Chapter 60: False Accusation

Chapter 60: False Accusation

“Is that so?” Jiang Hui raised her hand, signaling Okra to step back temporarily, “The Emperor has already discovered the secret letters received by Steward Zhang of the Imperial Kitchen, clearly outlining the plan. Are you saying they didn’t come from you?”

“Secret letters?” Zhao Ruyun looked startled, incredulously asking, “What secret letters?”

Jiang Hui glanced at her, and Okra spoke on her behalf, “Are you still going to deny it, Zhao, the commoner? The peanut powder in the wine, the beef sent to Xiu Xia Xuan, all these things have been uncovered by the Emperor.”

Zhao Ruyun’s expression faltered, unable to refute, and finally said, “You suspect I instructed Steward Zhang to harm the Great Prince?”

“It’s not a suspicion,” Jiang Hui’s expression was cold, “Since the Emperor has traced it to you, with Steward Zhang’s confession, the imperial guards are already on their way to the Changping Marquis residence.”

“Impossible!” Zhao Ruyun declared, “The Changping Marquis is the Emperor’s maternal family; why would he cut off his own arm?!”

“Why consider it cutting off his own arm? The title of Changping Marquis can pass to the second house if the first is gone,” Jiang Hui replied with a faint smile.

“You’re lying!” Zhao Ruyun’s eyes brimmed with rage.

After a long pause, seeing Jiang Hui’s expression unchanged, Zhao Ruyun calmed down and said, “Noble Consort Jiang, since you are willing to listen to me, you must have some doubts about this matter, right? The messenger was Qingguo from Cining Palace, and she is already dead. Steward Zhang couldn’t have received any more secret letters. This matter truly has nothing to do with me.”

Jiang Hui remained unmoved, “Without Qingguo, others can still enter and leave Changmen Palace to pass messages for you.”

“You suspect Doctor Qiu?” Zhao Ruyun realized, “Doctor Qiu doesn’t understand the code of secret letters, and he is searched by the guards every time he enters and leaves Changmen Palace. How could he possibly pass messages?”

She then softened her tone, pleading with Jiang Hui, “Noble Consort, please speak with His Majesty on my behalf. I did not harm the Great Prince, I really didn’t. If he is still angry with me, after I give birth, do whatever you wish, but it has nothing to do with the Changping Marquis residence!”

Jiang Hui observed her expression closely, then stood up and walked out. Okra and Feng Shi released Zhao Ruyun and followed Jiang Hui with the tray.

Approaching the main hall, Shan Zha was playing with two young palace maids. The old nanny came forward to greet Jiang Hui, asking, “Does the Noble Consort have any further instructions?”

She refrained from asking what Jiang Hui had done inside.

Jiang Hui glanced at her and asked indifferently, “Is your surname Zhao?”

“Yes,” the old nanny replied with her head bowed respectfully.

Jiang Hui didn’t speak, staring at her for a long while, making her break out in a sweat, before saying lightly, “Just take good care of your mistress.”

Since Zhao nanny appeared in Changmen Palace, she must be there with the tacit approval of His Majesty, considering Zhao Ruyun's pregnancy with the imperial heir.

On leaving Changmen Palace and heading back to Yaohua Palace, Shan Zha approached Jiang Hui quietly and said, “My lady, I inquired with the two young palace maids earlier. Every time Doctor Qiu came for a check-up, due to the separation of men and women, these two maids were always with Zhao Ruyun, leaving no opportunity for private conversations.”

Jiang Hui nodded without a word. Upon reaching Qionghua Hall, Qingfeng was already waiting there.

Qingfeng quickly approached and reported, “My lady, I just returned from the Imperial Punishment Department. I assisted Eunuch Anjing in interrogating Steward Zhang. According to him, all three secret letters used the same code, or else he wouldn't have followed the instructions. However, upon closer examination, the handwriting of the third letter slightly differed from the previous two. Since the palace staff of Cining Palace and Hanzhang Hall were all replaced, Steward Zhang thought it was a change in the contact person.”

Slightly different? If it’s only a slight difference, then the person who wrote the third secret letter was deliberately imitating… If it were really someone from Cining Palace, the handwriting wouldn’t be so deliberately similar.

As expected.

The first letter instructed Steward Zhang to add peanut powder to the wine at the Wanshou banquet; the second, to prepare beef dishes for Xiu Xia Xuan; both were clear and direct orders, using common items from the Imperial Kitchen.

But the third letter asked Steward Zhang to find a way to incorporate Inula flower into the mooncakes. Although it was still an order, it additionally required him to source the Inula flower himself and find an excuse to mix it into the mooncakes.

Judging by the direct style of the first two letters, it should have explicitly instructed how to obtain the Inula flower and how to incorporate it into the mooncakes.

While this could be forcefully explained as a slight variation in the method due to a change in contact person, as Zhang speculated, Jiang Hui had long suspected that the mastermind behind this incident was the same person who had been instigating troubles between Zhao and Sun. Hearing the contents of these three letters, she became even more certain of her guess.

With the witchcraft incident just passing, most of the people from Cining Palace and Zhao Ruyun had been cleared out. To act against Nian'er so soon, were they really so bold because of their connection to the Emperor’s maternal family?

Comparing this with the information probed from Changmen Palace, Jiang Hui was 70% sure that this time's mastermind was impersonating Steward Zhang’s contact, writing such a letter.

The purpose was twofold: to harm Nian'er and to lead Jiang Hui into a confrontation with the Empress.

If she hadn’t noticed the slight inconsistency between the three letters and hadn’t verified it with a visit to Changmen Palace, based only on the apparent motives and evidence, she might indeed believe it was the Empress who acted.

Jiang Hui first entered the eastern annex to check on Nian'er, seeing him sleeping soundly, before stepping out and asking, “Has His Majesty left the Fengyi Palace?”

Qingfeng shook his head, “Not yet.”

Okra, guessing Jiang Hui's intention, asked, “My lady, are you planning to explain this to the Empress?”

"Qingfeng and Anjing meticulously inquired about the differences in the secret letters, and I made a conspicuous visit to Changmen Palace. His Majesty only needs to question Zhao Ruyun to understand what I'm suspecting. If I don't visit Fengyi Palace to speak for the Empress, it would reflect poorly in the Emperor's eyes.

"Moreover, since Doctor Qiu is a key figure in His Majesty's suspicion of the Empress using Zhao Ruyun, how could he not interrogate him? Being an official, Doctor Qiu is probably in the Dali Temple dungeon by now. Whether he's involved or not, His Majesty will find out eventually."

After speaking, Jiang Hui smiled slightly, "Besides, even if the Empress isn't the mastermind behind Nian'er's incident, she's guilty of negligence. Visiting Fengyi Palace now is somewhat advantageous."

Upon hearing this, Okra furrowed her brows and asked, "If a third party acted, His Majesty would eventually find out after interrogation that the Empress isn't the culprit. What then is her purpose?"

"Okra, you're thinking too complicatedly," Jiang Hui walked to the window, gazing at the swaying trees in the courtyard. "She wants Nian'er's life. As for the Emperor and myself, it's best to frame the Empress as the real murderer. Even if that fails, it doesn't hinder her plan."

Qingfeng then asked, "My lady, if the third secret letter came from someone else, what about the eunuch who died in the well?" He was the first to guess who could have had access to the secret letters in Steward Zhang's possession and mimic them.

Jiang Hui slightly shook her head, "Killing the eunuch serving Steward Zhang was probably not to silence him, but to mislead me into thinking he was the messenger. The real messenger is likely among his two apprentices. Go back to the Imperial Punishment Department and keep an eye on them."

After a moment of thought, she added, "Just in case, if there's any news from the Princess's estate regarding the eunuch's family, inform me immediately."

"Yes!" Qingfeng realized, understanding he almost fell into another trap.