The palace maid's rash is so severe that it must not have been caused by accident!
Sure enough, the guards soon discovered traces of oleander pollen under her fingernails and on the handkerchief she was carrying.
The imperial physician, with a grave expression, bowed to Emperor Chongde and said, “Your Majesty, the oleander is extremely poisonous and can cause miscarriages in women. Furthermore, I also found oleander pollen on Consort Rou’s cushion and clothing.”
The palace maid's face was drained of color. She was forced to kneel on the ground, and knowing that her secret had been exposed, she stopped struggling.
Emperor Chongde's eyes flashed with coldness: "Drag her away and torture her severely. You must find out from her who instructed her!"
Afterwards, Shen Tangning also received a reward from Emperor Chongde.
The emperor left with a gloomy face, bringing an unexpected farce to an end, and everyone prepared to leave.
Shen Tangning stood among them, frowned, and looked around. So, that's the end of it?
She felt uneasy. Ever since she learned from Jiang Qingyue that the Third Prince would make a move at Consort Rou's birthday banquet, she had been on guard. But even Jiang Qingyue didn't know exactly what he would do.
She could only muster all her strength, but after a whole day, apart from the matter of Consort Rou's miscarriage, the whole turmoil was over.
This kind of grandstanding followed by little action makes her worries seem like an overreaction.
She slowly walked out, when someone called out to her from behind: "Young Madam Chi, please wait."
Shen Tangning turned around and saw Consort Rou's maid Caiwei, who looked at her with gratitude: "Young Madam Chi helped my lady find the real culprit. When the lady wakes up, she will definitely thank you in person. May I invite you to sit in our palace?"
After examining her for a while, Shen Tangning relented.
She was arranged to rest temporarily in a side hall. Consort Rou had not yet woken up. Shen Tangning looked up at the sky for the umpteenth time and sighed softly, almost imperceptibly:
"If Her Majesty doesn't wake up soon, the palace gates will probably have to be locked."
After a while, Caiwei came over and asked her, "Her Majesty has woken up and wants to see Young Madam Chi."
...
Consort Rou leaned against the cushion, her face pale, with red stains at the corners of her eyes, as if she had just been crying.
Upon seeing Shen Tangning, she straightened up and dismissed those around her, her voice filled with gratitude: "I heard from Caiwei that it was Young Madam Chi who found the real culprit for me?"
"It is what I should do," Shen Tangning said softly, lowering her eyelashes. "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself."
She felt a gaze fall upon her head, carrying an ambiguous meaning: "After such a thing has happened, how can I take care of myself?"
Her trembling voice trembled with tears, and Shen Tangning sighed softly, saying slowly, "This humble woman has a question, and I wonder if Your Majesty can answer it?"
As soon as the crying stopped, Consort Rou swallowed her tears and looked at her through the misty fog: "What do you want to ask?"
She lowered her head as if deep in thought, and said slowly, "Even if you come into contact with oleander, it would take at least three hours for the effects to take hold."
"..."
Shen Tangning raised her eyelids to look over, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Your Majesty is not pregnant, is that right?"
Roufei's expression slowly faded, revealing a half-smile in her eyes.
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