Chapter 40: Suspicions

Chapter 40: Suspicions

Autumn Chrysanthemum hesitated before asking softly, "Does your ladyship suspect…?"

"If she really wanted to sneak into bed, why not choose when His Majesty bathes alone? Besides, with Sheng An and you on night duty outside, her blatant entry seems too foolish," Jiang Hui commented calmly.

"You mean, Bi Yue pretended to be there for that purpose because Sheng Gonggong caught her?" Autumn Chrysanthemum realized.

Sheng An, as the Emperor's personal attendant, undoubtedly had some martial skills. It made sense that Bi Yue was caught by him.

But why last night, of all times?

With the palace busier due to the Emperor's birthday, Bi Yue must have seized the moment. However, with the strict rules set by Autumn Chrysanthemum and Sheng An in Yao Hua Palace, wandering around during the day was impossible, making her choice of nighttime plausible.

"Where's Bi Yue now?" Jiang Hui inquired.

"Kneeling in the courtyard. Since she's from Yao Hua Palace and Sheng Gonggong thought she was there for...that reason, he just made her kneel, waiting for your decision," Autumn Chrysanthemum replied, then asked, "Should we interrogate her?"

Yao Hua Palace had no secret prisons or private punishments, but simple questioning was possible.

After pondering, Jiang Hui said, "No rush. Let Shan Zha watch Nian Er with Shi Liu. Autumn Chrysanthemum, check the rooms with Hong Ying. As for Bi Yue... let Hong Yu question her first and keep an eye on her, ensuring she doesn't die."

"Hong Yu?" Autumn Chrysanthemum was slightly surprised but didn't contest Jiang Hui's decision, bowing in agreement, "Yes."

Jiang Hui continued her meal and, after washing her hands post-dining, inquired about Sun Cairen's situation.

Qing Feng reported that Sun Cairen indeed suffered an allergic reaction from accidentally ingesting peanuts and had broken her leg from the fall, likely requiring half a year of rest in Zhu Xia Xuan.

He added that Sheng An had instructed An Jing to thoroughly examine Sun Cairen's food, finding peanut powder in her wine jar.

"The wine jar?"

Jiang Hui recalled last night's setting; the feast for everyone was served from the Imperial Kitchen. However, with each seat assigned, it wasn't impossible to specifically place a peanut-laced wine pot in front of Sun Cairen.

Food on the table could be ignored, but a toast to the Emperor on his birthday was mandatory. Unless one was weak like Jiang Hui, a cup of wine was unavoidable for the other consorts.

"Any clue about the perpetrator?"

"No," Qing Feng shook her head, lowering her voice, "The Imperial Kitchen was hectic yesterday, and peanuts are common ingredients. The Empress dispatched people to interrogate, but there's no outcome yet."

No outcome was expected; peanuts, unlike poison, were too common and tracing the source was tough. The matter would probably be dismissed, with maybe some reprimand for the Imperial Kitchen and palace attendants.

However, it's different for Sun Cairen. Only a few in the palace knew of her peanut allergy, and she probably already suspected Min Jieyu.

Jiang Hui's recall of Sun Cairen's surprise at seeing the "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting revealed the outcome of their scheme.

Min Jieyu's original gift failed due to some "accidents," and Sun Cairen's sword dance, which dazzled everyone, ended with an allergic reaction, losing face publicly and missing the chance to win the Emperor's favor.

Ultimately, Min Jieyu was the more cunning one. The faulty gift was just a facade.

This incident only resulted in Sun Cairen's bedrest. With Min Jieyu's intelligence, she'd predict Sun Cairen's suspicions and impending revenge.

Thus, Min Jieyu would seek to remove Sun Cairen permanently.

"Let Du Juan serve Sun Cairen as usual," Jiang Hui instructed Qing Feng, "No need to report unless necessary. Sun Cairen is paranoid now."

"Yes," Qing Feng bowed respectfully.

After dismissing Qing Feng, Jiang Hui stood up to visit Nian Er, when An Jing arrived with a redwood box, followed by a line of eunuchs, his chubby face grinning.

"Your Ladyship, this is a special gift from His Majesty for your enjoyment," An Jing said, carefully opening the box and presenting it to Jiang Hui.

Inside wasn't the jewelry Jiang Hui expected, but a spyglass.

Made of rosewood, the spyglass had double layers fitting into each other, with jade and gold carvings at the junction, and a tassel of deep-sea pearls and turquoise at the end.

The spyglass appeared exquisitely intricate and luxuriously crafted.

Surprised, Jiang Hui took out the spyglass and walked to the window, trying to look towards the northwest corner where the plum grove was.

In the scorching heat of June, the plum trees were devoid of flowers but lush with foliage. Through the spyglass, Jiang Hui could even see summer cicadas trembling on the brown trunks.

Seeing a hint of joy on Jiang Hui’s face, An Jing said with a smile, "His Majesty also mentioned that this spyglass will be handy for your autumn hunting. He plans to bring your favorite green Chi dragon horse from the Imperial Horse Supervisor for your hunting and falconry."

Jiang Hui’s expression shifted slightly, smiling at An Jing, "I really like it. Please thank His Majesty on my behalf."

The words of Princess Ayiguli, spoken in private, had somehow been conveyed to the Emperor by some courtiers seeking favor.

Jiang Hui gazed at the thousand-mile mirror in her hand, a far cry from the simple bamboo dragonfly made from a tree branch in her childhood. It was much more exquisite, yet time cannot be turned back. Once one steps into this deep palace, many things become irretrievable.

"Keep it safe," Jiang Hui said as she handed the thousand-mile mirror to Wan Song standing behind her, her voice indifferent.

Qiu Kui and Hong Ying spent three days checking the list and thoroughly searching the Qionghua Hall, but found nothing suspicious.

"Red String and I have compared everything. The entire Qionghua Hall, including one main room, two warm pavilions, one quiet room, a flower hall, three auxiliary halls on each side, as well as a small kitchen and the quarters of the palace maids and eunuchs, are all accounted for. Nothing extra or missing, nor any trace of poison," Qiu Kui reported, her expression solemn.

Nothing?

Bi Yue had specifically chosen the day of Wanshou to sneak into the main hall, surely she wouldn't have done nothing.

With a slight frown, Jiang Hui asked, "What about Hong Yu?"

Qiu Kui answered with a furrowed brow, "Bi Yue insists she knows nothing, adamantly claiming she was just delusional, wishing to rise from her humble status to a phoenix."

Jiang Hui was not angry; this was within her expectations. She asked softly, "I remember the Inner Service Bureau mentioned she's from the capital, with three older sisters and a younger brother at home, right?"

"Yes," Autumn Okra confirmed.

Jiang Hui instructed, "Send a message to the Princess's Mansion to investigate Bi Yue's background, and see if her family is still around and where they live."

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