Chapter 13 Yuwen Che's Trust
The Chengqian Palace was instantly thrown into chaos.
"Hao'er! My Hao'er!" Consort De cried her heart out, holding her son who was vomiting blood and convulsing in pain. She screamed at the terrified palace servants, "Quickly, call the imperial physician! Go now!!"
The palace servants then scrambled out to fetch the imperial physician.
Su Luoxue froze completely, her body ice-cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She stared at the pool of glaring blood, at Yuwen Hao's rapidly paling face, her mind blank, filled only with boundless fear. How could this be? It was just… a bowl of pear soup!
After her initial breakdown, Consort De suppressed her overwhelming panic and rage. She suddenly looked up, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Su Luoxue, her voice trembling with extreme anger and restraint: "Consort Chen! This soup...where did this soup come from?!"
She didn't believe Su Luoxue would be foolish enough to poison the eldest prince herself, but since the soup was delivered by her, there must be something wrong with it!
Fuling was also terrified, but out of loyalty to her mistress, she knelt down first and hurriedly explained with a sob in her voice, "Your Highness, please understand! This soup is not from our mistress! Today, the Empress Dowager summoned our mistress to Cining Palace for a talk. Just before she was about to come and see the First Prince, the Empress Dowager suddenly felt dizzy, so she asked our mistress to deliver it on her behalf! Our mistress only meant well!"
"Empress Dowager?" Upon hearing these two words, Consort De felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, and she instantly understood everything! What dizziness, what delivering soup on her behalf! This was nothing but a vicious scheme targeting Consort Chen, using her and Hao'er as stepping stones! She and her son had become pawns used by the Empress Dowager and the Empress to eliminate their thorn in their side! A bone-chilling cold and despair swept over her.
Just then, hurried footsteps and a eunuch's shrill announcement came from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived!"
Yuwen Che had obviously rushed over as soon as he heard the news after court, without even changing out of his court robes. As soon as he stepped into Chengqian Palace, he saw Consort De holding her son, who was covered in blood and barely breathing, and Su Luoxue, who was standing to the side, pale-faced and swaying.
Although he wasn't particularly attached to this son, witnessing his own child in such a terrible state instantly gripped his heart with the pain of blood ties. His face was ashen, and he rushed forward to check on Yuwen Hao's condition, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage: "What happened?! Where are the imperial physicians?! Summon all the imperial physicians to me! If you can't save the Crown Prince, you will all be executed!"
The imperial physicians rushed over and surrounded Yuwen Hao to treat him, creating chaos in the palace.
Yuwen Che then pulled the still-shaken Su Luoxue to a corner a little further away, his brows furrowed, and asked in a deep voice, "Luoxue, tell me, what exactly happened? Why is Hao'er like this?"
When Su Luoxue saw him, she felt like she had grasped a lifeline, and tears welled up instantly. She grabbed his sleeve and explained incoherently, "Ache...it wasn't me...it really wasn't me...it was the Empress Dowager...it was the Empress Dowager who asked me to send the pear soup...she said she was dizzy and asked me to give it to the First Prince...I...I really didn't know the soup was poisoned..." She was so anxious that she almost fainted.
Just then, Qin, the old nanny from Cining Palace, entered the hall with several palace maids, pretending to have just arrived in a hurry. She bowed to Yuwen Che and said, "Your Majesty! The Empress Dowager was extremely anxious upon hearing that the First Prince had suddenly encountered an accident. She specially ordered this old servant to come and inquire about the First Prince's condition. The Empress Dowager was so worried that she almost fainted!"
Su Luoxue, as if seeing a witness, hurriedly said to Yuwen Che, "Ache! Ask Granny Qin! It really was the Empress Dowager who sent it! Granny Qin was there at the time!"
All eyes were on Granny Qin.
However, Granny Qin raised her head, her face showing just the right amount of surprise and bewilderment, which quickly turned into fear and grievance at being wrongly accused. She kowtowed to Yuwen Che and said, "Your Majesty, please understand! This old servant... this old servant does not know what Consort Chen has said! Her Majesty the Empress Dowager was praying in the Buddhist hall early this morning, and only came out when she heard about the accident involving the First Prince. She has never... never summoned Consort Chen, let alone offered her any pear soup! Consort Chen, even if... even if you were careless for a moment, you cannot slander Her Majesty the Empress Dowager like this!"
These words struck Su Luoxue's heart like a bolt from the blue!
She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Granny Qin's twisted face, feeling a chill run from her feet to her head, instantly freezing her blood and mind. How could this be... how could this be? Clearly... clearly just now...
She released her grip on Yuwen Che's sleeve, as if all her strength had been drained away. She staggered, dazed and confused, and collapsed onto the cold ground. Even she, in her naiveté, realized that they were going to kill her on charges of plotting against the imperial heir, ensuring that her Su family would never rise again.
Fuling collapsed to the ground, both she and her servant pale as death. Only now did they truly witness the wickedness of the people in the imperial palace, how they could kill so silently. This was a pre-ordained trap, and they had stepped into it without any warning.
Yuwen Che looked at Su Luoxue, who had collapsed to the ground, utterly despondent, then glanced at the determined Qin Mama and the numerous palace servants who had "witnessed" the scene. His face was so dark it seemed to drip water, and his gaze lingered on Su Luoxue with complex emotions. He remained silent for a long time. Inside the hall, only the suppressed sobs of Consort De and the busy sounds of the imperial physicians could be heard.
Su Luoxue collapsed to the ground, her body ice-cold. Qin Mama's distorted words had nearly shattered all her hopes. The gazes around her held surprise, fear, and even a barely perceptible schadenfreude. To plot against the eldest prince was a capital offense, enough to crush her and even the entire Su family!
Just as this boundless despair was about to engulf her, she raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at the man she could only rely on at that moment. Tears blurred her vision, but she could still clearly see Yuwen Che's ugly face.
With all her might, she reached out and tremblingly grasped the hem of Yuwen Che's black dragon robe. The cold gold thread embroidery pricked her fingertips, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.
"A-Che..." Her voice was broken and trembling, filled with sobs. "Believe me, I have no reason to harm Hao'er... Why would I harm him? He's so young, so cute... When I see him, I only feel love and affection. How could I have any evil intentions?"
She tilted her small face up, tears streaming down her pale cheeks and soaking Yuwen Che's dragon robe. Those once clear and bright eyes were now filled with immense grievance, fear, and pleading.
"And...and how could I be so stupid?" She was almost sobbing, but her logic was unusually clear due to extreme fear. "If I...if I really intended to poison him, how could I have personally carried a bowl of poisoned pear soup to Consort De's palace and handed it to the First Prince in front of so many people? This...this would be walking into a trap, wouldn't it? A-Che...I'm not that stupid..."
She clutched the hem of his robe tightly, as if it were the only piece of driftwood in a raging storm, and with her last ounce of strength, she asked the question that would determine her life or death:
"Ah Che...do you believe me?"
At this moment, the entire Chengqian Palace seemed to fall silent. Consort De's sobs subsided, the imperial physicians' movements slowed, and all eyes were focused on Yuwen Che, awaiting his decision. Granny Qin lowered her eyes, but her lips tightened almost imperceptibly.
Believe it or not?
Believing her means questioning the Empress Dowager's claims, potentially even opposing one's own mother, and suppressing this shocking "poisoning of the imperial heir" case without any evidence.
If you don't believe her, then Su Luoxue will face utter ruin. She will be subjected to the most severe punishment, or even have her entire family executed...
Time seemed to freeze. Su Luoxue's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest. She stared intently at Yuwen Che's lips, awaiting his verdict.
Yuwen Che looked down at the woman at his feet, who was crying her eyes out and was on the verge of fainting. Her words were clear and logical, hitting the nail on the head. Yes, given her intelligence, if she really wanted to poison someone, she would never use such a clumsy and suicidal method. This was more like a carefully designed trap, taking advantage of her kindness and lack of vigilance.
He recalled the natural tenderness she showed when she first met Hao'er, and the heartache she felt for Hao'er's hunger. How could a woman who wouldn't even harm a small animal poison a child?
More importantly, he trusted his own heart. He trusted his judgment of people, and he believed that the girl with clear eyes who bumped into him on the long street could not possibly be such a vicious person.
Under the breathless gaze of everyone, Yuwen Che slowly bent down, stretched out his arms, and lifted her up horizontally from the cold ground.
Su Luoxue gasped softly and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. "A-Che"
Yuwen Che held her in his arms, his gaze sweeping across the entire room before finally settling on Qin Mama's face. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority and coldness:
"I, the Imperial Noble Consort Xinchen."
These five short words, like a thunderclap, resounded in everyone's hearts.
Granny Qin's face turned pale instantly.
Yuwen Che stopped looking at anyone, picked up the still trembling Su Luoxue, turned and walked out, leaving only one order:
"Do everything in your power to save the Crown Prince. No one is to disturb Consort Chen without my decree."
He carried her and strode away from the chaotic Chengqian Palace. Su Luoxue buried her face in the crook of his neck, her tears soaking his collar, but this time, it was no longer the coldness of despair, but the lingering fear of surviving a catastrophe and an indescribable tremor.
He believed her. Even when everyone else was questioning her and the evidence seemed to be against her, he chose to believe her without hesitation.
This might be more touching and reassuring to her than a thousand sweet words.
Those who remained in Chengqian Palace all understood that His Majesty intended to protect Consort Chen. This turmoil was far from over. The real contest had perhaps only just begun.
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