Chapter 132: The Turning Point

Bao Ning had the Empress dismiss the servants and told her every suspicion she had.

The Empress was profoundly shocked upon hearing this, but she regained her composure within moments. She decided to trust Bao Ning and act according to her plan.

Fifteen minutes later, a figure slipped out of the side gate of the Palace of Eternal Autumn. It was the Empress’s most trusted senior maid, Qiu Shi, heading toward the Imperial Academy of Medicine.

A young eunuch on lookout in the woods caught sight of her, immediately sharpened his focus, and followed her stealthily.

The Crown Princess had suddenly collapsed, bleeding from her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, and had drawn her last breath in an instant. With such a massive incident occurring, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was already in total chaos.

She was carried to a side hall. By the time the imperial physicians arrived, her body was already stiff. A coroner was summoned to perform an autopsy. Noble Consort Gao sat to one side, supported by attendants, her face pale as she suffered bouts of dizziness. Emperor Zhou stood outside in silence, while a crowd of ministers stood facing each other, whispering speculations about the cause of the event.

Pei Yuan leaned against a wall, watching palace servants carry basins and fetch water as they bustled in and out. He closed his eyes for a bored nap.

A quarter of an hour later, the coroner reached a conclusion: The Crown Princess had died of poisoning, and there was an 80% certainty that the poison was Rouge Eyes .

Upon hearing those three words, everyone in the room instinctively looked at Pei Yuan. The reason was simple: during the treason case years ago, when the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince allegedly conspired to poison the Emperor, the poison used was Rouge Eyes. The seeds of this toxin are only found in the far north and have always been for the exclusive use of the Xiongnu royal court. Aside from that previous poisoning case, it had never appeared in Great Zhou.

Noble Consort Gao looked over with a venomous glare, looking as if she were about to rush forward and fight for her life.

Secretly, however, her heart began to thud—tense and uneasy.

Because she knew for a fact that Pei Yuan did not have this poison.

Back when the sentence was handed down, the Rouge Eyes found in Pei Yuan’s manor had been planted there by her secret agents; it was the most crucial piece of physical evidence. Everyone believed that Pei Yuan was the only person in Great Zhou who possessed it, but that wasn’t true. The only real bottle of the poison was in her hands.

What the heck is happening? She hadn’t administered any poison, so why was Gao Feihe dead?

The Consort smelled a conspiracy, but she was utterly clueless about how to react. She could only follow the flow and continue her performance. Grabbing a teacup near her hand, she threw it at Pei Yuan with hatred, cursing loudly: “You villain! Wasn’t it enough that you tried to kill your Imperial Father? You were lucky enough to be forgiven, yet you remain unrepentant. And now, you murdered your sister-in-law! How cruel and wicked is your heart!”

She knelt before Emperor Zhou, weeping: “Your Majesty, you must deal with this villain and find justice for the deceased Feihe!”

Emperor Zhou waved his hand weakly for someone to help her up. He turned to look at Pei Yuan and asked in a low voice, “Yuan’er, was it you?”

Pei Yuan countered, “Your Majesty, do I look like an idiot to you?”

His arrogant aura was the same as always. He wasn’t panicked, nor was he desperate to explain himself. Emperor Zhou scrutinized his expression and already believed him halfway.

“Enough, Lijiang.” Emperor Zhou sat down, sighing as he called the Consort by her personal name to comfort her. “I know your heart is pained by what happened to Feihe, but you must not lose your reason and make wild guesses. No one uses the same poison to kill twice. This matter is not simple; give me some time, and I will find justice for you.”

“Your Majesty is mistaken,” Pei Yuan said. “I never used this poison even once. You simply didn’t believe me.”

The Noble Consort’s crying paused. She glared at him again with malice. Pei Yuan met her gaze calmly and even let out a small smile.

Her heart skipped a beat. Vaguely, she seemed to grasp the truth behind this—it must be related to Pei Yuan. He was setting a trap for her. However, she felt utterly powerless; she could only wait passively, unable to do a thing.

Hearing Pei Yuan’s words, Emperor Zhou sighed again but said nothing.

He summoned Lin Yunze, the Minister of Justice, and instructed him to conduct a thorough interrogation. Lin Yunze took his orders and led away everyone Gao Feihe had brought into the palace, everyone from the Noble Consort’s palace, and everyone they had come into contact with during the banquet—forty to fifty people in total.

Minister Lin was meticulous and clear-headed. With his interrogation skills, he quickly found the most suspicious point: the bottle of Small Fragrance Pills .

He requested a decree from the Emperor to arrest Sun Xingye. The Emperor granted it.

Hearing this, Pei Yuan found a seat and sat down, crossing his left leg over his right. He asked a young eunuch for a cup of tea.

Noble Consort Gao watched him in secret. The more at ease he was, the more panicked she became, her mind in a jumble… When she saw the lookout planted outside the Palace of Eternal Autumn enter the hall, her heart sank even further.

She made an excuse to step out, found a quiet spot, and asked the young eunuch, “What is it?”

“Your Highness, Nanny Qiu Shi from the Empress’s side went to the Imperial Academy of Medicine and brought five or six physicians back to the Palace of Eternal Autumn,” the eunuch reported with downcast eyes. “There are no abnormalities within the palace—no sounds of fighting, and the servants are moving in and out normally. However, Nanny Taoxian can no longer be contacted.”

The Consort was shocked. “What do you mean ‘cannot be contacted’? Is she a living person with broken legs who can’t leave, or was she poisoned and turned mute? You—”

She suddenly stopped. She thought of another possibility: the plot had been exposed, and Taoxian had been detained. At this thought, cold sweat rolled down her forehead. She grabbed the eunuch’s collar and asked harshly, “What were her last words to you?”

The eunuch was terrified. He was just a messenger and had no idea why the Consort had suddenly turned violent. He stammered, “Nanny Taoxian said the Empress didn’t eat the snacks, but the Princess of Jibei ate a piece. She said to tell you as soon as possible. Xiao Suizi was sent to pass this message; did he not inform you?”

Just as they were speaking, the Consort caught sight of Xiao Suizi approaching while clutching his stomach. She roared, “Stupid servant! Where have you been!”

Xiao Suizi knelt in terror. “This servant… I had an upset stomach and went to find a latrine. But the servants at the Palace of Eternal Autumn wouldn’t let me use theirs, so I went back to the Palace of Extended Happiness…”

Noble Consort Gao was nearly driven to death by this stupid servant. Her head buzzed as she murmured, “It’s over. It’s over. It must have been exposed…”

Bao Ning must have realized something was wrong with the snacks after eating them. Taoxian was still a child; she would have panicked, shown a flaw, and been discovered.

One wave had not settled before another rose. Tonight was truly cursed—nothing was going her way. She took a deep breath, quickly pulled herself together, and regained her usual composed expression.

She dismissed the two eunuchs, warning them to keep their mouths shut. Then, she summoned her confidante nanny and whispered: “I don’t know what that fourth brat is secretly plotting, but it will certainly be harmful to me. I cannot just sit here and wait for death. His Princess is currently poisoned by Jianshouqing and will have uncontrollable hallucinations. Since we’ve already gone this far, it would be a waste to stop. Why not seize the opportunity to kill her in one go!”

The nanny asked in confusion, “How shall we do it?”

“Doesn’t she have a mother-in-law who died early?” The Consort narrowed her eyes. “Lure her to the Suoyang Palace (Palace of Locked Yang) and take the chance to kill her. When the time comes, say it was done by the vengeful spirit of Consort Xian. She is currently muddled after eating the mushrooms; no one will say anything even if she dies in a fit of madness.”

The nanny nodded repeatedly, praising it as a good plan, but then hesitated: “Your Highness, we didn’t plan for this beforehand. In such a short time, who can we find to handle it?”

The Consort pondered for a moment and asked, “A while ago, didn’t Xiao’er send a young eunuch into the palace who said he had a history with the fourth brat’s Princess? What was his name… Zhao Qian?”

The nanny confirmed it was.

The Consort said, “Let him do it. Tell him that if he succeeds, he will be rewarded with five hundred taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land. This palace guarantees him a lifetime of promotion and luxury!”

Bao Ning lay on the bed in the side hall of the Palace of Eternal Autumn. The Empress stayed by her side. A palace servant came in and recounted everything that had happened in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The Empress sighed, “How can so much happen in one night?”

Bao Ning held her hand and comforted her, “It will all be fine.”

The imperial physicians arrived quickly. They took her pulse, asked about her symptoms in detail, and examined the plate of mushroom cakes. They said to the Empress: “It is indeed because she ate undercooked Jianshouqing . Fortunately, it was only a small amount, so there is no great danger. She will recover after a few days of rest. Your Majesty, this was likely the negligence of the servants in the Imperial Kitchen. Shall we pursue the responsibility?”

“Certainly,” the Empress nodded. “Detain the cook who made the cakes and the servants who delivered the food. Keep them under guard until I question them tomorrow morning.”

She then turned to the physicians: “The Princess is young and weak. Although she is in no danger, she still needs a doctor by her side at all times. You all shall stay in my palace tonight.”

The physicians complied. Maidservants came forward and led them away.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief and patted the back of Bao Ning’s hand. “Don’t worry, everything is arranged. Taoxian has already been placed under guard. Rest for now…”

Before she could finish, Nanny Qiu Shi entered with a frown. “Your Majesty, Little Eunuch Ye from the Emperor’s side has arrived. He says the Emperor is summoning the Princess to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.”

The Empress was stunned. “What for?”

Qiu Shi replied, “They say because of the Crown Princess’s death by poisoning, Master Lin of the Ministry of Justice has ordered everyone who saw the Crown Princess today to be brought in for questioning. This morning, the Princess saw her during the morning greetings, so she is to be summoned as well.”

The Empress said in dissatisfaction, “So many people were there during greetings. Could Bao Ning have been the one to poison her? Besides, Bao Ning is this ill; how can she walk such a long way?”

“Your Majesty, please don’t make things difficult for this servant.” As soon as she finished speaking, Little Eunuch Ye entered from the door with a miserable face. “These are His Majesty’s orders; I wouldn’t dare disobey! Your Majesty, a clear conscience fears no whispers. It’s just a few questions. You should let the Princess go; she will be back soon. If you block this, it will only draw suspicion. A major case happened tonight; it’s best we avoid any suspicion.”

“This…” Little Eunuch Ye was the disciple of the Great Eunuch Jiang Yan. He was quite prestigious among the young eunuchs and highly trusted by the Emperor. Hearing him speak this way, the Empress hesitated.

Bao Ning sat up. “Your Majesty, I shall go then.”

“Very well,” the Empress said. “There is no other way.” She and Nanny Qiu Shi both went to support Bao Ning.

Little Eunuch Ye smiled. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. We have prepared a palanquin. It will be a quick trip there and back.”

Bao Ning followed him out. The palanquin was parked at the gate, and someone helped her inside.

Bao Ning was lightheaded. Once she sat in the chair, she closed her eyes for a nap. After an unknown amount of time, the palanquin suddenly stopped.

She opened her eyes in confusion and asked, “Are we here?”

But what met her eyes was not the magnificent Hall of Supreme Harmony. Instead, it was a desolate, remote place. Before her stood only a small building; the palanquin was right at the entrance.

Looking again, all the servants who carried the chair were gone. Little Eunuch Ye was gone as well.

Bao Ning gasped and hurried out of the chair.

She looked up and clearly saw the plaque on the building: Suoyang Palace .

No wonder the exterior was so familiar—there was one just like it in the Jibei Manor. Pei Yuan had built it in memory of his mother. It was nearly identical. But why did the palanquin stop here? Bao Ning’s heart raced. She called out tentatively, “Little Eunuch Ye?”

As expected, there was no reply. Bao Ning finally realized this was likely another trap! She turned to leave quickly, but before she could take a step, a dark shadow flashed before her and shoved her shoulder. Bao Ning screamed and stumbled; the door to the small building behind her suddenly swung open.

She fell through the doorway, and while she was still in shock, the door slammed shut with a “bang.”

In the Palace of Eternal Autumn, the Empress waited anxiously. Bao Ning had not returned.

She originally thought Minister Lin’s questioning was taking longer than expected, but as she pondered it, a point of doubt suddenly occurred to her. Since everyone who had seen Gao Feihe was being questioned, why didn’t she have to go? Clearly, Gao Feihe had spent more time with her. Yet they only called for Bao Ning…

Was she being paranoid, or had Little Eunuch Ye also been bought?

The Empress could no longer sit still. She summoned Nanny Qiu Shi and instructed: “I feel something is fishy about this. Go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony yourself and see if Bao Ning is there. If she isn’t, or if she never arrived, go directly to the Fourth Prince and tell him everything that happened tonight.”

Qiu Shi asked, “Your Majesty, should we tell the Emperor?”

“No need. You only need to contact the Fourth Prince,” the Empress said with a dark expression. “Our Emperor is a muddled man. I do not trust him.”

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