongxiu up and took her to the Department of Cautious Punishment. As she left, Hongxiu remained silent, but subtly glanced at Consort An.
Although she did it subtly, everyone noticed when she suddenly looked up slightly at the concubines, as she had been keeping her head down.
Everyone had their own thoughts, and no one knew what they were thinking, but their faces remained calm.
The poisoner was found, but Empress Dowager Niohuru did not exempt them from punishment; she merely reduced it, changing the original fifty strokes of the cane and a year's salary penalty to thirty strokes of the cane and a six-month salary penalty. The ceremony proceeded as planned, allowing the palace maids and eunuchs to witness the consequences.
After all the palace servants from the imperial kitchen had been led away, leaving only the concubines in the hall, Consort Yi was the most impatient. She had also seen Hongxiu's behavior earlier, and after glancing sideways at Consort An, she spoke sarcastically.
“Sister Anpin, tell me, who is so bold as to dare to do such a reckless thing as murdering the imperial heir? That is a serious crime.”
Hearing the sarcasm in Consort Yi's words, Consort An was furious and wanted to retort, but because she felt guilty, she changed the words she was about to say.
“Sister Yipin, I’m not a goddess, how would I know these things?”
With a light laugh, Consort Yi said nothing, but her expression and face made Consort An so angry she wanted to bite her teeth.
"What are you two consorts talking about, so happily?" Emperor Kangxi, who arrived late, heard Consort Yi and Consort An chatting at the door. Unaware of the situation, he assumed that his two consorts were having a pleasant conversation.
Consort An's expression changed, and she awkwardly said it was nothing. Consort Yi giggled and changed the subject.
Kangxi entered, and after the concubines paid their respects, he sat down at the head of the table. Yunyi and Niohuru rose to offer their seats, and Kangxi and Niohuru sat side by side, with Yunyi sitting to their left.
Having learned from the Empress that the investigation was nearly complete and that nothing was amiss, Kangxi instructed the concubines to return to their palaces first. He whispered a few words of comfort to Wuya Xinyue before going with the Empress to Kunning Palace to discuss matters.
After this incident, Yunyi and Liu Shuning lost the will to talk. They said goodbye and returned to their residences.
Upon entering the inner palace, Ruoqin still looked shaken. "Your Majesty, the Empress was so majestic today. I have never seen her like that since I entered the palace."
Fu Yunyi sat down, saying with relief, "It's fortunate that the mistress is unharmed. Thanks to Consort Liu's reminder, we were able to be on guard against Consort An in advance. That Hongxiu today is definitely related to Consort An."
Yunyi tapped her forehead and smiled, "Your Majesty the Empress is a model of virtue for the nation and a paragon of virtue in the harem. She is dignified and majestic. She is kind by nature and does not like to be harsh to people, but she is not someone that anyone can offend. Since it concerns the imperial heir, it is not excessive for Your Majesty to treat it with caution."
On the other side, Kangxi and the Empress returned to Kunning Palace. The head nanny of the Shenxing Division had already arrived. When Kangxi learned from the nanny that Hongxiu's mistress was Consort An, he was first shocked, then furious. His strong rationality calmed him down. After a moment of contemplation, he had a vague idea in his mind.
Holding Empress Niohuru's hand, Kangxi comforted her, "You've worked hard today. I'll have Liang Jiugong investigate the rest. You're not feeling well, so rest for a few days and take good care of yourself."
Niohuru felt a warmth in her heart, and her face softened with tenderness. "Your Majesty is too kind to me. Managing the harem is my duty."
As she spoke, Niohuru blushed and said with a guilty tone, "I am ashamed to say that I have mismanaged the harem and this has happened. Consort Wuya has been wronged. Your Majesty, please go to Consort Wuya's place tonight and comfort her."
"Zitong is indeed my virtuous wife. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for!" Kangxi embraced Niohuru and sighed in a low voice.
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