"I don't!"
Qin Xue's first reaction was to deny it loudly.
Although she grew up in luxury, she was still a merchant's daughter and new to the capital, lacking even the most basic manners.
At this moment, she should have immediately knelt before the Empress, but she only got up and withdrew from the Imperial Guards.
"I did send soup to Eunuch Chen, but I didn't send any to His Majesty at all."
She was terrified by the imperial guards' accusation of regicide, and her mind went completely blank. She had no idea how the soup she had sent to Chen Banjun had ended up being eaten by the emperor.
They can only resort to instinctive sophistry.
Just as she was feeling panicked, she heard the Empress ask anxiously, "How is His Majesty?"
Lei Ce, who followed behind the Imperial Guards, said, "Your Majesty, His Majesty is still unconscious. Fortunately, he was discovered in time and is not in mortal danger, but his body has been damaged and he needs to rest well."
Upon hearing this, the Empress clutched her chest and breathed a slight sigh of relief, then turned to Qin Xue with a chilling expression.
"How dare you, Lei Ce! Interrogate her properly right here. I want to see just how capable a mere merchant girl is that she dares to lay a hand on the Emperor."
After Xie Shizi sacrificed himself at the imperial estate, the position of commander became vacant, and Lei Ce was promoted to the position.
Lei Ce was furious that His Majesty had been murdered right under his nose so soon after he took office as commander.
Having received the Empress's order, they dared not slack off, and the yamen runners from the Martial Virtue Division stepped forward menacingly.
The Empress, worried about the Emperor, left first with Physician Su.
Before the truth of the emperor's murder was revealed, no one was allowed to leave the palace, and the wives and families of the nobles automatically stood on both sides.
Qin Xue was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly.
"No, don't arrest me, I don't want to be tortured."
She is most afraid of pain.
But the constables of the Wude Division were not going to hold back because of her words, and she was forced to the ground.
A gleaming knife hung above her fingers, and before she could react, her little finger was severed from her palm.
She screamed in pain.
"Tell the truth about why you wanted to harm His Majesty. If you conceal anything, you will be severely tortured."
Lei Ce's voice was icy cold, carrying a strong killing intent.
Even with just one finger severed, Qin Xue felt the pain was unbearable. Hearing that there was more torture to come, she hurriedly said, "I don't want to marry a eunuch. I want to please Eunuch Chen and ask him to let me leave the palace."
During the meal, I overheard someone next to me saying they wanted to save the soup for their husband, so I also sent it to Eunuch Chen.
"I've been under constant surveillance since entering the palace, so I had no way of obtaining the poison. The soup was served at the banquet, and I don't know how it ended up in front of His Majesty."
She was in excruciating pain, but she still had a sliver of reason left, knowing she couldn't admit it, or she would be dead.
But Lei Ze was a veteran of countless battles, and he knew immediately that she wasn't telling the truth. With a swift movement, he severed another finger.
The timid ladies either covered their eyes with handkerchiefs or clutched their chests, all terrified.
Xiao was also terrified.
She searched everywhere for Qin Xue, and finally saw her when the banquet started. Before she could even have a chance to speak with her, Qin Xue left. Just as she was about to leave as well, Qin Xue returned.
Li Heng told her to ask Qin Xue what exactly happened at the charity hall that day, and what about the incriminating evidence Su Luoqing had mentioned about the officials.
In addition, Li Heng had something to ask Ye Wantang, but his people couldn't get in touch with her at all. That's why he thought of having Qin Xue win over Chen Banjun and then find another opportunity to get in touch with Ye Wantang.
Before she could even get to know Qin Xue, Qin Xue got into trouble.
She vaguely knew that the Qin family was Li Heng's people, and if Qin Xue really committed regicide, the entire Qin family would probably suffer as a result.
Wouldn't that ruin the Prime Minister's plans? Madam Xiao wanted to quickly inform Li Heng, but the Imperial Guards had surrounded the entire Fengyi Palace, and she had no way to escape.
We can only wait and see.
The woman sitting next to Qin Xue was also terrified. Before Lei Ce could ask, she knelt down on her own initiative.
"This humble concubine, Wang Shi, a woman from the Cai family, greets Commander. I am the one the suspect mentioned who wanted to save the soup for her husband."
At that time, I was impressed by Your Majesty's generosity and felt that you couldn't bear to enjoy such good food alone, so I sighed to my maid.
This lowly concubine was unaware that she had overheard, and actually summoned a palace maid to bring a food box. This lowly concubine was terrified.
Lei Ce stared at the woman and recognized her as the wife of the newly appointed Vice Minister of War.
When the Su family committed a crime, the position of Vice Minister of War was taken over by a member of the Cai family.
This Vice Minister Cai was originally a top scholar in the imperial examination, but due to the suppression by the Grand Princess, he was transferred to a remote county to serve as a county magistrate.
After the Grand Princess fell from power, the Cai family gradually recovered, and Magistrate Cai was also transferred back to the capital by His Majesty due to his outstanding achievements.
Hearing that his wife was just the daughter of a scholar from the county town, and that the two were deeply in love and used to a life of hardship with him, it was understandable that she wanted to save the shark fin and bird's nest soup she had obtained on her first trip to the capital for her husband.
Lei Ce then asked her maid, and it was indeed as Madam Cai had said. Lei Ce then told her to get up.
His gaze then fell on Qin Xue.
Qin Xue didn't know whether she was too scared or too painful to believe it.
A bucket of cold water was poured over her, forcing her to wake up. "I did not commit regicide. I have never even seen His Majesty's face, let alone had the reason or the courage to poison him."
Just then, Su Luoqing rushed over and said, "Commander Lei, the poison that His Majesty has been afflicted with was recently developed by me and was originally intended as an antidote."
Today, after I experimented with the rabbits, I hid the remaining medicine in the general storeroom of the Imperial Medical Academy and had the apprentice medicine boy guard it.
I just diagnosed the poison His Majesty has been afflicted with and went to the storeroom to find medicine, but it has already been stolen.
Qin Xue flinched upon hearing this; she hadn't expected to find out about the drug so quickly.
But no one could prove that she stole the medicine. She gritted her teeth and tried to remain calm, but before long, Lei Ce interrogated two people, both of whom testified that they saw Qin Xue sneaking towards the outhouse.
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