There was a brief commotion in the vicinity.
After a moment of silence, Emperor Chongde asked her:
Why do you say that?
His gaze was undoubtedly extremely oppressive, but Shen Tangning remained unfazed. She glanced down at the sachet in her hand, then suddenly looked up and asked Consort Li's maid, "You just said that this brocade was bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress. Do you remember when Her Majesty the Empress bestowed it?"
A variety of stares gathered around, but Caiwei remained relatively calm. She recalled for a moment: "It's been four or five months. I remember this piece of brocade was a congratulatory gift from Her Majesty the Empress when you were pregnant."
The person in front of her smiled slightly. She didn't understand why the other person was smiling. She was momentarily dazzled by the begonia hairpin trembling in the hair. Then she heard the other person continue calmly and composedly: "That's right. The musk fragrance on this sachet is strong. If it were left for four or five months, the scent would have dissipated long ago."
Yan Huai's eyes warmed slightly; she was publicly clarifying the Empress Dowager's suspicions.
Everyone understood. If the Empress had really tampered with the brocade, the scent of the sachet should not have been so strong after four or five months. Clearly, someone had only recently done it and was deliberately framing the Empress.
Emperor Chongde pondered for a moment: "Then why did you say that Consort Rou's miscarriage wasn't due to this sachet?"
"Your Majesty, the method of soaking musk in sachets to induce miscarriage is slow to take effect. If one wears it on their person, it will take at least half a month for the miscarriage to occur, during which time some uncomfortable symptoms may also appear."
Shen Tangning bowed slightly, then looked at Imperial Physician Zhang, her eyes shining brightly beneath her thick eyelashes. She said calmly, "I just heard from the Imperial Physician that Consort Rou has always been in good health, which means there were no signs of illness before. Therefore, I dare to guess that Consort Rou's miscarriage was not caused by this sachet."
The imperial physician widened his eyes slightly as he looked at her, a hint of surprise in them. She had taken his casual remark to heart; this young mistress of the Chi family was truly observant.
The imperial physician nodded in agreement: "What Young Madam Chi said makes perfect sense. Consort Rou has indeed never experienced any physical discomfort before."
He was too nervous beforehand and only wanted to give His Majesty an explanation as soon as possible, so he overlooked these unreasonable points.
Emperor Chongde's expression turned slightly cold: "Then you said you could find the real culprit?"
Shen Tangning looked at the palace maid in the crowd who was nervously hiding behind her, and then walked over: "Sister, I noticed you didn't look well just now, are you feeling unwell?"
She spoke softly, but the palace maid felt a chill run down her spine. Under the suspicious gazes of the crowd, she broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly shook her head: "No, no."
Shen Tangning, without saying a word, grasped her wrist through her sleeve: "Don't be so reserved. The imperial physician happens to be here too. Why don't I take a look at you?"
The palace maid trembled and instinctively tried to struggle, but was dragged to the center of the hall. A cry of alarm rang out: "Heavens! What happened to her hand?"
The palace maid looked down and suddenly felt a chill in her heart.
She hadn't noticed before, but during the struggle, she accidentally revealed her hand from her sleeve. Her hand was covered with a dense rash, which looked quite frightening.
The palace maid's face turned deathly pale. It was too late to hide her true feelings, and she could only weakly try to explain, "This servant has been feeling unwell lately..."
"Then let the imperial physician examine her carefully," Emperor Chongde said calmly, noticing the palace maid's unease at a glance.
The imperial physician immediately stepped forward. Shen Tangning had already let go of her hand and stepped aside. Looking at the palace maid's trembling eyelashes, she felt a sense of clarity in her heart.
The imperial physician's expression quickly changed: "This is oleander poisoning!"
Everyone stared in astonishment.
Oleander is an ornamental plant, but the entire plant is poisonous. Although it has a beautiful appearance, no one usually touches it.
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