Chapter 75 Search
After Zhao Youchen arranged for the Chengde Palace to be sealed off, and sent people to guard outside Mei Shu's room, when he came back to report, the old imperial physician had already given Xiao Xiao the medicine.
Little Xiao Qing sat upright in the large chair, holding a kitten on her lap, her hand gently placed next to its little head. Her face was a little pale, and her eyes were somewhat unfocused.
Mingxiu, Liu Yi, Danying, and Yingying were all nearby, and the atmosphere was very somber.
"Your Majesty." Zhao Youchen lowered his voice, wondering if raising his voice would frighten the young emperor.
“Hmm, General Zhao.” Xiao Qing came back to his senses.
"Everyone's here." She said in a low voice.
“Look at this.” She took out the gray cloth she had found in the artificial hill and handed it to Mingxiu.
After being passed around for a while, it finally came into Zhao Youchen's hands. He stroked it with his fingers for a moment before asking, "Where did Your Majesty obtain it?"
He had already heard a brief account from Ma Hong about what had happened in Chengde Palace on his way there.
The kitten was poisoned, His Majesty searched for the poison, and Mei Shu was imprisoned.
He had been intensifying his training of the Imperial Guards and going to great lengths to prevent such incidents, but he never expected that something like this would happen in the Chengde Palace.
“This,” Xiao Qing paused, “I’m afraid we should ask Attendant Mei.”
If it weren't for the minor poisoning, she wouldn't have planned to reveal it so soon.
However, the location where the poison was hidden and the location where Mei Shu hid the cloth were so similar that even if she wanted to separate the two things, she knew that any reason would seem far-fetched.
Moreover, this poison was definitely not intended for use on Xiaoxiao.
Zhao Youchen's heart sank.
"Your Majesty, shall I first search Attendant Mei's room and question him before making a decision?"
Plum blossoms are sparse.
Xiao Qing frowned, remained silent for a while, and then nodded very slightly.
Zhao Youchen's heart had been pounding ever since he entered. He knew that His Majesty must be feeling terrible, and he felt terrible himself.
If these things are indeed related to Mei Shu...
"Keep the noise down, and don't take anyone with you yet."
Zhao Youchen thought for a moment, "Your Majesty, there is a difference between men and women. If you do not wish to make a fuss, may we borrow a female official?"
Xiao Qing pondered for a moment and said, "Dan Ying, go."
The two then accepted the order and went to carry it out.
About two hours later, Zhao Youchen and Danying returned.
They didn't find "Po Suo Yin" in Mei Shu's room, but they did find several boxes of incense powder and rouge, which they brought with them.
As for the gray cloth, Mei Shu refused to admit that it had anything to do with her and strongly demanded to see the young emperor.
When Mingxiu saw those boxes of face powder, her heart skipped a beat.
Zhao Youchen then presented a piece of white paper that had been folded several times, saying, "This was found in the sachet that Attendant Mei always carried."
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "It is something that Attendant Mei values highly."
"Po Suo Yin" is a white powder, so in addition to paying attention to the incense, he also noticed the small sachet that was tightly locked at her waist.
Women love to use fragrances, so could there be "Po Suo Yin" hidden in the sachet? So he gestured to the pale shadow next to him to get the sachet.
Unexpectedly, Mei Shu protected it tightly and struggled with Dan Ying for a long time before he finally took the sachet away.
He thought of Mei Shu's panicked and pale face when he took the sachet, and his heart sank a little further.
It's ordinary Xuan paper, soft in texture, with slightly raised fine hairs where there are creases. There are only four characters on the paper: "Lonely White Rabbit."
The brushstrokes are bold and vigorous, like dragons and snakes dancing; this is mostly a man's handwriting.
At least Mei Shu couldn't write such characters.
Such verses actually exist in this world. This was Xiao Qing's first thought.
The second thought is its implied meaning.
If she wasn't mistaken, Mei Shu must have an old friend whom she valued highly.
Mingxiu had been looking at the powder boxes for quite a while, her brows furrowing more and more as she looked, until her face turned almost pale.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Qing noticed her unease.
As soon as she finished speaking, Mingxiu knelt down with a thud, startling Xiao Qing.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Qing thought of getting up, but couldn't bear to see the kitten bouncing around, so she became restless. "Get up quickly."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me." Mingxiu lowered her head.
Xiao Qing glanced to the side. Ma Hong, Liu Yi, and Dan Ying all had their heads down and were not speaking. Only Zhao Youchen was looking at Ming Xiu, his brows almost forming a small mountain.
"What crime have you committed?" Zhao Youchen asked with a serious expression.
His Majesty's safety is paramount.
"General Zhao!"
"When His Majesty was injured a few days ago, Attendant Mei gave me a box of calming incense..."
Xiao Qing's face paled.
Zhao Youchen leaned forward slightly and asked anxiously, "Where's the incense? Has it been lit?"
"General Zhao!" Xiao Qing had to interrupt him again.
Zhao Youchen was taken aback.
Seeing his anxious and worried expression, Xiao Qing felt a pang of pity.
"That was a long time ago. I don't have the habit of burning incense. At the time, I just had leg pain and wasn't getting enough rest, so I lit it two or three times. But I didn't feel any discomfort," he explained as calmly as possible.
Mingxiu was different from them; she was still an inexperienced and simple-minded girl.
"Mingxiu, get up first, don't make wild guesses. Even with these incense sticks right now, who said that 'Po Suo Yin' is in them?"
Dan Ying said, "Your Majesty is right. Tranquilizing incense is frequently used. This servant has also helped Attendant Mei collect incense from the Inner Palace Bureau. This is a palace allowance."
Zhao Youchen, his face still dark, clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I request to inspect the incense. Also, please examine the incense that was given to Chief Steward Ming."
Xiao Qing frowned, but finally said, "Let's test it."
Zhao Youchen glanced at Mingxiu, who quickly went to her room to fetch incense, while Zhao Youchen went to invite the old imperial physician.
Xiao Qing waited anxiously for the results. Every time she saw the old doctor put a little powder to his nose to smell, then taste it on his tongue, and then put his hand down, her heart felt like it was on a roller coaster.
If they weren't testing for poison right now, Xiao Qing would definitely be in the mood to think about what the rouge and face powder smelled like.
Fortunately, the old doctor finally frowned, shook his head, and said, "I did not find 'Po Suo Yin'."
Xiao Qing had just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him say, "However, this poison is odorless, similar to the calming incense, but it has no fragrance when burned alone. The fact that it wasn't found may be because the amount was so small that it was difficult to detect."
Zhao Youchen's eyebrows shot up again.
At this time, there can be no room for even the slightest safety hazard.
"Your Majesty, since this poison originated from Attendant Mei..."
There is no evidence to support this claim.
"How did Your Majesty know that the poison was hidden in the artificial hill?" Zhao Youchen searched Mei Shu's room and also went to the artificial hill that Ma Hong had mentioned.
That was indeed a good place to send messages. He wished he could search the entire garden.
Xiao Qing remained silent.
“If Your Majesty would refrain from asking, I will certainly obtain concrete evidence.” He stared intently at Xiao Qing, his features clear and his gaze sharp.
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