Consort Yi looked at her two sons and sighed, "Fortunately, your father and the crown prince believed us this time and gave us the opportunity to investigate, otherwise we would have been unable to defend ourselves!"
Consort Yi felt that it was to be expected that Kangxi would trust her, but she didn't quite understand why the Crown Prince would trust them so easily.
"Didn't the Crown Prince say anything to you?" Consort Yi asked the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince.
"No, Mother, what do you want to ask?" the Ninth Prince asked.
Fifth Prince, aware of Consort Yi's doubts, said, "Mother, Second Brother said it's because He Xue trusts Ninth Brother that he also trusts him!"
“He Xue?” Since He Xue left the capital, Consort Yi has stopped thinking about the Crown Prince and He Xue. It seems that He Xue still holds a significant place in the Crown Prince's heart.
If she wasn't mistaken, the Crown Prince should be getting married soon, and He Xue should be marrying him.
"Your Highness, the cook has confessed!" Tao Hong said to Consort Yi as she walked in.
"Bring her here!" Consort Yi said coldly.
Soon the cook was brought over. This time, the cook saw that Consort Yi's face was full of terror. Although there were no obvious injuries on her body, it was clear from her expression that she had suffered some inhuman torture.
"Who ordered you to poison the Crown Prince? You'd better tell the truth. If you dare utter a single lie, I won't hesitate to punish you further..."
Before Consort Yi could finish speaking, the cook immediately kowtowed frantically and said, "Your Majesty, it was the Tenth Prince who instructed me to do it!"
Consort Yi and the Fifth Prince were shocked; the news was indeed hard for them to believe.
"What did you say?" The Ninth Prince jumped up from his seat.
He walked up to the cook and kicked her to the ground. "You wretched thing, how dare you slander the Tenth Prince!"
"No, Ninth Prince, I wouldn't dare!" the cook said in a panic.
"Yin Tang, come back!" Consort Yi said with a stern face.
“Mother, you can’t listen to her nonsense! How could my tenth brother do such a thing!”
The tenth prince usually respects the crown prince very much, and with the tenth prince's brain, he would never think of such a thing! The ninth prince did not hesitate to smear the tenth prince in order to defend him.
If the Tenth Prince, who was training troops with the First Prince, knew that the Ninth Prince had said this about him, he would definitely be furious. "I really thank you, you truly are my good Ninth Brother!"
"Ninth Brother, listen to your mother, she has her own plans!" The Fifth Prince also didn't believe that the Tenth Prince would have such a mind.
Consort Yi was also somewhat perplexed. Although it is said that one cannot judge a book by its cover, she couldn't see the Tenth Prince as a scheming person at all. Could it be that the Tenth Prince was too good at disguising himself and had fooled everyone?
"You said you were instructed by the Tenth Prince. Could it be that the Tenth Prince contacted you?" Consort Yi asked the cook.
“He’s the eunuch who serves the Tenth Prince. He came to Yikun Palace with the Tenth Prince. I recognize him!” the cook said.
"Why would you be willing to do something so dangerous for the Tenth Prince?" The Fifth Prince wanted to know what could make the cook risk her life.
“My life was saved by the late Consort Wenxi. When I was working in the Imperial Kitchen, I made a mistake and the head chef wanted to punish me. Consort Wenxi happened to be there and spoke up to save my life. I have always kept this kindness in my heart!”
So when the people around the Tenth Prince approached me, I agreed!
"I never expected you to be such a sentimental person!" Consort Yi said sarcastically. "Since you value sentiment so much, and I believe I have never treated you unfairly, is this how you repay me?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant knows her mistake!" the cook said regretfully.
"Who else knows about your affair with Consort Wenxi?" The Fifth Prince asked curiously, wondering how the little eunuch had gotten close to the cook.
The cook thought about it carefully, "Besides the head chef of the imperial kitchen, only this servant and Consort Wenxi knew about this, and this servant has not mentioned it to anyone else!"
"You'd better tell me exactly what that little eunuch made you do!" Consort Yi asked, barely containing her anger.
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