Ye Qingxue exclaimed, "Huh?" "Why does the Ninth Prince say that I am lying? Did you know what kind of poison you were poisoned with from the beginning?"
The Ninth Prince's mind went blank for a moment, and his breathing became even more rapid. He almost gave himself away.
But he clearly didn't use lacquer tree poison. Ye Qingxue's statement was suspicious and could be a lie. But why did the imperial physician say the same thing?
Before the Ninth Prince could figure it out, Ye Qingxue suddenly pointed at the Xianfei's shoes and asked, "Your Highness, what's on your shoes?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian instinctively tried to pull her foot down under her skirt, but Ye Qingxue grabbed her calf and stopped her.
"Imperial Physician, come and take a look at the surface of Consort Xian's shoes. Is it also made from lacquer tree sap, ground into powder? Consort Xian, please don't move, be careful that the powder doesn't get on your skin."
Consort Xian's expression was somewhat distorted, and she even tried to kick Ye Qingxue away. However, when she tried to move her feet, she found that she could not budge Ye Qingxue at all.
...Why is Ye Qingxue so strong, even though she is a young woman?
The imperial physician stepped forward and used a clean handkerchief to collect some powder from the surface of Consort Xian's shoes. After examining it, the imperial physician knelt before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor again, his face pale.
"...The poison on Consort Xian's shoes is also from lacquer tree poison. After being poisoned by lacquer tree poison, the symptoms are exactly the same as those of the Ninth Prince now."
Ye Qingxue released Consort Xian's legs and knelt before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, if I was the one who poisoned him, why was there lacquer tree poison powder on the Ninth Prince's belt and on Consort Xian's shoes?"
"As Eunuch Liu said before, I only splashed tea on the Ninth Prince—it was by accident—but poison powder appeared on the Ninth Prince and Consort Xian. Why is that?"
"I implore Your Highness and the Ninth Prince to give me an explanation!" Ye Qingxue said in a cold tone.
Consort Xian's face turned pale, and she quickly knelt down.
Before she could speak, Ye Qingxue's voice rang out again: "Could it be that because the Ninth Prince has recently gained the Emperor's favor, both the Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince believe that the Ninth Prince is very likely to be made Crown Prince?"
"My daughter is about to marry Prince Jing and become his consort, which is blocking the Ninth Prince's path. Therefore, Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince want to deal with my daughter in order to achieve their goal of dealing with Prince Jing?"
Ye Qingxue returned the words Consort Xian had said earlier to her verbatim.
This woman can fabricate an excuse to poison the Ninth Prince, so she can also give them, mother and son, a reason to frame her!
Consort Xian hurriedly said, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, I absolutely had no intention of framing Miss Ye! I beg Your Majesty and Your Majesty to see the truth! I only have one prince, Xiao Jiu'er, how could I bear to put him in danger?"
The Empress Dowager's eyes and face turned cold: "Then Consort Xian, explain why poison powder was found on you and your son when Xiao Jiu'er was poisoned? Wasn't it because something accidentally spilled on you when you were doing the tampering, and you didn't notice?"
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor: "Your Majesty, it seems that this matter has nothing to do with Qingxue. Take the matter of Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince to another place for trial. Don't let it offend my eyes in Shou Kang Palace."
She added, "More than a month ago, I still vividly remember how Qingxue risked her life to protect the Zichen Palace, and how she protected me and the Emperor. The Emperor hasn't forgotten either, has he?"
The emperor's face was extremely ugly and he was quite embarrassed, remembering that he had intended to punish Ye Qingxue when he entered.
Now he was told that the poison had appeared on Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince... and the Empress Dowager's "reminder" made his cheeks burn.
Could it be that Consort Xian and Xiao Jiu'er have become arrogant and domineering lately, and want to deal with Ye Qingxue in order to completely eliminate Yun Zhuo?
"How could I forget?" The Emperor said with a forced smile. "Empress Dowager, I will have someone take Xiao Jiu'er and Consort Xian away right away!"
The Empress Dowager said, "Once this matter is settled, Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince should not forget to apologize to Qingxue. Since Little Ninth is not feeling well today, let's leave it at that for now."
Consort Xian almost collapsed to the ground. Looking at her tormented son, she could hardly believe that the Empress Dowager had condemned her and her son like this.
Ye Qingxue said in a clear and loud voice, "Thank you, Empress Dowager, for standing up for Qingxue!"
As for the incident of spilling tea, with Eunuch Liu and the palace servants present as witnesses, she could not prove it herself.
So when Ye Qingxue was about to get the tea, she came up with a plan to shift everyone's suspicions about her onto Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince.
She had a lover by her side, and she always carried poison and antidote with her. The lacquer tree poison powder was something she flicked onto Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince when they weren't looking.
The mother and son were trying to frame her, so she was naturally guilty and couldn't defend herself, which is why this is the outcome.
They probably wouldn't dare use any deadly poison, and they would have their own antidote. Ye Qingxue only used lacquer tree poison on the Ninth Prince, so it's not a big problem.
Ye Qingxue suppressed her smile.
He then turned to Consort Xian and said, "Your Highness, please don't be too anxious. The lacquer poison was treated promptly, and the Ninth Prince will be fine."
"This humble woman is of lowly status and should not have to apologize to Your Highness. However, I am about to marry Prince Jing and become his consort. The Prince Jing's family cannot lose face. Therefore, this humble woman awaits the apologies from Consort Xian and the Ninth Prince."
The virtuous concubine stared intently at her, her eyes seeming to hold a thousand swords, as if she wanted to tear Ye Qingxue to pieces.
Ye Qingxue, however, showed no fear and met her gaze directly.
Consort Xian almost gritted her teeth to the bone before she could control her raging anger. After curtsying, she ordered someone to pick up the Ninth Prince and left.
Shou Kang Palace gradually quieted down.
The Empress Dowager instructed Ye Qingxue to wash and change her clothes, and to stay at Shou Kang Palace to have lunch with her.
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