"At the time, I thought that since this thing was just for display and not used, I could just replace it. But when I got it, I found that the fake one was a little different in color from the real one. Granny Cheng was urging me to hurry, so I sent it in first."
"When it was delivered, the imperial physician examined it again. I was terrified, afraid that the truth would be exposed. But while he was examining it, Granny Cheng said in a sarcastic tone, 'This was sent by the Empress. It's not used. It's just for display. Why do you need to examine it again after washing it once?'"
And so, the imperial physician glanced at it briefly and then told her to put it in.
But the color was different, and Granny Gao was still flustered, thinking that she would be discovered sooner or later. At this time, another old woman was chatting and mentioned the medicine cup given by the Empress. She said that the medicine cup was magical and that the color would darken after being soaked in medicine.
Su Wenyuan interrupted her, saying, "You and Granny Dong washed it, Granny Li took a fake one to replace it, and now another old woman has appeared, reminding you that you can soak it in medicine to deepen the color?"
Granny Gao nodded heavily and said, "It's just such a coincidence. Granny Dong and I are responsible for feeding the prince the medicine every day. After the medicine is brought in, I pour the soup from the medicine bowl into the fake medicine cup and feed it to the prince little by little."
"At that time, the imperial physician also had to check the remaining medicine, so every time we poured it, we would leave a little in the medicine bowl for him to check."
Su Wenyuan understood and exclaimed, "The prince drank from the fake medicine cup, but the imperial physician found out it was from the bowl."
Granny Gao slapped her thigh and said, "That's it! In less than three days, the color of the medicine cups was the same. On the fourth day, the whole set of medicine cups was sent back to the palace."
The whole thing was done without anyone noticing; if the fake medicine cup was coated with poison, it would indeed go undetected.
Su Wenyuan asked again, "But what does this have to do with the Empress? She just sent a set of normal medicine cups. You did all the work in between. It wasn't her order."
Granny Gao smiled bitterly and said, "But all the news here is related to Granny Cheng! Several years have passed, and I never suspected anything until one day when I was drinking with Granny Dong."
"After drinking, she blamed me, saying that I had accidentally broken the medicine cup years ago, which almost killed her. I explained that I was very careful and that I couldn't have broken the medicine cup."
After all, many years had passed, and the two of them only exchanged a few words before refusing to mention it again.
But Granny Gao suddenly felt that something was wrong, so she went to find Granny Li.
She tried every means to find out the information and learned that she had passed by that day because Granny Cheng was hungry and wanted to have some snacks, which is why she bumped into them washing medicine cups.
There was also a fake one used for switching the baby; she bought it for her son. She knew these were sold outside because of Granny Cheng.
Even the process of using medicine to infuse color into the medicine cups was overheard by another old woman while Granny Cheng was chatting with a palace maid.
These four old women were all outsmarted by Granny Cheng.
Although Granny Gao had her suspicions, she dared not say anything. Sheng Jingyu had been blind for so many years; if it were really discovered that he had poisoned her, would they still be alive?
"So why are you saying this now? Slandering the Empress is a capital offense!" Su Wenyuan's face was ugly, and her back felt cold.
There are too many coincidences in this matter. If an investigation were to be launched, it would be impossible to trace it back to the Empress.
The medicine cup was broken and switched by Gao Dong; the poisoned medicine cup was bought by Granny Li; and the fact that it was soaked in medicinal soup was something another old woman overheard.
The key issue is that the poisoned medicine cup changed hands several times, and there were too many people who could have tampered with it, so there's no evidence.
Granny Gao cried, "When we were first locked up, we saw Granny Cheng. She was there to see the other prisoners. Suddenly, I remembered what happened back then, and I felt like she wanted to kill us! That look in her eyes..."
Before she could finish speaking, Granny Gao suddenly clutched her chest.
“I dare not tell the Prince that he treats the Empress like his own mother… Even if I did tell him, he wouldn’t… believe me…” Granny Gao stared wide-eyed, and then suddenly died.
Su Wenyuan was shocked and took two steps back, about to call for help, when Yuexiu and Meng Qi rushed in together.
"Your Highness, several old women are dead..." Yuexiu saw the hideous-looking Granny Gao and was terrified.
Su Wenyuan said with a gloomy face, "Yes, he died in front of me. Investigate."
Granny Gao guessed correctly; it was probably to silence them.
Meng Qi quickly asked, "What did Granny Gao and the Princess say?"
He belatedly realized that he shouldn't have stayed outside; he should have listened in.
"It's nothing." Su Wenyuan walked out with a cold face.
Even Granny Gao didn't dare to speak, so how could she? Besides, all the witnesses are dead, and so many years have passed, so all the evidence is gone. This matter can't be investigated.
On the way back to the mansion, Su Wenyuan was in a state of unease.
So this is where you can find so many sophisticated ways to harm people.
What happened to the promise of treating each other like family? Su Wenyuan recalled the plot in her mind, focusing on the part between Sheng Jingyu and the Empress.
In the book, the Empress was only unkind to Su Wenyuan, but very kind to Sheng Jingyu.
Sheng Jingyu was good to the Empress, but there were several times when the Crown Prince plotted against the Empress, which Sheng Jingyu found out about. Sheng Jingyu retaliated decisively, which led to the two becoming irreconcilable enemies.
Looking back now, Sheng Jingyu was used by the Empress.
Back at her residence, Su Wenyuan excused herself by saying she was tired, closed the door, and didn't want to be disturbed.
Two days ago, she had just figured out her escape route. Since there was no immediate danger, she could live peacefully as the Princess Consort of Chen for a while, and then think about other things after she had taken revenge on everyone in the Prime Minister's mansion.
Whether it's sneaking away or getting a letter of divorce, it doesn't matter; I have several years to plan anyway.
But now, things are different. The Empress blinded Sheng Jingyu, yet Sheng Jingyu still treats her like his own mother.
The more I think about it, the more frustrated I get!
After returning to his residence, Meng Qi wanted to report to Sheng Jingyu, but Sheng Jingyu had gone to the palace to dine with the Empress.
Meng Qi was so anxious that he stood guard at the palace gate and finally waited for Sheng Jingyu to leave the palace.
He got into the carriage and explained what had happened.
But the only important news, after all the talk, was that a few old women had died.
He had no idea what Granny Gao and Su Wenyuan had said.
"Meng Qi!" Ye Shan was so anxious she wanted to curse.
Sheng Jingyu raised his hand to interrupt, saying, "No need to talk about him. The princess is clever. As long as she doesn't want Meng Qi to know, Meng Qi won't hear it."
"Would Your Highness like to ask the Princess Consort?" Ye Shan asked, frowning.
Sheng Jingyu thought for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it when we get back to the manor."
He thought Su Wenyuan would remain silent after witnessing Granny Gao's death, but to his surprise, Su Wenyuan greeted him warmly as soon as he returned to the mansion.
"Why didn't Your Highness tell me when you went to the palace for a meal? I could have gone along to try it." Su Wenyuan's face was plastered with a fake smile.
She wanted to see what the Empress's expression would be when she learned that Granny Gao was dead.
It's a pity I didn't see it!
Sheng Jingyu asked in surprise, "You want to dine in the Empress Dowager's palace too?"
Su Wenyuan said, "I was just thinking about seeing if I could try to get along with the Empress Dowager, so as not to make things difficult for the Prince. After all, the Empress Dowager is truly sincere towards the Prince."
"Um?"
Sheng Jingyu heard the sound of her gritting her teeth; her words were certainly hypocritical.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
