suspicion
"Your Majesty, we caught a sneaky palace servant who works for Crown Prince Rong's concubine."
The Ghost-Faced Guard braved the blazing fire to carry Liu Che out of the courtyard. After a day of unconsciousness, his first act was to go to the Imperial Prison to interrogate the mastermind. Liu Che sat with his legs apart on a large couch, one hand supporting his forehead, slightly tilted. He was still wrapped in white cloth and draped in a loose black robe. His eye sockets were sunken, bloodshot, and dark circles beneath them, and he exuded a sickly gloom.
The palace maid kneeling in front of him had been tortured and was soaked all over. She was forced to kneel in front of him.
"You are Concubine Rong's man. Did she ask you to kill me?"
"No, how dare I kill Your Majesty! Your Majesty, I have no such intention!"
"You didn't? Did you set the fire in the yard? Did you poison the milk? You still dare to quibble. I will kill you and your entire family!"
"I didn't set the fire. It was just dry weather. Maybe the wind blew it down. I don't know!"
"Then why did you appear in Huangshan Palace?"
Chao Xia was a little hesitant. She was Rong Ying's servant, and the lives of her entire family were in Rong Ying's hands.
"Your father, Chao Yan, and your brother, Chao Lin, are both in prison. If you don't tell the truth, none of you will be able to escape. If you do, I can spare your family's lives."
"It was Concubine Rong who ordered me to do this. However, I would never dare to harm Your Majesty. Concubine Rong ordered me to poison He Liangdi's food. She threatened me with the lives of my family members."
"Why did she kill He Liangdi?"
"Originally, the concubine had no intention of paying any attention to it, but He Liangdi became pregnant and colluded with Master Zhang to have the Crown Prince take her back to the Eastern Palace. The concubine was afraid that if she gave birth to a child, it would take away His Highness's favor, so..."
Liu Che lowered his hand from supporting his forehead, raised his head, and stared straight at Chao Xia. "How did you know He Liangdi was pregnant? Were you colluding with Master Zhang?"
Only the people in Weiyang Palace knew about the conversation between Qingping and him that day. How did Concubine Rong know about it?
"That day, the concubine was delivering soup to the Crown Prince when she ran into Master Zhang heading into the Crown Prince's room. He accidentally left a cloth bag behind. Lady Liang opened it and left for a while. Master Zhang came back looking for it, so she returned it to him. Then the concubine sent me to Huangshan Palace to make sure Lady Liang had a miscarriage and then return to inform the concubine."
Liu Che thought for a moment and said to Jiang Chong, "Call Rong Ying and Zhang Yannian. Interrogate them one by one and make sure they don't confuse each other's confessions." He sneered, "I'm not old yet, and one or two people are doing this kind of thing. I want to see how many people are trying to stir up trouble under my nose."
Jiang Chong shuddered and hurried out, remembering the emperor's ruthless methods in his youth. Back then, the emperor had just ascended the throne, and the court was filled with those who relied on their seniority and looked down on him. The young man refused to be controlled, plotting day and night, trying to find evidence against everyone. If there wasn't any, he'd create one. He'd confiscate property, exterminate families, and the blood of those who opposed him could dye the entire river in the Weiyang Palace red. Burning with fire, steaming, lingchi, dripping blood... Thinking of those people's horrific deaths now made his stomach churn. Judging from his expression and tone just now, he had a hint of a resurgence.
Seeing Chaoxia hadn't returned all night, Rong Ying sent several people to Huangshan Palace to check on her, but none of them returned. Deeply uneasy, she sat in her room, embroidering a handkerchief, distracted, when suddenly the emperor's eunuchs appeared and forcibly escorted her out of the Eastern Palace. Her stoic demeanor softened when she saw Chaoxia covered in blood. Her face paled, and she knew instantly that the emperor must know everything.
She immediately knelt and admitted her fault, "Father, please forgive me. I was wrong. I shouldn't have been so jealous as to send someone to poison He Liangdi."
Despite her fear, Rong Ying didn't yet consider it a capital crime. Killing the heir to the throne was a crime, but He Liangdi's child wasn't even born yet. She was of humble origin, a commoner. Her father and brother, however, were members of the Yingchuan Rong family, a family of officials. Even if she were killed, the most she'd be punished with would be a few months of house arrest and a small fine.
The emperor's voice, for some reason hoarse, fell heavily on her head. "How did you know He Liangdi was pregnant? And how did you poison her?"
"That day, while delivering soup to the Crown Prince, I found a cloth bag left by Master Zhang and discovered a token inside. The letter said Concubine He Liang was pregnant and had asked Master Zhang to inform His Highness to bring her back to the palace. There was also a medicine bottle inside, saying the fetus was unstable, so I asked His Highness to bring her a pill to calm her mind, nourish her qi, and stabilize her pregnancy. In a moment of jealousy, I replaced the bottle with an abortion pill, intending to kill the baby. This is my fault, and I accept the punishment."
"Abortion pills?" Liu Che sneered at her. "Do you think I can't bear to kill your good daughter-in-law and dare not touch your Rong family?"
Rong Ying was shocked upon hearing this, her face pale with fear. "Your Highness... Your Highness is telling the truth. I am guilty of plotting to murder the heir to the throne. I am willing to take Concubine Liang back to the Eastern Palace and take care of her personally. I am willing to lower my rank and serve her as my honor. Father, please forgive me."
"She's dead." Rong Ying raised her head and stared at the emperor blankly. His voice was light and his eyes were like a pool of deep stagnant water. She seemed to see a huge snake coiled and swaying in the deep pool, ready to move, and would open its bloody mouth and swallow her into its belly in the next moment.
Died... maybe it was because of her medicine, but she was already dead, what could she do? Should she pay for her life? Such a lowly person, dead is dead, she would only be scolded if she beat a few servants to death at home, and the prince didn't like her either, he would protect her.
"Jiang Chong, bring the cauldron." The Emperor didn't even look at her, but ordered Jiang Chong directly. Rong Ying watched in stunned silence as the crowd lifted a massive, half-human-height cauldron and set it aloft. Suddenly, only when she was finally lifted up did she realize what was happening. She struggled and screamed frantically. "Father! Father! Your Majesty, spare my life! I never thought He Liangdi would die. I had no intention of harming her. Your Highness and I have been praying for a child for years, but she's pregnant the moment she enters the house. I was simply furious..."
A massive lid forced her to bend her back. The dark, airtight copper furnace was impenetrable, and she could hear no sound from outside. But the heat gradually rose to her feet. She cried out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please spare me. What I said is true. I didn't lie. I will tell you everything. Your Majesty, I will tell you everything—"
A bright fire was burning in the dark imperial prison. The smell and sound of the flames licking the firewood made his heart jump, and the back of his head began to ache again. He took the ginseng soup brought by Jiang Chong, slowly drank half a bowl, and then raised his hand to have someone open the lid.
Rong Ying collapsed to the ground, her golden hairpins tinkling and falling to the floor. Her hair was soaked with sweat, her face was an abnormal red, and veins all over her body were bulging out of her flesh. Liu Che frowned impatiently, and she immediately covered her mouth, her body twitching.
"Tell me everything. Tell me everything about your plan and the mastermind behind it."
Rong Ying forced herself to swallow her fear, gathered herself, and spoke, "This son secretly read Master Zhang's letter and substituted the abortion medicine. I heard that difficult labor is the most common and most likely to kill women, and I was worried that she hadn't taken the abortion-preserving medicine, so I had Chao Xia go to Huangshan Palace and bribe the Taoist priest in the kitchen to put the medicine in He Liangdi's food and wine."
Liu Che suddenly laughed through gritted teeth, "It's a pity you don't know that I don't drink milk, so that bowl of milk went into her stomach. I didn't die, but she died for me. Concubine Rong, you and the Crown Prince must be very disappointed."
Rong Ying was bewildered, then horrified. "I don't know what Your Majesty means. How could I possibly harm Your Majesty? My family has been blessed by the Emperor for generations. Your Majesty granted amnesty upon his accession to the throne, and later promoted my uncle to the position of Imperial Censor. The Rong family is grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and would never do anything to harm the monarch! I did intend to murder Concubine He, but Your Majesty, how could I have known that You were dining with Concubine He in Huangshan Palace? If I had known, I would never have dared to tamper with the food!"
"You don't know, but some people do. The Queen's eyes are all over the place, like the tiles on the roof of this palace, staring at everyone in this palace from all directions. If the Queen knows, how can the Crown Prince not know? I know that you all think I'm old and have lived too long. You can't wait any longer and want to pull me down from this position, right?"
Rong Ying listened to the emperor's furious questioning, her teeth chattering with fear. She trembled uncontrollably, terrified, and shook her head. "No, no one ordered me to do this, and the Crown Prince has nothing to do with this matter. I have told you everything Your Majesty asked me to say. As for the rest, I... I know nothing."
"Don't tell the truth!"
Liu Che suddenly stood up and pointed at the large tripod, "Come, put her on it and let her think carefully about who made her do this."
"No, no, Father, Your Majesty! I really said everything. I didn't lie to you."
Liu Che looked at him coldly, without any emotion.
Rong Ying was suddenly lifted up. She struggled with her hands and feet. Thinking of the suffocating temperature and smell in the large jar, she struggled almost frantically, but was held tightly. When the lid was about to be closed, she suddenly said, "Your son knows! Your son knows who it is!"
Light returned above her head, and she was carried down. "It was Zhang Yannian! It was Zhang Yannian who wanted to kill He Qingping. He was the one who replaced the poison! He delivered the message to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince trusted him the most. The message passed through his hands, and he was the one who replaced the medicine with poison. Your Majesty, please send for an autopsy. If the abortion drug was taken, the fetal blood and fluid in the abdomen will definitely be visible. If not, then he was the only one who poisoned her."
Liu Che sneered when he heard this, "Zhang Yannian and He Qingping have no grudges against each other, why would he kill her?"
"He and His Highness are on the same side. His Highness hates the servants sent by His Majesty the most. He Qingping reports to His Majesty every few days about his diet and daily life. His Highness has long been fed up with him. Zhang Yannian is His Highness's closest minister and often gives His Highness advice. He must be thinking..."
The words reached her lips, but Rong Ying's voice trailed off. She gradually realized that this statement seemed illogical. Since she was on the Crown Prince's side, and now that the Crown Prince had received the letter, if he wanted to kill her, then he could just abandon her. If he wanted to take her back, why would Zhang Yannian kill her? Yes, why? Rong Ying thought about it, trying to make up for this lie, but she couldn't think of anything. She couldn't figure out what was going on.
Liu Che looked at her cowering expression and sneered, "I think you won't cry until you see the coffin. Jiang Chong, call Zhang Yannian in to confront her face to face."
Zhang Yannian stepped into the prison door, bypassing the bloodstains and standing on a clean surface. Without looking at them, he bowed slightly to Liu Che and asked, "I wonder what your majesty wants me to do?"
"Last night, there was a fire at Huangshan Palace, and He Qingping died."
The thin body trembled slightly and looked up at the emperor in disbelief.
Liu Che said, "Concubine Rong said that she ran into you in the courtyard that day. You knew that He Liangdi was pregnant, so when you went to deliver the news to the Crown Prince, you replaced the pregnancy-preserving medicine originally given to He Liangdi with poison, killing her."
Zhang Yannian frowned. "Nonsense! I did receive a letter from Concubine He, but it wasn't what she said. Furthermore, I didn't go to the Crown Prince's residence that day. I rode my horse directly into the palace to meet His Majesty."
"You're talking nonsense!" Rong Ying wanted to throw him to the ground and tear his mouth apart after hearing what he said. "You clearly went to His Highness's bedroom at noon that day, and I saw Eunuch Liang talking to you at the door with my own eyes."
She turned to look at Liu Che, "Your Majesty, it's him! His words and actions are inconsistent, he's evasive and he keeps going back and forth. He must be hiding something. Please ask Liang, the eunuch who is by your side, and we'll find out."
Liu Che didn't say anything else, as if he didn't want to talk to her anymore. Jiang Chong said with a look, "Announce Liang Huai."
As soon as Liang Huai entered and before he had finished his greetings, Rong Ying grabbed him and asked, "Liang Huai, tell me, the day before yesterday at 12:00, when you were in His Highness's bedroom, did you see Zhang Yannian come to see His Highness?"
Seeing Rong Ying's disheveled hair and frantic behavior, Liang Huai was stunned. Bewildered, he looked up at Liu Che. Liu Che closed his eyes at him, and Liang Huai took a step back. "The day before yesterday at 11:00 PM... Your Highness was still asleep and hadn't seen anyone."
Rong Ying looked at him in disbelief, clutching his sleeve tightly. "How is that possible? I clearly saw you talking, and I saw him walk into His Highness's bedroom... You're shielding him!" She suddenly laughed, pointing at Liang Huai and Zhang Yannian. "You... you're all in this together, you want to kill me! You're all trying to kill me! I know you're one of the Queen's people, and the Crown Princess bribed you. I know you can't stand me getting along, can't stand His Highness being happy for even a moment. You want to kill everything His Highness likes and wants, don't you? You're a bunch of lunatics! Mad dogs!"
Liang Huai was held tightly by Rong Ying, with several bloody marks on his arms. He did not dare to shake off. Suddenly, she pulled out the golden hairpin on her head and stabbed it into Liang Huai's neck.
"Pull her away!"
Liang Huai clutched his neck, blood gushing out like a fountain. Rong Ying's body and face were covered in blood, drops of it trickling down her brow and onto her cheeks. She grabbed the palace servants restraining her and bit them. The servants screamed, let go, and then went for her again. For a moment, there was chaos and commotion, and Liu Che felt his headache getting worse and worse.
Jiang Chong noticed Liu Che's abnormality and brought a cup of hot tea. "Your Majesty, Concubine Rong is a little crazy. You should go and rest. Leave it to me."
"This lunatic," Liu Che said, suddenly picking up the wooden cup in his hand and hurling it at her. The slightly scalding hot water splashed directly onto Rong Ying's face, and pearl powder mixed with blood turned into a milky red liquid that dripped from her chin. Suddenly, she regained consciousness and stood there, eyes closed, wiping the water and blood stains from her face with her sleeve.
"Hurry, hurry, take her away and lock her up nearby." Jiang Chong gestured to the soldier to control her and carry her away, but Liu Che suddenly stood up and strode over.
"Your Majesty?" Jiang Chong followed closely behind him, fearing Rong Ying would break free and do something crazy. Liu Che walked right up to her, raised his hand, and placed his fingertips on the bridge of her nose. He first touched it, then rubbed it vigorously, nearly rubbing the skin off. She belatedly realized the fear, not knowing why.
"This mole... you actually have this mole right here too."
Rong Ying didn't understand why he suddenly brought up the mole, and hurriedly said, "Son...I've always had it, I was born with it. His Highness said it's beautiful and only he is allowed to see it, so I usually cover it up with powder when I go out."
Her back, which was already almost dry, felt cold again and she broke out in a sweat. She had no way to argue and only hoped that the emperor would spare her life for the sake of the Rong family. She would even accept it if he deposed her and drove her out of the Eastern Palace.
"Your Highness, Your Highness cannot enter. His Majesty has not summoned you. You..."
Suddenly, the sound of soldiers was heard outside the door. Rong Ying's eyes lit up. It was the prince who came to save her.
Jiang Chong was already frightened by the emperor's actions, and now he heard that the prince was about to rush in. He was suddenly overwhelmed. Why did he come at this critical moment? Who was he going to kill? He stole a glance at the emperor's gloomy face and hurried over to dissuade the prince before he got angry, but saw the emperor sitting back down. "Let him in."
As soon as Liu Ju entered, Rong Ying burst into tears, "Your Highness, save me! Your Highness, I'm innocent. You must explain this clearly to my father for me!"
Seeing her crying so hard that her heart and liver were broken, her face and hands were swollen, and her body was covered with blood, Liu Ju knelt in front of the emperor and said, "Father, what has Concubine Rong done wrong? Your son..."
"Prince, come here." Liu Che interrupted him, his hands naturally falling on his legs, with a faint smile in his eyes.
Liu Ju walked closer and knelt down again.
"Closer." Jiang Chong sensed something was amiss. He stiffly turned his head, slowly but surely, to look at Liu Che, afraid that even the slightest movement would draw his gaze. The emperor's gloomy expression suggested he was on the verge of exploding.
He watched as Liu Ju stood up and walked over to Liu Che. Just as he was about to kneel, he heard a loud thud. Liu Che kicked him a dozen feet away. He was caught off guard by the kick to the chest, feeling a sharp pain in his sternum. The back of his head hit the ground, causing him to be unable to open his eyes. He clenched his fists and tried to stand up to apologize, but Rong Ying ran over in shock to help him up. He forced his eyes open and saw the emperor's bloodshot eyes, as if he wanted to peel his skin, tear his bones, and crush his flesh.
He opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he suddenly felt a sweetness in his throat and vomited out a breath of foul air.
"Your Highness! Your Highness is vomiting blood! Someone come quickly, save Your Highness!"
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